In Acts 3:11 and 5:13, Luke reports Peter regularly taught at Solomon’s Portico. The word στοά (stoa) is often translated as “colonnade,” columned- porch, usually enclosed on one side covered with a roof. According to Josephus, Solomon’s Portico was a double-columned porch on the Temple’s east side near the court of the Gentiles. It was about 23 feet wide (15 cubits), and the columns were about 40 feet tall (25 cubits). Josephus claimed they were white marble with cedar-panels for a ceiling (Antiq. 15.11.3-5, §391-420; JW 5.5.1 §184-185). Josephus may have exaggerated the marble; Ehud Netzer suggests they were stucco over stone drums based on columns found at Masada (Netzer, 165). In either case, the Portico would have been impressive, although not as monumental as the Royal Colonnade at the southern end of the Temple Mount.
Most Greek temples had porches to provide shelter for people gathering to worship. Keener points out a portico would one way a city could display wealth, although often they were built through the generosity of a benefactor’s gift (1:1074). In this case, Herod the Great likely rebuilt an existing colonnade from the Hasmonean temple. People assumed the area had been a part of Solomon’s original temple, as the name indicates. But nothing of Solomon’s Temple survived the city’s destruction in 586 B.C., just as nothing remains of Solomon’s Portico today.
The Herodians spent a great deal of money on the Temple courts to demonstrate their wealth and power. Since Jerusalem had only one God, all funds could be spent improving the buildings around the Temple. Solomon’s Portico was, therefore, a beautiful public area for Jewish people to gather in sight of the Temple.
Why did Peter and the other disciples return to this location? On the one hand, it is a likely location for teachers to gather with their disciples to discuss the Scripture. According to John 10:23, Jesus taught his disciples there, so Peter and the disciples are continuing Jesus’ practice by gathering on the Temple Mount. Perhaps that is the reason Jesus went there—it was simply a great place to find religiously inclined people!
Bibliography. Netzer, Ehud. Herod the Builder (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker 2006); Smith, Robert W. “Solomon’s Portico (Place),” ABD 6:113.
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FWIW — Leen Ritmeyer, world class researcher on the Temple Mount, has a recent popular blog post on the location and remains of Solomon’s Portico. It seems that this portion of the eastern wall of the Temple Mount was named after Solomon and dates back at least to the Hasmonean Period (as you note)—if not earlier. But probably not back to the days of Solomon.
http://www.ritmeyer.com/2014/12/19/where-on-the-temple-mount-was-jesus-during-hanukkah/
Thanks for the link, I reviewed his book on the Temple Mount, there was very little on the Portico there (or in Keener’s otherwise exhaustive Acts commentary).
I would agree I think they meet there because Jesus had previously taught them in this location so it was familiar to them. It says in Acts 5:12-13 that they meet at Solomon’s Colonnade and performed many miracles. It also mentions that no one dared join them even though they were greatly esteemed by others. I think the believers had a greater sense of unity through the receiving of the Holy Spirit, and losing their teacher. This place would have significance to them so it would make sense for them to return there. I also believe that the disciples returned to this place because many people would be at the Temple Courts. Since it was obviously a common place to be it was not hard to find people. This would have aided in their ministry as disciples. It later says in Acts 5:17 that “Crowds gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick, and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.” The disciples had clearly gained attention through being at the Temple Courts if people from other towns were hearing about their behavior.
It seems that the disciples go back to teach and continue the practice of what Jesus did, almost as if they are being tested by Christ. If we read further on in the John passage given, the Jews were having a Festival of Dedication (aka Hanukkah; footnote, John 10:22). Those who had not believed at the time were wanting an answer from Jesus. Jesus tells them “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Still they find his answer to be blasphemy as the “son of God,” to which Jesus flees to where John the Baptist originally was. The same goes with the disciples in Acts 5. If we read on further than just healing passage, the disciples get persecuted by the group of people who originally persecuted Jesus for blasphemy, only the disciples get jailed instead of getting rocks thrown at them. The Bible really shows a lot of parallelism. I would happen to think this is one of those moments.
This is the first time ever Madcap has been compared to the Second Temple. At least as far as I am aware.
We see the disciples hanging out by Solomon’s portico in Acts 3:11, when Peter was questioning a man about staring leading into him talking about Jesus death. We see a situation kind of similar with Jesus at the temple in Luke 20:2, as those in the crowd, question his authority. We know it was not always the easiest place for the disciples to hang out at, which may have given them a challenge they enjoyed (Jipp, 57-58). This must have been a hot spot to teach and have responses from people listening, instead of them ignoring the teaching. My first thought in the disciples returns to Solomon’s Portico is the thought of tradition and not changing something that is not broken. I have a favorite coffee shop that my friends and I meet at, sometimes we talk about changing it up, but typically end up at the same one. Part of it is convenience, doing what you’ve always done and not trying something new. They were comfortable with this part of the temple and confident in teaching in this environment. People tend to follow traditions and keeping things the way, they are. Part of it could be for consistency, having a specific place to meet, that everyone knows and will not get confused about. It could also be that it was a beautiful place to be, maybe even a good view. It was designed so specific to be made just right. Not that Jesus or the disciples in any way was looking to be seen above others, it was a beautiful place to be surrounded by. Another reason could be, just caring on their time with Jesus, and not moving forward somewhere else, because that is where the good old days happened. There is a lot of reasons why the disciples may have chosen to stay there, there is not anything wrong with teaching here. It was a choice we try to understand what went through the disciple’s minds.
The apostles were told that they would be witnesses of Jesus and proclaim that He is the risen saviour to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (Acts 1:8). They are meeting in the synagogue to emplore the Jews to be reconciled to God as is their practice with every Gentile city they go into – they first meet in the synagogue and speak to the Jews and then speak to the Gentiles of the city. It is an act of obedience to God (Acts 5-7).
You ask, ” did the disciples gathered to this place more than once to teach” , sure, as it not only “was simply a great place to find religiously inclined people!” (as per Acts 5:12, this article), but also according to Acts 3:11, “all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon’s”.
It is interesting that when “Peter and John went up to together into the Temple at the hour of prayer” Acts 3:1, notice that the healed man was holding Peter and John “in the porch that is called Solomon’s!”
Right, I always thought (as many do) that Peter taught, and prayed in the Temple itself, yet, this would not be the case, as the Jews would have not allowed it, as remember, these same Jews had, just prior, killed the “Prince of Life”, which Peter noted in his sermon to “all the people”! They were bold, now that the Holy Spirit was in them, and the best place to show this boldness was right there, hard against the Temple, as close as they knew, without going into the actual Temple. Notice Acts 4:1, 2, 17,18; it spells out just what these Priest, captain of the Temple, and Sadducee’s thought!
Yet, after all this and answer to your question, Acts 5:42 say’s; “And daily in the temple (actually “in the porch that is called Solomon’s”), and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” Thanks