The Second Temple was erected in the same place where the Temple of Solomon once stood. After their release from Babylonian captivity, many Jews returned to Jerusalem and under Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and Ezra’s initiative decided to rebuild the great sanctuary, which stood between 515 BC and 70 AD, during which time it was the center of Jewish sacrificial worship.



According to Rodrigo Silva, archaeologist in charge of the Paul Bork Museum of Biblical Archaeology, Cyrus II of Persia gave permission for the Second Temple to be rebuilt in 539 BC, after he conquered Babylon.



After the overthrow of Babylon by the Persian Empire, some of the Jewish communities were allowed to return to their homeland, but the majority preferred to stay in Babylon, where they had already established themselves in society. Most of the resources for the reconstruction of the Second Temple came from these Jews.



It was only after their return from Babylonian captivity that the present-day form of Jewish religion began being practiced. The services started taking place in synagogues, which still exist today, a habit they acquired during captivity because of the absence of Solomon’s Temple, which was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar. These halls functioned as a meeting place for Jews to pray and have scripture readings. Jews only began sacrificing to the Almighty God again after the Second Temple was rebuilt.



Nothing was modified within the internal structure of the large sanctuary but according to Silva, it was far less sumptuous than the first. “Many Jews cried after seeing the Temple rebuilt because they found it to be more modest than the first one,” he says.



According to the archaeologist, during its reconstruction, the number of pagan sculptures and objects began to multiply exponentially in Israel. This was proven by the large amount of artifacts found during archaeological excavations.





Renovation and expansion of the temple


In the year 35 BC, the Persians and Greeks were no longer the dominating empires; it was the Roman Empire who was having its uprising. After several attempts, the Roman Empire succeeded in conquering Jerusalem. In such situations, it was Roman custom to allow the defeated nation to choose a king from amongst themselves to be the new ruler.



In Jerusalem’s case, the responsibility to reign over the Jews fell upon Herod’s family. However, the people didn’t favor them because they were only half-Jewish. At that time, a true Jew had to be born of a Jewish mother. Herod’s mother was an Idumaean princess.



Herod the Great was known for being an ambitious builder and wanted to destroy and rebuild the Temple on a more magnificent scale. The priests, however, grew frightened, thinking that he would destroy the temple and not build a new one. Because of this, he was only allowed to expand it.



“Herod’s intervention wasn’t in any way something inspired by God. It was this expanded temple, that the Lord Jesus knew and that in the year 70 AD, after several Roman militia assaults headed by Tito, it was once again destroyed,” says the archaeologist. Despite his many achievements, Herod failed to win the trust and support of his Jewish subjects.