separated from that hill by the trench above mentioned. This rock, or ridge, must have lain partly at least within the present enclosure, at its N. W. corner; for between the enclosure and the precipitous part of Bezetha, there now intervenes only a house or barrack and the narrow street, presenting a space wholly insufficient for the fortress and its deep trench. On this rock or ridge, I conjecture, lay the main fortress or "acropolis" of Antonia; while the remaining part, comprising the halls and palace-like apartments and barracks, extended probably along the northern wall of the temple quite to its N. E. corner, adjacent to the brow of the valley of the Kidron. On the North it was doubtless protected throughout by the trench; and of this trench the greater part still remains, as I apprehend, in the deep reservoir commonly called the Pool of Bethesda.

The supposition therefore is, that the fortress Antonia occupied the whole breadth of the northern part of the present enclosure; between the ancient northern wall and the present Bethesda. This would make its length from W. to E. the same as that of the area of the temple; while its breadth from N. to S. might have been nearly two thirds as great, or some 600 feet, and yet leave to the temple-area its square form. The peculiar character and great depth of the Pool Bethesda, so called, have been a stone of stumbling to many travellers; but by thus bringing it into connection with the fortress, its peculiarities are at once accounted for. Indeed, the fortress and the trench serve to illustrate and mark the limits of each other; and it is on this ground chiefly, that I venture to extend the fortress thus far towards the East.

1) The rock on which the fortress stood, could not have been further West than the western line of the temple-area; for here ran VOL. I.

55

and runs the valley, which separated Bezetha and Moriah from Akra.

2) Antiq. XV. 11. 4.

This reservoir lies along the outside of the present northern wall of the enclosure; of which wall its southern side may be said to form a part. Its eastern end is near the wall of the city; so near indeed, that only a narrow way passes between them leading from St. Stephen's Gate to the mosk. The pool measures 360 English feet in length, 130 feet in breadth, and 75 feet in depth to the bottom, besides the rubbish which has been accumulating in it for ages. It was once evidently used as a reservoir; for the sides internally have been cased over with small stones, and these again covered with plaster; but the workmanship of these additions is coarse, and bears no special marks of antiquity. The western end is built up like the rest, except at the S. W. corner; where two lofty arched vaults extend in westward side by side under the houses which now cover that part. The southernmost of these arches is 12 feet in breadth and the other 19 feet; they are both filled up with earth and rubbish, and a vast quantity of the same lies before them. Yet I was able to measure 100 feet within the northern one, and it seemed to extend much further. This gives to the whole work a length of at least 460 feet, equal to nearly one half the whole breadth of the enclosure of the mosk; and how much

more, we do not know. It would seem as if the deep reservoir formerly extended further westward in this part; and that these vaults were built up in and over it to support the buildings above. I hold it probable, that this excavation was anciently carried quite through the ridge of Bezetha along the northern side of Antonia to its N. W. corner; thus forming the deep trench which separated the fortress from the adjacent hill. This part was naturally filled up by the Romans under Titus, when they destroyed Antonia, and built up their approaches in this quarter against the temple.

Although the fortress, as we have seen, was connected with the porticos at the N. W. corner of the temple-area; yet these entrances might be closed; and a strong wall would seem to have existed between the temple and the fortress. After Titus was in full possession of Antonia, he had yet to make regular approaches with mounds against this wall and its portico, which was still defended by the Jews. For seven days the Romans were employed in levelling the very foundations of Antonia, in order to form a broad place by which to approach the temple-walls. They then built up four mounds against these walls; one overagainst the N. W. corner of the inner temple (which would seem to have been near); another opposite the northern gallery between the two gates; a third against the western portico of the exterior temple; and the fourth against the outside of the northern portico.' This description is not very clear; but it serves to show, that the possession of Antonia did not make the Romans masters of the temple. It seems further, that after thus labouring for seven days to subvert the foundations of Antonia, the Romans still did not destroy the whole fortress; for during the subsequent siege and assaults upon the temple, Titus continued to have his head-quarters in Antonia, and beheld the daily conflicts, probably from one of its towers. The grand attack was evidently made upon the N. W. part of the area; and here it would seem, the Romans had levelled the "acropolis" and its rock to the ground; filled up the deep trench; and formed a broad approach on which they could erect their works; while further East the halls and apartments, and probably

1) Joseph. B. J. VI. 2. 7.

2) Pompey found also a strong wall and towers on the N. of the temple, before the time of Herod; as also a deep trench, which he

3

the S. E. tower of Antonia, were left as a shelter for the troops and the head-quarters of their commander. It was not until after many days, when the various porticos had been successively carried with fire and sword, that an assault was made upon the temple or Naos itself; and this at last yielded only to the horrible conflagration by which it was destroyed.'

In this way, as it appears to me, we may clearly account for all the facts and circumstances which have come down to us respecting the fortress Antonia and its connection with the ancient temple. At the same time, we remove the difficulty arising from the greater length of the modern enclosure, as compared with the ancient one; and obtain also a satisfactory explanation, as to the original purpose of the deep and otherwise inexplicable excavation now called Bethesda.2

A few remarks upon the subsequent history of this area and the buildings erected upon it, may conclude this part of our subject.

It is related of our Saviour near the close of his life, that as he once went out of the temple, his disciples came to him, "to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."3 This language was spoken of the "buildings of the temple," the splendid fane itself and its magnificent porticos; and in this sense the prophecy has been terribly fulfilled, even to the utmost letter. Or, if we give to the words a wider sense, and include the outer works of the temple and even the whole city, still the spirit of the prophecy has received its full and

1) Joseph. B. J. VI. 2. 8, 10. VI. 3. 1-3. VI. 4. 2-5.

2) Pococke also regarded the reservoir as the remains of an an

cient fosse; Descr. of the East, II. p. 15. fol.

3) Matt. xxiv. 1, 2. So Mark xiii. 1, 2, which is more explicit.

fearful accomplishment; for the few substructions which remain, serve only to show where once the temple and the city stood. In the case of the temple, the remaining substructions of its exterior walls are easily accounted for; even on the supposition that the Romans were bent upon their utter subversion. The conquerors doubtless commenced the work of destruction by casting down the stones outwards from above; these of course accumulated at the foot of the walls; covered the lower parts; and thus naturally protected them from further demolition.

For half a century after the destruction of Jerusalem, there is no mention of the temple. The Jews had again tried the fortune of war under Trajan and Adrian; they had been defeated, and Jerusalem again taken by the latter emperor; when in A. D. 136 he consecrated here a new city, called after one of his own names, Elia. At the same time he erected a temple of Jupiter on the site of the Jewish temple;2 and decorated it with two statues of himself, one of which at least was equestrian. It seems probable that the walls of the area were at this time also rebuilt, at least in part; for the architecture of the Golden Gateway in the eastern wall seems to be of this era. This is a massive structure forming a double gateway, projecting from the wall into the area of the Haram, its floor being several feet below the level of the area. The whole is now used as a Muslim place of prayer. The external front and arches of this gateway, which we saw, are evidently of Roman origin; and of the interior Mr. Bonomi remarks," that a central row of noble Corinthian columns, and a groined

1) See Münter's Jüd. Krieg unter Trajan und Hadrian, 1821, p. 87, etc. See further in Sect. VIII.

2) Dio Cass. LXIX. 12, xal iç

τὸν τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τόπον, ναον τῷ Διὶ ἕτερον ἀντιγείραντος.

3) Itiner. Hieros.-Jerome, as quoted on the next page, note 3.