Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/213

 Enumeration of Documents Consulted. 195 certain limits, beyond which the building will become disagreeable, or as if the merest chance would bring it down. To avoid this, it is not necessary to be an architect versed in the theory of his art ; the practical knowledge of the builder or even mason will, in most cases, enable him to erect a structure in which the laws of stability, of form and aspect have been observed. Here, how- ever, the greatest difficulty is in reading the text ; this once got over, the monument lends itself to a perfect restoration, whose various parts fall in place, adjusting themselves admirably to a scientific construction. Before the exile the space covered by the temple was not so vast as that seen in the plan of the prophet ; nor was the arrangement of the several limbs so rigorously symmetrical. 1 Until the fall of Jerusalem to the Chaldees, the sacred area could not be extended southward, this point being taken up by the royal palace. A small trifle like this did not trouble Ezekiel, who forthwith ruled that the sacred mountain should be in future the exclusive dwelling place of the Lord and of his priests. 2 Thus, by one stroke of the pen, he dismissed royalty, and secured ample space for the carrying out of his scheme. We read in Kings that the temple of Solomon had but one court, " that of the priests ; " whilst in Chronicles, mention is made of an outer or great court, with doorways overlaid with brass, as being added to the edifice. 3 The porch was on one side of this court, and opened into the pronaos. 4 The other outer structures were the small chambers already referred to. 5 Are the discrepancies between the two compilers due to the fact that in Kings the con- structions of Solomon are alone mentioned, whilst the Chronicles and Josephus comprise under the denomination of the "temple," the buildings that had arisen around it ? To this question we can vouch no answer, save that in the seventh or sixth century there was an outer court wreathed with buildings for the priests of Jehovah, encroached upon now and again by Canaanites ; 6 with a raised platform whence kings and prophets harangued the people ; 7 with distyle halls too or doorways that could be turned into places of réclusion. 8 Then we read of an upper gate built by 1 This is well brought out by Smend, loc. cit., p. 317. 2 Ezek. xliii. 7-9 ; Smend, loc. cit., p. 352. 3 1 Kings vi. 5, 8, 10. 4 Ibid. vi. 36 ; 2 Chron. iv. 9. 5 Josephus, Bell., V. v. 1. 6 2 Kings xi. 14 ; xxiii.7, 1252 Chron. xxxiii. 5. Where " the two temple courts " are referred to as a matter of course. 7 2 Kings xxiii. 3. 8 Jer. xix. 14.