J,T7 m .1 A Monumental Work on an Important and Interesting Subject. TNB TABERNACLE of ISRAEL IN THE DESER T t (5J< By JAMES STRONG, S.T.D., LL.D. iiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii«iiii,iiiii,riiiiiiiiiii,i,iiiiiiiiiiiii,iiiiiii,ii^i,i,iiiiiii,|ii,ri,i,i,i,i,i,iii,,,,,iiii,i,,,,g,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,^ , , , , i.|.in.|iiii I 1 1 in.M The Tabernacle of Israel IN THE DESERT. This is an entirely original treatise on a theme that has hitherto baffled the skill of every interpreter. At last, it is believed, all its problems have been satisfactorily solved, and the whole matter is clearly expounded. This monograph is destined to be the standard henceforth, with all candid inquirers, on the topic which it discusses. The entire production consists of two closely related parts. I. There are six magnificent colored Lithographs, each 30 by 42 inches in size, showing everything plainly across an ordinary lecture- room. A glance at these graphic plates will convey a more just and life-like idea of the Tabernacle, with its appointments and surroundings, as they actually were, than any other representation extant. They are accurately and artistically drawn, and exhibit respectively : 1. A ground-plan of the Tabernacle and its court, with a bird's-eye sketch of the Desert and the route of the Israelites ; also an elevation of the eastern entrance. 2. A landscape view of the Tabernacle, as pitched before Mount Sinai. 3. A landscape scene of the erection of the Tabernacle at a stopping-place in the Desert. 4. Front views of the exterior of the Sanctuary, of the interior of the Holy Place, and of the interior of the Most Holy Place, with one of the wall curtains extended. 5. The furniture of the Tabernacle, all on a uniform scale. 6. The vestments of the Tabernacle : — Levite, priest and high-priest in official costume, with details of the last. GIFT Fa ^.c' . II. There is, accompanying these pictures, a neat volume of letter- press, with appropriate wood-cuts, explaining and corroborating the details of the lithographs, and constituting a complete exposition of the whole subject. This is divided into chapters, treating respectively the following branches of the subject : 1. An mtroduction to the Tabernacle, setting forth the occasion, nnethod, and purpose of the book. 2. The authorities on the Tabernacle, giving an account of the literature and leading works on the subject, with the original sources of information. 3. The history o{ \.\\& Tabernacle, and of the articles contained in it, from the time of Moses to the Babylonian Captivity. 4. The structure of the Tabernacle, elucidating and vindicating the fabric and mode of combination in minute detail, so that it could be perfectly recon- structed from these specifications. This comprises the larger part of the volume, which is not bulky in all ; and the particulars are given with a thoroughness and exactitude not heretofore attempted. Everything is proved, on the plan pro- posed, to come out with perfect exactness and propriety ; and the harmony, compactness, beauty and stability of the edifice, as well as its convenience for transportation, are a full demonstration of the correctness of the details. The key of the puzzle has evidently been discovered. The Scriptural description is shown to be true and definite to the last particular, and all concurrent statements of other parts of the Bible are found to be consistent. The whole is given in language free from technical scholarship, and intelligible to ordinary readers, yet embracing the results of the best modern philology and archaeology. The author has extraordinary advantages in this line, and has made the subject a study for a life-time of professional pursuits in this direction. Oriental customs are intro- duced, as throwing a flood of light on many points inscrutable to the older explorers in this field. Among the most important discoveries of the author under this head may be mentioned the form and adjustment of the " corner- boards," a failure in which has led all previous interpreters astray at the foundation ; the relation and application of the sixth goats'-hair curtain, which has never before been explained in conformity with the phraseology of the sacred text and the obvious needs of the case; the fitting size, the mode of suspension, and the peculiar folds of the colored curtains, with the position of the figures embroidered on them, and especially the distribution of their colors ; the shape and posture of the cherubim ; and the style of the various pieces of apparatus and costume,, including the mysterious Urim and Thummim. !Vi89y565 5. The symbolism of the Tabernacle has been treated with remarkable fullness, and yet with great caution. The significance of the different emblems has been based, not upon fantastic conjecture, or traditionary caprice, but upon Scriptural warrant and sound common sense. The central meaning of the whole, and of its several parts and elements, has been developed in such a way as cannot but com- mend it to the piety and good taste of Christian believers. Among the most striking discoveries in this department may be mentioned the functional import of the gradually increasing sanctity of the several apartments, from the outer court to the inmost shrine of the awful Majesty, with its cherubic figures standing as sentinels at the entrance and around the walls ; the cherubic statues, as representatives of the natural laws of God, guarding the receptacle of His moral law ; and above all and through all, the sacred colors, " blue and purple and scarlet," always named in the proper Hebraic order, with the " gold " (yellow) and the " fine linen " (white), spelling out the worthy hierogram of the Atone- ment, " Heaven's royal blood purchases purity '' for the fallen race of man. This central legend, emblazoned on every avenue to the divine Presence, and also on the drapery of the pontifical plenipotentiary, silently proclaimed to the devout worshipper the grand secret of the one true faith, devised in the eternal counsels of the Almighty. The work is timely for the elucidation of the International Sunday- school Lessons of the present year, which embrace this portion of the history of Israel ; and it will be indispensable to the equipment of every minister's and Bible student's library for all time to come. The price for both parts of the work complete is $5. HARRIS, JONES & CO., Publishers, PROVIDENCE R.I. TTHE TABERNACLE OF ISRAEL IN THE DESERT; A COMPANION VOLUME TO THE PORTFOLIO OF PLATES, EXPLANATORY OF THE PARTICULARS, WITH DETAILED PLANS AND DRAWINGS, AND LETTER-PRESS DESCRIPTIONS. By JANIKS STRONG, S.T.D., LL.D. PROVIDENCE, R. I. 1888. Copyriaht, 188S, by JA^MIKS STRONG-. vo bi/i S77 CONTENTS. PAGE. I. Introduction 1 II. Authorities 3 i. Ancient 3 1. Sacred 3 2. Non-Biblical 3 ii. Modern 4 1, General 4 3. Special 5 III. History 9 i. Ante-Sinaitic 9 ii. Mosaic 9 iii. Davidic 10 IV. Structure 12 i. Court 12 1. Circuit 12 3. Contents 17 (1.) Altar 17 (2.) Laver 19 ii. Fane 19 1. Walls ^1 (1.) Planks 21 (3.) Sockets 23 (3.) Bars 25 (4.) Stays 25 (5.) Sheathing 26 2. Roof 26 (1.) Canvas 27 (3.) Supports 33 3. Hangings 33 (1.) Door-screen 33 (3.) Side-curtains 34 4. Furniture 40 (1.) Show-bread table 41 (3.) Incense-altar 44 ' (3.) Candelabrum 45 (4.) Trumpets 48 PAQB. 5. Additional Remarks 48 (1.) Manufacture 49 (2.) Transportation 49 iii. Shrine 51 1. Door-vail 51 (1.) Embroidery 51 (2.) Support 52 (3.) Position 53 2. Ark 54 (1.) Form 55 (3.) Cherubim 55 (3.) Contents 57 3. Perfumes 59 (1.) Powder 59 (3.) Paste 60 iv. Regalia 60 1. Levitical 60 2. Sacerdotal 61 (1.) Drawers 62 (2.) Tunic 63 (3.) Girdle 63 (4.) Cap 63 3. Pontifical (special) 64 (1.) Rol)e 65 (3.) Ephod 66 (3.) Breastplate 67 (4.) Urim 69 v. Symbolism 71 i. Proportion 73 1. Decimal (the fingers) 74 2. Septenary (the week) 74 3. Quadruple (part of seven) 75 4. Triple (remainder of seven) 75 5. Double (dualism) 75 6. Single (unity) 75 ii. Color 76 CONTENTS. PAGE. , Black (shade) 77 , White (purity) 77 Blue (the sky) 78 , Purple (royalty) 79 , Crimson (blood) 79 , Yellow (the sun) 79 Figure 81 , Rectangular (regularity) 81 . Round (symmetry) 81 , Cherubim (natural law) 82 , Arks (preservation) 85 (1.) Of Noah (dimensions) 86 (2.) Of the Covenant (style) 87 (3.) Of bulrushes 88 , Tables of the decalogue (moral law) 88 . Ornaments (beauty) 90 Material (in construction) 91 . Wood (support) 91 Copper (durabilty) 92 Silver (clearness) 92 Gold (value) 92 Linen (cleanliness) 92 . Wool (warmth) 93 . Goats' hair (compactness) 93 . Rams' skin (protection) 93 . Fur (softness) 93 . Rope (strength) 93 . Gems (hardness) 93 PAGE, v. Elements (in worshij)) 93 1. Water (regeneration) 93 2. Fire (zeal) 93 3. Flesh (substance) 93 4. Fat (choice) 93 5. Blood (life) 93 6. Flour (vigor) 93 7. Oil (richness) 93 8. Wine (cheerfulness) 93 9. Salt (wholesomeness) 93 10, Spice (acceptability) 93 vi. Sanctity (comparative) 93 1. Court (special ministry) 93 (1.) Laver (piety) 94 (2.) Altar (consecration) 94 2. HolyPlace (functional priesthood) 94 (1.) Candelabrum (intelligence).. 94 (2.) Show-bread Table (conscien- tiousness) 94 (3.) Incense-altar (prayer) 94 3. Most Holy Place (rei)resentative high-priesthood) 94 4. Mercy-seat (deity) 94 vii. Revelation (gradual) 94 1. Shekinah (general theophany). .. 95 (1.) Cloud (outward guidance). . . 