CONFIEMED BY RECENT DISCOVERIES IN PALESTINE AND THE EAST. 141 



Araunah the Jebusite, one of those Canaauites who main- 

 tained their possessions after the conquest, laut who acknow- 

 ledged the sovereignty of the kings ot Israeh It was natural 

 and fitting that a spot previously consecrated by Abraham's 

 sacrifice should be chosen for this purpose.* 



The next event connected with tliis rock was the selection 

 of the mount of wliich it forms a part as the site for Solomon's 

 Temple. The rock, however, was not the site of the Temple 

 itself, but of the brazen altar which stood in front of this 

 structure. Its previous history marked it out for this pur- 



Eose ; it had in fact been consecx'ated as the altar of sacrifice 

 y the offerings of the Father of the Faithful, and of David, 

 King of Israel What more fitting site could have been 

 selected? Amongst all the places of historical interest in 

 Palestine there is none more certain of identification or of 

 more hallowed interest. 



And now a few words regarding the rock itself. It rises 

 beneath the beautiful dome of the Mosque about 6^ feet above 

 the tesselated floor. Its length is 43 feet, and width 8 feet. 

 Along the west side runs a platform — -cut out along the 

 natural scarp of the limestone rock — which dips in the 

 opposite direction, the surface corresponding to the plane of 

 stratification. We read that Solomon's altar of brass was 20 

 cubits long, 20 cubits broad, and 10 cubits high above the 

 ground, so that the floor of the Mosque conceals the base upon 

 which the brazen altar rested. At a cUstance of about 20 

 cubits to the west of the altar rose the grand porch of the 

 Holy Place, approached by a flight of steps ; in an opposite 

 direction were the pillars of the Levites' court, the men's 

 court communicating by means of the Nicanor Gate with 

 the court of the women, while the whole of this inner struc- 

 ture was surrounded on four sides by the grand colonnade 

 of three gi'oups of columiis, enclosing on the south side the 

 Court of the (jrentiles. Such were the uses and such the sur- 

 roundings of this once bare limestone crest — rising, in the 

 time of Abraham, out of the thickets of scrub and bramble 

 which clothed the sides of Mount Moriah.t 



* Under the rock is a cave about 6 feet high, doubtless of human 

 work ; and it seems probable that this may have been a granary for the 

 corn which was threshed on the solid rock above. 



t Colonel Conder calls in question this identification and regards the 

 rock as having been the site of the Holy of Holies in the temple. But I 

 must adhere to my view on the ground of the eminent suitability from its 

 previous histoiy for the place of the altar, as well as from considerations 

 based on the form and structure of the rock and the cave below it. 



