Antiquities of the Jews — Book 3, Chapter 6

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, the
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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.