On this page, learn about the construction of the first and second Temples and the events surrounding their destruction, according to biblical and talmudic accounts. The second temple, built on the site of the destroyed first temple, became the center of the Jewish community in the Persian period. Ask a Rabbi any questions you have on History, The Holy Temples, About, the Jewish Religion|Learn about Orthodox Judaism, Hassidic Judaism & Chabad.

The dates of the construction of the first and second temples. What those terms refer to, that can kind of be a little bit confusing. There have only been two temples of Jerusalem, King Solomon's and The Second Temple of Jerusalem. During the Roman period, in AD 70, the Second Temple was destroyed, along with Jerusalem, by Titus’ army. While the Second Temple was built on the same spot and with the same dimensions as the First Temple, the First Temple was housed right next to the king's palace. Older Jews who recalled the size and grandeur of the first temple regarded Zerubbabel’s temple as a poor substitute for the original. When the Second Temple was built, however, there was no royal palace on the property and it appeared more accessible to the common Jewish people. On this page: The First Temple; The Second Temple; The Roman Siege of Jerusalem; Timeline of the Second Temple Era . We might wonder, why are there are two temples? But the sanctity of the site goes back hundreds and possibly thousands of years before that. Other sanctuaries retained their religious functions, however, until Josiah (reigned c. 640–609 bc) abolished them and established the Temple of Jerusalem as the only place of sacrifice in the Kingdom of Judah. He was crucified about 40 years before the destruction of the city. The First and Second Temples were built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. The First Temple was constructed during the reign of David’s son, Solomon, and completed in 957 bc. To their minds, it did not even begin to compare with the splendor of Solomon’s temple. His son, Solomon, built the first holy Temple about 40 years later.

The First Temple was built in the 10th century B.C.E. The First Temple . It was also during this period that Jesus was in Jerusalem. Jesus and the Money Changers (John 2:13-16) The temple incident depicted in the canonical Gospels is one of the more certain details from the life of Jesus, but scholars debate what the action signified. As the second temple was being built, there was a group of Jews in Jerusalem who were rather disappointed. by King Solomon, according to the Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 5-9).

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