Monday, January 12, 2009

Gold Plated Temple?

The current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (Jan/Feb 2009), p 14, has a brief article and photo of a gold-plated stone found years ago in the archaeological excavations south of the Temple Mount, which has remained unpublished until now. Josephus claimed that part of Herod's temple was covered with gold (Wars 5.201-224), leading some scholars to speculate that this gold-leaefed stone may be a remnant of Herod's Temple.

2 comments:

David Larsen said...

What an awesome find! Was it only Herod's temple that was gold-plated?

Grandpa Enoch said...

Josephus describes parts of the exterior Herod's temple as covered with gold (Wars 5.201-224). The biblical account describes the interior of Solomon's temple as being made of cedar-wood panels which are covered with gold (1 Kgs 6), but doesn't mention gold on the outside walls.