Topical Bible: Temple: The Second: Finished

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The completion of the Second Temple marks a significant event in Jewish history, symbolizing the restoration of worship and community life after the Babylonian exile. The Second Temple, also known as Zerubbabel's Temple, was completed in 516 BC during the reign of Darius the Great, as recorded in the biblical books of Ezra and Haggai.

Historical Context

The First Temple, built by King Solomon, was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, leading to the exile of the Jewish people. After the fall of Babylon to the Persians, King Cyrus issued a decree in 538 BC allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple (Ezra 1:1-4). This decree fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah regarding the end of the seventy-year exile (Jeremiah 29:10).

Construction and Challenges

The initial efforts to rebuild the Temple began under the leadership of Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, and Jeshua, the high priest. The foundation was laid amid great celebration and weeping, as described in Ezra 3:10-13. However, the work faced significant opposition from surrounding peoples, leading to a halt in construction (Ezra 4:1-5).

The project resumed under the prophetic encouragement of Haggai and Zechariah. Haggai exhorted the people to prioritize the rebuilding of the Temple, promising that the glory of the latter house would surpass that of the former (Haggai 2:9). Zechariah provided visions of hope and divine support for the endeavor (Zechariah 4:6-10).

Completion and Dedication

The Temple was finally completed in the sixth year of King Darius's reign, as recorded in Ezra 6:15: "And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius." The dedication of the Temple was marked by sacrifices and great joy among the people (Ezra 6:16-18).

The completion of the Second Temple reestablished the central place of worship for the Jewish people and reinstated the sacrificial system as prescribed in the Law of Moses. It also served as a focal point for Jewish identity and religious life during the Second Temple period, which lasted until the Temple's destruction by the Romans in AD 70.

Significance in Jewish and Christian Thought

For the Jewish community, the Second Temple represented God's faithfulness in restoring His people and His presence among them. It was a symbol of hope and renewal, as well as a reminder of the covenantal relationship between God and Israel.

In Christian thought, the Second Temple holds significance as the setting for many events in the life of Jesus Christ. It was in this Temple that Jesus was presented as a child (Luke 2:22-38), where He taught and performed miracles, and where He prophesied its eventual destruction (Matthew 24:1-2).

The Second Temple's completion and its role in biblical history underscore the themes of restoration, divine providence, and the fulfillment of prophecy, which resonate throughout the biblical narrative.

Nave's Topical Index

Ezra 6:14,15
And the elders of the Jews built, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they built, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Second Day in Passion-Week - the Barren Fig-Tree - the ...
... such authority, and first cleanse the Temple' of the ... as He then began, that and so
He now finished. ... with those accompanying and explaining the second, we find ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter ii the second day.htm

How the Temple was Built While the Cutheans Endeavored in Vain to ...
... first day of the second month of that second year, they set ... of Aminadab, with his
sons; and the temple, by the ... that had the care of it, was finished sooner than ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 4 how the temple.htm

The Temple of Solomon did not Take Forty-Six Years to Build. With ...
... the Lord in the month Nisan and the second month: in ... was the eighth month, the house
was finished according to ... do the Jews come to say that the temple was forty ...
/.../origen/origens commentary on the gospel of john/22 the temple of solomon.htm

The Description of Jerusalem.
... The second wall took its beginning from that gate which ... of it that stood northward
of the temple, and joined ... been taken if that wall had been finished in the ...
/.../chapter 4 the description of.htm

Apion Book 1 Footnotes
... The true number here for the year of Darius, in which the second temple was finished,
whether the second with our present copies, or the sixth with that of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/josephus/against apion/apion book 1 footnotes.htm

The Founder and Finisher of the Temple
... of humanity of a new type, the second Adam, the ... we may be perfectly sure that the
Temple which He ... Authors die, with books half finished, with sentences half ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the founder and finisher of.htm

"Not by Might, nor by Power"
... And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar [the twelfth ... The second
temple did not equal the first in magnificence, nor was it hallowed by ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 48 not by might.htm

Paul's Second Imprisonment, and Martyrdom; Peter, his Epistles ...
... If Peter really finished his career in the Western ... the great Eastern capital, had
destroyed the temple of God ... The Second Epistle of Peter was written soon after ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter x pauls second imprisonment.htm

Promises and Threatenings
... So, when Solomon had finished his great task, 'the Lord appeared the second time,
as He ... of approval during all the years of building the Temple, for none ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/promises and threatenings.htm

Barren Fig-Tree. Temple Cleansed.
... The second variety is the summer fig or kermus. ... to wither as soon as Christ had finished
uttering its ... to Jerusalem: and he entered into the temple, and began ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/cvi barren fig-tree temple cleansed.htm