95 (2.) IVIercy-seat (gr:icc) 95 2. Urim and Thumraim (inward guidance) 95 3. Tables of the Law (ethics) 96 COLORED LITHOGRAPHS. PLATE I. Ground-plan of the Tabernacle, with Elevation of the Door-way to the Court, and a Bird's-Eye Sketch of the Desert of Sinai and the Surrounding Regions. PLATE IL The Tabernacle as pitched before Mt. Sinai. Explanationn. — The view is from the North. The wide plain in the foreground is that of er-Rahah. The central mountain in the background is Jebel Musa (in the wider application of the name), of red granite, seamed and cracked as if by fire ; and the pinnacle immediately in front is Ras Sufsafeh. At the right is Jebel Ghubsheh, of dark porphyry, with the valley of the Lejah between. At the left is Jebel ed-Deir, inclosing the valley of the same name, so-called from the monastery of St. Catherine situated in it. The tents scattered around are those of the leading Israelites, the upright octagonal one being supposed to be that of Moses himself. (The regular encampment around the Tabernacle is not here exhibited, as that arrangement appears to have been made for the march at a later period than the first erection at Sinai.) The plain has a few stunted bushes, and a couple of rills issue from the valleys on either side of the middle cone. In the foreground is a side-view of the Tabernacle (enough of the front being shown to give a general idea of its form), surrounded by the Court. The cloudy Pillar is resting on the roof over the Mercy- seat. A Levite is raking together the embers on the Altar of Burnt-offering, and a priest is washing his feet at the Laver. Outside the high-priest is taking the scape-goat to the man who is to lead it away into the wilderness. PLATE III. Erection of the Tabernacle at a Stopping-place in the Desert. Explaiuitions. — The view is from the South. The background is the pass of Wady el-Ain (in the heart of the Desert east of Mt. Sinai), so called from a spring that sends a small stream through the valley.* The mountains rise about 3,000 feet perpendicularly. The Levites are seen busy in unloading the wagons, rearing the walls of the Taber- nacle, and bringing tlie poles, the sockets and the various pieces of furniture. A few priests (Aaron's sons) are sitting or standing by, superintending the work. All are in the common Oriental habiliments of secular life, as the sacred order wore their distinctive costumes only when on official duty. The ladder in the foreground, obviously needful in adjusting the fixtures to the tops of the planks, is like those depicted on the monuments as used by the ancient Egyptians in scaling the walls of hostile cities. The cloudy pillar hovers in the air, indicating the spot for the encampment. * It is not certain that the main line of the Israelitas, including the Tabernacle, actually passed through this particular gorge, although they must once at least have journeyed very near it; but it is strikingly graphic of the character of the central region of the Sinaitic pen- insula. All the features of the landscupe, even to the minutiaj of the human faces cut by nature in profile on the edges of the left-hand rocks, are faithfully copied from the original photograph. vi COLORED LITHOGRAPHS. PLATE IV. Front views of the Tabernacle. A. Exterior of the Sanctuary. B. Interior of the Holy Place. C. Interior of the Most Holy Phice. D. One of the "Wall-Curtains (extended). Explanations. — These apartments are as they would appear from a slight altitude on the East, and the scale of course is applicable only to the front openings, but the parts in perspective are proportional. The stay-cords are removed so as to afford an unobstructed view. The furniture is seen placed on fur rugs. The side-curtain exhibited is the second in order from the front on the right, and is shown as made up but not hung. It must be borne in mind that the colors of the woollen woof on all these vertical curtains are reduced in intensity by the white ground or cross-lines of the linen warp, so that the violet shows as sky-blue, the purple as a deep marone, and the crimson as a light cherry. PLATE V. Furniture of the Tabernacle. A. Altar of Burnt-offering, with its "Vessels." B. Altar of Incense. C. Silver Trumpets. D. Laver. E. Candelabrum, with its "Vessels." F. Table of Show-bread, Avith its "Vessels." G. Ark and "Mercy-seat," with the Cherubim. PLATE VI. Vestments of the Tabernacle. A. Levite (in working garb). B. Priest (in sacred dress). G. High-priest (in full costume). D. The Pontifical regalia (in detail). i. Tunic, ii. Robe. iii. Girdle (extended), iv. Ephod (side view), v. Breast- plate (back side, open). vi. One of the shoulder studs (full size), a. Face. h. Back. Explanations. — The Levite holds the tools usual for putting up a tent (a mallet and a pin), the priest the instruments of sacrifice (a knife for slaying the victim, and a bowl for catching the blood), and the high-priest the utensils for performing the rites on the day of annual atonement (a censer and a bowl for blood).* The articles of his apparel separately exhibited are of such a form or in such a position as could not be fully shown on his person. The lettering on his frontlet and breastplate is in the archaic Heb. character, substantially after the style of the Siloam inscription (the earliest extant, but the latest discovered), which we have accommodated to our purpose by a somewhat greater uniformity in the size and slope of the principal strokes. * According to the natural interpretation of Lev. xvi, 4, 23, 24, and the Rabbinic usage, the higli-priest wore only a special suit of plain (apparently unbleached) linen apparel (including the innermost girdle), when he went into the Holy of Holies for these functions (which required several distinct entrances into that apartment — all of them, however, on that single day, Heb. ix, 7), also when ho gave the scape-goat into the custody of the person (apparently within the Court) to take it away to the wilderness; but for the sake of distinctness we have, in our pictures, invested him with the complete official attire in both cases, and have made the latter act take place outside the Court. This is the more allowable, inasmucii as he was thus fully equipped during the otlier services of that day. WOOD-CUTS. 1. The Jewish Utensils on the Arch of Titus at Rome facing 4 2. Pillar with Rods and Hooks 15 3. Altar of Burnt-offering, with the Grate drawn out 17 4. Wooden Walls of the Tabernacle 20 5. Comparison of the tenons and mortises with the rounds of a ladder 21 6. Corner-plank of the Tabernacle 22 7. Socket of the Tabernacle 23 8. Arrangement of the Corner-sockets 24 9. " Tache " and Ankle compared 25 10. Arab Tents in the South of Judah 27 11. Roof-curtains as made up 29 12. Rear Gable nearly closed by the Sixth Roof-curtain 30 13. Fold in the Roof-curtain at the Corner 31 14. Probable Form of the First and Third Tabernacles 33 15. Section of Plank with Attachments 36 16. Side-curtain furnished w. '^ Loops 37 17. Arrangement of Side-curtain 38 18. Corner-folds in Side-curtain 39 19. Length of Colored loops by Triangulation 40 20. Table of Show-bread on the Arch of Titus 41 21. Transverse Section of Table of Show-bread 42 22. Candelabrum on the Arch of Titus 45 23. Concentric Arrangement of the Ornaments on the Candelabrum 45 24. Comparison of each of the Enlargements on the Candelabrum with its natural Type. . . 47 25. Lamp and its socket 48 26. Cherubim of an Egyptian Shrine carried in a Boat by Priests 56 27. A Fellah Peasant 61 28. A Bedawin Sheik 61 29. Modern Oriental Drawers for a Gentleman 62 30. Modern Oriental Shirt 62 31. Modern Oriental Girdle (extended) 63 32. Modern Oriental Skull-cap : 64 33. Modern Oriental Turban (folded) 65 34. Ancient Egyptian Chief-Priest 66 35. Ephod extended 67 36. Twisted Chain 69 37. Restoration of Noah's Ark 89 38. Probable form of the Ark of Bulrushes 90 39. The Acacia Seyal facing 91 THE TABERNACLE OF ISRAEL, CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION TO THE TABERNACLE. For more than thirty years the subject of this work has been an earnest study with the Author, and in the course of his investigations and comparisons he has procured and carefully examined every book of note treating upon it. In his article under that head in the CyclajxEclia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature he embodied in a condensed form the results of these researches up to that time (1881), and he has since continued to pursue them with unabated interest. When therefore the publishers of this work proposed to him, in May, 1887, the preparation of a series of walLsheets exhibiting the whole edifice and its connections on a large scale and in its minutiae, together with a brief Manual elucidating the same, he could not well decline so congenial a task, as it seemed likely to prove useful to Bible readers and students, especially in view of the International Sunday-School Lessons embrac- ing this topic. Accordingly he determined to explore the whole subject afresh, and to sift every particular to the bottom, aided by all the light that modern erudition and the latest researches can afford. This he has done faithfully and impartially, and he has endeavored to set forth the results in as clear and simple, yet as scientific and comprehensive language as he can command, with the best facilities of artistic co-operation.* How far he has succeeded in unravelling the entanglements which have hitherto baftled the skill and learning of interpreters, and in making the whole plain to the average comprehension, the intelligent reader, who will take the pains to follow him in his elucidations, will be able to judge for himself. He has here brought together everything thus far ascertained, that he judges adapted to be of service in conveying a just idea of that remarkable building, the first and (including its later development, the Temple of Jerusalem) the only one immediately devised and directly authorized by the Almighty himself as his place of special worship for his chosen people. As such it has ever since held a conspicuous position in the eyes and thoughts of saints, and in these later days of archaeological science it has still * The lithographs and engravin<;s have been scrupu- lously copied from photographs, sketches, and color- ings made by the Author himself, carefully reproduced and improved by an experienced and skilful draughts- man under the Autlior's immediate superintendence, and the most minute pains have been taken to make them both graphic and accurate. 