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465 of such a tlicDpliaiiy and hence all were thought pri)l)al)ly to !" so huilt. Thi- Altar tor the luhiTnac'le (Ex. xxvii.) was made It was five of acacia wood overlaid with bronze. cubits S(iuarc and three culiits hi^'h. It had a gratini? or networii below (v. 4) and a ledge (v. 5), intended perhaps for the priests to stand ipon. It had Imnis at the corners and also four brazen rings in wlii<li to insert |)oles for carrying it. The utensils for it aie also described— i)ans for clearing away ashes, shov;

els,

and

Alshech Altar

THE JEWISH ENX'YCLOPEDIA

465

square and ten high (II Chron. iv. 1). If these dimensions are not exaggerated (Benzinger, "Archa'olo-

basins or Siiucers for caleliing blood, tlesh-hooks tire-iians for

removing

coals.

According

to Lev.

to burn on it perpetually. An Altar of incense, also for the Udjernacle, is deIt, too, was to be made of scribed in Ex. XXX. acacia wood and overlaid with gold. vi.

'2.

lire

was

Altar in It was to be S(iuare. a cubit each way. Tabernacle, and two and a half cubits high. Tiiere was a molding nl) iiniund it. and four rings at the corners for the insertion of poles for The taber transportation all overlaid with gold. nade was also provided with a table for showbreail, made of acacia wood, with a crown or molding of gold around it (Ex. xxv. 23(7 ner/.. xxxvii. 10 I't In Dent. xii. the Kii/.. Lev. xxiv. (i, Num. iv. 7). lil)orty of binlding altars in more than one place is withdrawn, but tiie form of the Alt^ir which is favored is not specified. In the period covered by the books of Judges and Samuel saeritice was oM'ei'ed in many places as in the book of Genesis; especially where a theophany oc curred (Judges, vi. 11 it sef/., xiii. 3 tt seq. II Sam. These sjicritices were in the tirst xxiv. 16 itKit/.). instance offered on the natural rock (Judges, vi. 20, xiii. 19). A rock might do also when in stress for want of a better Altar (I Sam. xiv. :i:i, 34). Altars Were afterward built on such spots (.Judges, vi. 21): The altars I .Sam. xiv. 3.5; II Sam. xxiv. IS it acq.). of the period were probably for tlie most part made

—



Persian Portable Flre-Allar. (From

Jiisli.

" Gew-h.

»'<]..

vii.

4S

rt tui/.),

as did an

earlier temjile (I Sam. xxi. (>. 7). and the tabernacle. Ahaz modilie it was built (v. 11). since the chief .Mtarof tlu' temjile waseverafter Upon this Altar the daily sjicritites were of .stone. offered thereafter, while the bronze Altar was reserved This sloni' Altiir is calleil "tlu' great for the king. Altar"(ll Kings, xvi. l."!). At the tinn'of Josiahall the altaiN in the land but this were abolished, and the Temple beiamc- till' .sole ]dace of saerilice(II Kings, xxili.). so that the history of the Altar is merged in

and

Assyhiui .Miar. (Nuw la Ihv l...n«r».)

of atone (see I Kings, xviii. 31. 82) and also had liorns (I Kings, i. .It), ."(l). The principal Allarin Solomon 'sTemplcappears to have been of bron/.e (I Kings, viii, (!4 II Kings, xvi. If we may trust the 14; 11 Chron. iv. 1 it mi/.). chronicler it was of immense size twenty cubits

—

1

-30

that of the T.inple. In Kzekiel's ideal Temple the Altar of burnt offering was to be built as follows: a l)a.se eighteen cubits square and a cubit high to be surmounted by a plat form siMein cubits square and two high on this another platform foiiri.iTi nbits ...pian- and four high

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