DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4593#0134
THE ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS
III
" MASTER, behold what manner of stones and what
manner of buildings ! " were the words of one of the
disciples to Jesus as they came out of the temple;
and Josephus has told us how great some of the
stones of the Jewish temple were. It is interesting
right in the midst of the Gospel record to find this
note of astonishment and admiration evoked by the
grand and beautiful in art. The more I climbed the
Acropolis the more I repeated the exclamation of
the wondering disciple at Jerusalem, " Behold what
manner of stones and what manner of buildings ! "
Where too can one find more eloquent fragments ?
Is there any place where stones have more secrets to
tell to one who takes pains to study their language?
As we came from the Parthenon one afternoon,
Dr. Dorpfeld called our attention to the large drum
of a column which lay near by. It had been rejected
by the architect because it was not true. We know
that in the building of one of the temples it was ex-
pressly stipulated that all stones should be inspected
by the chief architect and those that were not perfect
should be thrown out. Under this alert inspection no
careless or slovenly contractor could have his bill
audited for imperfect work; the rejected stone could
not become the head of the corner, nor find a place
anywhere else in the building. For centuries this
III
" MASTER, behold what manner of stones and what
manner of buildings ! " were the words of one of the
disciples to Jesus as they came out of the temple;
and Josephus has told us how great some of the
stones of the Jewish temple were. It is interesting
right in the midst of the Gospel record to find this
note of astonishment and admiration evoked by the
grand and beautiful in art. The more I climbed the
Acropolis the more I repeated the exclamation of
the wondering disciple at Jerusalem, " Behold what
manner of stones and what manner of buildings ! "
Where too can one find more eloquent fragments ?
Is there any place where stones have more secrets to
tell to one who takes pains to study their language?
As we came from the Parthenon one afternoon,
Dr. Dorpfeld called our attention to the large drum
of a column which lay near by. It had been rejected
by the architect because it was not true. We know
that in the building of one of the temples it was ex-
pressly stipulated that all stones should be inspected
by the chief architect and those that were not perfect
should be thrown out. Under this alert inspection no
careless or slovenly contractor could have his bill
audited for imperfect work; the rejected stone could
not become the head of the corner, nor find a place
anywhere else in the building. For centuries this