CHAPTER XIII

HE TAKES POSSESSION OF THE TEMPLE

With the new day, Jesus returned from Bethany to the Temple. Where the multitude who accompanied him had spent the night, we have no information. We may perhaps be permitted to wonder whether they remained together as a more or less compact body, returning with Jesus to Bethany and encamping over the Mount of Olives, or were scattered throughout the streets of Jerusalem. But from the extent to which he was able to over-awe the temple authorities, it is evident that they were with him when he returned to the temple the next day.

The system of structures which was known under the general term "the temple" was an immense institution.' It was situated on the summit of the ridge which constituted the eastern section of Jerusalem, extending north and south between two deep valleys with almost precipitous sides. The top of the ridge in its natural state was not large enough to accommodate the buildings of the temple, so it had been artificially extended. Stupendous walls of immense stones had been constructed from the

'Our information as to the construction and appearance of the temple is drawn from Josephus, the Talmud, and the many references in the Bible. In his study of "Jerusalem in Bible Times" Dr. Paton has assembled all this information with full references to the original authorities. A wonderful pictured reconstruction of the Temple according to these authorities is contained in Dr. Sanday's "Sacred Sites of the Gospels".

bottom of the valley to a height even with the summit of the hill, a height reliably represented to have been over four hundred feet. The space between these walls and the hill itself was partly made into chambers for various uses appurtenant to the temple, and partly filled in, so that upon the top there was finally furnished a level space that might be roughly described as three city blocks square, a total of approximately nine blocks. In the midst of this space, somewhat nearer to the west side of it, raised some distance above the level of the rest of the platform, was the temple itself, facing the east, a marvelous structure, 150 feet long, 90 feet wide, and 150 feet high, built of blocks of white marble, partly sheathed over with plates of gold. Surrounding it at different levels were the different courts, the Court of Priests, the Court of Israel, and the Court of Women. About this central mass of structures was the spacious Court of the Gentiles, separated from the inner courts by a balustrade 42 feet high, within which Gentiles were prohibited from entering under pain of immediate death. Surrounding the entire structure, on the north, east, and west, at its outer margin, was a porch 45 feet wide, formed by two rows of white marble columns almost 40 feet high, supporting a cedar roof; on the south was a similar porch, twice as wide, supported by four rows of columns, and two stories high. This broad porch on the south was known as the "royal porch," the one on the east as "Solomon's porch." At this time these

porches were under reconstruction; they were destroyed by fire during a tumult in the time of Archelaus' and were not entirely rebuilt until the time of Nero.

This spacious structure, consisting chiefly of open area, was obviously capable of containing an immense number of people, and was the focus of the entire Jewish race. Hither at the time of the annual feasts, such as the present occasion, when the Passover was very near at hand, came Jews from all over the world in countless numbers, one estimate placing the total number of visitors present at one time at more than two million, seven hundred thousand people.' Inasmuch as one purpose of all these visitors was to have some sacrifice performed on their behalf, an immense organization of priests must have been maintained for the purpose of conducting these sacrifices. Each sacrifice was a specific act, requiring for its completion the slaughter of a bird or an animal, according to the purpose of the sacrifice and the financial condition of the person offering the sacrifice, as determined by the complicated ceremonial system of Moses. These people, who had come from almost every quarter of the inhabited globe in order to have these sacrifices offered for them, must supply the animals, which under the circumstances it was for the most part impossible for them to bring with them. Therefore they

'Josephus, Wars II, iii, Antiq. XVII, x, 1, 2; ibid. XX, ix, 7. 'Josephus, Wars VI, ix, 3.

must secure these animals after their arrival in Jerusalem. The most convenient place to acquire them would naturally be in the neighborhood of the temple itself, and because of that fact an immense business had been built up in the temple area, under the direction of the leading priests, and for their profit. Booths were operated throughout the Court of the Gentiles from which the visiting Israelite could purchase the sacrifice required for his purpose. As a necessary adjunct thereto, a system of money changing was built up, whereby the foreign money brought by the visitors from all over the world might be converted into the current coin of Jerusalem and made available for the purchases and for the gifts which were to be deposited in the temple treasury.

It requires no stretch of imagination to comprehend that the prices at which this service was rendered would be exorbitant, or that such prices would arouse the keenest criticism and antagonism from those who were subjected to them. The conduct of this business had made the family of the High Priest and of the other Jewish family which was in continuous competition with it and which shared in this business, immensely rich, and had done as much as any other one thing to arouse against the priestly class the antagonism which was shown in the speech of John the Baptist and of Jesus throughout Galilee, and which was no doubt approved by their hearers. The Jew's eagerness for gain is proverbial and was no less during the age we are describing than it is today. The priesthood among the Jews was an occu

pation determined by inheritance,' which required no more religious enthusiasm and no more keenly developed moral sense than any other occupation. There is no reason to assume that stricter honesty prevailed in all the countless transactions which occurred within the temple area than prevailed in similar transactions out in the body of the city itself.

So great had this business become that it was the dominating feature of the temple. The whole temple area was permeated with the atmosphere of commerce. At this time, on Monday before the Passover to be celebrated on Saturday, we can easily picture to ourselves the accumulating mass of animals and birds in preparation for the gathering crowds, and the confusion and noise incident to the vast business.

Into this unreligious, selfish, commercialized institution Jesus had come to complete the requirements preliminary to the coming of the Kingdom of God, and to inaugurate that Kingdom.

Here he expected his message to be heard and hoped that the multitude of the Jerusalemites and the other Jews would hear him, and with a changed heart believe the good tidings and so open their lives to God, that the Kingdom of Heaven would come upon them. But it was obvious that in such an atmosphere as this, it would be impossible to secure a hearing. Among such surroundings there was no

"The decendants of Aaron were priests, all of whom were drawn from that tribe.