water management in herod's temple

8/14/2019 Water Management in Herod's Temple

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THERE WAS AN ATMOSPHERIC "SPRING" WITHIN THE TEMPLE

A trickling water flow was produced by a mechanical supersaturation devicethat utilized the formation of dew as its water source.

Eyewitness accounts inform us that there was within the precincts of the Jew-ish Temple in Jerusalem an inexhaustible spring of water (this was stated byAristeas in the third century B.C.E. 1 and re-confirmed by Tacitus in the latefirst century C.E. 2 ). The documentary references to this and other historical

sources mentioned in this article with abundant commentary by me are foundin my book "The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot." Yes, the only spring of waterthat issued from the ground within a five-mile radius of Jerusalem both in an-cient and modern times is the Gihon Spring. It is located on the west side of

the Kedron Valley underneath the former Ophel mound on the southeast ridge.

At this spring is where David pitched his special Tabernacle [a temporary Tem-ple or "House of God"] to house the Ark of the Covenant. 3 The Ark remained

in "Davids House" at the Gihon Spring for 38 years until Solomon transportedthe Ark directly up the slope of the Ophel to place it in Solomons newly-builtTemple of stone on the top of the Ophel mound. This means that the Templeswere located on one site at Jerusalem including the temporary Temple forhousing the Ark called "Davids House" and this was over and around that

Gihon Spring. This area is about a third of a mile south of the Dome of theRock region within the Haram esh-Sharif. The truth is, not one of the Templeswas built in the area of the Haram esh-Sharif (see my book that thoroughly

proves this fact).

There was, however, another minor (though important) water source withinthe enclosure of Herods Temple where sanctified water of the purest kindcould be collected and then used. It could be designated an "atmosphericspring." The later Rabbis of the Talmudic period mention this "spring" in the

Temple (and they accepted its designation as being properly called a "spring").This is recorded in the Babylonian Talmud. 4 A reference to this "water source"is also mentioned in the Mishnah 5(compiled about 200 C.E.). Where did the

water originate? It came from a manufactured "spring" that brought forth verypure sanctified water. This type of "water source" for the Temple was situatedin the area of the Holy of Holies. The source can be shown to be an engineeringdevice manufactured within the architectural design of the Temple in order to

create water from the evening and morning dew that is prominent in theJudean hill country in the late spring and early summer.

Although meteorologists today do not count dew as precipitation (because the

water formed as dew does not reach the level surface of the earth as does rainand snow), the hill country around Jerusalem can produce about one inch ofwater annually from dew on plants and other open surfaces during the dewseason. 6 I have seen watermelons grow on the hillsides in the spring andsummer into some of the nicest tasting melons and not a drop of rain or irriga-

tion water was put on the plants. The water came from dew. Several versesreferring to dew appear in the Bible, according to which the main season of

Water Management in Herod's Temple


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dew is late spring-early summer, or at harvest time (e.g., Hosea 14:5; Prov-erbs 19:12; Isaiah 18:4; Job 29:19). King Solomon was supposed to have saidto the woman he was courting: "For my head [shock of hair] is filled with dew,

and my locks with the drops of the night" (Song of Songs 5:2). Soon after har-vest time in the Harod Valley, Gideon "wrung enough dew from the fleece to filla bowl with water" (Judges 6:38). Though the quantity was comparatively

small to rain, its absence was considered to be like a drought within the land ofIsrael (Haggai 1:10,11). Besides that, water from dew was highly esteemed for

its purity. The holiness of such water was described in Psalm 133:3 as "thedew of [Mount] Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountainsof Zion [at Jerusalem], for there [in Zion] the Lord commanded the blessing,

even life forevermore."

The last biblical verse shows that life was associated as a symbol with dew.Yes, dew came to be an allegorical equation for life itself (especially the life ob-tained by the righteous at their resurrections from the dead) (Isaiah 26:19).

Dew was also the nucleus around which "angels food" (or Manna) was created(Numbers 11:9). All of these factors put the matter of dew into a spiritual

realm of interpretation that concern matters only associated with the powers ofGod to create or to sustain parts of His miraculous creations. This is why dewwas important even in Temple symbolism. As stated above, biblical interpreta-tion connected its virtues with spiritual life and the resurrection to life. To bringthese metaphorical teachings of the Holy Scriptures into the full view of thepeople of Israel, the architects and engineers who constructed the Temple in

Herods time created an elaborate (yet cogent) architectural design within theouter walls of the Inner Shrine. This design made it possible to collect dew intoa form of usable water of the highest purity. Enough water was distilled

through their engineering skills (though in small quantity) to assure an excep-tionally pure and ritualistically clean water supply of the most sanctified type ofpriestly purification use in the Temple.

This dew originated at an apparatus called an "atmospheric spring." This wascreated by chiseling out of the stones on the outer sides of the northern, west-

ern and southern walls of the Inner Shrine a water channel that was shapedlike the letter "V" (but lying on its side ninety degrees from being upright andwith its tip pointing inward). The top part of this concave groove was a little

over two feet high and its interior dimension was probably about two feet awayfrom the outer face of the wall. A catchment area in the shape of a "U" wasfurther cut into the bottom of this channel to receive water from dripping dew.The channel was designed with a slight decline westward to allow the trickles

of water to flow toward a particular drainage area located on the backside (thewest side) of the Inner Shrine.

The dew would form on filaments of entwined string about three feet long onthe outside and progressively shorter toward the interior. The strands had veryfine diameters. The Talmud gives us the dimension of filaments as thin as theantennae of grasshoppers 7 . By analysis we can think of these threads or fila-ments being tied in several rows to a fiber mesh in the form of a net (like avolleyball net with wide warps and woofs and about 3 feet high and 32 feet

long). These long nets were suspended by hooks spaced laterally along the toppart of the channel at convenient points to allow (when the need arose) thenets to be taken off the hooks for cleaning, etc. Each of these nets was at-


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tached diagonally to the upper part of the concave incision all the way to itsinterior wall. The filaments hanging downward were also in several rows witheach strand hanging independently of the others. The filaments were also of

differing lengths (the longest on the outside and shortest on the inside of theconcave channel).

Dew would catch on the long filaments like dew forms on spiders webs. Butwith a slight movement of the wind (or by mechanical means with a slightshaking) the accumulated dew would drip down into the "U" bottom of the

channel. In fact, there were actually two of these channels in the outer north-ern, western and southern walls of the Inner Shrine. The Sanctuary was 100cubits high (150 feet) and also 100 cubits wide at its eastern entrance. The

whole of the Sanctuary was shaped like the letter "T" with the lateral beam be-ing 100 cubits wide and facing east, while the western stem was only 70 cubitswide. The building appeared as a crouching lion with broad shoulders and amuch smaller body in the rear.

