Commentaria in III Regum
Solomon therefore began to build the temple in the fourth year of his reign, in the second month; and finished it in the eleventh year, in the eighth month, as is said in verse 37. Whence it follows that this building lasted precisely seven years and seven months. But Scripture adds the seven months as something small, and assigns only the whole number of years. The temple was therefore begun to be built in the year of the world 2933, which was 1276 years after the flood, in the 1017th year before the birth of Christ, according to the chronological table which I prefixed to the Pentateuch.
Furthermore Josephus says that the temple was built in the twelfth year of Hiram king of Tyre, and from there counts 143 years to the building of Carthage, which Dido made, sailing from Tyre to Africa. But an error has crept into Josephus’s computation, for not 143 but only 123 years flowed by, as Salianus demonstrates arithmetically from the number of the years of the kings of Tyre who succeeded Hiram, which Josephus recounts, in the year of the world 3166, at the end, in which he asserts Carthage was founded, which was the tenth year of Joas king of Juda, and the 28th of the prophet Eliseus, though various writers write variously on this matter.
Furthermore, why the years of the building of the temple are counted here from the departure of the Hebrews out of Egypt, Bede, Abulensis, and from them Pineda, book 5, chapter 5, give the reason: that then first God brought His people into the form of a commonwealth and fortified it with certain rites and certain laws of holy religion and faith. Therefore, where the most ample and most holy temple of that very religion was being built, and by its erection and opportunity other altars or religious places had to cease, and finally religion and the commonwealth were to receive the greatest increase, it was fitting that the beginnings of that same religion and commonwealth should be marked.
The place of the building of the temple is described in 2 Paralipomenon chapter 3, verse 1, where it is said: “And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on mount Moria (where Abraham was commanded to immolate Isaac, Genesis 22), which had been shown to David his father, in the place which David had prepared in the floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” Hence Christ too in the same place, namely on Mount Calvary, which is part of Mount Moria, crucified, offered Himself a victim to God for the salvation of the world. For the immolation of Isaac, and of all the victims in the temple, foreshadowed this. Finally the temple was built in a place belonging to the tribe of Benjamin, as all Interpreters teach, and it is plain from Deuteronomy 33:12. So also Plato, book 7 of the Laws, and Aristotle, book 6 of the Politics, teach that temples should be built on mountains, that they may be seen from afar, and be nearer heaven and God.
Again 2 Paralipomenon 3:3 says that Solomon built “in length threescore cubits according to the first measure,” that is, before the distinction of the Holy from the Holy of holies, the first measure of the length of the whole temple was sixty cubits, which measure was afterwards distinguished and divided in such a way that of it the Holy had 40 cubits, and the Holy of holies the remaining twenty. So Vatablus; Abulensis otherwise. The first measure of the temple, he says, was the length, because they first built each wall of the temple lengthwise, then the transverse walls in breadth.
IN THE MONTH ZIO,—the Hebrews now read in the month ziv, because for the vav as vowel with the point cholem they read vav as consonant without the point. The same month is called in Hebrew iyar, from or, that is light, splendor. Whence the Chaldee translates, in the month of the opening or splendor of flowers, because in this month buds and flowers open and their green and beauty then shine.
THE SAME IS THE SECOND MONTH—which corresponds partly to our April, partly to May, as the first month of the Hebrews, called Nisan, corresponds partly to our March, partly to April, which season is most apt for building.
2. AND THE HOUSE (the temple) etc. WAS THREESCORE CUBITS IN LENGTH, AND TWENTY CUBITS IN BREADTH, AND THIRTY CUBITS IN HEIGHT.
