The Herodian Temple

The Jerusalem Temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world The Jerusalem Temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Even Jesus’ disciples were impressed by its magnificent splendour; “His disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the temple.”(Mt.24.1) Herod’s Temple superseded Zerubbabel’s temple (ca.515 BC) which had been built after the Babylonian exile as a replacement for the original temple built by Solomon (ca.964 BC) and destroyed by the Babylonians in BC 586.

The historian Josephus describes the temple (Jos. Antiq. xv. 11; War v The historian Josephus describes the temple (Jos. Antiq.xv.11; War v.5), and it is also described in the Mishnah (Middōth). The materials were brought together before the old structure was taken down. Work was commenced in the 18th year of Herod’s reign, 20-19 BC. The main edifice was built by the priests in a year and a half, and the cloisters were built in 8 years; but the work on the entire complex of courts and buildings was not completed until the procurator-ship of Albinus, A.D. 62-64 (Jos. Antiq.xv.15, 5 and 6;xx.9,7; cf. John 2:20).

Wailing Wall The Temple proper stood upon the highest ground on the platform which had been enlarged to twice its former dimensions by Herod (Jos. War 1.21, 1).The scale of the building can be gathered from the size of the platform that was surrounded on all sides by porticoes with Corinthian colonnades. All that remains visible of the outside platform can be seen at the ‘Wailing Wall’ (the Kotel or ‘Western Wall’) – the red rectangle on the picture.

The Temple was under constant construction for nearly 80 years and barely two and a half years after it was completed rebellion against Rome saw the commencement of the Jewish war and the destruction of the Temple three and a half years later, as predicted by Jesus; “There shall not one stone be left on another that shall not be thrown down” (Mt.24.2).

The Temple was destroyed by Titus and its fall is celebrated on his triumph arch in Rome which depicts the Temple instruments being displayed to the public in a victory parade. The subject of the exact location of the Temple on the Temple Mount is politically sensitive because of the location of the Dome of the Rock which is a holy site for Muslims. Some Muslims even deny the existence of the Temple despite historical and archaeological evidence to the contrary.