As for the two channels, one was lower than the other. Both circuited around

three-quarters of the building. One was located about 50 cubits above the floorof the Inner Shrine (about 70 feet up). The other channel was identically built

and about 50 cubits higher (or about 140 feet up). The second was located justshy of the roof under the surrounding balustrade. These two catchment chan-nels within the three walls (one above the other and both identical) were each

2 cubits high and 300 cubits in length (i.e., 3 feet and 450 feet) and each wascalled "the Place of the Water Droppings." 8

Besides this, on the western wall and located 5 cubits north from the south-western corner of the Inner Shrine, was an area 3 cubits wide in the Middotcalled "the Place for the Going Down of the Water." This 3 cubits wide

chute was built to allow the trickling water to descend to the floor level of theInner Shrine. The chute then emptied the trickling water into a small reservoir

at the bottom of the western wall. From there an underground channel tookthe water eastward to the entrance of the Holy Place. From that point therewas another channel that led the water to the eastern part of the Temple. Thiswest/east channel could also carry run-off rain water. This slightly bigger chan-nel was mentioned in the Middotand I will show what the Rabbis say about itwhen we survey what Middotrelates.

The Two Channels Were Called "the Places of the Water Droppings."

Each of these two outer channels chiseled within those three walls (one mid-way to the ceiling and the other very near the roof of the Inner Shrine) had an

open-air surface space of about 900 square feet for the collection of dew (this

was 1800 square feet surface exposure for both channels combined). But thisoutward surface was only a minor part of the "atmospheric spring." Recall that

there were many independent filaments in many lines hanging from the interiormesh within the concave channels. This allowed dew to form on both the out-ward and inward strands that were suspended from the web support. This ef-fect made the various meshes to be strewn out laterally along the channels

with their hanging filaments. It appeared a short distance away like hundredsupon hundreds (indeed, thousands) of spider-type webs hanging verticallyalong both channels (each channel being 450 feet long). These two outer chan-


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nels in the outer Sanctuary appeared like two fringes (midway up and at thetop) that gave a furling effect like a large flag in the gentle winds and furthercausing a glistening effect when dew was evident. The dewdrops would hang

on the filaments like sparkling dew on spiders webs.

The Two Channels Carried the Trickling Water to a Central Place in the

Sanctuary

The waters from the "atmospheric spring" fell into two specially designed chan-nels (that the Middotcalled "The Place of the Water Droppings"). Then aslight declined slope took the accumulated water in the channels to a drainagearea that the Middotcalled "the Place for the Going Down of the Water"near the southwestern corner of the Holy of Holies. This drainage area for

about 1800 surface square feet (plus the interior filaments that were manymore in number) on the three walls of the Inner Shrine was channeled to thefloor level of the Sanctuary. This is where a new channel that drained eastward

commenced. This lower channel was located just under the pavement floor ofthe Holy Place on the south side of the Inner Shrine and directed the water

eastward until it emerged from the Holy Place. During this eastward motionwithin the Inner Shrine, the channel was further supplied with other waters

from feeder channels bringing water from drainage pipes that carried off waterfrom the roof of the Sanctuary that were primarily designed to handle rain wa-ter. 9 So, when it rained, these additional gutters associated with the InnerShrine brought more water at times from the roof areas into the main west/

east channel and the water volume increased in size. Thus, all the water col-lected on the Sanctuary was diverted into these special channels and viaductsand if possible used in ritualistic services.

This allowed the west/east channel to carry the trickles of water eastward to

the porch of the Holy Place, and then southeastward to another larger channel.This larger channel is described in detail in the Middot. The water in it flowed

from the southeast corner of the Holy Place and was directed west/east to anaperture in the floor of the Temple court. 10 This aperture was opposite theWater Gate (at the corner of the Court of the Women). This was in the fareastern part of the Temple. Through this drain, the water descended precipi-tously to what the Middotcalled "the Threshold of the House." In no way canthis phrase mean the Threshold of the Holy Place as a similar phrase has it in

the prophecy of Ezekiel. This particular "House" is shown even in the Middottobe to the far east and at the corner of the Court of the Women. Even better,however, is a further identification in the Talmud 11 . The Rabbis knew the site

as "the Threshold of the House of David." This was the spot where Daviderected a House (that is, Tabernacle) to house the Ark of the Covenant beforeSolomon built the Temple. This "House" was located just above the Gihon

Spring (and even the Soncino commentators state the location of this "House"was at the bottom of Mount Zion where David once lived). The reservoir of the

Gihon Spring located directly below to become (with the addition of the GihonSpring waters) a small stream that flowed down the Kedron into the Dead Sea.

This architectural design to the Inner Shrine allowed for the creation of ritualis-

tic waters of the purest kind. The water obtained from dew was the most sanc-tified kind of water because dew was not only thought to symbolically mean"life" and the resurrection from the dead (and was an essential factor in the


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creation of Manna), but it was one of the fourteen essential elements that com-prised the Seventh Heaven in the divine House of God within the celestials. TheInner Shrine (the Holy of Holies) of the Temple in Jerusalem resembled the ac-

tual Seventh Heaven that was located within the heavenly geography pertain-ing to God and all His celestial entourage. Note what Prof. Louis Ginzberg hasto say on the fourteen divine attributes inhabiting the Seventh Heaven as Jews

came to understand it. He said: "The seventh heaven, on the other hand, con-tains naught but what is good and beautiful: right, justice, and mercy, the

storehouses of life, peace, and blessing, the souls of the pious, the souls andspirits of unborn generations, the dew with which God will revive the dead onthe resurrection day, and, above all, the Divine Throne, surrounded by the

seraphim. the ofanim, the holy Hayyot, and the ministering angels." 12

What we see in this architectural design is an "atmospheric spring" that sym-bolically duplicated the dew in heaven with which God will revive the dead onresurrection day. That Inner Shrine was constructed by the engineers of Herod

to promote in an ideal manner the accumulation of this dew on man-madestrands (filaments) associated with entwined fibers. The architects made it so

that dew that would distill on the outer surfaces of the Inner Shrine that wereexposed to the air and then the accumulated water was brought into the Holyof Holies by channels. Dew was distilled on strands of these filaments, whichwere made in three different size diameters. The smallest was the size of theantennae of grasshoppers, the next was a slightly larger size of threads de-signed for the woof, and then a slightly larger size of threads designed for the

warp. The three sizes (and the forms of the filaments) are described in the Tal-mud. Let us note how the Rabbis referred to the whole apparatus for this col-lection of water in the area of the Inner Shrine, and how the Rabbis regarded it

as having come from what they called "a SPRING." The words within doublebrackets are my explanation. 13

"R. Phinehas in the name of R. Huna of Sepphoris said:

The spring that issues from the Holy of Holies in its be-ginning resembles the antennae of locusts [[water

(that is, dew) on very fine filaments like the diameterof spiders webs]]; as it reaches the entrance to theSanctuary [["the Place for the Going Down of the Wa-

ters" in the western wall]] it becomes as the thread ofthe warp [[a slightly larger filament]]; as it reaches theUlam, it becomes as the thread of the woof [[slightlylarger still]]; as it reaches the entrance to the [Temple]

court, it [[the channel]] becomes as large as the mouthof a small flask [[other feeder pipes for drainage in-creased its volume]], that is meant by what we

learned: R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: [Hence] go forth thewaters [Mas. Yoma 78a] which will bubble forth fromunder the threshold of the Sanctuary. From there on-wards it becomes bigger, rising higher and higher, untilit reaches the entrance to the House of David [[at the

bottom of the Ophel slope where David pitched his"House" (Tabernacle) for the Ark at the Gihon Spring]].As soon as it reaches the entrance to the house of

David [[at the Gihon Spring]], it becomes even as a


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swiftly running brook, in which men and women af-flicted with gonorrhea, menstruating women, andwomen after childbirth bathe, as it is said: In that day

there shall be a fountain opened to the house of Davidand to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for purification andfor sprinkling. Said R. Joseph: Hence there is an inti-

mation that a menstruating woman [at her purification]must sit in water [that reaches in height] up to the

neck."

