Chapter 6.
CONCERNING THE TABERNACLE WHICH MOSES BUILT IN THE WILDERNESS
FOR THE HONOR OF GOD AND WHICH SEEMED TO BE A TEMPLE.FJAJ 3.32
1. HEREUPON the Israelites rejoiced at what they had seen and heard
of their conductor, and were not wanting in diligence according to their
ability; for they brought silver, and gold, and brass, and of the best
sorts of wood, and such as would not at all decay by putrefaction; camels'
hair also, and sheep-skins, some of them dyed of a blue color, and some
of a scarlet; some brought the flower for the purple color, and others
for white, with wool dyed by the flowers aforementioned; and fine linen
and precious stones, which those that use costly ornaments set in ouches
of gold; they brought also a great quantity of spices; for of these materials
did Moses build the tabernacle, which did not at all differ from a movable
and ambulatory temple
Now when these things were brought together with
great diligence, (for every one was ambitious to further the work even
beyond their ability,) he set architects over the works, and this by the
command of God; and indeed the very same which the people themselves would
have chosen, had the election been allowed to them
Now their names are
set down in writing in the sacred books; and they were these: Besaleel,
the son of Uri, of the tribe of Judah, the grandson of Miriam, the sister
of their conductor and Aholiab, file son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of
Dan
Now the people went on with what they had undertaken with so great
alacrity, that Moses was obliged to restrain them, by making proclamation,
that what had been brought was sufficient, as the artificers had informed
him; so they fell to work upon the building of the tabernacle
Moses also
informed them, according to the direction of God, both what the measures
were to be, and its largeness; and how many vessels it ought to contain
for the use of the sacrifices
The women also were ambitious to do their
parts, about the garments of the priests, and about other things that would
be wanted in this work, both for ornament and for the divine service itself.FJAJ 3.33
2. Now when all things were prepared, the gold, and the silver, and
the brass, and what was woven, Moses, when he had appointed beforehand
that there should be a festival, and that sacrifices should be offered
according to every one's ability, reared up the tabernacle (12)
Of this tabernacle of Moses, with its several parts and furniture, see
my description at large, chap. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. hereto belonging.
and when he had measured the open court, fifty cubits broad and a hundred
long, he set up brazen pillars, five cubits high, twenty on each of the
longer sides, and ten pillars for the breadth behind; every one of the
pillars also had a ring
Their chapiters were of silver, but their bases
were of brass: they resembled the sharp ends of spears, and were of brass,
fixed into the ground
Cords were also put through the rings, and were
tied at their farther ends to brass nails of a cubit long, which, at every
pillar, were driven into the floor, and would keep the tabernacle from
being shaken by the violence of winds; but a curtain of fine soft linen
went round all the pillars, and hung down in a flowing and loose manner
from their chapiters, and enclosed the whole space, and seemed not at all
unlike to a wall about it
And this was the structure of three of the sides
of this enclosure; but as for the fourth side, which was fifty cubits in
extent, and was the front of the whole, twenty cubits of it were for the
opening of the gates, wherein stood two pillars on each side, after the
resemblance of open gates
These were made wholly of silver, and polished,
and that all over, excepting the bases, which were of brass
Now on each
side of the gates there stood three pillars, which were inserted into the
concave bases of the gates, and were suited to them; and round them was
drawn a curtain of fine linen; but to the gates themselves, which were
twenty cubits in extent, and five in height, the curtain was composed of
purple, and scarlet, and blue, and fine linen, and embroidered with many
and divers sorts of figures, excepting the figures of animals
Within these
gates was the brazen laver for purification, having a basin beneath of
the like matter, whence the priests might wash their hands and sprinkle
their feet; and this was the ornamental construction of the enclosure about
the court of the tabernacle, which was exposed to the open air.FJAJ 3.34
3. As to the tabernacle itself, Moses placed it in the middle of that
court, with its front to the east, that, when the sun arose, it might send
its first rays upon it
Its length, when it was set up, was thirty cubits,
and its breadth was twelve [ten] cubits
The one of its walls was on the
south, and the other was exposed to the north, and on the back part of
it remained the west
It was necessary that its height should be equal
to its breadth [ten cubits]
There were also pillars made of wood, twenty
on each side; they were wrought into a quadrangular figure, in breadth
a cubit and a half, but the thickness was four fingers: they had thin plates
of gold affixed to them on both sides, inwardly and outwardly: they had
each of them two tenons belonging to them, inserted into their bases, and
these were of silver, in each of which bases there was a socket to receive
the tenon; but the pillars on the west wall were six
Now all these tenons
and sockets accurately fitted one another, insomuch that the joints were
invisible, and both seemed to be one entire and united wall
It was also
covered with gold, both within and without
The number of pillars was equal
on the opposite sides, and there were on each part twenty, and every one
of them had the third part of a span in thickness; so that the number of
thirty cubits were fully made up between them; but as to the wall behind,
