LAND of ISRAEL

Tag: Holy Temple

  • Discovered: 2000 year old capital from Solomon’s Portico (photo Vladimir Naychin)

    Discovered: 2000 year old capital from Solomon’s Portico (photo Vladimir Naychin)

    Doric capital found from Solomon’s Portico in the  Holy Temple of Jerusalem…

    Doric capital from Solomon's Portico in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem
    Discovered! Doric capital from Solomon’s Portico in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem (credit: Vladimir Naychin)

    Whether celebrating Passover or Easter, the Paschal lamb sacrifice is a central theme. Here is a recent find from where it all happened 2000 years ago – the Holy Temple itself, that stood on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem! Discovered was a 28” diameter Doric capital from one of the monumental columns of Solomon’s Portico – a 1500 foot long covered colonnade porch that extended along the eastern side of the Temple Mount, and one of four such porticos that enclosed the Outer Court of the Temple.  The beautifully preserved Doric capital, the first find of its kind, was sifted from rubble destructively dug up near the El Aksa mosque by the local Moslem religious authorities and dumped outside Jerusalem’s Old City walls.

    Doric capital from the Parthenon in Athens dedicated to the goddess Athena and built in the 5th century BC
    Doric capital from the Parthenon temple in Athens (450 BC)

    Strength, Simplicity, & Unity
    The Doric capital is composed of a flared circle at the top (known as the “echinus) which transitions downward to three concentric circles (called “annulets”).  It was topped by a square slab called the “abacus” upon which the colonnaded portico roof would sit.  The characteristic unity and simplicity of the Doric style can be noticed in the 5th century BC Parthenon in Athens.  Doric columns were fluted and tapered, and considered to be the stronger among the three Greek orders of columns (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian).  For this reason, they would be used in the lower level of multistory structures such as the Roman Colosseum, an amphitheater built by the emperor Vespasian and his son Titus, who destroyed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem just a few years earlier.

    Doric style portico in Athens with double columns
    Athens Doric portico

    About Solomon’s Portico
    We read about Solomon’s Portico, where the Doric capital came from, in the writings of Josephus Flavius, a kohen (Jewish priest, descendant of Aaron) who witnessed the destruction of the Temple by Titus the Roman in 70 CE:  And now it was that the temple [in Jerusalem] was finished.  So, when the people saw that the workmen were unemployed, who were above eighteen thousand, and that they, receiving no wages, were in want… they persuaded him [Agrippa, grandson of King Herod] to rebuild the eastern porticos… This was the work of king Solomon, who first of all built the entire temple. (Josephus, Antiquities 20,9,7)

    Scale model of Holy Temple Jerusalem with colonnaded portico around Outer Court in Jerusalem's Holy Temple
    Model of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (destroyed by Titus in 70 AD) with colonnade porticos of outer court

    Double row of columns – 42 feet high!
    Josephus continues: The porticos [around the Outer Court of the Temple] were double [in width], and the pillars belonging to them were twenty-five cubits in height [~42 feet], and supported the portico. These pillars were of one entire stone each of them, and that stone was white marble; and the roofs [of the portico] were adorned with cedar, curiously graven. The natural magnificence, and excellent polish, and the harmony of the joints in these cloisters, afforded a prospect that was quite remarkable. (Josephus, Wars 5,5,2)

    Jesus in Solomon’s Portico on Hanukkah
    Then came the Festival of Dedication [Hanukkah] at Jerusalem. It was winter and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Portico. (Jn. 10:22-23)

    Peter with lame beggar in Solomon’s Portico
    While the [healed lame] man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Portico. (Acts 3:11)

    Apostles gather in Solomon’s Portico
    The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Portico. (Acts 5:12)

    Come to Israel and discover more about Solomon’s Portico
    I invite you to join me here in Israel.  Tour with family, friends, or put together a group and save.  We’ll experience a 3-D living color Bible.  See the Doric capital from Solomon’s Portico and other authentic finds from the Holy Temple.  We can even sift earth in search of artifacts and learn more about biblical Israel.

    Shalom! Shalom! Zack Shavin, Jerusalem
    holylandrevealed.org

  • Golden Bell from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (photo City of David & IAA)

    Golden Bell from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (photo City of David & IAA)

    Discovered: Golden Bell from the High Priest robe in Jerusalem’s Holy Temple

    2000 year old gold bell from Jerusalem Holy Temple
    Gold bell from hem of Jewish High Priest’s robe. (credit City of David & Israel Antiquities Authority)

    Is it possible to hear an actual musical note from bible times? Well, here’s an incredible find that sheds light (photo credit City of David & Israel Antiquities Authority): The Bible and book of Psalms are full of references to musical sounds.  We recall Miriam, the sister of Moses, who after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea “took a timbrel in her hand… and sang” (Ex. 25:20) and David who would “take up his “kinor” (harp) and bring relief  and solace to King Saul (1Sam.16:23). Ongoing archaeological excavations around Jerusalem in recent years have revealed so much to us from Bible times.  In 2011, an actual golden bell, probably one of 72 that were sewn on the hem of the sky-blue “mei-eel” or robe, one of the eight vestments worn by the High Priest in the Holy Temple.  We read about the golden bells in the book of Exodus:

    Exodus 28:33-35
    “And upon the hem of it thou shall make… a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. It shall be on Aaron when he performs the service, and its sound shall be heard when he enters the Holy before the Lord and when he leaves, so that he will not die.” (Ex. 28:33-35)

    Call to prayer and repentance
    The Sages explain that the whole people gave themselves up to prayer and repentance, while the High Priest stepped into the Holy of Holies to officiate in their name.  It was therefore most appropriate that they should all know the moment when he entered the Holy of Holies.