It should be noted that though much of the above information resemblessomewhat the description by Ezekiel of his future prophetic Temple shown in

chapters 40 to 48, this account deals specifically and solely with the Templethat existed in the time of Herod and also Christ Jesus (as anyone can read inthe Talmud). Yet, there will be something similar (and more grand) to happenin the future. This was described in a prophetic vision by the prophet Ezekiel.

The prophet elaborated on this trickling of water from the Holy Place in a pro-phetic sense by increasing its volume of water from the feeder channels that

entered the single stream that exited from the Holy Place. In Ezekiels pro-phetic account, the result of this vast accumulation of water was a main west/east channel so large that it became a gigantic river that will be able to fill theDead Sea with fresh water.

And while the whole of Ezekiels description of this "water source" from theHoly of Holies has a thoroughly future prophetic significance, we should notforget these references in Middotthat early Jewish Rabbis knew that there wasan actual"water source" originating in the shrine area of Herods Temple. Itserved as a literal parallel to what Ezekiel described prophetically. Sadly, the

future prophecy in Ezekiel gave the translators ofMiddotin the other versions(Soncino, Danby, Neusner) the erroneous impression that the author ofMiddotwas simply referring to Ezekiels Temple alone. And since Ezekiel put his proph-

ecy into the future (of course), the translators above avoided the simple gram-mar of the actual Middotand erroneously worded the teaching of the Middot

into being a prophecy of the future. Edersheim, however, DID NOT MAKE THISERRONEOUS grammatical change. He left the text in Middotjust as the authorofMiddotwrote it. Edersheim translated the words precisely how the text ren-

ders them. There was nothing future about the discourse. What this means isthe fact that Middotis actually giving a description of Herods Temple, and NOTthe future one of Ezekiel. And it is true that the author ofMiddotdid quote Eze-kiel on occasion for corroborative reasons to sustain some geographical points

in his account in which Ezekiels description agreed with that of Herods Tem-ple. But Edersheim still DID NOT erroneously translate the text ofMiddotintobeing a future prophecy (as the others) to make Middotto equal Ezekiel.

In a word, the Tractate Middot(along with the Talmudic reference in Yoma78a) is telling us in plain language that there was a real "atmospheric spring"designed into the architecture of Herods Temple. That "spring" actually ex-isted, yet it was on a more minor scale than the one in Ezekiels prophetic de-scription for the future Messianic Temple.

With the information given above as a background, all scholars who want toknow in detail what the "Water Management in the Temple" entailed should


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read what the Tractate Middotin the Mishnah has to say about it. It is a fasci-nating account, especially when read in the Alfred Edersheim translation (whichmakes it much clearer to understand). 14 The Middotis highly detailed in its

description of the "Temple Mount." It stated that the "Temple Mount"(which Ishow in my book on the Temple is a special and unique Rabbinic designationfor "The Levitical Camp" and NOT the walled Temple itself). This Levitical Camp

(called "Temple Mount") was a square of 500 cubits (750 feet) on each side.Interestingly, in the historical book "The Chronicles of Jerahmeel" 15 written

close to 1170 C.E. (one quite respected in the Medieval Jewish community), ininterpreting Middot, the Jewish scholar who wrote this work states that withinthis 500 cubits square area was another square region that was located 100

cubits INWARD from each of the 500 cubits perimeters. So, instead of 500 cu-bits square, 100 cubits was deducted from each side to make the most sacredpart of the Levitical Camp to be 400 square cubits. This added factor inJerah-meelshows a reduced square that was located 100 cubits inward from the

outer 500 cubits by 500 cubits of the "Camp of the Levites." This answered toan inward square area that was 400 cubits by 400 cubits. This latter dimensionmust refer to the walls of the Temple that were within the "LeviticalCamp" (the exact size that Josephus said were the proper dimensions of thefour squared walls of the Temple). 16

Besides that, the same book (The Chronicles of Jerahmeel) states that theabove dimensions were exactly the same as those surrounding the Tabernaclethat Moses erected in the wilderness. The historian states that there was a

square camp around the Tabernacle that was 4000 cubits on each side withinwhich the 12 tribes of Israel encamped. The camp area for the Tribe of Levite,however, was exactly one/eighth that of the over-all camp. This of course an-

swers to: one/eighth of 4000 cubits on each side that represents 500 cubits oneach side as its outer limits. This is exactly what the Mishnah states in Middot.

But, the Tribe of Levite with its animals, etc. had a 100 cubits' area INWARDaround each side of the Tabernacle. This minimized the sacred Levitical area

from being 500 cubits by 500 cubits (which includes an outward area for theanimals of the Levites) to be a new square of 400 cubits by 400 cubits intowhich domestic animals could not enter. In the time of Herod this latter 400cubits square was indeed the precise measurements of the outer walls of theTemple itself. 17 These facts of measurement for Herods Temple and those

measurements in Middotalong withJerahmeelare exact and in precise confor-mity to each other.

But there was one other important geographical fact that the author ofThe

Chronicles of Jerahmeelstated that is of utmost importance regarding the loca-tion of Herods Temple. The historian said that Miriams Well (a miraculous wellthat the Rabbis of the Medieval Period often speak about) was locatedjust in-

side the court of the Tabernacle opposite the Tent of Moses on the east side ofthe entrance to the Tabernacle. The historian says water from that well flowedaround the Camp of the Shekinah (the Priestly Camp), and then exited theTabernacle from the south east to go further southeastward to encircled theCamp of the Levites. Then it led to the south east corner of the outer Camp of

the Israelites in order to encircle all the "Camp of the Israelites." This circularfeature provided abundant water to the whole of the Three Camps in the wil-derness. 18


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What is remarkable is the fact that it was AT THIS EXACT LOCATION that theGihon Spring was located in the time of Herods Temple. The waters of the Gi-hon exited the Temple at its south east corner to provide water to the Kedron

Valley and Hezekiahs tunnel. Medieval Jews (such as the author ofJerahmeel)thought the Gihon Spring was selected by David and Solomon for the easternentrance to the Temple to simulate in a typical manner this miraculous "Well of

Miriam" (the sister of Moses) located at the same spot. And in the eleventhcentury when the Gihon waters turned bitter to the taste, this identification

was further realized because the word "Miriam" in some contexts was associ-ated with the word "bitter." 19 But when Saladin, the Kurdish caliph, "blockedup" the Gihon Spring just after 1187 C.E., Jews of later times only retained

hints of memory about the Gihon being called "Miriams Well." Christians nowenter the picture. With this name "Miriam" esoterically designating the springamong Jews, the Gihon for later Christians began to assume the title(somehow) of being "Marys Well." The actual Hebrew name of Mary the

mother of Jesus was, of course, "Miriam." Thus, the name "Mary" by the fif-teenth century became identified with the Gihon and by extrapolation it be-came known as "the Virgins Spring" which some still call the Gihon Spring tothis day. But recall that to Jews of the medieval period, this water source wasreckoned to be the miraculous "Well of Miriam," the like of which was situated

in the Wilderness just inside the entrance to the Tabernacle (the Sanctuary).So, a replica of "Miriams Well" became the Gihon Spring once David set theArk in a special Tent at the spot and then Solomon built the permanent Temple

on the Ophel mound just above and around the Gihon Spring.

