Where the Ancient Temple of Jerusalem Stood

1.

The Mishnah is a concise collection of laws, regulations and customs governing religious practices during the latter part of the Second Temple period and continuing after its destruction. It was codified about 200 A.D., but the materials it contains are considerably older.

2.

In common parlance, the Hékhal is often referred to as the Temple.

3.

At the entrance to the Temple Mount, a posted notice authorized by the Israel Police states explicity that photography is forbidden only within the buildings.

4.

See James Fleming, “The Undiscovered Gate Beneath Jerusalem’s Golden Gate,” BAR 09:01.

5.

See Fleming’s article, “The Undiscovered Gate Beneath Jerusalem’s Golden Gate,” BAR 09:01.

6.

Mr. Hendrik J. Bruins, a geologist, was unable to say for certain whether or not this rock was naturally flat or had been worked. There are no signs of tool marks on the surface, over which run natural cracks, so the former possibility is to be preferred.

7.

The Tosefta is a more extensive companion collection to the Mishnah from the same period.

8.

The numbered features in the text may be located by these numbers on the plans and pictures in this article.

9.

Trapezium is the British term; American mathematicians would call this shape a trapezoid.

10.

Although the Temple compound was in the shape of a trapezium, the Hékhal or central building of the compound did not necessarily have this shape.

11.

The southern, northern and western foundations of the Inner Court, as assumed above, were identified in the following way. Wall 6 and rock-mass 1 are the innermost finds of the trapezium shape on its northern side and give the impression of forming the right angle of a corner. The rock-mass 1 was cut on two levels. The upper level is horizontal to within a few centimeters, as if it had served as the foundation of flooring. The lower level, separated from the upper by a series of projections, shows the remains of masonry, as if a wall had occupied that space. The Jerusalem architect, Mr. Terence Greenberg, pointed out to me that the series of projections indicates a gate at the position of the rock-mass. Likewise, cistern 9 is the innermost find of the trapezium shape on its southern side. At an early stage of the investigation, I conjectured that this cistern conforms to the water reservoir in the chamber of Gullah (Middot 5:4) adjoining the Inner Court on its southern flank. Later work has confirmed this in every detail that could be examined.

12.

The Tanna’im were the Jewish scholars who lived in the Holy Land in the latter part of the Second Temple period and after.

13.

In private conversation, Dr. Yeivin informed me that the “Herodian marginal drafts” are not the finely finished dressing of courses customarily used above ground but could he ascribed to the rougher dressing of Herodian foundation walls.