You will object that in 2 Paralipomenon 3:4 it is said that “the height was one hundred and twenty cubits.” I answer, the height of the temple up to the first story, or up to the first floor, was thirty cubits, as is said here: but its height up to the highest story, or up to the highest roof and pinnacle, was 120 cubits, as is said in the book of Paralipomenon. For there was as it were another building above the temple, where were laid up the treasures of the temple, the gifts, the vows, also the old tabernacle of Moses and the altar of David, etc.: so Eucherius, Angelomus, Abulensis and the Interpreters everywhere. See Ribera, book 1 On the Temple, chapter 5, and Vilalpandus, page 267. Here also Joas lay hid, as a boy, and afterwards king, says Cajetan, fleeing Athalia who was killing the king’s sons, 4 Kings 11:3. So great a height and mass of the temple was sustained by the thick walls of the building, on which it rested. The walls were also propped by their parastades (commonly pilasters) and buttresses, concerning which see Vilalpandus. From this temple the floors were climbed by a winding stair, of which verse 8: “And by winding stairs,” it says, “they went up into the middle floor, and from the middle into the third.” Finally when the Jews after the return from Babylon rebuilt the temple burned by the Chaldeans, they raised it to a height of only sixty cubits, because Cyrus forbade it to be raised higher, fearing lest the Jews, rebelling, should make a citadel of the temple, as is plain from 1 Esdras chapter 6, and from Josephus. Allegorically Angelomus: “The length of the house of God,” he says, “designates the longanimity of the Church, because in the exile of her pilgrimage she patiently bears all adversities until she comes to the country she awaits. The breadth intimates charity, which, with the bosom of the mind enlarged, rejoices to love not only friends in God but also enemies for God’s sake: until the time comes when, whether the enemies are converted to her peace, or all are utterly extinguished, she may rejoice with friends alone in God. The height announces the hope of future retribution, in view of which she willingly despises all the lowest things, whether those that soothe or those that oppose: until, both being passed over, she alone may deserve to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.”
3. AND THERE WAS A PORCH BEFORE THE TEMPLE OF TWENTY CUBITS IN LENGTH, ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF THE BREADTH OF THE TEMPLE; AND IT WAS TEN CUBITS IN BREADTH BEFORE THE FACE OF THE TEMPLE,—so namely that these ten cubits of the breadth of the porch were added not to the breadth but to the length of the temple, because the breadth of the porch, being only ten cubits, was less than the breadth of the temple, which was twenty cubits, so that it could neither be joined nor made equal: it was therefore added to the length of the temple. The same was indeed the length of the porch as the breadth of the temple, namely twenty cubits; wherefore the former was joined and made equal to the latter: but the breadth of the porch, which was ten cubits, was added to the length of the temple, which was sixty cubits, so that, the breadth of the porch being added, the temple with the porch had seventy cubits in length and twenty cubits in breadth. So Ribera and others.
This porch was a vestibule of the temple, added to the Holy, or front part of the temple, for elegance and magnificence as well as use. The first Christians imitated this, who for the same reasons added porches to their churches, such as one may see at Rome in the Basilica of St. Peter, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, St. Lawrence, St. Cecilia, etc., and that for manifold use. For in the porches stayed the excommunicated, penitents, catechumens, to whom it was not lawful to enter the church and hear Mass. Also the poor, beggars and pilgrims, who after dinner or at night, the basilica being closed, prayed and spent the night in the porch. Moreover, those who in the church received letters and messages about domestic or secular matters went out from the church, where it was not fitting to dispatch and treat of them, into the porch, and there transacted them. In the porch also were prepared seats, benches, ornaments and the other things to be brought into the church.
Furthermore the temple, say Angelomus and Eucherius, “was turned to the east, as the tabernacle also was, and had the door of the porch on the east opposite the door of the temple, as the historian of the Jews Josephus most openly teaches, so that the equinoctial sun rising could with the straight lines of its rays flood through the three doors, namely of the porch, of the temple and of the oracle, the ark of the testament.”
Whence allegorically by this porch are signified the saints who preceded Christ, namely the Patriarchs and Prophets, who first received the sun of justice rising upon this world, and gave testimony to the Lord born in the flesh, whether by living, by preaching, by being born, or even by dying, say Angelomus and Eucherius.
Finally some think that this is the porch of Solomon, in which Christ and the Apostles taught; so Abulensis, Titelmann, Jansenius, chapter 93 of the Concord of the Gospels; but they are mistaken: for this porch was near the Holy before the priests’ court, into neither of which was it lawful for Christ and the Apostles to enter, because they were not priests of the old law. See what I said of Solomon’s porch at Acts chapter 3, verse 11.