Comments on: First Temple remains found on the Temple Mount

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 04:30:31 +0000

The title of this page is disengenious. The claim is not that the finds were from the 1st Temple, but that they were Iron Age II (“First Temple Period”), and near the Temple Mount. I don’t see how this sheds any light on the issue of the location of the 1st Temple, which is at best a very enigmatic question.

By: Remi

Remi — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:58:36 +0000

They talking about some recent discoveries from an archaeological salvage excavation being carried out just west of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. What a great news!

By: Joel wollner

Joel wollner — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:28:05 +0000

Awaiting a post on the new first Temple remains including a vassel with a name found near the western wall.

By: Moshe

Moshe — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:14:51 +0000

The Romans wanted to destroy eveything, but left the ruins of Antonia standing as a memory. Antonia was standing north of the Temple, right next to it. What, then, is strange about finding these inscriptions? How does this make anything ridiculous? We did not even touch the real place, currently occupied by the UN school for Arab girs. Besides, Antonia was an extension of a previously existing fort, HaBirah, which was Davka used as a place to keep things for the Mishkan. Herod used Antonia for the same purpose.

By: Leen Ritmeyer

Leen Ritmeyer — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:47:05 +0000

This is just a case of not reading carefully. What were the disciples showing Jesus? Not the Temple Mount with its retaining walls, but “the buildings of the temple” (Matthew 24.1). What are the “buildings of the Temple”? All the structures that were built on the Temple Mount. Of these structures, including the Temple itself, there is indeed not one stone left standing upon another.
If the Temple Mount was the Antonia, why did the Romans destroy their own fortress? And how come that several inscriptions in Hebrew came from the Temple Mount, including the ‘trumpeting stone’ and ‘korban’, which means sacrifice. Did the Romans employ jews to blow their trumpets and did they offer Hebrew sacrifices in the Antonia? You see how ridiculous the idea that the Temple Mount equates the Antonia is.

By: Tony Lisenby

Tony Lisenby — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 04:01:08 +0000

I am somewhat confused about the current thought that this area is part of the Temple Mount rather than Fortress Antonia.
Jesus said that not one stone would be left upon another, and that the whole complex would be leveled to the ground.
Here the original walls are still standing as are many of the flagstone pavement blocks. I don’t think Jesus is a liar, so I don’t believe this is the location of the Temple site.
The second to fifth century Jews worshipped in an area over and around the Gihon Spring, believing that is where the Temple stood.
Can someone illumine me?
Tony lisenby
Montgomery, Alabama

By: Zachi Zweig

Zachi Zweig — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:20:39 +0000

These finds should not be considered as in situ, since the pottery does not contain any pieces for restoration and no walls or floor level were discovered.
This is probably a earth cluster that contained Iron Age IIB artifacts, which got mixed with the Herodian filling.