Part 171 (1/2)

Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.

The center of the mosque is occupied by the top of the natural rock, shown in the foreground. It is possible that the great altar of Solomon's temple was at this place.

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SOLOMON'S PALACE.

_Costly and Beautiful_.

And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house. For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. And it was covered with cedar above over the forty and five beams, that were upon the pillars; fifteen in a row. And there were three rows of latticed windows. And he made the porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and pillars and thick beams before them. And he made the porch of the throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. And his house where he was to dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work.

He made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken to wife), like unto this porch. All these were of costly stones, even of hewn stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, within and without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the outside unto the great court. And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.

And above were costly stones, even hewn stone, according to measure, and cedar wood. And the great court round about had three rows of hewn stone, {470} and a row of cedar beams; like the inner court of the house of the Lord, and the porch of the house.

THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.

_The Great a.s.sembly and Sacrifice_.

Then Solomon a.s.sembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel, unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And they brought up the ark of the Lord, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the Tent.

And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were a.s.sembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for mult.i.tude. And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto its place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place. There was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at h.o.r.eb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pa.s.s, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.

Then spoke Solomon, ”The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a place for thee to dwell in for ever.”

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And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said, ”Blessed be the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, which spoke with his mouth unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying, 'Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people Israel.' Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house for the name of the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel. But the Lord said unto David my father, 'Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house for my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: nevertheless thou shalt not build the house; but thy son, he shall build the house for my name.' And the Lord hath established his word that he spoke; for I am risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel. And there have I set a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”

_The Prayer of the King_.

And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: and he said, ”O Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, there is no G.o.d like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and mercy with {472} thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart: who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst promise him: yea, thou hast spoken with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled it with thine hand, as it is this day.

”Now therefore, O Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, 'There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast walked before me.' Now therefore, O G.o.d of Israel, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David my father. But will G.o.d in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded!

”Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my G.o.d, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee this day: that thine eyes may be open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof thou hast said, 'My name shall be there': to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest, forgive.

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JERUSALEM, FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public Library and used by kind permission.

The view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in the days of the city's glory, was one of splendor. Of this view in the time of Christ a writer says, referring especially to the temple, ”In the setting even more than the rising sun, must the vast proportions, the symmetry, and the sparkling sheen of this ma.s.s of snowy marble and gold have stood out gloriously.”

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