Beautiful Gate Beautiful Gate, Gate called Beautiful. A gate of Herod’s temple where Peter and John healed a lame man (Acts 3:2, 10).

The exact location of this gate is unclear. It was probably the East Gate that divided the court of the Gentiles from the court of women. It could possibly be identified with a gate covered with plates of Corinthian brass, singled out by Josephus in his description of the temple (Jewish War 5.201, 204–5; see also 6.293). On the other hand, Josephus may be referring to the Nicanor Gate.

Some have identified the Beautiful Gate with the Nicanor Gate, which is mentioned in m. Middot 1.4; 2.3, 6; m. Yoma 3.10. Others have identified it with the Shushan Gate of m. Middot 1.3. (The Shushan Gate was an outer gate of the Temple Mount, providing an entrance to the court of the Gentiles.) It is more likely that although both the Nicanor and Beautiful gates were on the east side of the temple, the Nicanor Gate divided the court of Israel from the court of women, and the Beautiful Gate divided the court of women from the court of the Gentiles.