Origen

“ Heracleon pays no attention to the history, but says that in that he was forty-six years preparing the temple, Solomon was an image of the Saviour. The number six he connects with matter, that is, the image, and the number forty, which he says is the tetrad, not admitting of combination, he connects with the inspiration and the seed in the inspiration. Consider if the forty cannot be taken as due to the four elements of the world arranged in the building of the temple at the points at issue, [10] and the six to the fact that man was created on the sixth day. ”

“ Solomon my son, whom the Lord hath chosen, is young and tender, and the work is great, because he is not to build for man but for the Lord God. According to my whole power I have prepared for the house of my God, gold, silver, brass, and iron, wood, stones of Soom, and stones for filling up, and precious stones of many kinds, and all sorts of precious wood, and a large quantity of Parian marble. ”

“ Footnotes ↑ John ii. 20.↑ 1 Kings v. 18.↑ 1 Kings vi. 1.↑ 2 Sam. vii. 2.↑ 1 Chron. xxii. 8; xxvii. 3.↑ 1 Chron. xxix. 1–5.↑ LXX. reads “besides what;” neither reading yields a good sense.↑ 1 Kings ii. 11.↑ Ezra vi. 1.↑ Reading ἠγωνισμένοις. Another suggested reading is γεγωνιωμένοις, which might give the sense “at the corners.” Neither is satisfactory. ”