2 INTRODUCTION TO TEE TABERNACLE. retained its hold upon tlie reverent curiosity of an intelligent world. Great pains liave been taken by learned men to restore it as fully as possible to the apprehension of modern Occidentals ; and the present effort, it is hoped, \vill not be regarded as over-ambitious in aspiring to do this more completely than heretofore for popular purposes. The Author has no pet theory to estabhsh, nor any doctrinal influence to bias him ; he has simply aimed to collect, weigh and combine the information afforded by every source accessible, to incorporate whatever new features his own discoveries and comparisons have introduced, and to present everytliing really pertinent in as lucid and systematic a form as the topic allows.* He does not, in tliis little volume, tliink it worth while to controvert the various opinions expressed by others, so much as to indicate the conclusions which on the whole he believes vdW commend them- selves best to the common sense of general readers, after they have been put in possession of the facts in the case.f * We have studied the utmost possible brevity in our phraseology, and for the same reason have thrown most of the minute discussion into foot- notes. f Some of the combinations, that require to be re- solved in the reconstruction of this unique specimen of architectural skill for a movable seat of worship, will be found so elaborate and profound as to argue a source higlier than mere human ingenuity, and to evince, to the devout inquirer, that pervading sim- plicity and yet harmony which characterize whatever is the product of divine contrivance. If it be not deemed presumptuous in Saint Bernard of Clugny to aver that he never could have composed his famous "Jerusalem the Golden," in its peculiarly difficult metre, without special inspiration, we trust that we may not be charged with a lack of modest}- in cher- ishing the thought of some measure of that spiritual aid in expounding this portion of Scripture, which we believe the sacred penman more fully enjoyed when he indited it. The Author-r-as he thinks he may without irreverence be permitted to say — seems to himself to have caught a glimpse of that model which was shown to Moses in the "mount of God." CHAPTER II. AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. I, We naturally take these iij) in the order of time. 1. The most trustworthy, as well as the fullest and most definite source of infor- mation concerning the Israelitish Tabernacle is of course the Bible, especially the classic passage (Exod. xxv — xxviii), which minutely prescribes the construction of the edifice and its apparatus, together with the parallel passage (Exod. xxxv — xl), which describes, in almost the same words, the execution of the task. The phraseology of the original record, although remarkable for its terseness, will be found, when minutely examined, to convey or to imply precisely enough to guide the intelligent reader in every important particular. Considerable additional light is thrown upon the subject by the specifications later made in the Scriptural account of the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings vi ; 2 Chron. iii, iv), including that seen in vision by Ezekiel (xl — xlii), both of which were modelled, in all their most essential features, after the plan of the Tabernacle, as we shall have occasion to see. Scattered notices are occasionally given elsewhere in Holy Writ, which serve to confirm, complete or correct our inferences from these main fountains of specification. 2. Of profane authorities in ancient times the principal one by far is Josephus, who in his well-known description of the earliest sacred building of the Jews {An- tiquities, III, vi, 2 — ^vii, T), repeats, with some variation and a few original suggestions, the statements of Scripture on the subject. Very little information is contained in the Rabbinical Avritings of the Jews, which could aid us in reconstructing the Tabernacle,* and none at all in the litera- ture of any heathen nation of antiquity, except the Egyptians, whose temples were evidently a type, but only in the most general sense, of the Tabernacle and the Temple. For although both these edifices were expressly planned by the divine Architect (Exod. xxv, 40 ; 1 Chron. xxviii, 11, 12, 19), yet the triple arrangement of a shrine within a fane, and this again within an outer inclosure, was a marked feature of the noted temples with which the Hebrews had become familiar in Egypt. It is true that these structures, the remains of which have survived to the present day, were built at a much later date than that of the Exode, but they are doubtless succes- sors of earlier edifices resembling them in their main outlines. * Paine (in his second edition) lias given a full translation, with copious annotations, of a curious old Hebrew document anonymously entitled Sippur- enu (i.e., "Our Record"), in which the unknown author's opinions corroborate some of his own con- clusions. 4 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. In a similar way the sacerdotal regalia of the ancient Egyptians, and their sacri- ficial implements, as depicted upon their monuments, give us a partial clew to the intricacies of some of the Jewish priestly services and garments, esi^ecially that curious article called the ephod^ and its mysterious accompaniments. (See Fig. 34.) Like- wise the sacred Ark, with the cherubic figures upon it, is illustrated to some extent in the hieratic boat sketched on the sculptures as borne in procession by the Egyptian priests, and then deposited in the adytum of their temple. (See Fig. 26.) Assyriology also furnishes a few hints as to some particulars. From a most unexpected quarter there has come a clear ray to determine some of the vexed questions concerning the utensils of the Tabernacle, especially the Golden Candelabrum. Delineations of the successors of these objects, taken by the Romans on the fall of Jerusalem, appear upon the memorial arch of Titus at Rome, and are the more valuable as being imdoubtedly authentic, and carved by contem- poraries. (See Fig. 1.) They are probably more elaborate, as was true of all the ap- paratus in the Herodian Temple, than those in the Solomonic structure, and still more so doubtless than the severe style of the earlier Tabernacle ; yet they serve a most important use in deciding where particulars are elsewhere lacking or uncertain. These specimens were copied by the indefatigable A. Reland in the last century, M'hen they were perhaps less dilapidated than now ; and his drawings were printed in his learned monograph on the subject {De Spoliis TemjM, etc., Utrecht, 1716, small 8vo ; 2d ed. by Schultze, 1775.) (See Figs. 20, 22.) This httle work of Reland, like all his other archaeological investigations, is well-nigh exhaustive of the special topic on which it treats, so far as information was attainable in his day. The present appearance of the Arch of Titus is shown with photographic exactness in many published volumes, and the actual remains are open to the inspection of every tourist. Oriental usages, which, although ascertained chiefly by modern travellers, are of so permanent a character that they may fairly be ranked with antiquarian researches, aid us to a great extent in forming an accurate conception of the Tabernacle and its appliances. II. "Writings of our own time are of course secondary in their authority on such a subject as this, but they cannot safely be ignored. On the contrary the wise and candid archaeologist will welcome and carefully weigh every new suggestion of other minds, earnestly devoted to the solution of the many problems still undeniably left on these difficult ]:)articulars. He may not, indeed he cannot, accept all their conclu- sions, for they often widely conflict with one another, and not unfrequently contradict plain inferences from the language of the ancient record, or probable necessities of the case. 1. Among the works of a general antiquarian character, that bear specially upon this topic, we first mention, as probably the most important, K. W. F. Bahr''s Sijm- holilc des Mosaischen Cultus \^y\xiho\\si\\ of the Mosaic Worship] (Heidelberg, 2 vols. 8vo, 1837-39 ; 2d ed. 1874), which, with much learning and judiciousness, discusses most of the architectonic as well as symbolic questions relating to the Jewish Taber- nacle (i, 56), and has been the chief treasure-house for more recent explorers in the ■^ 3 X ? c = '^ P 3 "SS MODERN SOURCES OF INFORMATION. S same line. The subject is treated in most works on Hebrew Antiquities, sucli as those of H. Lund (Hamburg, 1695, 1738, 8vo), aiid J. L. Saalschiitz (Konigsl)., 1855-6, 2 vols. 8vo) ; also in the critical commentaries on Exodus, especially those of M. Kalisch (London, 1855), C. F. Keil (translated, Edinb., 1866), and J. G. Mur- phy (reprinted, Andover, 1868) ; and of course in all Bible Dictionaries, from Calmet to Herzog. Kitto, in his Pictorial Bible (notes on Exodus), and Pailloux, in his Monographie du Temple de Salomon (Paris, 1885; chaps, xi and xii), have made some attempt at a reconstruction of the Tabernacle ; but they have elicited little if anything new or valuable on the subject. On special points, besides the work of Reland, noticed above, there are several, all in the olden style, of which the most important is that of J. Braun, Vestltus Sacerdotum Hehrcmrum [The Clothing of the Hebrew Priests] (Leyden, 1690, small 4to ; 2d ed. much improved, Amsterdam, 1698). Braun's treatise fails chiefly, like most similar ones of his time, from lack of the light which modern travel and research have shed upon the suljject. Its mode of discussion is rather from the European than the Oriental point of view. A similar criticism is applicable to the otherwise complete dissertation of Antonius Bynseus on ancient Hebrew shoes {De ealcels Ilehi'ceoriim, Dort, 1682, 12mo ; 1715, 8vo), which has some pertinence here. The treatise of Dr. S. I. Curtiss, Jr., entitled The Levltlcal Priests (Edinburgh, 1877, 8vo), is a reply to the objections of the destructive critics (Colenso, Kuenen, etc.) against the authentic- ity of the Pentateuch founded on the alleged discrepancies in the statements con- cerning the Mosaic cultus, and therefore discusses the archaeology of the subject but incidentally. 