THEOSISJerome of Stridon
And he guided me to the outer courtyard along the northern path, bringing me to the treasury, which was adjacent to a separate structure and stood opposite a northern building. Its front measured one hundred cubits in length and fifty cubits in width against the outer court's twenty cubits, aligning with the stone-paved flooring of the outer area, where a gallery connected to a triple gallery was located. In front of the treasuries was a passageway ten cubits wide, leading inward with a pathway of one cubit, and their doors were oriented northward, as the upper treasuries were lower, supporting the galleries that extended from the lower and middle sections of the building.
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The structure featured three tiers, lacking the pillars found in the courts, thereby extending from the lower and middle sections to a height of fifty cubits from the ground. There was a fence outside, directed toward the treasuries, which measured fifty cubits long in the outer court before the treasuries. The treasuries of the outer court were also fifty cubits in length, while at the front of the temple, they reached a length of one hundred cubits. An entrance was situated at the base of these treasuries facing east for those entering from the outer court, corresponding to the breadth of the court fence near the eastern path before the separate structure. The treasuries were placed in front of the building, and the path before them matched those treasuries located along the northern path, in both length and width. All entrances, forms, and doors were identical to those of the southern treasuries, including the door positioned at the start of the pathway before the separate vestibule for those entering from the east.
Then he led me out into the outer court towards the north gate, revealing five chambers beneath part of the building, closely positioned to the separate one to the north, extending a hundred cubits in length and fifty cubits in width. They were arranged similarly to the gates of the inner court and the outer court’s pillars, facing the triple gallery, with another passage ten cubits wide and one hundred cubits long leading inward by one cubit, accompanied by doors facing north. Likewise, the passages of the upper chambers had protruding pillars from the lower tier, maintaining the same dimensions. The galleries were threefold and did not have pillars like those in the inner courts, thus extending from the lower and middle sections to a height of fifty cubits from the ground, with external lighting akin to that in the outer court's chambers, opposing the northern chambers which also extended fifty cubits. The outer court rooms measured fifty cubits in length, all facing outward for a total of one hundred cubits in resolution, with doors leading to the eastern entrance for access into the courtyard, matched to the illumination present at the beginning of the passage leading south, corresponding to the southern aspect and the separate structural head. The rooms and the pathway aligned in measure with those to the north, in both length and width, and every exit, entrance, and lighting fixture, as well as the doors to the southern rooms and the eastern entrance aligned with the initial length of the pathway.
The phrase translated from the LXX as “to the east” is absent in the Hebrew text, making it seemingly redundant. For how can it be said to lead into the outer court toward the east when it specifies direction against the north gate? In another translation context, the narration transitions to describe five rooms adjacent to the northern part of the building centered around a hundred cubit length, and fifty cubit width. Established much like the gates of the inner court and the outer court pillars, with alignment against the triple gallery and margining the rooms, all while considering that the LXX variably represents these distinctions differently from the Hebrew, the nuances in translation lead to complexities, including variations in order and terminology—should I delve into the specifics, I would stray far from the main focus. Given the profoundness and the elevated nature of the matter, I wished to refrain from comments here; yet, I found it wise to express some thoughts instead of remaining utterly silent, echoing Socrates’ wisdom on the nature of knowledge: ‘I know what I do not know.’ For part of wisdom lies in the acknowledgment of one’s ignorance. As the prophet diligently observed what lay within, the individual with the rope and cane guided him to the outer court via the northern approach he had perceived earlier. Yet we recognize that understanding differs from initial teachings. It is crucial for one who sees the interior to also comprehend the exterior, recognizing the unified forms, measures, and concealed mysteries alike.