Page 346 - Bible History

PREPARATION OF THE WO D FOR THE MESSIAS 319
Usually the men in
high positions and
ma ny of the Gali
leans kn e w Greek,
and a few also knew
Latin. Public signs
and notices were·gen­
erally w r i t t e n in
Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, so that all might be able to read them.
In the time of our Lord, the great Temple at Jeru- salem was spoken of as Herod's Temple. This was because Herod the Great rebuilt it after it had been partially destroyed by re during a siege of Jerusalem. It had the same usual three main divisions-the
Porch, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The Porch was on the east side. It was one h dred and fty feet high and was like a great hall with three rows of beautiful columns running its whole length. The entrance to the Porch was through beautifully
decorated gates.
The Temple itself was thirty feet wide. It was made
up of the Holy Place, sixty feet long, and the Holy of Holies, thirty feet long. Surrounding the Temple and on a lower level was the large Court of the Priests, which only priests and Levites were permitted to en­ ter. In it was the altar of sacri ce. On the north, south, and west of this was the Court of the Israelites, which all Jewish men might enter. East of this was the Court of the Women, which only the Jewish women
were allowed to enter.
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AN ARAMAIC INSCRIPTION
Herod's Temp