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Article THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON AS A SYMBOL OF FKE... ← Page 5 of 15 →
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The Temple Of Solomon As A Symbol Of Fke...
Hence we learn from tlie great Jewish historian , that in constructing the tabernacle , which gave the first model for the Temple at Jerusalem , and afterward for every Masonic Lodge , he applied this principle of symbolism to every part of it . Thus he divided it into three parts , to represent the three great > elementarydivisions of the
universe—the land , the sea , and the air . The first two , or exterior portions , wbich were accessible to the priests and the people , were symbolic of the land and the sea , which all men might inhabit ; while the third or interior division , the holy of holies ( whose threshold no mortal dared to cross , and which was peculiarly consecrated to Grod ) , was emblematic of heaven , His dwelling-place . The veils , too , according to Josephus , were intended for symbolic instruction , in their colour and their materials . Collectively they represented the
four elements of the universe ; and , in passing , it may be observed that this notion of symbolizing the universe characterized all the ancient systems , both the true and the false , and that the remains of the principle are to be found everywhere , even at this day , pervading Masonry , which is but a development of these systems . In the four veils of the tabernacle , the white or fine linen signified the earth , from which flax was produced ; the scarlet signified fire , appropriately represented by its flaming , colour ; the purple typified the sea , in allusion to the shell-fish murex from which the tint was
obtained ; and the blue , the colour of the firmament , was emblematic of air . * It is not necessary to enter into a detail of the whole system of religious symbolism as developed in the Mosaic ritual . It was but an application of the same principles of instruction that pervaded
all the surrounding G-entile nations , to the inculcation of truth . The very idea of the ark itself f was borrowed , as the discoveries of the modern Egyptologists have shown us , from the banks of the Nile ; and the breast-plate of the High Priest , with its TTrini and Thummim , J was indebted for its origin to a similar ornament worn by the Egyptian judge . The system was the same—in its application , only , did it differ . With the tabernacle of Moses the Temple of King Solomon is closely connected—the one was the archetype of the other . Now it is at the building of that Temple that we must place the origin of
animals . " And Hengstenberg , in his learned work on " Egypt and the Books of Moses , " conclusively shows , by numerous examples , how direct were the Egyptian references of the Pentateuch ; in which fact , indeed , lie recognises (< one of the most powerful arguments for its credibility and for its composition by Moses . " Hengstenberg , p . 239 , Robbings Trans . * Joseplrus , Antiquities , b . iii ., eh . 7-f The ark , or sacred boat of the Egyptians , frequently occurs on the walls ol
the temples- It was carried in great pomp by the priests on the occasion of the " procession of the shrines , " by means of staves passed through metal rings in its side . It was thus conducted into the temple , and deposited on a stand . The representations we have of it bear a striking resemblance to the Jewish ark , of which it is now admitted to have been the prototype . t The Egyptian reference in the Urim and Thunimin is especially distinct and incontrovertible . —Hengstenberg , p . 158 .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Temple Of Solomon As A Symbol Of Fke...
Hence we learn from tlie great Jewish historian , that in constructing the tabernacle , which gave the first model for the Temple at Jerusalem , and afterward for every Masonic Lodge , he applied this principle of symbolism to every part of it . Thus he divided it into three parts , to represent the three great > elementarydivisions of the
universe—the land , the sea , and the air . The first two , or exterior portions , wbich were accessible to the priests and the people , were symbolic of the land and the sea , which all men might inhabit ; while the third or interior division , the holy of holies ( whose threshold no mortal dared to cross , and which was peculiarly consecrated to Grod ) , was emblematic of heaven , His dwelling-place . The veils , too , according to Josephus , were intended for symbolic instruction , in their colour and their materials . Collectively they represented the
four elements of the universe ; and , in passing , it may be observed that this notion of symbolizing the universe characterized all the ancient systems , both the true and the false , and that the remains of the principle are to be found everywhere , even at this day , pervading Masonry , which is but a development of these systems . In the four veils of the tabernacle , the white or fine linen signified the earth , from which flax was produced ; the scarlet signified fire , appropriately represented by its flaming , colour ; the purple typified the sea , in allusion to the shell-fish murex from which the tint was
obtained ; and the blue , the colour of the firmament , was emblematic of air . * It is not necessary to enter into a detail of the whole system of religious symbolism as developed in the Mosaic ritual . It was but an application of the same principles of instruction that pervaded
all the surrounding G-entile nations , to the inculcation of truth . The very idea of the ark itself f was borrowed , as the discoveries of the modern Egyptologists have shown us , from the banks of the Nile ; and the breast-plate of the High Priest , with its TTrini and Thummim , J was indebted for its origin to a similar ornament worn by the Egyptian judge . The system was the same—in its application , only , did it differ . With the tabernacle of Moses the Temple of King Solomon is closely connected—the one was the archetype of the other . Now it is at the building of that Temple that we must place the origin of
animals . " And Hengstenberg , in his learned work on " Egypt and the Books of Moses , " conclusively shows , by numerous examples , how direct were the Egyptian references of the Pentateuch ; in which fact , indeed , lie recognises (< one of the most powerful arguments for its credibility and for its composition by Moses . " Hengstenberg , p . 239 , Robbings Trans . * Joseplrus , Antiquities , b . iii ., eh . 7-f The ark , or sacred boat of the Egyptians , frequently occurs on the walls ol
the temples- It was carried in great pomp by the priests on the occasion of the " procession of the shrines , " by means of staves passed through metal rings in its side . It was thus conducted into the temple , and deposited on a stand . The representations we have of it bear a striking resemblance to the Jewish ark , of which it is now admitted to have been the prototype . t The Egyptian reference in the Urim and Thunimin is especially distinct and incontrovertible . —Hengstenberg , p . 158 .