2. The earlier monographs on this subject, such as those of G. Peringer {Historla Tabernacull Mosaici, Upsala, 1668, 8vo), C. Mel {GrundlicJie Beschre'ibung der Stiftshiitte., Frankfort-on-the-Oder, 1709, 4to), Conradi {De Tabernaculi 3fosis Struc- tura, Offenbach, 1712, 4to), S. Van Til {Commentarius de Tabernaculo Mosis., Dort, 1714, 4to), A. Driessen {Mosis Tahernacidum., Utrecht, 1714, 4to), B. Laniy {De Taheniacido Fa'deris, Paris, 1720, fob). A, Schultens {Mystenum Tahernacidi Mosis, Franeker, 1729, 4to), and J. G. Tympe {Tabernaculi e Monumentis Descrip- tion Jena, 1731, 4to), being based almost exclusively upon traditionary or conventional interpretation and speculation, have long since become wholly obsolete. The same remark applies with nearly equal force to most of the essays on special points con- nected with the Tabernacle, such as those of J. J. Leone {De Cheruhinis, Amsterdam, 1647 ; Helmstiidt, 1665 ; in the original Spanish, Amsterdam, 1654, 4to), the same author, Del Area del Testamfinto (Amsterdam, 1653, 4to) ; C. Geissler {De Cheruhhn, Wittenberg, 1661, 4to), A. Calov {De Urim. et Thummim,, Wittenberg, 1675, 4to), G. Thym {Lahrum Aeneicm, Schwandorf, 1675, 4to), D. A¥eimar {De Suffitu Aro- matico, Jena, 1678, 4to), G. D. Ziegra {De Oleo Unctionis Sacro, Wittenberg, 1680, 4to), J. B. Werner {De Propitiator io, Giessen, 1695, 4to), G. Stillmann {De Cands- labro Aureo, Bremen, 1700, 4to), J. ab Hamm {De Ara Inter lore, Herborn, 1715, 4to), H. G. Clemens {De Labro Aeneo, Utrecht, 1725 ; Groningen, 1732, 8vo ; also in Ugolino's Thesaurus, xix), A. Clant {De Lahro Tahernaculi, Groningen, 1733, 6 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. 4to), C. L. Schlicliter {Be Mensa Facierum, Halle, 1738, 4to; also in Ugolino's Thesaurus, x), C. G. F. Wolf {De Urim et Thunwnim, Leipsic, 1T40, 4to), C. L. Schlicliter {De Lychnucho Sacro, Halle, 1740, 4to), C. W. Tlialemann {De Nube super Area., Leipsic, 1752, 4to ; 1771, 8vo), J. F. Stiebritz {De Urim et Thumrnim, Halle, 1753, 4to), C. L. Sclicliter {De Suffitu Sacra Hehrcmrum, Halle, 1754, 4to), S. Kail {N'uhes super Area Foederis, Herborn, 1757; Utrecht, 1760, 4to), J. K. Velt-. hiisen ( Va7i den Cherubinen, Brunswick, 1764, 8vo), W. F. Hufnagel {Der Cheruhhin, Frankfort-on-the-JVIain, 1821, 8vo), J. J. Bellermann {Die TJrhn und Thummira., Berlin, 1824, 8vo), T. P. C. Kaiser {De CheruUs Mosaicis, Erlangen, 1827, 4to), C. L. Hendewerk {De Seraphim et Cheruhim, Konigsburg, 1836, 8vo), G. ^imih. {Doctrine of the Cherubim, London, 1850, 8vo), and A. McLeod {Cherubim and the Apocalypse, London, 1856, 8vo), the majority of which we have directly perused, besides numerous disquisitions in more extended archseological works, in commentaries and in period- icals. Of later treatises expressly on the Jewish Tabernacle as a whole, the following is a nearly complete list, comprising those which we have personally and minutely ex- amined. (1.) Symbolik der Mo8aische}i Stiftshutte [Symbolism of the Mosaic Tabernacle]. Eine Vertheidigung Dr. Luther's gegen Dr. Bahr. Von Ferdinand Friederich, Pastor zu St. Johannis in Wernigerode. Mit 23 Tafeln Abbildungen (Leipzig, 1841, 8vo, pp. 369 and vi). This, as the title states, is in opposition to Biihr's ideal- istic symbolism, and reduces the Tabernacle to an enlargement of the human body, the proportions of which are fantastically compared with it. (2.) The Tahernacle in the Wilderness', the Shadow of Heavenly Things. Four Engravings, Coloured, and Inlaid, with Gold, Silver, and Brass, according to the Texts of Scripture, With Explanatory Notes. By W. G. Ehind (2d edition, London, 1842, small folio, pp. iii and 36). This is but a more elegant reproduction of the older schemes, plans, and figures, with a few Scriptural and practical elucidations. (3.) Lectures on the Typyical Character of the Jewish Tabernacle, Priesthood, and Saerifice, Preached during Lent, 1850. By Forster G. Simpson, B.A., Curate of Ickworth, Suffolk (London, 1852, 12mo, pp. viii and 335). This, as the title shows, is a general exposition of the Levitical economy, from the popular Christian point of view, and therefore enters but slightly into critical details. (4.) Die Stiftshiitte, von Wilhelm Neumann (Gotha, 1861, 8vo, pp. vi and 173). Tliis elucidation proceeds almost entirely upon the analogies of Assyrian antiquities, whicli are far less synchronous and familiar with the Israelites than those of Egypt. The details are wrought out witli much ingenuity, but are often highly grotesque. None of the essential problems of tlie structure are really solved. (5.) Die Mosaische Stiftshiltte [The Mosaic Tabernacle], by Prof. Dr. Ch. Joh. Riggenbach ; with three lithographic Plates (Basel, 1862 ; 2d ed. 1867, 4to, pp. 63). This is a brief, but scliolarly treatise, presenting the essential features of the Tabernacle in a clear and succinct manner, but not attempting to solve all the abstru- sities of the subject. MODERN SOURCES OF INFORMATION. 7 (6.) Solomon's Temple ; or., the Tabernacle ; First Temple ; House of the King., or House of the Forest of Lebanon; Idolatrous High Places; the city mi the Mount- ain (Rev. xxi) ; the Oblation of the Holy Portion / and the Last Temple. With 21 Plates of Q^ Figures, accurately copied by the Lithographer from Careful Draw- ings made by the Author, T. O. Paine, LL.D,, a Minister of the New Jerusalem Church (Boston, 1861, large 8vo., pp. 99 ; 2d ed. greatly enlarged, with new title, 1885, pp. 200). This is by far the most imposing and profound work on the sacred edifices of the Jews hitherto published. The author is a careful scholar, and an acute thinker, and he has grappled with the difticulties of the Tabernacle in a masterful M'ay. We regret our inability to coincide with all liis conclusions, * but we gladly accept many of them as the only ones that aj)pear to meet the exigencies of the case. He is singularly reticent on the symbolism of the subject. (7.) The Holy Vessels and Furoiiture of the Tabernacle of Israel, by H. W. Soltau, author of "An Exposition of the Tabernacle;" " the Priestly Garments and the Priesthood ; " etc. (London, 1865, oblong 4to, pp. viii and 67). With ten colored plates. Also, The Tabernacle of Israel Illustrated. By H. W. Soltau (London, 1870, oblong 4to, pp. 22). With nine colored plates. These are splendid little volumes, but lacking in critical value. They are altogether popular in their character. (8.) The Tabernacle and its Priests and Services described and considered in relation to Christ and the Church / with diagrams, views and wood-cuts : by William Brown (2nd ed. Edinb. 1872, 8vo, pp. xv and 168). This is an honest attempt to elucidate the whole subject treated, and is executed with a very creditable degree of earnestness and precision. Some of its suggestions are original and ingenious ; but in many points it singularly fails to meet the just requirements of the case. The resources at the writer's command appear to have been limited, and his conclusions are therefore liable to be overthrown by a wider range of induction. (9.) History and Significance of the Sacred Tabernacle of the Hebrews, by Edward E. Atwater (New York, 1875, 8vo, pp. xiv and 448). With Illustrative Plates. This work contains little that is original, and therefore contributes but slightly to the elucidation of the subject beyond its predecessors. It is, however, a fair popular presentation of the theme, without aiming at any very critical purpose. The mechanism of the structure is very imperfectly wrought out. (10.) The Temples of the Jews, and the Other Buildings in the Haram Area at Jerusalem, by James Fergusson, Esq., D. C. L., F. R. S., V. P. R. A. S., etc. (London, 1878, 4to, pp. xviii and 304). Illustrated by many Plans and Engravings. This superb volume treats but incidentally of the Tabernacle, summarizing the results previously arrived at by the author in his History of Architecture, and in his article on the Tabernacle in Dr. Wm. Smith's Dictionary of the Bible. As a pro- fessional architect, and a writer of much scholarly attainment, his views are entitled to great consideration. They are all ingenious, some of them well-founded, but others * His mode of forming the "corner boards " I adjoining side boards) deranges the harmony of the (hinging them whole, by means of rings, to the | building, and makes a misfit of both sets of curtains. 