All of this shows that as late as the time of the writing ofThe Chronicles ofJerahmeel(1100s C.E.), the Gihon Spring was connected symbolically by the

Jewish authorities to "Miriams Well" located inside the eastern entrance to theSanctuary. This was the position of the Gihon Spring in Herods Temple. Thus,

the measurements of the Temple enclosure being described by the tractateMiddotand also the additional information in the Talmud(with the extra sym-

bolic features that connected these features to the Tabernacle of Moses in thewilderness that we find recorded in The Chronicles of Jerahmeel)combine to-gether to effectively describe the Temple that existed in the time of Herod. Andthough Middotdoes have a sentence or two that reflects upon the futuristiccontext of the prophet Ezekiel in chapters 40 to 48, the text ofMiddotitself

concentrates its description strictly to Herods Temple that some of the Rabbiswho composed the Middothad memories about.

What is amazing, the measurements ofMiddotcompared with The Chronicles

of Jerahmeelare quite compatible. They combine to make the statements ofJosephus (who with his own eyes saw the Temple when it was in existence inJerusalem) to be in precise and exact agreement from the three later sources.

This recognition is a breakthrough in understanding that the medieval Jews (aslate at the time of Saladin in 1187 C.E.) were well aware that the Temple ofHerod was not located within the confines of the Haram esh-Sharif (nor was itanywhere near the present Dome of the Rock). It was actually located over theGihon Spring which was later identified with the miraculous "Well of Miriam"

which had been situated just within the court of the Tabernacle (at its east en-trance) in the time of Moses. All fits comfortably with symbolic reasonablenesswhen all these things are compared and associated.


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So, it will pay us to study the tractate Middotcarefully. That is why I have at-tached it (in Edersheims translation) to this article regarding the "atmosphericspring" that was manufactured by Herods architects to provide water from

dew that was obtained around the Inner Shrine of the Temple. The water fromdew was collected by the two lateral channels surrounding the outer InnerShrine, then it was directed to a chute at the southwestern part of the Inner

Shrine where it descended to the beginning of an underground viaduct thatwent eastward. This channel located under the pavement of the Inner Shrine

was supplied with gutter spurs that increased its flow marginally until itreached the Porch at the eastern end of the Holy Place. Then the channel wentdownward and southeastward to another channel that went eastward alongside

the Court of Israel and that of the Women. This came to the Water Gate (at thesoutheast corner of the Court of the Women). There was an aperture in thepavement that allowed the collected water to descend precipitously to the Gi-hon reservoir at the bottom of the chute. This is the spot known as "Davids

House" (or the place where David set up the special Tent that contained theArk of the Covenant for 38 years before Solomon built the Temple). This wasalso known in later times by the Jews as the "Well of Miriam." From there thewaters went either through Hezekiahs tunnel or into a channel on the westside of the Kedron Valley to drain into the region of the Judean Wilderness and

finally into the Dead Sea.

This is the "Water System" that the hydrologists of King Herod were able tomanage when the Temple was in operation in the time of Jesus and the apos-

tles. It, along with the Temple itself, must have been a wonder to behold. Youwill find most of this in the tractate Middot. It also describes the buildings andother major facilities within the sacred enclosure. Thankfully, it is still easy to

follow by the words that have come down to us. Indeed, if you will simply slowdown and read the account in Middotcarefully, you will discover much moreabout the Temple of Herod (the one Jesus attended) than ever before. It is im-portant to realize that the whole account concerns Herods Temple, NOT the

prophetic Sanctuary of Ezekiel. You will note that in the Middot, I have high-lighted in bold letters the pertinent parts to which the text of my article aboverefers. And when we compare the Middotwith Josephus (who was an eyewit-ness) about the Temple, we will find that what I have stated in my book "TheTemples that Jerusalem Forgot" is accurate and it is timely. The proper conclu-

sion is, to this whole historical and geographical issue, that the Temple ofHerod was located directly over and around the Gihon Spring in the KedronValley. The Haram esh-Sharif area is NOT the Temple Mount.

This translation of Middot comes from: "Sketches of Jewish

Social Life"

by Alfred Edersheim

Massecheth Middot


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(Being the Mishnic Tractate Descriptive of the Measurements of the Temple).Words in brackets and parentheses are explanatory words by Edersheim, indouble brackets by ELM. The use of the * is a further comment or endnote by

Edersheim.

Gemara either in the Jerusalem or the Babylon Talmud. In the for-

mer the whole of Seder 5 is awanting; in the latter only two and a-half Tractates (halfTamid, Middot, and Kinnim). MiddotcontainsHalachah only in the following passages: i, 2, 3, 9; ii. 2, 4, 5, 6; iii.

3, 5, 8; iv. 2, 5; v. 3, 4. Throughout the Mishnah the names of 128sages are introduced. Those Rabbis mentioned in this Tractate al-most all witnessed the destruction of the Temple.

Perek I.

1. The priests kept watch in the Temple [[Hebrew: Betor House]] in threeplaces: in the house Avtinas, and in the house Nitsuts, and in the house of

Moked; 20 and the Levites in twenty-one places: 5 at the five gates leading

into the Temple (the Mountain of the House), 21 4 in the four angles within, atthe five gates of the court, 4 in its four angles without, and 1 in the chamber of

offering 22 , and 1 in the chamber of the vail, 23 and 1 behind the Most HolyPlace (the House of Atonement). 24

2. The Captain of the Temple [[Hebrew: Betor House]] (the man of the Tem-

ple Mount) visited each guard, and burning torches were carriedbefore him.And every guard which did not stand up (which was not standing), the Captainof the Temple [[Hebrew: Betor House]] said to him: "Peace be to thee." If heobserved that he slept, he smote him with his stick, and he had authority toburn his dress. And they said, "What is the noise (voice) in the court?" "It is

the noise of a Levite who is Middotis the tenth Tractate of Seder V.(Kodashim) of the Mishnah. It has no beaten, and his clothes are set on fire,because he slept upon his watch." Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said: "Onone occasion they found the brother of my mother sleeping, and they burned

his dress."

3. There were five gates 25 to the Temple inclosure [[Hebrew: Betor House]](Temple Mount): the two gates of Huldah from the south, which served for en-

trance and for exit; Kipponos from the west; Tadi from the north did notserve for anything; the eastern gate, upon which was a representation of thecity of Shushan, 26 and by it the high-priest who burned the Red Heifer, and

all who assisted, went out upon the Mount of Olives.

4. There were seven gates in the court [[Azarah]] 27 ; three on the north, and

three on the south, and one in the east. That in the south was the gate ofburning; second to it, the gate of the firstborn; third to it, the water gate. Thatin the east was the gate of Nicanor, and two chambers belonged to it, one on

the right hand, and one on the left one the chamber of Phineas, the ward-robe keeper, and the other the chamber of those who made the pancake offer-ing [* For the daily offering of the high-priest].

