Biblical architecture question

[Tiktaalik]

In 1 Kings 6 there is a pretty detailed description of the construction of Solomon's "House of God". I'm pretty sure the author must at least have had something in mind when he described it, but I can't quite get hold of it. It sounds like an upside-down ziggurat, but the description of the stairs throws me. It sounds all Escher-esque.

I'm curious. Does anyone know where I might be able to find a sketch of what this thing supposedly looked like?

 

[BravesFan]

Here's a 3d model from a religion site http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeu2swg/


here's the site itself as there are more options http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/resources.htm

 

[TimCallahan]

All this is absolute crap. It was a simple, rather modest, typical long room temple. What else is there to say?

 

[JJM 777]

All this is absolute crap. It was a simple, rather modest, typical long room temple. What else is there to say?

Not "all absolute crap", but the first link offered above showed an image of a temple with a hugely high facade. The Bible text does not mention any such height I think. Otherwise the building must have looked quite much as seen in the photo, with more or less luxurious decorative details. Including some humans in the pic would have been good, to indicate the relatively small scale of the building.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I have to say, that doesn't look much like what I'm reading in the 1950s Revised Standard I've got. It describes three stories, each one (going up!) larger than the one below - it then goes on to describe pillars outside each lower unit holding up the floor of the layer above. Then it describes stairs going from the bottom to the middle, and then from the middle to the upper, story. This is where I can't see it - the stairs would have to be leaning outwards. The pic above doesn't seem to show the pillars or external stairs. So I'm still puzzled. I realize it didn't exist, but I'm trying to figure out what the author had in mind...

 

[angrysoba]

Not "all absolute crap", but the first link offered above showed an image of a temple with a hugely high facade. The Bible text does not mention any such height I think. Otherwise the building must have looked quite much as seen in the photo, with more or less luxurious decorative details. Including some humans in the pic would have been good, to indicate the relatively small scale of the building.

Well, the link to that 3D model also has a reference to Chronicles where the Solomon's "modest" temple is referred to thusly:

2 Chronicles 3:

1Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

2And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the fourth year of his reign.

3Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits.

4And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

5And the greater house he cieled with fir tree, which he overlaid with fine gold, and set thereon palm trees and chains.

6And he garnished the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of Parvaim.

7He overlaid also the house, the beams, the posts, and the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved cherubims on the walls.

8And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits: and he overlaid it with fine gold, amounting to six hundred talents.

9And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold.

10And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

11And the wings of the cherubims were twenty cubits long: one wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the wing of the other cherub.

12And one wing of the other cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub.

13The wings of these cherubims spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood on their feet, and their faces were inward.

14And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.

15Also he made before the house two pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the chapiter that was on the top of each of them was five cubits.

16And he made chains, as in the oracle, and put them on the heads of the pillars; and made an hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains.

17And he reared up the pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the name of that on the left Boaz.

 

[TimCallahan]

Well, the link to that 3D model also has a reference to Chronicles where the Solomon's "modest" temple is referred to thusly:

2 Chronicles 3:

Here's the description of the Temple in 1 Kings, which, written earlier than Chronicles, was probably closer to the truth. According to 1 Kgs. 6:2, the Temple building proper was 60 cubits (90 feet) long, 20 cubits (30 feet) wide and 30 cubits (45 feet) high.

The porch in front of the Temple was, according to 1 Kgs. 6:3, was as wide as the building proper and 10 cubits (15 feet) deep.

According to 1 Kgs. 6:5, 6, there were side chambers wrapping around the main building 7 cubits (10.5 feet) wide at the most.

So, if we add 21 feet (2 10.5 ft.) to the width of the building (30 ft.), it was 51 feet wide. If we add 10.5 feet to the back of the building for the chambers and 15 feet for the depth of the porch the over all length was 90 ft. +10.5 ft. + 15 ft. = 115.5 feet long. So, the total dimensions of the Temple were: 115.5 ft. long, 51 ft. wide and stood 45 feet (4.5 stories) high. Its total square footage was 51 X 115.5 = 5580.5 sq. ft.

 

[Tiktaalik]

I was going out of Kings (1 Kings 6, in the OP) - my version describes three layers stacked on top of one another, each one larger than the one below, with poles supporting them and stairs going from one to the other. This is what I was trying to imagine.