SECT. II. Solomon's Porch. Which it was, and where.

THrough the Gate of Huldah you enter into the Court of the Gentiles, and that under the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the King's Gallery, which from the name its self, and gallantness of the structure might seem worthy of such a founder as Solomon. But this is not the Porch, or Gallery which we seek for; nor had it the name of Royal from King Solomon, but from King Herod.

Josephus, in this enquiry of ours, will lead us elsewhere; who thus tells us f, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, At this time was the Temple finished; [i. e. under Gessius Florus the Procurator of Judea about the eleventh or twelvth year of Nero] the people therefore seeing the workmen were at a leisure [the work of the Temple being now wholly finished] being in number more than eighteen thousand, importune the King [Agrippa] 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, that he would repair the Eastern Porch. Here are some things not unworthy our observation; partly that the Temple its self was not finished till this time; and then that the Eastern Porch was neither then finished, nor indeed was there any at all; for Agrippa considering both how great a summ of money, and how long a space of time would be requisite for so great a work, rejected their suit. Herod, as it should seem Page  512 from Josephus, finished the Temple, and the Pronaon, the Porch before it, and the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Royal Gallery. But what he finished further, about the Courts, and Cloi∣ster Walks, it does not appear. It is manifest indeed, that there was a great deal left unperfected by him, when the whole was not finished, till the very latter end of Nero's Reign, and scarcely before that fatal War in which the Temple was burnt and buried in its own ruines; which observation will be of use, when we come to Joh. II. 20. Forty and six years was this Temple a building.

Josephus proceeds, as to the Eastern Gallery: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉▪ Now that was a Gallery of the outward Temple, overlooking a deep Valley, supported by walls of four hundred Cubits, made of great square stone very white: The length of each stone was twenty Cubits, and the bredth six. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉▪ The work of King Solomon who first founded the whole Temple. There needs no Commen∣tary upon these words; the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the East Gallery was first 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, So∣lomons Work: Which plainly points which and where was Solomon's Porch; namely, upon the outward wall of the Temple toward the East, as the Royal Gallery was upon the South wall.