Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/221

 Plan. 203 Fig. 129. -Gates, Temple, and twin side Buildings. To the right and left of the temple is an " open space " with twin courts 20 cubits wide, and other two of only five cubits in width, making with the width of the holy house 100 cubits cube (Fig. 129). The two primary divisions were first divided each into two squares of 50 m. on the side ; and again into other smaller, giving to each face of the great en- closure ten divisions or squares. It should be noticed that the scheme used by Ezekiel was a "trellis plan," upon which he blocked out the main lines and great masses of the building, each 100 cubits on the side. Thanks to the recovery of this primi- tive but eminently workable method, the principal masses of our restoration fitted in almost mechanically, coincid- ing on the whole with those of our predecessors. Matters are not so easily settled when we come to ex- amine the position and distribution of the outer buildings that interpose between the side courts and the principal platform of the temple, as well as the peculiar structure behind it. For the trellis principle, however excellent in itself, does not necessarily yield a just repartition and perfect balance of the parts. The disagreeable aspect and the gaps exhibited by restorations that were executed on no other principle than this will convince the most casual observer. Un- fortunately, this portion of the text is exceedingly obscure, and has exercised — with small result — the sagacity of commentators. We reproduce Reuss's version, 1 the meaning of which is here and there difficult to grasp, but which is lucidity itself compared with the general run of translations, utterly unintelligible from beginning to end : " Then he brought me into the exterior court, to the northward, and led me into the hall which was in the internal court, facing the building on the north side, opposite a space 100 cubits in length, the width to the northward was 50 cubits, and faced the 20 cubits of the inner court and the pavement of the outward court [or the three-storied galleries back to back]. 2 1 See Reuss's plan at the tail of his work. 2 The words between brackets are given as gloss.