S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

When David was king, he asked God if he could build a temple (1 Chronicles 17:1-15). God told him no, but he could gather materials for his son, Solomon, to build (1 Chronicles 22:2-5). This temple...

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July 01 2013 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

John Appelt Supporter

In John 2:20, the Jewish leaders misunderstood Jesus when He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” John 2:19. He was speaking of His own body, and that after His death, He would be raised from the dead. They were thinking instead of Herod's temple where they were, which for 46 years had been in the process of being built. 

In about 19 BC, Herod the Great, the king of Judea, who had already built theaters, palaces, aqueducts, fortresses, cities, and many public buildings, decided in his 18th year of reign to win the Jews’ favor by building and renovating the temple.

This was the third major building project of the temple recorded in the Bible. There were no second or third temples but the same temple. There was always one temple even though it was rebuilt several times. (This is like the White House in Washington D.C., which has undergone many changes and renovations, some of them major, and yet has remained to be the White House.) 

Solomon originally erected the temple, I Kings 6:1. Centuries later, it was destroyed by Babylon. But seventy years after that, Cyrus’s edict gave permission for the Jews to rebuild the temple, II Chronicles 36:23, on the same site, Ezra 5:15. 

According to Josephus, the Jewish historian, when Herod worked on the temple project, he enlarged the temple and built it higher. The walls at the bottom of the valley were reinforced, the rocks bound to each other with lead and iron. The area was filled in for a smooth level platform that expanded the temple area. In the courts, he built colonnades with rows of huge columns. He overlaid the walls with gold plates and a large golden vine spreading on the wall. He adorned the temple with the best workmanship to be beautiful and grand. Josephus wrote, “To approaching strangers it appeared from a distance like a snow-clad mountain; for all that was not overlaid with gold was of purest white.” The temple was so impressive that the disciples made it a point to show Jesus the buildings of the temple, Matthew 24:1. Jesus astonished them with the prediction of its destruction, Matthew 24:2.

Even after Herod’s death, the temple continued to be worked on until about AD 63. But in AD 70, the Roman army, led by general Titus, destroyed the city of Jerusalem including the temple. Because it was set on fire, the gold melted and the soldiers turned over every stone to recover the gold, fulfilling the very words of Jesus. Because of this there is nothing left of the temple. (The temple mount is not the remains of the temple, but of a Roman camp. The location of the temple site is elsewhere, likely near the Pool of Siloam, although there is no evidence of it, having been completely destroyed.)

Herod’s temple was one of several temple renovations. Even though it was a grand building, it had a relatively short history.

December 10 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What was Herod's temple / the Third Temple?

The Scriptures do not describe Herod's Temple in detail. Most of what we know comes from the Jewish historian Josephus, who saw the Temple and recorded details in The Jewish War and Jewish Antiquities. Additional details appear in the Jewish Mishnah, while archaeological evidence remains limited. As a result, historians understand the Temple's appearance and construction primarily through these historical sources.

In Jewish Antiquities, Josephus states that Herod began rebuilding the Temple in the eighteenth year of his reign, a date historians generally accept. The sanctuary itself was completed in about eighteen months, but work on the surrounding courts, porticoes, and other structures continued for many years. This helps explain why, in John 2:20, certain Jews said to Jesus, "This temple was built in forty-six years." They were referring to the lengthy building programme still underway at the time. Construction continued until only a few years before the Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E.

The Jewish people were deeply suspicious of Herod and did not immediately accept his proposal to rebuild the Temple. Before allowing the project to begin, they required that all necessary materials and preparations be completed. Even after the work was finished, they did not regard it as a new temple. Instead, they viewed it as a restoration and expansion of the existing Second Temple. For this reason, Jewish tradition spoke only of the First Temple built by Solomon and the Second Temple associated with Zerubbabel and later enlarged by Herod.

Herod's Temple was the impressive temple complex that stood in Jerusalem during Jesus' life and ministry. It served as the centre of Jewish worship, sacrifice, prayer, and religious life. The Holy Place and the Most Holy Place remained at its heart, though the Ark of the Covenant was no longer there. Jewish pilgrims travelled from many lands to worship during major festivals such as Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles.

The New Testament frequently refers to this Temple. Jesus was presented there as an infant, taught within its courts, and drove out merchants who were misusing its sacred space. He also foretold its destruction, declaring that one day not one stone would be left upon another (Matthew 24:1-2).

In 70 C.E., the Roman army under Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple during a Jewish uprising. This event ended the temple era and became a defining moment in Jewish history. Today, the Western Wall remains as a reminder of the vast temple complex that once stood there.

Although some people use the term "Third Temple" when speaking of Herod's Temple, this description is historically inaccurate. Herod did not build a new temple from the ground up. Rather, he renovated and greatly enlarged the Second Temple. Therefore, Herod's Temple is best understood as the magnificent final form of the Second Temple, the one that existed during the time of Jesus and was later destroyed by the Romans.

13 days ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report