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 JERUSALEM

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JERUSALEM

Jerusalem, and 80,000 more in quarrying stone in the neighbourhood and shaping it. The splendid niotiu- ment was completed, as to its essential details, in seven years antl a half, and with great pomp the Ark of the Covenant was brought from the City of David to the new .sanctuary (II Kings, vi). The buildings were erected upon a great platform, constructed by means of immense containing walls. To the west rose the Holy of Holies, surrounded by a series of chambers in several tiers, in front of which, to the east, was a monumental fai^ade, or pylon, formed by two lofty connected towers. Opposite to this entrance rose two great columns of bronze, like obelisks. Towards the east was the great court of the priests, square, sur- rounded with porches, and enclosing the altar of holo- catists, the "sea of brass", and other utensils for sacrifices. This court was surrounded by others which were also enriched with galleries and superb buildings (see Temple op Jerusalem). Solomon next devoted thirteen years to erecting, south of the Temple, " the house of the Forest of Lebanon", his royal palace, with that of the queen, Pharaoh's daughter, as well as the buildings destined for his numerous family, for his guaril, and for his slaves. He then connected the Temple and the new royal quarter with the City of David by a wall of enclosure, fortified the Millo (in D.V., Mello — III Kings, ix, 15), and "filled up the gulf of the City of David" (III Kings, xi, 27). The people began to murmur under taxation and forced labour.

Insurrection broke out when the proud Roboam, son of Solomon, began his reign (981-65). Ten tribes revolted from him to form the I\ingdom of the North, or of Israel, and Jerusalem ceased to be anything more than the capital of the tribes of Benjamin and Jiida. At the invitation of Jeroboam, who was elected sovereign of the new kingdom, Sesac (Seshonq, in A. v., Shishak), Pharaoh of Egypt, invaded the land of Juda (976), took Jerusalem, and plundered the im- mense treasures of the Temple and the royal palace (III Kings, xiy, 25, 26). Asa (961-21) and Josaphat (920-894) enriched the Temple after their numerous victories over the neighl:)ouring peoples. Under Joram (89.'-!-888) the Philistines, in alliance with the Arabs of the South, in their turn pillaged the Temple and slew or carried off all the sons of the king except the youngest, Ochozias, or Joachaz, the child of Athaha (II Par., xxi, 16, 17). On his murder, Athaha had her grandsons put to death, and seized the power. Joas alone, a child of one year, was saved from the massacre by the High- Priest Joiada and secretly reared in the Temple. At the age of six he was proclaimed king by the people, and Athalia was stoned to death. Joas (SS-4I) restored the Temple and abolished the worship of Baal; but later on, he allowed himself to be perverted, and caused the Prophet Zacharias, the son of Joiada, his preserver, to be put to death. He himself perished by the hands of his servants (IV Kings, xii; II Par., xxii). Under Amasias the Israel- ites of the North vanquished those of the South, at- tacked Jerusalem, and " liroke down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of Ephraim to the gate of the corner, four himdred cubits". The treasures of the Temple and of the royal palace were carried away to Samaria (IV Kings, xiv, 13, 14). Ozias, or Azarias (811-760), repaired the breach and fortified the wall with strong towers (II Par., xxvi, 9). His son Joa- tham (759-44), a wise and good king, strengthened the city by building "the high gate of the house of the Lord, and on the wall of Ophel he worked much" — south of the royal quarter (II Par., xxvii, 3; IV Kings, XV, 35).

While the Kings of Syria and Israel were march- ing against Jerusalem, Cod sent the Prophet Isaias to King Achaz (743-27), who was at " the conduit of the upper pool ". There the Prophet foretold to him the repulse of the enemy and at the same time announced

to him that the Messias, Emmanuel, should be born of a virgin (Is., vii, 3-14). Achaz used the wealth of the Temple to pay tribute to Theglathphalasar, King of Assyria, whose protection he had sought against the Kings of Israel and Syria; he was impious enough to substitute the worship of Baal-Moloch for that of Jehovah.

