Hebrew Humor and Other EssaysChotzner, J. (Joseph)
History
Hebrew Humor and Other Essays
Chotzner, J. (Joseph)
Hebrew wit and humor -- History and criticism
In subsequent times two more Temples were built after the design of
Solomon's—one by Zerubbabel with the permission and assistance of the
Persian king Cyrus (558 B. C.), and another by King Herod (16 B. C.), who,
next to Solomon, was the most art-loving monarch the Jews ever had. During
his reign the influence of Greek taste began to make itself felt in
Palestine, and we are told that, in addition to the temple, he also built
colonnades, theatres, and castles (cp. Jos. _Ant._ xv. 8. 1). According to
the same authority (_Bell. Jud._ 5. 44), the beauty of King Herod's
residential palace was beyond all description. It consisted of a block of
various marble buildings, with artistically formed roofs, each building
having magnificent halls and colonnades. Pleasure grounds, tiny forests,
and gardens of every kind surrounded it, and elaborate waterworks were
built to give these grounds a never-failing freshness of appearance. The
Greek style did not, however, altogether supersede the Phoenician, for
even as late as the _Mishna_, mention is made of Tyrian windows and
porches (cp. Talmud, _Baba Bathra_, p. 36).
It would not be easy to describe here all the other architectural works of
Solomon and the rest of the Jewish kings. The former's palace ought not,
however, to be passed over unnoticed, especially as in splendour and
architectural beauty it rivalled the Temple itself. It consisted of a row
of large buildings, among which the king's private residence, that of the
Egyptian princes, and the so-called house of the forest of Lebanon, were
the most prominent. With the aid of his great waterworks in the
neighbourhood of the city, Solomon laid out all kinds of gardens and
pleasure-grounds, the beauty of which was enhanced by the addition of
fountains and artificial lakes (cp. Cant. iv. 13–15). At Etam he had a
magnificent park and gymnasium, which he occasionally visited. Not far
from Lebanon he erected some lofty towers ornamented largely with gold and
ivory (Cant. viii. 11; _Ant._ iii. 7. 3).
That the Greeks used ivory for the ornamentation of houses and public
buildings, may be seen from the passage in Eurip. _Iph. Aul._, where
ἐλεφάντινοι δόμοι (houses made of ivory) are mentioned.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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