I. =The Court of the Gentiles= was the largest, and the first entered by a visitor from without. It was so named because it was the only part of the building in which foreigners were allowed; hence not regarded as sacred by the Jews. Speaking roughly, it was an open square, of about 1,000 feet on each side; more precisely, a quadrangle, whose inside measurements were 990 feet on the north, 1,000 on the east, 910 on the south, 1,060 on the west. On two sides there was a covered corridor; Solomon's Porch on the east, Herod's Porch on the south. It was entered on the north, east and south, by a single gate in each wall: north, the Gate Tedi, a staircase leading up to the Tower Antonia, from which Paul made his speech to the Jewish mob (Acts 22); east, the Gate Shushan, directly opposite to the altar, and leading to the Valley of the Kedron; south, the Gate Huldah, a subterranean passage through the floor of the court, which was here much higher than the ground outside the wall; west, four gates: the southern, near the angle of the wall, the Gate Shalleketh, or Kiponos, opening to a bridge over the Tyropoeon; next, Gate Parbar; then, the South Gate of Asuppim; and near the northern corner of the wall, the North Gate of Asuppim. On the floor of this court was a market for the sale of sacrificial meats, with "tables of the money changers"; twice broken up by Jesus in his ministry. (John 2:14-16; Matt. 21:12, 13.) [Notice, in this account: 1. Name. 2. Dimensions. 3. Porches. 4. Gates. 5. Market.] [Illustration: SECTION THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE TEMPLE FROM EAST TO WEST.] II. =The Sacred Enclosure= was an elevated section in the northwestern part of the Court of the Gentiles, containing the sacred buildings. It was called by the Jews the _Chel_ (pronounced _Kel_). It stood 8 feet higher than the level of the surrounding court; and its outside measurement was 630 feet on the north and south, by 300 east and west. Its outer wall was a lattice wrought in stone, called Soreg, "interwoven," 4-1/2 feet high, containing inscriptions in many languages, warning all foreigners not to enter it, under penalty of death. A fragment of this wall, with its inscription, was recently discovered in Jerusalem. Within this wall was a corridor 24 feet wide, containing an ascent of steps 8 feet high; and above them the inner wall, which was like that of a castle, very thick, from 40 to 60 feet high, and more than once used as a fortress by the Jews. Through both the outer lattice and the inner wall were nine gates, four each on the north and south; one on the east, opposite to the altar; but none on the west. Though most of the worshipers came from that side, the rear of the Temple stood toward it, and the front faced the east. The Chel, then, was a terrace of 24 feet, between two walls, an outer lattice and an inner castle. Paul was arrested under a false report of his having led Gentiles into this Sacred Enclosure. (Acts 21:28, 29.)