8 AUTHORITIES ON THE TABERNACLE. preposterous. The book as a whole is infected with an excessive leaning to subjectiv^e opinions in favor of modern styles of architecture, wliich often disparages the ancient authorities. (11.) Hani-Mishkan^ the Wonderful Tent ; an account of the Structure, Signi- ficatlon, and Spiritual Lessons of the Mosaic Tahernacle erected, in the WiMerness of Sinai: by Eev. D. A. Randall, D.D. Illustrated by several plans and views (Cincin- nati, 1886, 8vo. pp. xlv and 420). This work, as the author himself states in liis pref- ace, " is not intended as a book for scholars and critics." It is a popular and pleasing presentation of the main features of the subject, chiefly in the form of a series of imaginary dialogues or lectures by a learned and devout Rabbi, whom the author actually met during a journey through the Sinaitic Desert. No great amount of research or fresli information, of course, is to be expected from its scope and purpose. (12.) W. E. Stephens, of St. Louis, Mo., circulates " Christ in the Tabernacle," an engraving, reduced by photo-lithography from a large colored litliograph, entitled " The Tabernacle in the Wilderness," published by W. F. Broom, 25 Paternoster Square, London. It represents the Tabernacle (in the old style, with no details) as pitched on the plain of Mt. Sinai, with the tents of the tribes of Israel about it. Besides the works enumerated in the above review, we are aware of the existence of only the following that bear directly upon the general subject ; and of these, although we have been unable to procure a copy, we know enough to be satisfied that they con- tribute notliing material to the elucidation of the Tabernacle : P. D'Aquine, Disser- tation du Tabernacle (Paris, 1623, 4to ; and later) ; J. J. Leone, Afhoeldinge van den TabernacM (Amsterdam, 1647, 4to ; the original Spanish, ibid, 1654, 4to) ; J. Recchiti, Chohiiath hain-2£ishhan [Wisdom of the Tabernacle] (in Hel»rew, Mantua, 1776, 4to) ; J. Kitto, The Tabernacle and its Furniture (London, 1849, 4to) ; J. Popper, Der BiUische Bericht uler die Stiftshutte (Leipsic, 1862, 8vo) ; T. Wan- germann. Die Bedeutung d«r Stiftshutte (Berlin, 1866, 8vo.) CHAPTER III. HISTORY OF THE TABERNACLE. I. It appears (Exod. xxxiii, 7) that the name " Tabernacle of the Congregation " * was originally applied to an ordinary tent, probably the one officially occupied by Moses himself ; and that this was at first set apart by the token of the divine pres- ence at its door-way as the regular place of public communication between Jehovah and the people. (See Fig. 14.) This was prior to the construction of what was afterwards technically known as the Tabernacle, which of course sujDerseded such a temporary arrangement. II. Soon after the arrival of the Israelites in the centre of the Sinaitic mount- ains, Moses was directed by Jehovah to prepare a special building for his worship, according to a pattern shown him during his stay of forty days on the summit of the mount. Accordingly orders were immediately issued for contributions to this end, the materials were freely offered by the people, a chief artificer, " Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah," with " Aliohab, the son of Ahisa- mach, of the tribe of Dan," as his assistant (Exod. xxxi, 2, 6), was selected to have immediate charge of the task, and after about eight months' labor, the Tabernacle, with all its equipments, was completed and erected on the first day of the first month (Nisan) of the second year after the departure from Egypt (Exod. xl, 17). The cloudy Pillar of the divine Shekinah doubtless indicated the precise spot of its loca- tion by resting over the central object of the entire worship, the sacred Ark beneath the Mercy-seat. During the journeys and the halts in the "Wilderness, as well as throughout the campaigns in Moab, the Tabernacle marked the head-quarters of the Israelitish host, and on the arrival in Canaan it accompanied Joshua in most of his expeditions against their enemies. In all these migrations it was taken down piece- meal, carried on vehicles constructed for the purpose and drawn by oxen, in charge of the priests assisted by the Levites, and was re-erected at every stopping-place. (See Plate III.) The position of the several tribes of Israelites was regulated by divine prescription around it, both on the march and m the encampment, the signal * The Heb. phrase here employed is ohel moed, lit. " tent of meeting," which, however, is often used synonymously with mishkan ha-eduth, lit. "dwelling of the assembly," to designate the edifice itself. Strictly speaking, the terms " tent" (ohel) and "tab- ernacle " (mishkan) are found to be carefully discrimi- nated (as we shall eventually see), denoting respect- ively the canvas roof and the wooden walls of the compound structure; never for both, except as the one implies the other; and absohitcl}' never for each other. The expression, " tent of meeting " (often falsely rendered " tabernacle " in the A. V.), is especially appropriate from the fact that the repre- sentatives of the congregation of Israel were required to assemble for the divine commands at the "open- ing" (Heb. pethach, A. V. "door") of the tent; for there was no mishkan or wooden part at the front of the building. 10 HISTORY OF THE TABERNACLE. for starting or halting being the motion or the resting of the mute guide, the Pillar cloudy by day and fiery l)y night.* In the latter part of Joshua's administration it was set up at Shiloh (Josh, xviii, 1), where it remained during the troubled period of the Judges, down to the days of EIi,t when the sacred Ark was taken out of the building (1 Sam. iv, 4), and never returned. It is probable that the timber of the wooden part of the edifice (tlie curtains of course having been often renewed) was by this time so worn and decayed (although of durable wood and thickly plated with gold) as to be unservicable, and Talmudic tradition speaks of its re- placement by a permanent stone structure, traces of which, it is thought, are still discoverable on the site of Shiloh (Conder, Tent-worh in Palestine, i, 84). However that may be, there are no further distinct indications of the existence or locality of the original building, although evidences occur of the transfer of the worship, under Samuel's administration, successively to Mizpeh (1 Sam. vii, 6), and elsewhere (1 Sam. ix, 12 ; X, 3 ; xx, 6 ; Psa. cxxxii, 6). In David's day the show-bread was at one time kept at ISTob (1 Sam. xxi, 1-6), which implies the existence there of at least one of the sacred utensils of the Tabernacle ; especially as the priests largely lived there (xxii, 11), and some part of their residence appears to have served, in so far at least, the purpose of a sanctuary (xxi, 7, 9) ; and even down to the close of David's reign the " high place that was at Gibeon " possessed some fragments of the original Tab- ernacle, with its altar of burnt-offering (1 Chron. xvi, 39 ; xxi, 29 ; comp. 1 Kings iii, 4 ; 2 Chron. i, 3-6). This is absolutely the last mention of the edifice itself. III. Meanwhile a rival establishment to the one last named had been set up by David on Mt. Zion at Jerusalem, whither he had finally transported the sacred Ark,;}: and gathered around it the sacerdotal ministrations in a new sanctuary, especially con- structed for it, but which, as it is simply called a tent (1 Chron. xv, 1 ; xvi, 1 ; 2 Sam. vi, 17, A. y. "tabernacle"), would seem to have lacked the wooden walls of the earlier one (2 Sam. vii, 2 ; 1 Chron. xvii, 1). (See Pig. 14.) This of course was in turn superseded by the famous Temple not long afterwards erected l)y Solomon, into which was doubtless gathered all that remained of the original furniture of the Mo- saic Tabernacle (2 Chron. v, 5). The Candelabrum, however, if still extant, was replaced, in this edifice, by ten others, probably of a more gorgeous style (1 Kings vii, 49), with at least a repeating of the altar of incense and the table of show-bread (1 Kings vii, 48). The Laver, having probably long since been broken up, was also * As a slowly -burning pyre (Rxod. iii, 2) shows white like smoke in the daylight, but red like flame at night. Occasionally (Exod. xiv, 20) it was dark on one side, and bright on the other. f From the narrative in 1 Sam. iii, it would seem tliat the original court was replaced or at least occu- pied by permanent dwellings for the ministrant priests (see Keii, at tlie place). X This central object of tlie Jewish worship, after its seven months' adventures among the Philistines (1 Sam. vi, 1) under Eli, had been deposited at Kirjalli- Jearim(lSam. vii, 1), where it remained twenty years (ver. 2) until Samuel's establishment at Mizpeli (ver. 6). After its removal by David, first from Kirjath-jearim (where by some means it had got back meanwhile apparently by way of Bethlehem [comp. Psa. cxxxii, 6; 1 Sam. ix, 14] to the house of Obed- edom, and afterwards to Jerusalem (2 Sam. vi ; 1 Chron. xiii — xvi), we have no record of its leaving the Holy City, except for a few liours on the breaking out of Absalom's rebellion (2 Sam. xv, 24-29). FORTUNES OF THE FURNITURE. 1 1 magnificently replaced (1 Kings vii, 23, 27). On the demolition of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar's general, such pieces of the sacred furniture as had survived all previous changes and catastrophes probably shared the fate of the other valuables there, being all carried away to Babylon (Jer. lii, 18, 19), whither some articles of the kind had already preceded them (2 Chron. xxxvi, 7). There they remained till the downfall of that city (Dan. v, 2, 3), when the conqueror Cyrus delivered them to the Jewish "prince of the exiles" (Ezr* i, 7-11), and they were among the treasures soon afterward permitted to be transported to Jerusalem (Ezra v, 14, 15 ; vii, 19), where they safely arrived under Ezra's administration (Ezra viii, 33). They seem at this time, however, to have consisted exclusively of the smaller but very numerous " vessels " for sacred uses, and no mention is made, in any of these later enumerations, of the Ark or the more important pieces of furniture. Evidences of a tradition appear in nuicli later Hebrew literature to the effect that, on the capture of Jerusalem, or perhaps rather its final despoliation, the Ark was hidden away by Jeremiah, to be restored only on his return with the final dominion of Israel ; but this is doubtless unfounded. The precious palladium of the Holy City (1 Sam. iv, 3) seems to have attracted the cupid- ity of some one of the foreign or domestic marauders who at various times violated the sanctity of the shrine (2 Kings xii, 18 ; xviii, 16 ; 2 Chron. xxv, 24 ; xxviii, 24) down to the period of the Babylonian invasion (2 Kings xxiv, 13). There is distinct mention of the Table of Show-bread in the reign of Hezekiah (2 Chron. xxix, 18), and in that of Josiah allusion is perhaps made to the autograph copy of the Law originally deposited in the Ark (2 Chron. xxxiv, 15), but after this date all direct traces of any of the sacred apparatus constructed in the Desert v^anish from history.