Hurlbutt’s Atlas, p. 118

The Christian fascination with the Holy Land as a window into interpretation of the Bible has a long and indeed fascinating history of its own. Here I continue the thread on Jesse Lyman Hurlbutt’s A Bible Atlas (New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1947, first published in 1882). Ah, those cedars of Lebanon, hewn for Solomon’s temple but a few being left for the intrepid explorer, in this case Rev. Hurlbutt himself. Here is his sketch of that temple.

Hurlbutt’s Atlas, p. 118

“Solomon’s reign marked a period of peace, with few incidents to mark even its tenor. the principal event of his reign was the building of the Temple at Jerusalem. On this page is a plan of Solomon’s Temple, largely conjectural, as neither the description in 1 Kings 6 nor the one in 2 Chron. 3, 4, is sufficiently exact for a complete knowledge.”

To be continued …