5. And that on the north was the gate Nitsuts, and it was after the form of an


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Exhedra, and anAlijah was built on the top of it; and the priests kept guardabove, and the Levites below, and it had a door to the Chel[[an outer walkwayramp 10 cubits wide that surrounded the prohibited area called the Azarah into

which only Israelites could enter]]. Second to it was the gate of offering; thirdto it the Beth Moked.

6. And four rooms were in the Beth Moked, like small bed chambers openingon a dining apartment; two in the place that was holy, and two in that whichwas not holy, and the heads of the beams separated between that which was

holy and that which was not holy. And for what did they serve? That on thesouth-west was the chamber of offering; that on the south-east the chamber ofthe shew-bread; on the north-east, there the Asmoneans deposited the stones

of the altar which the King of Javan had defiled; on the north-west, there theywent down to the bath-house.

7. There were two gates to the Beth Moked one opened upon the Chel [[the

outer walkway ramp]], the other upon the court. Rabbi Jehudah says: "Thatwhich opened upon the court had a small wicket by which they went in to ex-

plore the court."

8. The Beth Moked was arched, and was a great house surrounded by exten-sions (perhaps terraces) of stone, and the elders of the house of their fathersslept there, and the keys of the court in their hand; and the young priests,every one with his pillow on the ground (his dress).

9. And there was a place there, a cubit by a cubit, and a slab of marble, and aring was fastened on it, and the chain with the keys were hung thereon. Whenthe time came for closing, he lifted the slab by the ring, and took the keys

from the chain, and the priest closed the gates from within, and the Levite hadto sleep without. When he had finished closing, he returned the keys to thechain, and the slab to its place; he placed his pillow upon it and slept there. Ifan accident befell one of them, he went out and had to go by the winding[[inclined]] stair which went under the house, and lights were burning on ei-

ther side, till he came to the bath-house. Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said:"By the winding [[inclined]] stairs he passed under the Chel, and went out andhad to go through Tadi [[the outer gate which none of the public used]].

Perek II.

1. The Temple inclosure [[Hebrew: Betor House]] (the Temple Mount) was500 cubits by 500 cubits, 28it[[the Camp of the Levites]] was largest on the

south; next largeston the east; then on the north; smallest on the west. Theplace where there was most measurement there was also most service.

2. All who entered the Temple [[Hebrew: Betor House]] 29 inclosure entered

by the right, and turned and went out by the left, except those whom some-thing had befallen, who turned to the left. "What ails thee that thou turnest tothe left?" "Because I am a mourner." "He that dwelleth in this house comfortthee!" "Because I am under the bann." "He that dwelleth in this house put it intheir hearts, that they restore thee!" So Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Jose says to him,

"This would make it, as if they had transgressed against him in judgment; but


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rather: He that dwelleth in this house put it in thy heart, that thou hearken tothe words of thy brethren, and they restore thee."

3. Farther on was the Sorag [[this was a lattice or Josephus said a stone bar-

rier that separated the Chel from the Azarah]], ten handbreadths high. Andthirteen breaches were in it, which the Kings of Javan had made. They restored

and strengthened it, and they decreed towards them thirteen obeisances [inremembrance].Again farther on the Chel [[the outer walkway surrounding theSorag that delineated the Azarah portion of the Temple]], ten cubits; and

twelve steps were there; the step half a cubit high, and half a cubit in exten-sion. All the steps which were there, each step was half a cubit high, and theextension half a cubit, except those which were at the porch. All the doorways

and gates which were there, were twenty cubits high, and ten cubits wide, ex-cept that in the porch. All the doorways which were there, had doors, exceptthat in the porch. All the gates which were there, had lintels, except that in thegate Tadi, 30 which had two stones resting, this on the back of that. All the

gates which were there, were renewed to be with gold, except the gate of Ni-canor, because there was wrought upon them a miracle, and some say, be-

cause the brass sparkled.

4. All the walls which were there were high, except the wall in the east, 31 sothat the priest who burned the heifer, standing on the top of the Mount of Ol-ives, and directing himself to look, saw through the gateway of the sanctuary,at the time when he sprinkled the blood.

5. The Court of the Women was 135 cubits long by 135 cubits broad, and fourchambers were in the four angles, each 40 cubits square, and they were notroofed in. And so they are intended to be, as it is said: "And he brought meforth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four corners of the

court, and behold, in every corner of the court a court. In the four corners ofthe court [there were] courts smoking" ...It is said, they were "smoking," and

that because they were not roofed. And for what did they serve? That on thesouth-east was the chamber of the Nazarites, where the Nazarites washedtheir peace-offerings, and polled their hair, and threw it under the pot. That onthe northeast was the wood chamber, where the priests who were disqualifiedpicked the wood, and every stick in which a worm was found, it was unfittedfor the altar. That on the northwest was the chamber of the lepers. That on the

southwest Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said: "I have forgotten for what itserved." Abba Shaul said: "There they put the wine and the oil; it was calledthe chamber of the house of Schamanyah." And it [the wall] was at first flush,

and they surrounded it with a gallery, so that the women looked from aboveand the men from beneath, for the purpose that they might not be mixed to-gether. 32 And fifteen steps went up from there to [[from]] the Court of Israel,

like the fifteen degrees in the Psalms [Songs of Degrees in the Psalms]. Uponthese the Levites stood singing the songs. They were not rectangular but

rounded, like the arc of a rounded substance.

6. And there were chambers beneath [[on the pavement level of]] the Court ofIsrael, and they [[also]] opened upon the Court of the Women [[located

aloft]]. There the Levites placed their harps, and their psalteries, and theircymbals, and all the musical instruments. The Court of Israel was 135 cubitslong by 11 broad [[a broadway 11 cubits wide for walking was in the center of


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the court]] and similarly, the Court of the Priests was 135 long by 11 broad [[abroadway 11 cubits wide for walking was in the center of the court]], and theheads of the beams divided between the Court of Israel and the Court of the

Priests. Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Jacob, said: There was a step, a cubit high,and upon it the Duchan was placed, and on it were three steps, each half a cu-bit. It results, that the Court of the Priests was 2 1/2 cubits higher than that of

Israel. The entire court was 187 cubits long and 135 cubits broad. Thirteenobeisances took place there. Abba Jose, the son of Canaan, said: "Towards the

thirteen gates." The southern were: nearest to the west, the upper gate, thenthe gate of burning, the gate of the first-born, and the water gate [[thesoutheastern gate]]. And why was its name called the water-gate? Be-

cause through it they brought the pitcher [[Neusner: glass]] of waterfor pouring out for the "Feast of Tabernacles." Rabbi Eliezer, the son ofJacob, said: "And by it [[i.e. "near it" (near the southeast gate)]] the waterswere flowing [[Danby: trickling]] down, with the direction of coming out

below the threshold of the Temple [[Hebrew: betor House]]." 33

And opposite to them to the north were (nearest to the west) the gate of Jeco-

niah, the gate of offering, the gate of the women, and the gate of the song.And why was it called the gate of Jeconiah? Because by it Jeconiah went outinto captivity. That on the east was the gate of Nicanor, and it had two wickets,one on its right and the other on its left. And there were two [gates] to thewest; they had no name.

Perek III.

