JeSoul:



Btw, nice topic, I have been following behind the scenes, who woulda thot you dig bible archaeology? 

haha. Thanks. u'd be shocked the type of stuff i'm into.

I sent messages to the mods but the posts never got restored. i'll try it again and make them shorter so hopefully it works out.

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‘Ain Dara Temple
Northern Syria

For centuries, scholars have searched in vain for any remnant of Solomon’s Temple. The fabled Jerusalem sanctuary, described in such exacting detail in 1 Kings 6, was no doubt one of Solomon’s most stunning achievements, yet nothing of the building itself has been found.



Fortunately, several Iron Age temples discovered throughout the Levant bear a striking resemblance to the Solomonic Temple described in the Bible. Through these remains, we gain extraordinary insight into the architectural grandeur of the building that stood atop Jerusalem’s Temple Mount nearly 3,000 years ago.
As revealed by John Monson in the pages of BAR, the closest known parallel to Solomon’s Temple is the recently discovered temple of ‘Ain Dara in northern Syria. Nearly every aspect of the ‘Ain Dara temple—its age, its size, its plan, its decoration—parallels the vivid description of Solomon’s Temple in the Bible. In fact, Monson identified more than 30 architectural and decorative elements shared by the ‘Ain Dara structure and the Jerusalem Temple described by the Biblical writers.

continued on next post. . . .

JeSoul:

Krayola,
   Don't fret brother, just send a msg to Seun or AKO or any of the moderators and they will untag the post and it will show up. My own posts disappear from time to time too.

Btw, nice topic, I have been following behind the scenes, who woulda thot you dig bible archaeology? 

haha. u'd be shocked at the kind of stuff i'm into.

I tried posting the stuff again but the spam bot ate it up. I give up. I contacted the mods like u suggested but I had no luck.

The deleted posts have been restored. U can see them here---> https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-323539.0.html#msg4570117

bump

Pastor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where have you beeeeen

haha. Nice one, pastor. I thought no one was reading.

Krayola:


‘Ain Dara Temple
Northern Syria

For centuries, scholars have searched in vain for any remnant of Solomon’s Temple. The fabled Jerusalem sanctuary, described in such exacting detail in 1 Kings 6, was no doubt one of Solomon’s most stunning achievements, yet nothing of the building itself has been found.



Fortunately, several Iron Age temples discovered throughout the Levant bear a striking resemblance to the Solomonic Temple described in the Bible. Through these remains, we gain extraordinary insight into the architectural grandeur of the building that stood atop Jerusalem’s Temple Mount nearly 3,000 years ago.
As revealed by John Monson in the pages of BAR, the closest known parallel to Solomon’s Temple is the recently discovered temple of ‘Ain Dara in northern Syria. Nearly every aspect of the ‘Ain Dara temple—its age, its size, its plan, its decoration—parallels the vivid description of Solomon’s Temple in the Bible. In fact, Monson identified more than 30 architectural and decorative elements shared by the ‘Ain Dara structure and the Jerusalem Temple described by the Biblical writers.

continued on next post. . . .

continuation




The similarities between the two temples are indeed striking. Both buildings were erected on huge artificial platforms built on the highest point in their respective cities. The buildings likewise have similar tripartite plans: an entry porch supported by two columns, a main sanctuary hall (the hall of the ‘Ain Dara temple is divided between an antechamber and a main chamber) and then, behind a partition, an elevated shrine, or Holy of Holies. They were also both flanked on three of their sides by a series of multistoried rooms and chambers that served various functions. Even the decorative schemes of the two temples are similar: Nearly every surface, both interior and exterior, of the ‘Ain Dara temple was carved with lions, mythical animals (cherubim and sphinxes), and floral and geometric patterns, the same imagery that, according to the Bible, adorned Solomon’s Temple (1 Kings 6:29).

It is the date of the ‘Ain Dara temple, however, that offers the most compelling evidence for the authenticity of the Biblical account of Solomon’s Temple. The ‘Ain Dara temple was originally built around 1300 B.C. and remained in use for more than 550 years, until 740 B.C. The plan and decoration of such majestic temples no doubt inspired the Phoenician engineers and craftsmen who built Solomon’s grand edifice in the tenth century B.C. As noted by Lawrence Stager of Harvard University, the existence of the ‘Ain Dara temple proves that the Biblical description of Solomon’s Temple was “neither an anachronistic account based on later temple archetypes nor a literary creation. The plan, size, date and architectural details fit squarely into the tradition of sacred architecture from north Syria (and probably Phoenicia) from the tenth to eighth centuries B.C.”

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Certain features of the ‘Ain Dara temple also provide dramatic insight into ancient Near Eastern conceptions of gods and the temples in which they were thought to reside. Carved side-by-side in the threshold of the ‘Ain Dara temple are two gigantic footprints. As one enters the antechamber of the sanctuary, there is another carving of a right foot, followed 30 feet away (at the threshold between the antechamber and the main chamber) by a carving of a left foot. The footprints, each of which measures 3 feet in length, were intended to show the presence (and enormity) of the resident deity as he or she entered the temple and approached his or her throne in the Holy of Holies. Indeed, the 30-foot stride between the oversize footprints indicates a god who would have stood 65 feet tall! In Solomon’s Temple, the presence of a massive throne formed by the wings of two giant cherubim with 17-foot wingspans (1 Kings 6:23–26) may indicate that some Israelites envisaged their God, Yahweh, in a similar manner.

More to come . . .