Locating Solomon's Temple
SOLOMONIC WALL
AKRA FOUND?
Chapter Eight
Eilat
Mazar's Amazing Discovery of the Solomonic Wall and the Royal Complex
of Solomon's Palace
The
Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon, by Sir Edward John
Poynter
Solomon’s
royal and military complex was located to the immediate south of the
Temple. It
included the palace, the throne room, which had a porch of pillars,
then a porch for the throne room in which the king sat in judgment.
Behind this were quarters for the king, and a large courtyard.
Also included was the house for the queen.. Josephus says
The Palace stood over against (or opposite) the temple. They were so
close together that a shout in the Temple court could be heard by the
Queen in the Palace. (2kings 11:12,13) We also know from scripture
that the Palace was built on the Ophel, outside, and up hill, from
the City of David, and down hill from the Temple.
The Temple
took 7 years to build, whereas the Palace and the house of the
Queen took 13 years to build.
1 kings 7:1 But Solomon was
building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.
7:2 He built also the house of the forest of Lebanon; the length
thereof was
an
hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty cubits,
and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar
pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars.
7:8 And his house
where he dwelt had
another court within the porch, which
was of the like work. Solomon
made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter,
whom he had taken to
wife,
like unto this porch.
What we learn from
this information is that the Royal complex extended up to the south
wall of Solomon's Temple on Ophel hill. It is said that the
Herodians, when building the southern lower courts of the Temple,
built over the top of the ruins of Solomon's Palace complex. It
would have gone into ruin many centuries earlier and so he had no
regard for it.
All
of this information fits well with my location for Solomon's Temple.
The
Green
line
represents Solomon's Temple complex.
The Blue
line
represents the Herodian Temple complex. (called the southern lower
court by Josephus because it was built on the lower part of the hill.
This included Herod's Royal Stoa)
The Red
line is
the recent dig of Eilat Mazar revealing a small portion of the
Solomon royal complex. The light red represents a general Solomonic
complex area.
The
Green
line
represents Solomon's Temple complex.
The Blue
line
represents the Herodian Temple complex. (called the southern lower
court by Josephus because it was built on the lower part of the hill.
This included Herod's Royal Stoa)
The Red
line is
the recent dig of Eilat Mazar revealing a small portion of the
Solomon royal complex. The light red represents a general Solomonic
complex area.
Eilat Mazar has only uncovered a small
portion of the Solomonic Complex. An inner gatehouse for access into
the royal quarter of the city, a royal structure adjacent to the
gatehouse, and a corner tower that overlooks a substantial section of
the adjacent Kidron Valley and a large section of Solomon's city
wall. A bulla, a stamp seal impression, that bears the name “Hezekiah
[son of] Ahaz, king of Judah”.
My location for Solomon's
southern temple court is the only one that would make the proper
connections with what Eilat Mazar has discovered. The other
Temple Mount theories, such as Tuvia Sagiv's location over the Al Kas
Fountain, is too far north of this, and of course the Dome of the
Rock location by Ritmeyer and the Dome of the Tablets location by Dr.
Kaufman is out of the question. The City of David location for the
Temple by Dr. Martin/Bob Cornuke would have us believe that Solomon
built his palace in the City of David, south of their Temple
location. This goes against all the Biblical sources that tell us
that Solomon built his house outside the City of David. For
this reason, in my opinion, it would be very difficult for the other
theorist to acknowledge this find for what it is.
Akra Found?
Dr. Doron Ben-Ami, Yana Tchekhanovets and Salome Cohen, excavation directors on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority believe they have found the runs of the Akra (Acra). The Akra was a fortified Hellenistic citadel erected in Jerusalem by the Seleucid conquerors, after they first destroyed the city in 168 BC. The compound was torn down by the Maccabee rebels fighting the Greek rulers in the 2nd century BC. They have found “remains of fortifications, weapons, ceramics and coins from the Hellenistic era. The catapults at the site were engraved with a pitchfork, the emblem of King Antiochus IV. They discovered numerous coins ranging in date from the reign of Antiochus IV to that of Antiochus VII and the large number of wine jars that were imported from the Aegean region to Jerusalem, which were discovered at the site.” These items “provide evidence of the citadel’s chronology, as well as the non-Jewish identity of its inhabitants”.They believe “the archaeological finds indicate the establishment of a well-fortified stronghold that was constructed on the high bedrock cliff overlooking the steep slopes of the City of David hill.”
The Akra citadel was peopled by a Seleucid garrison with Hellenized Jews who supported the Seleucid rulers. From there they controlled the approach to the Temple cutting off the Temple from the old City of David.
Josephus writes;
"…and when he had overthrown the city walls, [Epiphanes] built a citadel [Greek: Acra] in the lower part of the city, for the place was high, and overlooked the temple; on which account he fortified it with high walls and towers, and put into it a garrison of Macedonians. However, in that citadel dwelt the impious and wicked part of the multitude, from whom it proved that the citizens suffered many and sore calamities.” -Antiquities of the Jews book 12 chap 5:4
In
the map below The
blue lines represent Herod's extended courts on this map. The
green lines represent Solomon's Temple. At the time the Akra existed
Zerubbabel's Temple would have been within Solomon's wall area and
courts, in green.
This
placement for the Akra is another conformation for the Temple once
being located at the southern end of the Temple Mount..
Norma Robertson
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