(by Freemasons for Dummies, July 15, 2018)
A recent post on the Biblical Archeology website explores a curious detail about the entrance of Solomon’s Temple as described in the 1 Kings account of its design which plays such an important role in Masonic ritual and legend.
From “The Doorways of Solomon’s Temple” by Megan Sauter:
King Solomon’s Temple was resplendent. Described in 1 Kings 6–7, the temple was divided into three parts: the forecourt (ulam), the outer sanctum (heikhal) and the inner shrine (devir), also known as the Holy of Holies. Built of stone and roofed with wooden beams, Solomon’s Temple was intricately ornamented. Its interior walls and floors were lined with wooden boards and covered in gold. It took seven years to complete the temple and its furnishings.
Despite the Biblical description and archaeological parallels, there are still some mysteries about Solomon’s Temple. For example, 1 Kings 6:31 describes the doors between the outer sanctum and the inner shrine of Solomon’s Temple as having five mezuzot (the plural form of mezuzah). What is a mezuzah? In the Bible, mezuzah is normally translated as “doorpost.” However, in the context of Solomon’s Temple, doors with five doorposts do not make sense…
A nearby temple of the similar period located just 20 miles away from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem — Khirbet Qeiyafa — may hold the answer to this curious description and the enigma of “five doorposts.” That temple is known to have been occupied in the 11th-10th century B.C., and was a fortified site in…