1. The altar was 32 by 32 [cubits]. Upwards 1 cubit, and contract 1 cubit: thatwas the base. Remain 30 by 30. Upwards 5, and contract 1 cubit: that was thecircuit. Remain 28 by 28. The place of the horns, a cubit on this side and a cu-

bit on that side. Remain 26 by 26. The place for the tread of the priests, a cu-bit on this side and a cubit on that side. Remain 24 by 24: the place where the

sacrifice was laid out. Rabbi Jose said: "At the first it was only 28 by 28;though it contracted and went up, according to this measurement, until thereremained the place for laying the sacrifices: 20 by 20. But when the children ofthe Captivity came up, they added to it 4 cubits on the south and 4 on thewest like a gamma, because it is said, And Ariel shall be 12 cubits long by 12broad, square. * That does not mean that it was only 12 by 12, since it is

added: In the four corners thereof, to teach that it measured from the middle12 cubits in every direction."

* Ezekiel 43:16, "Ariel" = the lion of God = the altar.

And a scarlet line girdled it in the middle to separate between the upper and

the lower blood-sprinklings. And the base ran round all the north and all thewest side, but was shortened a cubit on the south and on the east.

2. In the south-western angle were two apertures, like small nostrils, and theblood, poured on the base to the west, and on the base to the south, de-scended through them, and co-mingled in the canal, and flowed out into the

brook Kedron [[that was a secondary channel called Shiloah as in Isaiah 8:6.]]


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3. Below in the pavement, in that angle, there was a place, a cubit by a cubit,with a tablet of marble, and a ring was fastened in it, and here they went downinto the sewer to cleanse it. And there was a sloping ascent to the south of the

altar, 32 cubits long by 16 broad, and it had a pit at its west side, into whichthey put sin-offerings of birds that were defiled.

4. Both the stones of the sloping ascent and those of the altar were from thevalley of Beth Cherem. And they dug beneath the virgin soil, and brought outfrom it undamaged (whole) stones, upon which iron had not been lifted, be-

cause iron defiles everything by contact, and by scratching. One of thesestones was scratched: it was defiled; but the rest were lawful for use. And theywhitened them twice in the year, once at the Passover, and once at the Feast

of Tabernacles; and the Sanctuary once at the Passover. Rabbi * says: "On theeve of every Sabbath they whitened it with a cloth, on account of the blood-sprinklings." They did not plaster it with an iron trowel, lest it might touch, anddefile. For the iron is created to shorten the days of man, and the altar is cre-

ated to lengthen the days of man, therefore it is not right that that whichshortens should be lifted upon that which lengthens.

* The Rabbi, i.e. R. Jehudah the Holy [[the Rabbi who codified the

Mishnah about 200 C.E.]].

5. And rings were to the north of the altar: six rows, each of four; but somesay, four rows, each of six; and in these they slaughtered the holy sacrifices.

The house (place) of slaughtering was to the north of the altar. And there wereeight short pillars and squares of cedar upon the top of them, and hooks ofiron were fastened in them, and three rows were upon each of them, uponwhich they hung up, and they skinned upon marble tables which were betweenthe pillars.

6. And the laver was between the porch and the altar, and inclined nearer to-wards the south. Between the porch and the altar were 22 cubits, and 12 stepswere there, each step half a cubit high, and its extension a cubit cubit, a cu-

bit, and then an extension of three (cubits); and a cubit, a cubit, and an exten-sion of three; and the topmost, a cubit, a cubit, and an extension of four(cubits). Rabbi Jehudah said: "The topmost a cubit, a cubit, and an extension

of five (cubits)."

7. The doorway to the porch was 40 cubits high and 20 broad, and five beamsof ash [[Danby: oak; Neusner: cedar]] were upon the top of it; the lowest pro-

truded over the doorway a cubit on this and a cubit on that side; that above itprotruded over it a cubit on this and a cubit on that side; it results, that the

topmost [was] 30 cubits, and a buttress of stones was between each one of

them.

8. And supports of cedar were fixed from the wall of the Sanctuary to the wall

of the porch, lest they should bulge; and chains of gold were fixed in the roofof the porch, and by them the young priests mounted, to look at the crowns,as it is written: "And crowns shall be to Helem, and to Tobijah, and to Jedaiah,

and to Hen the son of Zephaniah, for a memorial in the temple of the Lord." Avine of gold was standing over the entrance to the Sanctuary, and was sus-


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pended on the top of beams. Every one who vowed a leaf, or a berry, or abunch, brought it, and hung it up there. Rabbi Eliezer, the son of Rabbi Zadok,said: "It happened (that they had to remove it) and there were numbered for it

300 priests." *[Edersheim says: To remove or to cleanse it].

Perek IV.

1. The entrance to the Sanctuary was 20 cubits high, and 10 cubits broad; and

it had four doors [two folding-doors]: two within and two without, as it is said:"And the Sanctuary and the Holy Place had two doors." The outer doors openedto the inside of the doorway, to cover the thickness of the wall, and the innerdoors opened inwards into the house, to cover behind the doors. For, thewhole house was covered with gold, except behind the doors. Rabbi Jehudah

said: "They [both pairs of doors] stood within the entrance, and were likeAz-teramita, * and they folded backwards 2 1/2 cubits, and those 2 1/2 cubits.Half a cubit the door-post from this [corner], and half a cubit the doorpost

from that, and so it is said: And the doors had two leaves alike, two turning-leaves; two for the one door, and two leaves for the other."

* The term, which seems not to have been quite understood even

in Talmudic times, is rendered by Jost: twisted leaf, and derivedfrom strepho.

2. And the great gate had two wickets, one to the north and one to the south.

That to the south, no man ever passed through it; and to this clearly referswhat is said in Ezekiel, as it is written: "Then the Lord said unto me, This gateshall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter in by it; becausethe Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it, therefore it shall be shut." He

took the key, and opened the wicket, and entered the little chamber (atrium),and from the little chamber into the Sanctuary. Rabbi Jehudah said: "Along thethickness of the wall he walked, until he found himself standing between thetwo gates, and he opened the outer one from within and the inner one fromwithout."

3. And thirty-eight little chambers were there on the north, fifteen on thesouth, and eight on the west. On the north and on the south, five on the top offive, and five on their top; and on the west three on the top of three, and two

on the top of them. And each one of them had three entrances, one to the littlechamber on the right, and one to the little chamber on the left, and one to thelittle chamber on the top. And at the north-western corner were five entrances,

one to the little chamber at the right, and the other to the little chamber on thetop, and another to the winding [[inclined]]-stair, and another to the wicket,

and another to the Sanctuary.

4. And the lowermost (chamber) was 5 cubits, and the roofing (extension,platitude) 6; the middle (chamber) 6, and the roofing 7; and the uppermost 7,

as it is said: "The nethermost chamber was 5 cubits broad, and the middle 6cubits broad, and the third 7 cubits broad, for he made rebatements in thehouse round about without, that [the beams] should not be fastened within

the walls of the house."


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5. And a winding-stair 34 went up from the north-eastern angle to the north-western angle, by which they went up to the roofs of the chambers. One wentup the winding [[inclined]]-stair with his face to the west, and went all along

the north side, until he came to the west. He came to the west, and turned hisface to the south, and went all along the west side till he came to the south.He came to the south, and turned his face eastwards, and went along the

south side, till he came to the entrance of the Alijah; for the entrance to theAlijah opened to the south, and in the entrance to the Alijah were two beams

of cedar, by which they went up to the roof of the Alijah, and the heads of thebeams divided in the Alijah between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.And trap doors opened in the Alijah into the Most Holy Place, by which they let

down the workmen in chests, that they might not feast their eyes in the MostHoly Place.