    Discovery
    The gold bell was discovered in an underground drainage channel dating from the time of Christ, when the Temple was still standing.  The finely engraved, pomegranate shaped, gold bell was sealed all around, so it was x-rayed, and archaeologists could see the 4mm clapper, still intact.  It was suspended on a gold wire, striking the bell precisely in the middle. The amazing thing is that the bell still rings!  So it was sent to a music lab where it was sampled, amplified 72 times, and played back in rapid succession, the way the bells would have sounded on the hem of the vestments when the High Priest walked barefoot into the Holy of Holies of the Temple itself.  Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and then only on Yom Kippur – the Day of Atonement – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, but his movements could, thanks to the bells, be heard..

    Why the note “B”?
    It’s interesting to note that the frequency of the bell is 240 hz, which corresponds closely to the musical note B.  But why “B”?  In the ancient world, the note B represented the planet Saturn or Saturday, which was the 7th day of the week.  For the Jews of course this is the Sabbath day, known as “Shabbat” in Hebrew.  Indeed the word for bell in Hebrew, “pa’amon” has a numeric value of 240. So the ringing of the bells on the hem of the High Priest sounded out a central tenant and message of our biblical faith:  The Sabbath, the celebration of life, and belief in a premeditated act of Creation by a Creator.

    Hear the bell sound!
    To hear the sound of the bells click on www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVcOIdkGEjE

    Visit Israel & see the golden bell remains of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
    I invite you to join me here in Israel and experience a 3-D living color Bible- a blessing without measure!   Shalom! Shalom! Zack Shavin, Jerusalem
  • No Jewish link to Jerusalem Temple Mount???

    No Jewish link to Jerusalem Temple Mount???

    The 2000 year old Arch of Titus celebrates Roman victory over Judea, depicting soldiers carrying Jerusalem Temple treasures into Rome.

    With the recent UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization!!!) vote denying any Jewish connection to the Western Wall and Temple Mount (Mount Moriah) where the Mosque of Omar and El Aksa Mosques stand today, I’d like to suggest that the supporters of the resolution visit the Arch of Titus situated close by the Coliseum next time they are in Rome.   The 2000 year old arch was built to honor Titus who laid siege to Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D. and destroyed the Jewish Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah.

    Arch of Titus: Jewish prisoners carrying the golden Menorah into Rome
    Arch of Titus: Roman soldiers carrying the golden Menorah into Rome

    Depicted on the arch are Roman soldiers carrying the Menorah (seven branched golden candelabrum) into Rome, as well as other Temple treasures such as the Golden Trumpets and Show Bread offering table which was made of acacia wood and covered with gold.  The Jewish revolt against Roman tyranny and the attempt to reestablish independence broke out in Caesarea (Mediterranean coast) in 66 A.D. and ended seven years later with the fall of Masada in 73 A.D. The Western Wall is a remnant of the massive support walls that encircled and supported the Temple Mount platform and upon which the Moslems later built the Dome of the Rock mosque, also known as the Mosque of Omar.

  • Jerusalem: Marble floor tiles from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (photo Zachi Dvira)

    Jerusalem: Marble floor tiles from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem (photo Zachi Dvira)

    2000 year old marble floor tiles from the Holy Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem brought to light.

    2000 year old marble floor tile from Jewish Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem
    Marble floor tile from Holy Temple Jerusalem (credit Zachi Dvira Temple Mount Sifting Project)

    For the first time in history, actual decorative elements from the Holy Temple in Jerusalem have been brought to light!  Exquisite marble floor tiles, made with meticulously cut stones of different colors – yellow, black, red, purple, white, and more have been recently recovered and pieced together, giving us insight into the great beauty of the Holy Temple of the Jews that stood on Mount Moriah and was destroyed by Titus the Roman in the year 70 AD.  Archaeologists have so far been able to identify seven distinct floor tile patterns.

    2000 year old marble floor tile from Jewish Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem
    Marble floor tile from Holy Temple Jerusalem (credit Zachi Dvira)

    We read about the impressive Temple floor tiles in various literary sources:  Josephus Flavius, the Jewish historian who actually served as a priest in the Jerusalem Temple wrote (Jewish Wars V,5,2), “Open courts were laid with stones of various colors.” In the Babylonian Talmud (Baba Bathra 4a) we read, “It used to be said, He who has not seen the Temple of Herod [in Jerusalem] as never seen a beautiful building. Of what did he build it? Rabbah said: Of yellow and white marble. Some say, of blue, yellow, and white marble.”

    2000 year old marble floor tile from Jewish Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem
    Marble floor tile from Holy Temple Jerusalem (credit Zachi Dvira)

    Hundreds of colorful marble floor tile pieces have been discovered in a major sifting project undertaken by Israel Antiquities authority after Moslem religious authorities on the Temple Mount (where the golden dome Mosque of Omar and El Aksa mosques are located) illegally removed rubble beneath Mount Moriah, without conducting a proper archaeological excavation.  The floor tiles were probably part of the monumental subterranean passageway built by Herod the Great that led up to the Courtyard of the Gentiles on the Temple Mount, and was used by pilgrims – such as Jesus, Mary, & Joseph – when they came to Jerusalem for Passover.

    Visit Israel & see remains of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem
    I invite you to join me here in Israel and  experience a 3-D living color Bible- a blessing without measure! We’ll learn about the Holy Temple that stood on Mount Moriah, visit the Temple Mount excavations, and even help wash the archaeological remains in search of artifacts.
    Shalom! Shalom! Zack Shavin, Jerusalem