Response to Joseph Patrich’s Temple Location
February 16th, 2007 by Leen RitmeyerI have known Joseph Patrich for many years and have worked with him in the past to develop ideas about the construction of Herod’s Temple (Patrich, J. (1986). “The Messibah of the Temple According to the Tractate Middot” in Israel Exploration Journal 36, pp. 215–233. Patrich, J. (1987). “Picturing the Second Temple” in Eretz Magazine, Spring 1987, pp. 67–70 ).
He recently approached me with the request that I draw up some plans to illustrate his ideas on the location of Herod’s Temple. I agreed to help him, but made it clear that I did not want to be associated with his research, as I do not agree with it.
As one can see in my recently published book The Quest, many factors need to be taken into consideration when determining the location of the Temple. The location of one of the 38 cisterns on the Temple Mount is insufficient evidence to use as a basis for the site of the Temple. According to the ancient sources, the Temple faced east and not south-east:
Josephus - The Jewish War, 5.222
Now the outward face of the temple in its front wanted nothing that was likely to surprise either men’s minds or their eyes; for it was covered all over with plates of gold of great weight, and, at the first rising of the sun, reflected back a very fiery splendor…
Mishna Middot 2,4
All the walls there were high, save only the eastern wall, because the [High] Priest that burns the [Red] Heifer and stands on the top of the Mount of Olives should be able to look directly into the entrance of the Sanctuary when the blood is sprinkled.
Patrich places the ramp of the Altar between the northern two branches of this Cistern no. 5, to explain how water could have been drawn for ritual purposes. However, neither of these two branches have well-heads, so that water could not have been drawn up to the Laver, as he proposes.
Patrich’s proposal as it appears here.
As convenient as this theory may appear, as it leaves the Dome of the Rock outside the Temple site, it is completely unworkable. It therefore joins the equally nonviable Temple location theories such as the northern one of Asher Kaufman, the symetrical layout of David Jacobson (which places the altar at the center of the Temple Mount) and the southern proposal of Tuvia Sagiv. Only a location which takes into account all the historical and archaeological evidence is tenable.
My proposal for the location of the Temple, as documented in The Quest and Secrets of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount is as follows:
I hope to offer responses to the other theories in due course.
Posted in Responses |
February 18th, 2007 at 9:05 am
Please, let me make a small suggestion: I think it would be better suited to your audience to user images that are expandable. It is hard to fully see the differences. It can be seen but it would be easier for your reader if the images exapanded to larger versions.
Otherwise, thank you for this posting.
April 22nd, 2007 at 3:54 pm
understanding that water supply is a huge issue, where did the first temple water come from? would dams along the kidron valley be a viable option? what kept the gihon from becoming polluted by winter rain runoff?
February 26th, 2008 at 1:07 pm
It’s commonly considered by many the sun rises in the east. But at that geographical line of latitude wouldn’t the temple have to face somewhat SE in order to truly face the rising sun as described by Josephus?