Ezechias (727-696) hastened to abolish the worship of idols. Alarmed by the fall of the Kingdom of Israel (721), he erected a second wall to protect the suburbs which had come into existence to the north of Mount Sion and the Temple. He made an alliance with Egypt and with Merodach Baladan, King of Babylon, and refused to pay tribute to Assyria. Upon this, Sennacherib, King of Ninive, who was at war with Egypt, invaded Palestine from the south, and sent his chief officers from Lachis to Jerusalem, with a numerous army, to summon the king to surrender at discretion. But, upon the advice of Isaias, the king refused to surrender. To cut off the enemy's water, he dammed the spring of the Upper Gihon and brought the stream to the west of the City of Davit! (II Par., xxxii, 3, 4, and 30). An Assyrian tablet (Taylor's Prism, col. 3) reports that Sennachcril), after vane luish- ing the Egyptians at Altaka and taking forty-six cities of Judea, shut up Ezechias in Jerusalem " like a bird in a cage" (Cuneiform Inscriptions of W. Asia, I, PI. 39). Tliis agrees with the Bible narrative; just as he was about to assault Jerusalem, Sennacherib was informed that Tharaca, Kng of Ethiopia, was advancing against him, and forthwith, leaving the Holy City, he set out for Egypt; but his army was miraculously destroyed by pestilence (IV lungs, xviii, 13; xix, 35-37; II Par., xxxii, 9-22; Is., xxxvi and xxxvii). Sennacherib or- ganized another army at Ninive and vanquished Merodach Baladan of Babylon, Ezechias's suzerain. Thus it was that, according to the Assyrian inscrip- tions, Manasses, son of Ezechias (695-45), found him- self a tributary of Assaradon and of Assurbanipal, Kings of Ninive (Prism of Assaradon, op. cit., Ill, p. 16; G. Smith, "History of A.ssurbanipal ", p. 30). Manasses afterwards tried to shake off the Ninivite yoke. In 666 Assurbanipal's generals came to Jerusa- lem, put the king in chains, and carried him to Baby- lon, which was in vassalage to Ninive (II Par., xxxiii, 9-11). Manasses, however, soon obtained his liberty and returned to Jerusalem, where he repaired the evils he had caused. He also restored the city walls built by his father (II Par., xxxiii, 12-16).

Anion, one of the worst kings of Juda, was assassi- nated after a reign of two years. Josias, his son (641-08), guided by the Prophet Jeremias, destroyed the idolatrous altars and restored the Temple (621). Upon this occasion the High Priest Ilelcias found in a liall of the sanctuary an old copy of the Law of Jeho- vah given by Moses (IV Kings, xxii, 8-14; II Par., xxxiv, 14-21). In 608 the Pharaoh, Nechao II, marched against Assyria. Actuated by a scruple of conscience, the good king attempted to bar the way against his suzerain's adversary, and met his death at the battle of Mageddo (IV Kings, xxiii, 29, 30). Joachas, or Sellum, his successor, after reigning three months, was deposed by Nechao, and sent as a captive to Egypt, while Eliacim, to whom the conqueror gave the name of Jehoiakim (D.V. Joakim), was put in liis place (607-600). In 601 Nabuchodonosor (Nebuchad- nezzar) entered Judea to consolidate his father's power. He carried away as captives to Babylon certain no- tables of Jerusalem, together with the young Prophet Daniel. Joakim revolted against the Babylonian yoke, but his son Joachin (Jehoiachin), surrendered to Nabu- chodonosor. The city was given over to pillage, and 10,000 inhabitants, including the king, were carried off to Babylon (IV Kings, xxiv, 1-16; cf. also II Par., xxxvi, 1-10). Sedecias, third sou of Josias, succeeded his nephew (596-587). Urged bj; the Egyptian party, he, too, rebelled against his suzerain. Nabuchodoaosoi