where the six pillars made up together only nine cubits, they made two
other pillars, and cut them out of one cubit, which they placed in the
corners, and made them equally fine with the other
Now every one of the
pillars had rings of gold affixed to their fronts outward, as if they had
taken root in the pillars, and stood one row over against another round
about, through which were inserted bars gilt over with gold, each of them
five cubits long, and these bound together the pillars, the head of one
bar running into another, after the nature of one tenon inserted into another;
but for the wall behind, there was but one row of bars that went through
all the pillars, into which row ran the ends of the bars on each side of
the longer walls; the male with its female being so fastened in their joints,
that they held the whole firmly together; and for this reason was all this
joined so fast together, that the tabernacle might not be shaken, either
by the winds, or by any other means, but that it might preserve itself
quiet and immovable continually.FJAJ 3.35
4. As for the inside, Moses parted its length into three partitions.
At the distance of ten cubits from the most secret end, Moses placed four
pillars, the workmanship of which was the very same with that of the rest;
and they stood upon the like bases with them, each a small matter distant
from his fellow
Now the room within those pillars was the most holy place;
but the rest of the room was the tabernacle, which was open for the priests.
However, this proportion of the measures of the tabernacle proved to be
an imitation of the system of the world; for that third part thereof which
was within the four pillars, to which the priests were not admitted, is,
as it were, a heaven peculiar to God
But the space of the twenty cubits,
is, as it were, sea and land, on which men live, and so this part is peculiar
to the priests only
But at the front, where the entrance was made, they
placed pillars of gold, that stood on bases of brass, in number seven;
but then they spread over the tabernacle veils of fine linen and purple,
and blue, and scarlet colors, embroidered
The first veil was ten cubits
every way, and this they spread over the pillars which parted the temple,
and kept the most holy place concealed within; and this veil was that which
made this part not visible to any
Now the whole temple was called The
Holy Place: but that part which was within the four pillars, and to
which none were admitted, was called The Holy of Holies.This veil
was very ornamental, and embroidered with all sorts of flowers which the
earth produces; and there were interwoven into it all sorts of variety
that might be an ornament, excepting the forms of animals
Another veil
there was which covered the five pillars that were at the entrance
It
was like the former in its magnitude, and texture, and color; and at the
corner of every pillar a ring retained it from the top downwards half the
depth of the pillars, the other half affording an entrance for the priests,
who crept under it
Over this there was a veil of linen, of the same largeness
with the former: it was to be drawn this way or that way by cords, the
rings of which, fixed to the texture of the veil, and to the cords also,
were subservient to the drawing and undrawing of the veil, and to the fastening
it at the corner, that then it might be no hinderance to the view of the
sanctuary, especially on solemn days; but that on other days, and especially
when the weather was inclined to snow, it might be expanded, and afford
a covering to the veil of divers colors
Whence that custom of ours is
derived, of having a fine linen veil, after the temple has been built,
to be drawn over the entrances
But the ten other curtains were four cubits
in breadth, and twenty-eight in length; and had golden clasps, in order
to join the one curtain to the other, which was done so exactly that they
seemed to be one entire curtain
These were spread over the temple, and
covered all the top and parts of the walls, on the sides and behind, so
far as within one cubit of the ground
There were other curtains of the
same breadth with these, but one more in number, and longer, for they were
thirty cubits long; but these were woven of hair, with the like subtilty
as those of wool were made, and were extended loosely down to the ground,
appearing like a triangular front and elevation at the gates, the eleventh
curtain being used for this very purpose
There were also other curtains
made of skins above these, which afforded covering and protection to those
that were woven both in hot weather and when it rained
And great was the
surprise of those who viewed these curtains at a distance, for they seemed
not at all to differ from the color of the sky
But those that were made
of hair and of skins, reached down in the same manner as did the veil at
the gates, and kept off the heat of the sun, and what injury the rains
might do
And after this manner was the tabernacle reared.FJAJ 3.36
5. There was also an ark made, sacred to God, of wood that was naturally
strong, and could not be corrupted
This was called Eron in our
own language
Its construction was thus: its length was five spans, but
its breadth and height was each of them three spans
It was covered all
over with gold, both within and without, so that the wooden part was not
seen
It had also a cover united to it, by golden hinges, after a wonderful
manner; which cover was every way evenly fitted to it, and had no eminences
to hinder its exact conjunction
There were also two golden rings belonging
to each of the longer boards, and passing through the entire wood, and
through them gilt bars passed along each board, that it might thereby be
moved and carried about, as occasion should require; for it was not drawn
in a cart by beasts of burden, but borne on the shoulders of the priests.