* *The few extra-Biblical notices of the furniture of I nacle, will be considered in treating of their original the Herodian Temple, some p'oces of which may construction. (See Chap, iv.) possibly have been the same as those of the Taber- | CHAPTER IV. STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. In this, the main portion of the present volume, our aim will be to explain as succinctly as possible the various parts of the sacred edifice and their adaptation to each other, chiefly from the Scripture record, accompanied by suitable diagrams, without entering into any unnecessary controversy of the opinions of others who diflier from us as to the proper mode of reconstruction. Our chief jDurpose through- out is not simply to justify our own delineation, but rather to aid the reader in his conception and apprehension of it. If it shall then appear consistent, it will be its own best vindication. The sacred narrative begins with a prescription of the central object of sanctity, the Ark, and proceeds outward to the less holy precincts ; but, as ours is a ^description, we pursue the reverse order, in accordance with modern methods. The inspired writer develops his subject from an interior point of view, but common mortals can only look upon it from without. I. The Court was a space inclosed around the Tabernacle itself in the midst of each camping-ground, for the exclusive use of the priests and Levites in their sacred ministrations, and was always so arranged as to face the East, The first encampment on which it was laid out was of course immediately in front or north of Mt. Sinai (as in Plate II), where the fine plain of Er-Kahah stretches on an average a mile and a half wide and about three miles long — besides its continuation, through side-valleys, to the very foot of the majestic hills on all sides towering about 3,000 feet sheer above it. The central peak, directly opposite, is now called Ras Sufsafeh ( Willow Top, from a small tree of that kind in a cleft of its summit), and is doubtless the very spot — plainly visible in the clear atmosphere to the whole camp at its base — where the Law was delivered amid flashes of lightning; while the rear peak — somewhat higher, but hidden at this point of view by its forward fellow — is still des- ignated as Jebel Musa {Moseses Mount), being no doubt that on which the Hebrew lawgiver held his prolonged interview with Jehovah. 1. This outer (and only) court of the Tabernacle was 100 cubits long and 50 wide (Exod. xxvii, 9, 12, 18), or, reduced to English measure,* an oblong of about 172 by 86 feet (See Plate I.) * We may here state, once for all, that our estimate of the length of the Hebrew cubit, in this treatise, is the same as that finally adopted by the late cele- brated FJcfvptologist, Sir John Grardner Wilkinson, namely, 20.625 inches or 1.719 iect (Ancient Egypt- ians, Harper's ed. ii, 258). This substantially agrees with the following ancient specimens of the cubit still extant, which the author has personally exam- ined and measured. Nilonietcr at Elephantine (average)... 20. 627 inches. Copper Rule in Turin Museum 20.469 " Wooden Rule in Turin Museum '20.563 " Stone Rule in Turin Museum 20.623 " PILLARS OF THE COURT. 13 The area was inclosed by a curtain or hanging, of corresponding length, sus- pended upon pillars 5 cubits high (Exod. xxvii, 18). These fence-posts, as we would call them, were doubtless of acacia (" shittim," sing. " shittiih "), like the other wooden portions of the edifice, and probably round, as their type in nature (a tree), and economy of weight for a given degree of strength, seem to require. We may safely estimate their diameter at one fourth of a cubit, or about 5 inches. Like the other columns of the building, they appear to have been of the same size from top to bot- tom. Their foot was held in place by a socket or plate* of copper (A.Y. incorrectly " brass," for zinc, which is used in that alloy, was unknown to the ancients),f evi- The Turin copper cubit-rule has evidontl}^ sliruuk in cooling from the mould in which it was cast. The wooden one may have worn away somewhat. The stone one is rather irregular at the edges of the ends. The cubits marked on the stairway at Elephantine differ considerably from each other. Other cubit- rules exist varying, according to published measure- ments, from 20.47 to 20.65 inches. An approximation to the exact standard is all that can now be determined. The above cubit-rules at Turin, together with oth- ers preserved in the various museums of Europe and elsewhere, have been carefully delineated and ana- lyzed by R. Lepsius {Die alt-dgyptische Elle und ihre Einthdlung, Berlin, 1865, 4to), who estimates tiie an- cient Egyptian full cubit, from these specimens and a comparison of the dimensions of the Pyramids (pre- sumed to be in even cubits, as given by ancient wri- ters, and proportional, both outside and in), as equiv- alent to 1 foot and 8f inches English (p. 5), or very slightly in excess of the conclusion adopted by us. (The paper, however, on which they are printed has shrunk in drying from the lithographic press, so that they are f of an inch sliorter than the actual length. This is confirmed by the fact that he computes the entire cubit, on the same plan, at 525 millimetres, i. 8. 20.67 inches.) That the Hebrew cubit was the same, can hardly be questioned. The Egyptian cubit- rule was divided into 28 equal digits (finger-breadtlis), the first 15 of which were graduated into fractional parts (from the half to the sixteenth respectively). Four digits made a palm (hand-breadth, exclusive of the tiumib); three palms made a small span, or three and a half a large span, four palms a foot, five palms an elbow (from the wrist), six palms a short (or, " mod- erate," i. e. mediimi-sized person's) aibit (including the length of the palm only), and seven palms the full (or " royal," i. e. full-sized man's) cubit, from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, i. e. the entire lower arm. Thus eacli of the parts, as well as the whole, was determined by a natural type (Rev. xxi, 17). Tliese subdivisions were regularly numbered from right to left, and most of the surfaces were embel- lished with emblematical and mythological hiero- glyphics. The favorite shape was that of a flat rule with one edge beveled, the digit marks being incised on most or all of the faces, and the fractions on the thin edge. Noneare jointed, for folding. The distinction last noted, namely, between the scant and the normal cubit, seems to explain the remark in Ezek. xliii, 13, " The cubit is a cubit and an hand-bieadtii," i. e. tlie full cubit, and not the short one, is intended (so in Ezek. xl, 5). *The Heb. word (ver. 10-18) is eden, "a base," used also of the similar underpinning (as we shall see) of the Tabernacle walls, and elsewhere only of the foundation of the earth (.Job xxxviii, 6), or tlie pedestal of a statue (Cant, v, 15). The weight of the superstructure, or a slight excavation, would settle these somewhat into the ground, and thus prevent the foot of the entire structure from sliding. The old-fashioned idea (apparently corrected under the rendering " socket"), that they were hollow pointed receptacles, is an utterly impracticable one: for such could not have been driven accurately (to fit the ten- ons) in the hard gravelly and stony soil of the Des- ert, and the,y would soon have been battered to pieces ; nor would they have been of any use, since the tenons themselves might as well have been pointed, and driven in at once. f The monuments show that the ancient Egyptian.eauty of the door-way curtains so far mentioned, which they otherwise exactly resembled in fabric, by their embroidery of " cherubim of cunning work " (xxvi, 1 ; xxxvi, 8), instead of the simple tracery upon the other colored hangings. Leaving the dis- cussion of the form and character of these figures till we meet them as statues over the Ark, we have here to consider how the curtains themselves were adapted to so bold a delineation, f As they were each twice as long as the entire circuit of the three walls, they must in some way liave been gathered in (for the straight lines character- * Tlial the dark goat's-liKir curtains, and the partj'-colored wool-and-linen ones were not applied to tlie entire edifice in the same manner is certain from the distinction expressly made everywhere in the sacred text as to their purpose and use. The former constituted the sloping roof and tlie triangu- lar gables of its "tent" part {ohel xxvi, 7, "for a tent [A. Y.. inexactly " covering "] upon the tabernacle ; " 11," couple tlie tent togetlier; " 13, " curtains of the tent ; " yet carefully, vcr. 13, the eave breadth only of one cubit is to "hang over the sides of the tabernacle: " and ver. 12, similarlj-^ the rear gable), wliile the latter adorned the upright walls of the "taberna- cle " part {mishkdn, vcr. 1, 6). No portion of either set was spread horizontally ; for the building had no floor but the ground, and no ceiling but tlie roof. Indeed, as even the Kii- glish reader will see, a cloth stretched so as to form a liori- zontal surface is never called a " curtain ; " nor in any otlier position than a vertical one (partly so at least) can it appro- priately be said to be " himg." Note, however, that each " cov- ering" of skin began at tlie top, [viillemalah) on the "lent"' part (ver. 14), i. e. between the two layers of the roof cur- tains, although, as it continued downward, of course it was mainly on the upright walls of the tabernacle. The same dis- tinctions are nicely repeated in the subsequent statements (xxxvi, 8, 13, 14, 18, 19; xl, 19). f Imagine the depicting of such awfully mysterious objects in all varieties of incongruous and impossible attitudes — some aslant, some horizontal, some actually upside down, all over the ceiling and walls of a sanctum like this! Yet that would certainly result from the position ordinarily assigned these tapestries, unless the figures were embroidered upon them so displayed as to appear upright. If they had l)cen worked upon the festooned port of the curtains they must have looked as if decapitated. This .shows the necessity, when reproducing the Tabernacle in a manner that could be operated, of takinjj into account a multitude of considerations not usually thouglit of. Fig. 15.