Rebuilding of the Temple

Biblical Account

The rebuilding of the Temple was the event in which the people of Judah who had returned from the Babylonian exile rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by the army of Nebuchadnezzar. The event is recorded chiefly in Ezra 1–6, and prophecies from the same period appear in Haggai and Zechariah 1–8. To distinguish it from the First Temple built by Solomon, this temple is called the Second Temple.

• Beginning: King Cyrus of Persia issued a decree permitting the building of the temple (Ezra 1:1-4). Under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Jeshua the high priest, the returned exiles first built the altar and then laid the foundation of the temple (Ezra 3). At that time the old men who had seen the first temple wept aloud, while many others shouted for joy (Ezra 3:12-13).
• Interruption: The surrounding inhabitants offered to help with the building, and after their offer was refused, they obstructed the work. As a result, construction ceased until the second year of King Darius (Ezra 4:24).
• Resumption and completion: Encouraged by the prophesying of Haggai and Zechariah, the people resumed the work (Ezra 5:1-2). Darius had a search made for Cyrus's decree and, after confirming it, approved the work. The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar in the sixth year of Darius, and the people held a dedication and kept the Passover (Ezra 6:15-22).

Background

Many scholars date Cyrus's decree to around 538 BC and the completion of the temple to 516 or 515 BC. Haggai rebuked the people for adorning their own houses while leaving the temple in ruins, and he urged them to resume the work (Haggai 1:4). The arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem (Ezra 7) and the rebuilding of the walls by Nehemiah took place after the temple was completed and should be distinguished from the rebuilding of the Temple. The Second Temple was later greatly expanded under Herod. The statement in John 2:20, "Forty and six years was this temple in building," refers to this expansion project.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Haggai prophesied, "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former" (Haggai 2:9). Zechariah declared that the work on the temple would be accomplished "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit" (Zechariah 4:6; Zechariah 4:9-10).

The New Testament carries the theme of the temple forward to Jesus and the church. Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," and John explains that he spoke of his body (John 2:19-21). Paul and Peter call believers and the church the temple of God and a spiritual house (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:5). Revelation states that the New Jerusalem has no temple, for God and the Lamb are its temple (Revelation 21:22).

Interpretations and Issues

• The order of Ezra 4: Many interpreters regard Ezra 4:6-23 as a collection of accounts of opposition that occurred under later kings (Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes). This opposition concerned the work on the city walls and belongs to a different period from the halting of the temple work (4:24).
• Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel: Ezra 5:16 says that Sheshbazzar laid the foundation, while chapter 3 speaks of Zerubbabel's leadership. Scholars differ on whether the two are the same person and on what role each played.
• Haggai 2:9: Many Christians read this verse as referring to the Messiah's coming to the Second Temple. Others interpret it more broadly as the glory of God to be revealed at the end of the age.
• A third temple: Dispensationalism, appealing to Ezekiel 40–48 and other passages, anticipates that a temple will be rebuilt in the future. Covenant theology holds that the meaning of the temple has been fulfilled in Christ and the church.
• Later traditions: The claim that the Ark of the Covenant was absent from the Second Temple is not stated directly in the biblical text. It comes mainly from later Jewish tradition.

In the Korean Church

Korean churches commonly refer to the main sanctuary as the "temple" (seongjeon). For this reason, Haggai 1 has often been cited in sermons encouraging church building projects or building fund offerings. Some critics object to equating church buildings with the Old Testament temple, pointing out that the New Testament describes the church not as a building but as a community of believers.