6. And the Sanctuary was 100 by 100, by 100 high; the solid foundation 6 cu-bits, and the height upon it 40 cubits; 1 cubit, decorated scroll; 2 cubits, the

place for the water-droppings; 1 cubit covering, and 1 cubit pavement, andthe height of the Alijah 40 cubits, and 1 cubit scroll-work, and 2 cubits the

place for the droppings, and 1 cubit covering, and 1 cubit pavement, and 3cubits balustrade, and 1 cubit scare-raven. Rabbi Jehudah said: "The scare-raven was not counted from the measurement, but the balustrade was 4 cu-bits." [[Bold letters are ELMs for emphasis.]]

7. From the east to the west 100 cubits wall of the porch 5, and the porch11; the wall of the Sanctuary 6, and its interior space 40 cubits, 1 cubit inter-mediate wall, and 20 cubits the Most Holy Place, the wall of the Sanctuary 6,and the little chamber 6, and the wall of the little chamber 5. From the north tothe south 70 cubits wall of the winding [[inclined]]-stair 5, and the winding

[[inclined]]-stair 3, the wall of the little chamber 5, and the little chamber 6,the wall of the Sanctuary 6, and its interior space 20 cubits, the wall of theSanctuary 6, and the little chamber 6, and the wall of the little chamber 5, and

the place for the going down of the water 3 cubits, and the wall 5 cubits.The porch protruded beyond it, 15 cubits from the north and 15 cubits from the

south, and it was called the house of the sacrificial knives, because there theydeposited the knives. And the Sanctuary was narrow behind [[for 79 cubits inlength]] and wide in front [[for the remaining 21 cubits]], and like to a lion, as

it is said: "O Ariel, the lion of God, the city where David dwelt." As the lion isnarrow behind and wide in front, so is the Sanctuary narrow behind and widein its front. [[Bold letters are ELMs for emphasis.]]

Perek V.

1. The whole court was 187 cubits long by 135 cubits broad. From the east to

the west 187: the place for the tread of Israel 11 cubits; the place for the treadof the priests 11 cubits; the altar 32; between the porch and the altar 22 cu-bits; the Sanctuary 100 cubits; and 11 cubits behind the house of Atonement.

2. From the north to the south 135 cubits: the altar and the circuit 62; fromthe altar to the rings 8 cubits; the place of the rings 24 cubits; from the rings

to the tables 4; from the tables to the pillars 4; from the pillars to the wall ofthe court 8 cubits; and the rest between the circuit and the wall, and the placeof the pillars.


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3. There were six rooms in the court to the north, and three to the south.Those on the north: the salt-chamber, the chamber Parvah, the chamber ofthose who washed out. The salt-chamber: there they put salt to the offering.

The chamber ofParvah: there they salted the skins of the holy sacrifices, andon the roof was the bath-house of the high-priest on the Day of Atonement.The chamber of those who washed out, where they washed the inwards of the

holy things, and thence a winding-stair [[inclined stairway]] went up to theroof of the house of Parvah.

4. Those on the south: the wood-chamber, the chamber of the captivity, thechamber of "hewn stones." The wood-chamber Rabbi Eliezer, the son ofJacob: "I have forgotten for what it served." Abba Shall [[Soncino: Saul]] said:

It was the chamber of the high-priest, and it lay behind the other two, and aroof was extended over the three (they had one common roof). The chamberof the captivity: a well was there**, and a wheel was placed upon it,and thence they provided water for the whole court [[the Azarah, or

"Sacred Area for Israelites]]." [[Bold letters are for emphasis.]]

The chamber of "hewn stones": there the great Sanhedrim of Israel sat, andjudged the priesthood. And the priest in whom was found disqualification was

clothed in black, and veiled in black, and went out, and had to go. And if therewas not found in him disqualification, he was dressed in white, and veiled inwhite; he went in and served with his brethren the priests. And they made a

feast-day, because there was not found disqualification in the seed of Aaronthe priest, and thus spake they: "Blessed be God, blessed be He, that therehas not been found disqualification in the seed of Aaron, and blessed be HeWho has chosen Aaron and his sons, to stand to serve before the face of theLord in the Most Holy House."

[[End ofMiddot.]]

** Comment by ELM: Edersheim adds the phrase "which they of the captivityhad digged" at this spot in the text though the phrase does not occur in theoriginal Mishnah. It is not found in the Soncino or Danby editions. It represents

an interpretation of Edersheim (an innocent one because Soncino adds a foot-note that "it was supposed"that the men of the exiles dug it. The truth is, thisis pure supposition. The Talmud simply states the exiles "used it" no doubt in aprimary sense but it does not state that the returned Exiles "dug it" (Eiruvin

104b). This point is important because we find that this "Well of the Exiles"was a "Haker-type" of well that had flowing spring water at its bottom (waterthat "welled up"). This is certain proof that this "Well of the Exiles" in the

Chamber of the Captivity was dug to reach the flowing waters of the GihonSpring that were located directly below the southern part of the Temple.

There is no cistern like this near the Dome of the Rock or anywhere within the

entire region of the Haram esh-Sharif. The comment in the Talmud (Eiruvin104b): "Not all the haker cisterns [[can be used on Festivals]] but only thisone [[in the Temple]], did they permit. Now if you explain it to mean that con-cerning it arguments welled forth, what could be the meaning of only this


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one? Rather, said R. Nahman b. Isaac: A well of living water, as it is said inScripture: As a cistern welleth with her water etc. [To turn to] the main text.Not all the haker cisterns [[can be used]], but only this one, did they permit.

And when the exiles returned they encamped by it [[the Exiles used this wellespecially thus, it was called "The Well of the Exiles"]] and the prophetsamong then, permitted them to use it [on Festivals]; and not only the prophets

among them did this but it was a practice of their forefathers that they up-held." This means the "Well of the Exiles" in the Chamber of Captivity in the

Temple was a well with a spring waters at the bottom.

This is why the water from THIS "WELL of the Exiles" could be used to purify"the whole Azarah (the Sacred Area for the Israelites in the Temple). Only the

purest of water could ritualistically be used for the purification of Sacred Areasof the Temple. Ordinarily, water that filled normal cisterns would have theirorigin from rain that fell on unpurified areas (such as pavements on which peo-ple could walk) before the water flowed into the cisterns. This type of water

was deemed less holy for purification purposes. Note that Solomon placed hislaver in the Temple (for use of waters within the Sanctuary) in an elevated

area on the backs of twelve stone oxen. This feature would assure the prieststhat the water did not come from areas that were in contact with the pavementwhere people walked or sat. And remember (as I have shown in my book onthe Temples), even the waters that were placed into the laver of the Templewere waters from the Gihon Spring. They were lifted up from the Spring by awheeled apparatus such as that associated with "the Well of the Exiles." And,

upon reading my work on Middot, my friend Bill Lavers in England looked upEdersheims comments in another of his books (page 53 of "The Temple, itsMinistry and Services as they were in the time of Christ"). Edersheim stated:

"the chamber Golah [[the Captivity Chamber]] is the place in the Temple thathoused the water apparatus that emptied and filled the laver." This observationby Edersheim makes sense. The spring waters that filled the laver in the Tem-ple came from the "Well of the Exiles."