— Sootion of Wall-plank with Attach- Tlie special emphasis laid upon the injunction, "See that nients. thou make all things according to the pattern shown tlice in SIDE CURTAINS. 37 istic of the building and especially of all the other hangings, are not in accord with festoons ; nor will the thick and firm material admit of these).* The problem is how to arrange the folds in such a manner as to exhibit the cherubim perfectly and in a becoming posture. They would naturally be embroidered crosswise of the cloth, like First Curtain. A — 1- — T» •!— — ^-W •!_ 1 1 ! 1 ^^ Third Curtain. .A=^ (■ ]. V c |i V c p V c \> p V C p V C [) p V c p V c p Fifth Curtain. •^ ■ i ' 1 ' ! ' i 1 ' ' I I ' ! ' ' 1 1 I ' ' ' I ' ' I I g ; ; ' • . 1 ' ' I ; 1 ' I ' ' ' ' : ' ' I ' p V C ]> V C p V C J) V c p V c p V c p V C 1> V c p V c p V Fig. 16. — Wall-curtains E.\tencleJ and Furnished with Loops. Tliree of the curtains only, those at the beginning, the middle and the end of the series exposed to view, are here exhibited. The intermediate ones (the second and the fourth) may easily be imagined, as they are of similar character. (See Plate IV, Z>.) The lettei-s " V," " p," and " c " designate the violet, the purple, and the crimson stripes respectively, which read (after the Hebrew order) from right to left. the diiferent-colored bands, and would thus show standing, as the breadth of the stuff (somewhat over 6 feet) would conveniently correspond to their height (supposing them to have substantially a human form). Hence it is important that the folds of the curtain should be disposed regularly, so that the " fulling in " would conceal llie Mount," as well as its repetition on several occasions (Exod. xxv, 9, 40; xxvi, 30; Num. viii, 4), shows that manj'- minor details were left out of the oral description to be supplemented by that ocular exhibit. Interpreters are therefore war- ranted and even required to exercise their ingjenuity in discovering the most natural, simple, consistent and effectual mode of supplying these particulars. It is not sufficient for them, any more than it was for the original fabricators, to say that the thing was doubt- less done in some suitable way; the precise manner must be pointed out or else conjecturally adopted. * The heavy and hard (" double-twisted ") thread of the linen warp (which, it should be noted, took all the straiu. and tliis was very considerable, especially in the door-screens; certainly causing them to sng greatl}' but for this fact) would partly bury itself in the looser texture of the woollen woof (which is not said to be " double-stranded," as it would in that case have been too thick), but would at the same time materially stiffen these threads also. We may furtlier- more observe that the under course of the side cur- tains would exactly follow the folds of the outer one, and thus aid in maintaining them in a graceful shape. 38 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. and distort the figures as little as possible.* If the loops be made of pieces of cord each 2|- cubits long (those in the corners proportionately less), with the ends fastened on the selvedge the same distance apart for each cord (so as to open flat with the cloth), and an interval of | of a cubit between the ends of adjoining cords, it will be found f that 50 loops will exactly take up the entire 140 X cubits of each curtain- FiG. 17. — AiTaugc'ijient of Side Curtain. sheet, including 4 corner-loops each occupying ^^ of a cubit at the ends and middle ; while the folds will (except at the corners) each be | of a cubit wide (when hung), with a nearly smooth panel of the same width between them, sufficient for a cherub Finally tlio embroidered figures would greatly stiffen the panels. We may add that the droop at the bot- tom of the fnlled-in part of the curtains would not be sufficient to account for the difference between their height and that of the Vail, even if the folds Included the whole excess of length (i. e. without any flat panels) ; so that long loops would in any case be necessarj'. * "We presume that the cherubim were embroidered only on the outer curtain, as they could not bo seen on the inner one. If, however, it be thought necessary to have the two precisely alike, this may be effected by simply reversing the order for the inner set of cur- tains; the figures then appearing on the face next to tlie wall, and beginning at the southern front, where they will fall exactly in due place under those of tlic outer curtain as above detailed. (See Fig. 16.) f We have proved tliis estimate by actual experi- ment, and we will (below) confirm it in a striking niaiuior. \ This number of itself, being exactlj'' twice the circuit of three sides of the interior of the Sanctuary, WALL CURTAINS. 39 with folded arms and wings, or for the body of one with the wings extended.* (The annexed diagrams will illustrate these measurements, and the method of forming the Fio. 18. — Corner-folds in Wiillcurtiiins. plaits.) Hence the curtains were not so long as those intended for the roof, which, if attached to each other in the same manner, would each yield 10 cubits more than suggests that the curtains in question were intended to be so applied. The degree of their fulness, how- ever, remains to be accounted for. * It will moreover be perceived that the loops, if so adjusted, will of themselves hold the plaits in good shape, wheu the curtains are hung on the knobs. They will also show much better with their ends parted into a triangle than if hanging straight down from the knobs. The two folds adjoining each corner will require less cloth for a proportionate degree of fulling, on account of the narrow spaces there afforded, as we shall see presently ; but they will project about as much as their neighbors. The careful reader will furthermore discover that the reduction of these shorter plaits near the corners, togeth^ with tlie lOmission of one entire plait (but not one loop) in the 40 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. can be thus disposed of.* The number of loops was determined by that of the knobs on wliich they M'ere suspended ; namely, 50 of gold (ver. 6), and therefore smaller than those of copper for the outside of the planks, and inserted lower down, but in all other respects exactly corresponding to them. The number of the knobs again was fixed by that of the planks, and is therefore 20 for each side, 6 for the rear, and Fig. 19. — Leiigtli of Side-loops 1>y Triangulation. The numbers indicate the proportion of the parts of the triangles. 2 for each corner, requiring the total of 50, the knobs (except at the corners) being placed as near as convenient to the front edge of each side-plank, and in the middle of each rear-plank.f The height of these knobs from the ground fixes the length of the loops, and will be determined when we come to consider that of the inner Vail. 4. The only other articles mentioned as essential to be placed within the front apartment or Holy Place were three, which we will here consider in detail. very corner, precisely accounts for the fact that the cubits in the lengtli of the curtains are less than three times the number of loops (140 not 150), although each plait (with the alternate panel) requires three cubits of cloth. This is proved by a short cal- culation. An irregular knob being set in the rear edges of the last side-plank (in order to prevent the curtain from passing the corner diagonally, without penetrating to tlie angle itself), instead of the adjoin- ing side-plank (there being none such), there is a loss there (with respect to the space usually covered) of ^ of a cubit (i. e. twice the distance of the knob from the edge, whicli we put down as ^^ of a cubit). In like manner tlicre is a loss of half a cubit in the rear part of tlie corner-plank (f — f'j), tlie lust item being llie half cubit of the rear plank that shows inside, minus the three spaces usuall}' allowed for the knobs from the edge of these three consecutive planks, which here are not saved. Hence we have the for- mula: 3 X 2 (1 + J -f I = If) = 10. We are the first to explain fully and satisfactorily the cause of this exact length of these curtains, wliich is so singu- lar among the other numbers and dimensions of tlie edifice, and especially different from that of the roof- ciutains. In Fig. 19 we submit another matheniutical demonstration of its acenf.icy. Finallj', we may call attention to the fact, under this arrangement, that the edge of the curtains at the entrance will fall back a little farther from the front edge of the first plank than if the loops hung perpen- dicularly, and this is desirable in order to keep it out of the w'eather; and this again will allow a closer ju.xtaposition of the door-post to the side-wall, as is helpful in order to keep the former from swaying, since thej' are not fastened together hy a hook (as in the case of the Vail). * The curtains were evidently meant to be "fulled in " to exactly half their entire length. The folds on the inside of the planks thus correspond, by their cor- rugation, to the Heece on the outside ; and in both instances, as already pointed out, they are duplicated. ■f- This calculation serves likewise for the copper knobs on the outside, except that the loops will there be shorter, and both ends of each fastened together, so as to form simple button-holes (so to speak) closely clasping the knobs, and stretching the curtain per- fectly smooth. It must be borne in mind that in both sets of knobs, two will be needed in each corner- plank, one at the front edge, and another at the angle, in order to keep the curtain uniform. This brings the inside corner knobs nearer their neighbors, as alrcad3- taken into account. (Sei Figs. 11, 16.) TABLE OF SHOW-BREAD. 