numberless princes and myriads of pilgrims have walked round the Sanctuary, this antique jar of pottery has remained unmolested through countless generations, close by the great corner stone of the Temple wall.

The mode of preparing "the holy anointing oil” is stated in Exodus, and connection therewith is the threat, "Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people."1

According to the Rabbins, the preparation of this oil was performed only once in the whole history of the nation, the curse of penal death being dreaded, in case of its repetition, even in extreme cases. "The High-priest, his eldest son, and the Messiah Milchama, or Deputy High-priest, chosen to accompany the forces in time of war, were anointed on the head and between the eyebrows, in the form of X. The Kings of the House of David were anointed in the form of a crown on their foreheads. The holy oil failed in the reign of King Josiah, and the rite of unction has not been administered since that time." If the antique jar was a receptacle for the holy oil, then the Rabbinical traditions respecting the oil afford another proof of the jar's great antiquity.

Lying on the rock was found a layer of rich earth or fat mould of a clayey nature about ten feet thick. This layer is not virgin soil, for amongst it were found several potsherds or fragments of broken pots, and also a long

1 Exodus xxx. 33.

rusty nail. The mould does not lie close up against th Sanctuary wall, for between the two is a wedge-shape deposit of stone chippings. On the top of the ric loam was found a bed of pottery two inches thick, con sisting of fragments of the pale red ware. Amongst th fragments were picked up seven handles of jars, on six which was found an engraved figure. At first it wa thought to be a representation of a bird, but furthe examination favours the idea that the figure is a winge disc, probably an emblem of the sun god. These figure were engraved inside the stamp on each handle; an

after the handles had been sent to England, while th dust was being carefully scraped off the relics, som marks were noticed above and below the winged su and these have turned out to be well-known Phoenicia letters. The jar handles have consequently been pro

The

nounced to be fragments of Phoenician pottery. winged disc, representing the sun and its refulgent beams, was a common hieroglyph among the ancient Egyptians. It was called Aten, and was an emblem of the supreme solar deity. We know that the sun god, under the name of Baal, was worshipped in Phoenicia, and from that country the worship of Baal was introduced into the kingdom of Israel.

On one jar handle were stamped the Phoenician letters corresponding to L M K Z PH, and these have been. translated by Dr. Birch of the British Museum as standing for Melek, king, and Zepha, a proper name: this meaning King Zepha, or To King Zepha. We have no historical reference to a king of this name.

"Of what dynasty was he member? of what country was he king? He may have been a king of Tyre. Strange that his glory should have passed away; he and his country and his gods; and that after the earth had swallowed him up, this bit of broken pottery, found under the Temple wall, should bring to light and restore to history his name, his regal mark, and his sacred dove."

The winged sun has by some been thought to represent a dove, because the dove was accounted sacred by the Phoenicians of Tyre, and a dove with outspread wings was the Tyrian symbol of empire, used as the stamp and signet of the king.

On the second vase handle were found the letters LK SH.. T, which Dr. Birch translates as standing

for Melek Shat, that is, King Shat, a person concerning whom we are totally ignorant. On a third handle were the two letters L K, which probably are the last letters of Melek. The letters following are uncertain. On three other handles were seen traces of letters, but these were so much obliterated that it was found impossible to decipher them.

M. Clermont Ganneau, an accomplished Semitic scholar, thinks that the letters on the first handle are ML CHZ P H, and that these letters constitute one name, Molochzepha, possibly the potter's name, while the letters LK SHT, on the second, form part of Molochshat, another potter's name.

Moloch was worshipped among the ancient Canaanites, and was the national god of the Ammonites. His worship was introduced by Solomon into Jerusalem, and a high place erected on the Mount of Offence, south of Olivet. This idolatry became widely spread in Israel, and with cruel rites Moloch was worshipped in the Valley of Hinnom for many generations. It was a common practice among ancient nations to assume the name of their national god as part of their own name. Ethbaal, with Baal. Jezebel, oath of Baal. Chemosh-gad, propitious Chemosh. In the same way Molochzepha and Molochshat may be names of potters, as M. C. Ganneau suggests, named after Moloch.

The manufacture of pottery is an art of great antiquity, and was evidently well known, together with moulding in clay, to the Jews at an early period. Of

some of the descendants of Judah it is said, "These were the potters.'

"1

In the second psalm David sings a triumphal song in honour of his conquest of the Jebusites, and the establishment of his throne upon the "Holy Hill of Zion." He exalts God's absolute power over His enemies, saying, "Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." The magnificent brazen works of Solomon's Temple were cast by Hiram, the widow's son, in clay beds, in the Jordan valley, between Succoth and Zeredathah. Isaiah says, "He shall break it as the breaking of the potter's vessel that is broken in pieces;" and Jeremiah makes use of like imagery: "Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter's vessel."

With regard to the foundations of Solomon's Temple, we read, "And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, and hewed stones, to lay the foundation of the house. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, and the stone-squarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house."2 The Biblical account is accurately descriptive of the massive masonry now existing at the south-east angle, and standing on the native rock, eighty feet below the present surface. The Royal Engineers found buried deeply among the rubbish of many centuries great stones, costly and hewed stones, forming the foundation of the Sanctuary wall, while Phoenician fragments of pottery, and Phoenician marks painted on the massive 1 I Chronicles iv. 23. 2 1 Kings v. 17, 18.