Upon this its cover were two images, which the Hebrews call Cherubims;
they are flying creatures, but their form is not like to that of any
of the creatures which men have seen, though Moses said he had seen such
beings near the throne of God
In this ark he put the two tables whereon
the ten commandments were written, five upon each table, and two
and a half upon each side of them; and this ark he placed in the most holy
place.FJAJ 3.37
6. But in the holy place he placed a table, like those at Delphi
Its
length was two cubits, and its breadth one cubit, and its height three
spans
It had feet also, the lower half of which were complete feet, resembling
those which the Dorians put to their bedsteads; but the upper parts towards
the table were wrought into a square form
The table had a hollow towards
every side, having a ledge of four fingers' depth, that went round about
like a spiral, both on the upper and lower part of the body of the work.
Upon every one of the feet was there also inserted a ring, not far from
the cover, through which went bars of wood beneath, but gilded, to be taken
out upon occasion, there being a cavity where it was joined to the rings;
for they were not entire rings; but before they came quite round they ended
in acute points, the one of which was inserted into the prominent part
of the table, and the other into the foot; and by these it was carried
when they journeyed: Upon this table, which was placed on the north side
of the temple, not far from the most holy place, were laid twelve unleavened
loaves of bread, six upon each heap, one above another: they were made
of two tenth-deals of the purest flour, which tenth-deal [an omer] is a
measure of the Hebrews, containing seven Athenian cotyloe; and above
those loaves were put two vials full of frankincense
Now after seven days
other loaves were brought in their stead, on the day which is by us called
the Sabbath; for we call the seventh day the Sabbath.But
for the occasion of this intention of placing loaves here, we will speak
to it in another place.FJAJ 3.38
7. Over against this table, near the southern wall, was set a candlestick
of cast gold, hollow within, being of the weight of one hundred pounds,
which the Hebrews call Chinchares ,.if it be turned into the Greek
language, it denotes a talent.It was' made with its knops, and
lilies, and pomegranates, and bowls (which ornaments amounted to seventy
in all); by which means the shaft elevated itself on high from a single
base, and spread itself into as many branches as there are planets, including
the sun among them
It terminated in seven heads, in one row, all standing
parallel to one another; and these branches carried seven lamps, one by
one, in imitation of the number of the planets
These lamps looked to the
east and to the south, the candlestick being situate obliquely.FJAJ 3.39
8. Now between this candlestick and the table, which, as we said, were
within the sanctuary, was the altar of incense, made of wood indeed, but
of the same wood of which the foregoing vessels were made, such as was
not liable to corruption; it was entirely crusted over with a golden plate.
Its breadth on each side was a cubit, but the altitude double
Upon it
was a grate of gold, that was extant above the altar, which had a golden
crown encompassing it round about, whereto belonged rings and bars, by
which the priests carried it when they journeyed
Before this tabernacle
there was reared a brazen altar, but it was within made of wood, five cubits
by measure on each side, but its height was but three, in like manner adorned
with brass plates as bright as gold
It had also a brazen hearth of network;
for the ground underneath received the fire from the hearth, because it
had no basis to receive it
Hard by this altar lay the basins, and the
vials, and the censers, and the caldrons, made of gold; but the other vessels,
made for the use of the sacrifices, were all of brass
And such was the
construction of the tabernacle; and these were the vessels thereto belonging.FJAJ 3.40