QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER XIV.

1-4. What was first done on a person's death? What of the burial, and of embalming? How long time was occupied in embalming? How did the relations express their grief? What is said of tearing the face, &c.? How long did these lamentations continue? How long did they mourn for Jacob? For Aaron, and Moses? What is said of hiring mourners? Give the substance of the extract from Jowett, illustrative of this practice. What says Brown of this custom? What passage from Jeremiah is explained by this custom? What passage leads to the opinion, that music was employed on these occasions? What is said of children imitating these practices? Repeat the passage alluding to this.

5. 6. Did the Jews ever embalm? What examples of their being embalmed are mentioned ? What is said of Nicodemus' intention, respecting the body of Christ? What other instance of like intention is given? What is said of the being deprived of burial? What says the Psalmist of this? Was it regarded as a duty to bury the dead? What of the wars in which this was not allowed? What superstition had the Romans respecting those who were not buried?

7-10. Describe the tombs or sepulchres. Whose tombs were more especially ornamented? How does the Saviour allude to this? Give the extract from Hasselquist in substance. What does Rossellini say of the Sepulchres of Thebes? What passages are illustrated by these facts? What is said of those who touched a grave or tomb? What was the law respecting this matter? In what language does Christ allude to this custom? What important lesson should we learn from this language of the Saviour to the Pharisees?

CHAPTER XV.

The Temple.

1. STRICTLY speaking, there were three temples; the one by Solomon, the one built under the direction of Zerubbabel, and that erected by Herod the Great; though the Jews, and perhaps the Scriptures, recognise but two, the temple by Herod being regarded as an enlargement or rebuilding of that by Zerubbabel, and so called the second temple.

2. The First Temple. This is properly Solomon's Temple, the foundation of which was laid by him A. M. 2992; B. c. 1012. The time occupied in building and completing this splendid structure, was something between 7 and 8 years, - that is, from the period at which its foundation was laid. Vast preparations for the building had been made before this, both by Solomon and David. It was, indeed, the suggestion and plan of David, who was not allowed of God to build it himself, but had the assurance that his successor should erect it. 1 Chron. xvii. 115. The immense wealth, which this monarch had made ready for the temple, may be partly collected from 1 Chron. xxviii., xxix. Having been thus furnished, Solomon began with the resolution to make the temple one of the most costly and magnificent buildings in the world.

3. It was located on Zion, or Mount Moriah, and fronted to the East, having a splendid portico, which rose to the height of 120 cubits. A description of this building, our limits will not allow us to give. An account of its dedication may be seen 1 Kings viii. It passed through many changes. It was robbed of its treasures by Shishak, king of Egypt, only about 33 years after its completion. 1 Kings xiv; 2 Chron. xii. B. c. 971. It was once stripped of its riches by Hezekiah, even to the gold upon its gates and doors, to buy off Sennacherib, king of Assyria, from his destructive purposes, B. C. 713. 2 Kings xviii. 15, 16. And once it was profaned with the presence and worship of idols. 2 Kings xxi. It was finally entirely destroyed by the Chaldeans, under Nebuchadnezzar, в. c. 588, (2 Kings xxv.; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 18, 19.) being 415 years from its dedication. The temple continued buried in its ruins for 52 years, when Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return from Babylon and rebuild it. After various hindrances, this was finally accomplished, and the temple dedicated, B. c. 515, and 20 years after the return from the captivity. Ezra i., iv., v., vi.

4. The Second Temple. This, as we have seen, was finished B. c. 515. About 350 years after this, it was profaned by order of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the image of Jupiter Olympus, the chief of the heathen gods, was placed upon the altar. After three years it was purified by Judas Maccabeus, and the worship of Jehovah reëstablished, B. C.

164. Apoc. 1 Mac. iv. About 20 years before the birth of Christ, Herod began to rebuild this temple anew, and for nine years employed 18,000 workmen upon it, and spared no expense to render it one of the most beautiful and magnificent piles in the world. But, though the main body of the temple was completed in this time, the work was continued, in the way of enlarging and beautifying, for many years, and even after the Saviour's death; so that the Jews were right in saying, "Forty and six years was this temple in building." John ii. 20.

5. The temple proper, which was composed of the portico, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies, made but a small part of the sacred edifice. There were galleries, cloisters, porticoes, and courts, of great extent, and covering, together, a space of half a mile in circumference. The entrance was through nine gates, covered with plates of gold and silver. There was also, without the temple, another gate of Corinthian brass, a most valuable metal in ancient times, which was much larger than the rest, and more splendid in its gold and silver ornaments. This was probably the gate "called Beautiful" (Acts iii. 2), where Peter and John healed the lame man. One of the most celebrated porches, or piazzas, was that called Solomon's Porch, which stood on a vast terrace, raised from the bottom of the valley with immense labor, by that ancient monarch. The wall of the porch, and its foundation, was from 600 to 700, and some say 750, feet from top to bottom. John x. 23; Acts iii. 11.

6. The courts of the temple, were as follows. The Court of the Gentiles came first, and was the outer court, encompassing all the others. It was enclosed by a wall 25 cubits in height, built of stone, and having several gates, one of which was the gate of Corinthian brass, already named. Along the whole extent of this wall, was built a range of piazzas, or galleries, of the same height with the wall, supported by pillars of white marble, and having the floor, or pavement, of variegated marble. This court is called the Court of the Gentiles, because it was appropriated to their use, and beyond this, they were not allowed to pass. Hence the fury of the Jews, when they supposed Paul had taken Trophimus, who was a Greek, into the temple, and thus profaned its sanctity. Acts xxi. 26, &c. It was here, that the traders and money-changers established themselves, and hence the Saviour expelled them. Matt. xxi. 12, 13.

7. Passing from the Court of the Gentiles, towards the temple, we come to the Court of the Israelites, which was divided by a wall into two parts, the outer being for the women, and called Court of the Women, and the inner for the men. In going from the Court of the Gentiles into that of the women, there was an ascent of some six cubits. Between the Court of the Israelites and the Court of the Gentiles, there was a wall of separation, on which stood pillars with inscriptions, forbidding all entrance to Gentiles of every nation. To this Paul