The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

CHAP. III. The East-Gate of the Mountain of the House 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Shushan Gate. The Prospect of Mount Olivet, and part of the City before it. (Book 3)

IN the surveying of the Gates and Buildings that were in this outmost Wall, and virge of the holy ground, we will begin at the East quarter which faced Mount Olivet, and in which side of the square there was only one Gate: this and all other the Gates, both in this Wall and in the other that incompassed the Courts a 1.1 were twenty Cubits high and ten cubits broad, as the Hebrew Writers do constantly reckon.

In which account they and their Country-man Josephus, who wrote in another lan∣guage, do not differ (although that b 1.2 his constant measure that he gives of all the Gates, be thirty cubits high and fifteen cubits broad) but they do in this diversity explain the thing the better. The height of the whole Gate-house of every Gate, or of the pile where the Gate was set, was thirty cubits, and so it rose five cubits above the Wall, but the very entrance of the Gate, or the door of it, was but twenty cubits high. And so the very bredth of the entrance of the doors of every Gate was but ten cubits, but the cheeks of the Gate on either side was two cubits and an half, and so the bredth of the whole pile, was fifteen cubits in all: The height of this East-Gate only came short of the rest, four cubits, for c 1.3 it rose but six cubits above the entry or light that was passed through, whereas the rest did rise ten, and so it rose but one cubit above the height of all the Wall, whereas the rest did five; and the reason was given immediately before, because the Priest that burned the red Cow on Mount Olivet might look over it upon the Temple; for so they conceive that command bound him when he sprinkled ber blood. He shall sprinkle of her blood directly before the Tabernacle of the Congregation seven times, Numb. XIX. 4. Observe Christ and his Disciples, having gone out of this Gate from the Temple, now sitting upon Mount Olivet before this Gate, and looking back on the sumptuous building of the Temple, and Christ discoursing concerning their ruine, Matth. XXIV. 1, 2, 3, &c.

This Gate stood not just in the very middest of this Eastern Wall, as if it had two hundred forty five cubits of the wall on either side it, but it stood more toward the North, because it was to stand directly in the front, or over against the Porch of the Temple. Now the Altar being pitched and fixed so by a divine appointment, that the Mountain did not allow an equal space of ground on either side it, they were forced to build the Temple so, as to stand in its proper parallel with the Altar, and to cast the Courts so, as that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 d 1.4 The greatest space of the Mount was on the South, the second on the East, the third on the North, and the least Westward.

e 1.5 Upon this East Gate was pourtraied and pictured the resemblance of the City Shushan, the royal Seat of the Persian Monarchy, and the Gate it self, at least some part of it was called by this name, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 The Talmud saith, f 1.6 There were two sorts of cubits in Shushan, the Palace, one which exceeded the cubit of Moses half a finger, and this was upon the North-East corner, and the other which exceed∣ed that, half a finger more, and that was on the South-East corner. Now the Gloss ex∣plains it thus, That Shushan the Palace was a room in the East Gate where Shushan was pourtraied. And the reason of that Picture is given by some to be, g 1.7 That Israel might see it and remember their captivity in Shushan: By others, h 1.8 Because when they came out of captivity, the King of Persia commanded to picture Shushan upon the Gates of the House, that the fear of that Kingdom might be upon them. But here Abraham Zaccuth doth move a just quere. The Kingdom of Persia i 1.9 (saith he) and Shushan lasted but a little while after the second Temple was built, namely, about some thirty four years, and then how came it to pass that that picture continued there all the time of the second Temple? But there are some that resolve it thus▪ That the Children of the Captivity made this pourtraiture, that they might remember the wonder of Purim, which was done in Shushan, Esth. IX. 26. and this is a good resolution: So he.

This Gate is called the Kings Gate, 1 Chron. IX. 18. not for any special or ordinary entrance of the King through it (for his common coming in, was at the clean opposite

quarter, namely on the West-side) but it is so called, because King Solomon built it and the rest of the Wall that way, at an extraordinary pains and charge, fetching up the foundation with huge stones, from the bottom of the deep valley that lay under: of which anon.

But before we part from this Gate, let us stand a little in it and take the prospect that is there before us Eastward, for the better understanding of some places of Scripture, that speak of the places thereabout.

