John Lightfoot was a noted biblical critic and Hebrew scholar. A Parliamentarian with Presbyterian views, he was appointed Master of St Catharine�s Hall, Cambridge, by the Parliamentary Visitors in the year The Temple was published, and it was dedicated to William Lenthall, Speaker of the House of Commons. He played a considerable part in the preparation of the Polyglot Bible of 1657 (catalogue no. 73 ).
As his title states, Lightfoot was mainly concerned with Herod�s Temple, though he does also deal with Solomon�s and Zerubbabel�s. He offers details on the dimensions and layout, comparing the height of the battlements, for example, with King�s College Chapel in Cambridge. He is also interested in the contents of the Temple and the priestly practices. His treatise is a modest one and has no illustrations. Lightfoot tells his readers that he has drawn a large plan, which makes his description much easier to understand, but that he decided to publish his text first, �to try what acceptance this treatise will finde, before I adde more paines and charge from the ingraving of the Map�.
The expense of copperplate engraving was a serious consideration. Hartlib noted in the year The Temple was published that: �Dr Fuller is writing a Geography of Canaan with curious cuts which cost him 2. hundred lb. The worke may be called Speed�s Canaan.� Lightfoot had links to this project also, as Hartlib records (Hartlib Papers, 28/1/52A [Ephemerides, 1650]):
Hee [Fuller] and Lightfoot would make an excellent compound. The latter was purposing to write also vpon it as hee hath done of Temple-service, but then left it to Fuller who is no Antiquary but of stupendous witt and memory.
Thomas Fuller�s Pisgah-Sight of Palestine was also published in 1650.