Thus, the "Well of the Exiles" was a "Haker-type" of well (cistern) that had a

"welling up" or bubbling water that typically came from wells that were able totap veins of spring waters. There were several such wells in the land of Israel(note the cisterns at Gibeon, Megiddo and Hazor). This was the same type of

water system that was also at Jebus (the early name of Jerusalem). Such dugout wells were the "Haker-type." There were NO SUCH WELLS within theHaram esh-Sharif, nor are there any of this type to be found today. This mat-ter alone disqualifies the Haram esh-Sharif from being a Temple area.

When the biblical, historical and geographical evidence is consulted, it becomesevident that all our modern scholars have misjudged where the actual Temples

of God were located in Jerusalem. The information provided in my book, how-ever, "The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot," gives the main facts that show theoriginal Temples were all constructed over and around the Gihon Spring on thesoutheast ridge of Jerusalem. This was on the Ophel Mound just to the north ofMount Zion. In this matter there can be no doubt. It is time that the profes-sional scholars who can easily understand these things to be true, inform the

world of these recently discovered facts. Indeed, the evidence goes along wayin helping the modern people of Jerusalem (who are presently fighting over thewrong spots) to be aware of their many mistakes in their false understanding


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of the early geographical matters about Jerusalem. These truths, could helpbring about proper negotiations among the present citizens of Jerusalem thatwill result in the type of peace that the world needs in that part of the world.

1 Aristeas said: "There is an inexhaustible reservoir of water, as would be expected from an abun-dant springgushing up naturallyfrom within [the Temple]" (Eusebius, recording Aristeas in "Proofof the Gospel," chapter 38).

End notes are found in this section of this page. Use your browser BACK button to return to the

place you were reading.

2 Tacitus said: "The Temple resembled a citadel, and had its own walls, which were more labori-ously constructed than the others [within Jerusalem]. Even the colonnades with which it was sur-rounded formed an admirable outward work. It [the Temple] contained an inexhaustible

spring" (Tacitus,History Book 5, para.12).

3 See First Kings 1:32-45.

4Yoma 77b and 78a.

5Middot2:1.

6Encyclopaedia Judaica, article "Dew."

7Yoma 77b and 78a

8 You can read these details in the translation of the Tractate Middot.

9 Note: dew and rain never form together. When dew was present, only dew would be in the chan-nels, and when it rained, only rainwater occupied those channels.

10 You can read of this channel in Middot, which I have attached at the end of this article.

11Yoma 78a.

12Legends of the Jews, The Creation, p.8.

13Yoma 77b and 78a.

14 I have appended to this research above, the entire Tractate Middot. It is found directly below.

15The Chronicles of Jerahmeel, ch. liii, sect.17 (KTAV Publishing House, NY, NY, 1971).

16WarVI,2.6.

17WarVI,2.6.

18The Chronicles of Jerahmeel, chapter liii, sect.17.


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19Ibid.

20 This section of the Temple was the holiest part (the western part, known as the Court of thePriests and also the Camp of the Priests). The extreme western part of this priestly section was the

Inner Shrine with the Porch and even further westward the Holy of Holies.

21 This larger section included the Court of the Israelites (that had a second story division known asthe Court of the Women), plus the Court of the Priests in the west.

22 This was near the Altar of Incense inside the Inner Shrine.

23 This was theInnervail beyond which was the Holy of Holies.

24 This was the Holy of Holies of the Inner Shrine that only the High Priest could officially enter on

the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) each year. It was the furthest chamber in the western part ofthe Sanctuary.

25 These five gates were those in the actual four walls of the Temple square. These four wall were

located (according to The Chronicles of Jerahmeel) exactly 100 cubits inward from the four imagi-nary limits to "the Temple Mount" that bothJerahmeeland the Middotshow were 500 cubits by500 cubits square. This made the actual four walls surrounding the Temple of Herod as being 400

cubits long on each side (that is, 400 cubits square or about 600 feet on each side in Greekmeasurement this equaled astade orstadium in length).

26 This gate with its Persian name was also called the "Gate Beautiful" in New Testament times.

27 The Azarah was the elevated platform upon which the Courts of the Women and Men of Israeland the Priestly Court were located. No Gentiles could enter into the area of the Azarah because it

was restricted to only purified Israelites. There was a lattice type of stone wall (called the Sorag)that surrounded this area of the Azarah. Right outside all four walls of the Azarah was the region 10

cubits wide known as the Chel (this was a walkway on the outside of the Azarah). Gentiles could

walk on the roadway of the Chel, but they go no further into the interior of the Temple of Herod atJerusalem.

28These 500 cubits square refer to an area known by the Rabbis as "The Camp of the Levites" todistinguish it from "The Camp of the Priests" (in the interior of the Temple) and "The Camp of the

Israelites" which was totally exterior to the Temple). This "Temple Mount" is simply "the LeviticalCamp" and it had no stone wall in its outer limits. The actual Temple, however, was a buildingmade of stone (with stone walls around it). It was, according to Josephus, 400 cubits square(smaller by 100 cubits in a lateral sense than "the Levitical Camp)". So, there was a space of 100

cubits separating the inner walls of Herods Temple square and the outer perimeter limits of thesquare that represented "the Levitical Camp."

29 Throughout Middot, the authors use the Hebrew bet[House] to mean the Temple.

30 That is, the innerGate Tadi that was a part of the Sorag balustrade surrounding the Azarah, NOTthe outerGate Tadi in the northern wall that was closed for public use (the innerGate Tadi was

opposite to the outerGate Tadi).

31 This was the wall on top of the eastern platform of the square Temple enclosure. At the top of

this wall was a roadway that surrounded the Temple square. There was a further gate in the interior(further west) known as the Gate of Nicanor. These two gates are often confused, but the two gatesare quite distinct from each other.


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32 The Court of the Women was simply the second story (or a superimposition) of the Court of Is-rael so the two courts were identical with the same lateral and linear dimensions. The Court of theWomen was simply the second story of the Court of the Israelites.

33 Comment by ELM: The bold letters are for emphasis. This particular "threshold" in the previoussentence in the Middotwas geographically located in an eastern part of the outer Temple and near

the southeastern corner of the Court of the Women. It was NOT, however, believed to be a thresh-old inside the enclosure known as Herods Temple. This is clearly seen by the Talmuds explanationof the verse (in Yoma 78a). The Talmud describes it as "the threshold of the House (or, "Temple")

of David." This "House of David" was at the entrance to the Gihon Spring. It was the place whereDavid erected a Tabernacle (House) to house the Ark of the Covenant before the Temple of Solo-mon was constructed. One must be very careful in recognizing this significant feature.

34 Soncino translation has "circuit" or Hebrew "surrounding" an inclined upward staircase fromthe northeast corner up to the northwest corner and then on the south side a downward staircasefrom the southwest corner to ground level at the southeast corner; or making a complete up and

down circuit of the Holy Place.

ELM

water management in herod's temple

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