Mount Olivet faced Jerusalem, and the Temple, and Sion upon the East, winding like∣wise Northward, so as that it faced Sion also something upon the North. Betwixt Jeru∣salem and it, was the valley of Hinnom or Tophet, where was the horrid and hideous practice of their irreligious Religion, of butchering their Children, in causing them to pass through the fire, or burning them to Molech. For Solomon had built an high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab in this hill that was before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the Children of Ammon, 1 King. XI. 7. namely on the right hand of the Hill, as you looked upon it from Jerusalem, 2 King. XXIII. 13. In this Text of the Kings it is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Hor Hammashchith, instead of 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 Har Hammish∣chah, The Mount of Corruption, instead of The Mount of Unction, or of Olives, the Holy Ghost branding the fact, and the place for the fact, with so visible and notable a mark of distaste and displeasure at it. To so great a contrariety to what he once was, when he was himself, had Solomons Idolatrous Wives bewitched him, that as he had built a sum∣ptuous Temple on Mount Moriah to the true God, so they perswade him to build an Idolatrous Temple to their abominations on Mount Olivet, in the face of the Temple, and ••ffronting it. The valley beneath this accursed Idoleum, was called The valley of Tophet, and the valley of the Son or the Sons of Hinnom, Jer. VII. 31, 32. and XIX. 6, &c. The valley of Tophet, that is, k 1.10 The valley of Drums, or Tabers: from the noise that was made with such kind of instruments to drown the cries and shrieking of the burning Chil∣dren: And the valley of the Sons of Hinnom, that is, the valley of Children of shrieking and roaring; from the woful cries of those poor Children frying in the fire. This was probably that which is called the valley of the carkasses, or the dead bodies, Jer. XXXI. 40. of which name the Chaldee Paraphrast in that place hath given this reason, Because the dead bodies of the Camp of the Assyrians fell there: and to which Josephus also giveth testimony when he relateth that a place was called l 1.11 The Assyrian Camp. And here may we give a check a little to the peremptoriness of Rabbi Solomon upon the Text of Jeremy, lest he grow too proud, who glosseth the fortieth verse thus, m 1.12 The valley of dead bodies is the valley where the carkasses of the Camp of Senacherib fell: and the valley of the Ashes, is the pla•••• whither they carried the ashes forth, which was without Jerusalem: These places they shall bring within the City even within the walls: And this Prophesie is to be accomplished in the last redemption in despight of the Hereticks, for it was not accomplished under the second Temple. By Hereticks he virulently meaneth Christians, who deny any other Messias yet to come, and that there shall be any more an earthly Jerusalem. For he would construe those words of the Prophet strictly according to the letter, as if there should be a time when these valleys should be walled within Jerusalem, really and indeed; whereas the Prophet in mentioning of those most defiled and polluted places to be taken into the City, meaneth only the bringing in of the Heathens, who had been polluted with all manner of defilement of Idolatry and other abominations, into the spiritual Jerusalem which is above, or the Church. And yet if we would follow him even in his literal constructi∣on, we might shew, out of his own Authors the Talmudists, how Bethphage, the Town that stood even in these places mentioned by the Prophet, though it stood out of the Walls of Jerusalem, yet by their own confession it is reckoned as a member or part of Jeru∣salem: and so was that prophecy literally fulfilled by their own Chorography at the coming of our Messias; But here is not a place for such disputes.

This was the prospect that you had before you on the right hand as you stood in the East-Gate of the Mountain of the Temple; namely a part of Mount Olivet divided from the City Jerusalem by the valley of Tophet, and by the valley of Ashes; on the side of the valley, near Jerusalem stood the Town Bethphage, and on the Hill on the further side of the valley over against it, stood Bethany, renowned for the raising of Lazarus from the dead there; and for our Saviours frequent resort thither, and ascensi∣on thence.

Directly before you, was the place upon Mount Olivet where they used to burn the Red Cow into purifying ashes, when they had occasion to do such a work: and n 1.13 thi∣ther went a double arched Cawsey, of the same manner of arching that we have menti∣oned under the Temple Courts: and for the same caution, namely for security against graves, by which the Priest that went about that imployment might have been defiled, and so the work mar'd.

Upon your left hand as you stood, ran Mount Olivet still, and the valley betwixt you and it and all along on the East point and on the North side of Sion, was called the

valley of Kidren, of famous memory and mention in Scripture, 2 Sam. XV. 23. 2 King. XXIII. 6. John XVIII. 1, &c. At the foot of the hill, beyond this valley you might see Gethsemany or the place of the Oyl Presses, whither they brought the Olives they had ga∣thered upon Mount Olivet to be pressed, and the Oyl got out. And there it was whither our Saviour went after his last Supper, and where he was apprehended, having supped that night, as it is most likely, in Sion or the City of David.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Mid. pet. 2.
• b 1.2

  Jos. de Bell. lib. 5. cap. 14.
• c 1.3

  Mayn. in beth habbakirah, per. 6. Gloss. in Mid.
• d 1.4

  Mid. ubl supr.
• e 1.5

  Id. per. 1.
• f 1.6

  Kelim. per. 17.
• g 1.7

  Aruch. in Shushan
• h 1.8

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 in Mid. per. 1. Gloss. in M••h∣••••••••th in 8. ib.
• i 1.9

  Juchasin, fol. 65 col. 2.
• k 1.10

  Vid. Buxt. Heb. Lex. in 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉
• l 1.11

  Jos. de Bell. lib. 6. cap. 26. & 31.
• m 1.12

  R. Sol. in Ier. 31. 40.
• n 1.13

  Maym. in Parah per. 3. & in Shekalim per. 4.