Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Pillars Of The Temple

I Kings 7:13-26

“And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.  He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass.” (I Kings 7:13-14)

Hiram, king of the Phoenician city of Tyre was half Jewish.  His mother was of the tribe of Naphtali, while his father was a skilled brass worker from Tyre.  Hiram became a of the craft himself.  He was widely respected for his practical abilities as well as his political accomplishments.  He personally came to oversee the production of the huge brass fittings and fixtures for the temple.

"And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.  For he cast two pillars of brass, of eighteen cubits high apiece: and a line of twelve cubits did compass either of them about.  And he made two chapiters of molten brass, to set upon the tops of the pillars: the height of the one chapiter was five cubits, and the height of the other chapiter was five cubits: And nets of checker work, and wreaths of chain work, for the chapiters which were upon the top of the pillars; seven for the one chapiter, and seven for the other chapiter. 

And he made the pillars, and two rows round about upon the one network, to cover the chapiters that were upon the top, with pomegranates: and so did he for the other chapiter.  And the chapiters that were upon the top of the pillars were of lily work in the porch, four cubits.  And the chapiters upon the two pillars had pomegranates also above, over against the belly which was by the network: and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows round about upon the other chapiter.” (I Kings 7:15-20)

Hiram cast two hollow brass columns or pillars for the entrance to the temple.  Each was twenty seven feet tall, and about five and a half feet in diameter, weighing many tons.  After Jerusalem was destroyed, and effort was made to carry the columns to away.  One of them rolled overboard while being transported, and the Romans were unable to recover it.  A brass pillar of these approximate dimensions was discovered about 1960, and some believe it is the lost pillar.

A separate capital or top piece was made for each totaling another seven and a half feet., and making the pillars nearly thirty five feet tall.  They were in the form of a lily about six feet high with two rows of a hundred balls or pomegranates around them with rings resembling checkerboards and rings resembling chains around them and covering the joint.

During the 1930’s, a group of ancient copper mines were discovered south of the Dead Sea in what is now Jordan.  They were generally accepted to be Edomite in origin and were not believed to have been used until about the seventh century BC., some two to three hundred years after Solomon’s reign.  In 2008, evidence was found indicating that they were in fact active as early as the tenth century BC., during Solomon‘s reign.  We know that Solomon controlled the area at that time.  It is believed that these mines provided the raw materials for Hiram.  The technology required to cast such large castings, transport them and erect them is mind boggling.

“And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin: and he set up the left pillar, and called the name thereof Boaz.  And upon the top of the pillars was lily work: so was the work of the pillars finished.” (I Kings 7:21-22)

The pillars were set at the corners of the porch.  One was called Jachin, or “He shall establish”, while the other was called Boaz, or “In Him is strength”.  These two pillars are a major focus of the Masonic Lodge’s beliefs, which credits them with actually being derived from Nimrod before the tower of Babel.  A great deal of prophecy and meaning has been assigned to them, most of which has no scriptural basis.




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