41 (1.) The first of these on the right or north side (probably about midway) was tlie Table of Show-bread * (Exod. xl, 22). It was made of acacia-wood, 2 cubits long, 1 broad, and 1^ high,f overlaid (doubt- less the entire surface when put together) Mdth gold (xxv, 23, 24; xxxvii, 10, 11). As a table it consisted, of course, of a top, sides, and four legs ; the first of the given length and breadth, exclusive of an orna- ment to be considered immediately ; and the last of the given dimensions, less the thickness of the top. This last we may estimate at somewhat less than what we have assumed for the boards of the Large Altar, let us say J^ of a cubit (about 1^ inch stuff). The top had a " crown ":{: or moulding of gold (apparently wood, plated with gold), evidently running all around the edge (but outside of the latter), and projecting above the top, to keep articles placed upon the table from slipping otf : Ave may estimate this piece as the same thickness (at the base, narrowing to one lialf at the top), and I- of a cubit (or about three inches) broad (i. e. projecting one half its width above the table-top). The sides are called " a border " § or plain panel, being a hand-breadth {\ of a cubit) wide, and ornamented by another " crown " or moulding (this time hkewise projecting out like the other, and similarly placed, but narrower, so as to be flush with the bottom of the side, and therefore included in its breadth), both plated with gold (ver. 25). The legs or " feet " (which we would make -^ of a cubit square, their whole length), Avere apparently morticed into the sides (as usual now-a-days) ; for in the remaining directions concerning a carrying apparatus (precisely like that of the Large Altar, except that gold was to be used instead of cop- per), the rings, evidently stapled like those of the Tabernacle planks, are spoken of as being fastened into the tops belonging to (A. V. incorrectly " on ") the legs, and simply parallel with (" over against," i. e. longitudinally in a line with) the sides (ver. Fig. 20.— Table of Sliow-bread on the Arch of Titus. (From Eeland.) * Lit. table of the Face (i. e. Jehovah's presence), or tabh of the arrangement (of loaves); or the pure table (in distinction from a domestic or common one). f This proportion between the length and the lieight is accurately maintained in the sculptured form on the Arch of Titus. Oriental tables, it should be remembered, are usually quite low, being adapted to persons sitting on the floor, and not \ipon clinirs. X Heb. ze?-, lit. cincture, i. e. cornice; used only of this ornament on the Table and the Ark, and the Incensc-altar. The Great Altar had no occasion for this additional rim, as it had no top or cover. The " cove " (or hollowed bevel) of the moulding of course was on the upper and outer side, making a neat finish all around the edge. § Heb. mhgerelh, lit. inchsure; used onh' (as an architectural term) of this thing, and of a similar panel on the pedestals of the Temple lavers (1 Kings vii, 28-36; 2 Kings xvi. 17). 42 STRUCTURE OF THE TABERNACLE. c£jl 0^ 26, 27). The whole table, like all the other pieces of furniture, was simple and plain as possible, and strong for service. The bread placed upon the table is called in the Heb. face hread (show-bread), because set as before Jehovah's presence (ver, 30). Particulars concerning this are given in Lev. xxiv, 5-9. It was made of fine (wheat) Hour,* baked in twelve loaves,t containing each one fifth of an ephah of flour (or about four quarts), which, if as spongy as good raised bread, would yield an enormous bulk, but probably, being more compact, was much less in size, say 12 inches in diameter and 4 inches thick — still a large family loaf. X They were arranged " (in) two rows, six (to) the row," § which Jewish tradition, as well as the dimensions of the table, indicates to mean in two piles of six each, set of course lengthwise of the table ; and thus if the piles were in immediate contact with one another (as the necessity of mutual support in so tall a column, and the close association of the 12 tribes thereby symbolized, would indicate), they would leave a free margin of 4^ inches at each side, and 9 inches at each end (exactly proportional to the respective dimensions of the table-surface, and the Avhole a shapely mass 2 feet long, 2 high, and 1 foot broad). It is generally conceded that the loaves were placed upon the baref table, without any plate or cloth. They were removed every Sabbath to bo eaten by the priests exclusively (and tliat in the Sanctuary only); and were then i-eplaced by fresh loaves (1 Sam. xxi, 6), which had been prepared over night by the Levites (1 Chron. ix, 32). (See Plate Y, F.) No other substance 1" is mentioned as being set upon the table, except " pure " ** frankincense, which, as it is said to be placed " upon each [lit. " the "] row," ff but only " to [or " for "] the bread " (ver. 7, where the A. Y. incorrectly renders the !) Pig. 21. — Transverse Section of the Table of Show- bread. * Doubtless unleavened, but beaten up light, like *' Mar3'land biscuit." f A. V. "cakes," Heb. sing, challdh, lit. perforated (affording color to the idea that it was punctured, as sacrificial cakes were among some ancient nations ; or more likely, as is often done by modern bakers, who prick biscuits, partly for ornament, and partly because the steam is supposed to escape the more easily in baking), used only of sacrificial cakes (or as in 2 Sam. vi, 19, of something resembling them); tiierefore not the ordinary thin wafer-like loaf of Oriental bread, yet doubtless roimd and flat, but much thicker and more daintily put up. The best idea of tiiese cakes is perliaps afforded by similar sacred loaves repre- sented on tlie Kgj'ptiau monuments (see Wilkinson, Anc. Egyptiam, i, 266, where nearly ail tlie articles and utensils enumerated in the Scriptiu-e list as be- longing to the Table of show-bread arc depicted) ; we must be on our guard, however, against supposing that these are the models of those in the Taber- nacle. \ Five of them were sufficient for hungry David and his companions, perhaps for several meals (1 Sam. xxi, 1-6). § Heb. maareketh, lit. arrangement, used only of this particular thing, and hence (as seen above) taken at last to denote it teclinically. II Hob. tahor, "pure," i. e. in this case naked. Tf A dish of salt appears to have been added ui later times, according to the Septuagint and Philo (comp. Lev. ii, 13, which, however, refers to sacrifices on the Altar of Burnt-offering). ** Heb. zak, unadulterated, like the transparent oil used for the candelabrum (Lev. x.xiv, 2). ff We observe incidentally that this confirms the above arrangement of the loaves in piles. VESSELS OF THE TABLE. 43 latter preposition " on "), appears to have been (as was most appropriate) deposited not directly npon the loaves themselves, but in vessels for that purpose, where it C(jnld be conveniently renewed as fast as it should be consumed by the daily ministrations at the Altar of Incense (ver. 7). These vessels are doubtless the same as the censers * (mentioned in the same connection, A. V. "spoons"), i. e. incense-cups, not employed for burning the incense in (which was done in fire-pans, and moreover this was merely frankincense), but smaller than the receptacles of the same name presented by the phylarchs at the dedication (Num. vii, 14 and following) for keeping the incense in l)ull?. A different set of utensils connected Math the Tal)le were jarsf (A. V. *' dishes "), evidently for the oil used to replenish the candelabrum adjacent, similar to the larger silver vessels of the same name (A. Y. " chargers ") presented by the phylarchs on the above occasion, which also contained oil (Num. vii, 13, etc.). They l)robably were tall vessels with a narrow mouth for emptying. Another kind of utensil were jugs % (A. Y. " covers "), which, as they were used to make libations with (A. Y. " to cover withal "), were doubtless for wine, § with a spout for pouring ; and closely connected with them were still a different class of vessels, perhaps smaller pitchers | (A. Y. " bowls "), for the immediate sacrificial act. None of these vessels seem to have had either handle or cover, although most of them might be thought to require closing in order to keep out flies, dust and other impurities ; and especially the incense-cups, to prevent evaporation of the aromatic powder. It must l)e borne in mind, however, that a cover would be inconvenient for the priest to remove, and the vessels appear to have been intended to hold only a comparatively small quantity at a time. The saucers for the frankincense would diffuse a pleasant odor during the week, and what was left in them was burned (on the Great Altar) every Sabbath (ver. 7-9), together with what was not eaten of the stale loaves. Indeed there was not room for large utensils on the Table, but as there would a;ppear to have been but two (the plural is used of them all) of each kind (that number being stated with regard to the incense cups, which, however, were set on the top of the piles of bread), we may readily accommodate one of each of the three other kinds on either end of the Table.^^ All these vessels were of gold entirely pure, as was the overlaying of the Table itself, and indeed all the gold employed in the Sanctuary and its apparatus.** * Heb. sing, kaph, lit. the palm of the liand, a saucer. f Heb. sing, kedrdh, lit. deep vessels, spoken only of this article, mentioned above and in the parallel list, Num. iv, 7. :{ Heb. sing, kasah, lit. a round vessel, spol