ate,
which opened on the east over against the gate of the holy house itself,
was much larger; for its height was fifty cubits; and its doors were
forty cubits; and it was adorned after a most costly manner, as having
much richer and thicker plates of silver and gold upon them than the
other. These nine gates had that silver and gold poured upon them by
Alexander, the father of Tiberius. Now there were fifteen steps, which
led away from the wall of the court of the women to this greater gate;
whereas those that led thither from the other gates were five steps
shorter.

4. As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst [of the
inmost court], that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to
by twelve steps; and in front its height and its breadth were equal, and
each a hundred cubits, though it was behind forty cubits narrower; for
on its front it had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that
passed twenty cubits further. Its first gate was seventy cubits high,
and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors; for it
represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be
excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over, and
through it the first part of the house, that was more inward, did all of
it appear; which, as it was very large, so did all the parts about the
more inward gate appear to shine to those that saw them; but then, as
the entire house was divided into two parts within, it was only the
first part of it that was open to our view. Its height extended all
along to ninety cubits in height, and its length was fifty cubits, and
its breadth twenty. But that gate which was at this end of the first
part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over covered
with gold, as was its whole wall about it; it had also golden vines
above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man's height.
But then this house, as it was divided into two parts, the inner part
was lower than the appearance of the outer, and had golden doors of
fifty-five cubits altitude, and sixteen in breadth; but before these
doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a
Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue, and fine linen, and scarlet,
and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this
mixture of colors without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind
of image of the universe; for by the scarlet there seemed to be
enigmat