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The Second Temple
by Lawrence
H. Schiffman
As the central Jewish place of sacrificial worship from about 515 B.C.E. until its destruction
by the Romans in 70 C.E., the second temple in Jerusalem played a major role in
the religious and national life of the Jewish people.
According to tradition, the first temple was constructed
by King Solomon in the mid-10th century B.C.E. upon the Temple Mount, a hill in Jerusalem believed to be “the place that
the Lord will choose” as his dwelling (Deuteronomy 12:14-15 and
passim).
It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E.
Half a century later, in 538 B.C.E., Cyrus II (Cyrus the Great,
King of Persia and Media), who had vanquished the Babylonian army, decreed that the temple of the Jews in
Jerusalem was to be rebuilt and the exiles might return to Judea, which had become the Persian province of Yehud (Ezra 1:2-3, 2Chronicles 36:23).
At the urging of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, Zerubbabel
began construction of the second temple in 521 B.C.E.
The second temple was completed around 515 B.C.E., was then
substantially enlarged by the Hasmonean Dynasty, and was completely refurbished and enlarged by Herod
the Great beginning around 20 B.C.E.
How did the second temple function?
A detailed description of the Herodian temple is provided by Josephus, and the Mishnah, which was completed around 200 C.E., provides a temple
plan for what appears to be the pre-Herodian structure, probably constructed
after the Maccabean Revolt of 168-164 B.C.E.
In addition to the temple building itself, the temple area (Greek, temenos) consisted of an outer courtyard
surrounding the complex; the Court of the Women, which both men and women could
enter; and a courtyard that enclosed the altar for burnt offerings.
Only male Israelites were permitted in the Court of Israel, a
small strip extending along the width of the inner courtyard.
Beyond the Court of Israel, only priests were permitted to
enter.
Inside the temple building were the menorah, table for showbread, incense altar and, further in,
the holy of holies.
Biblical tradition held that this had been the location of the
ark of the covenant in the first temple.
According to Second Temple period and rabbinic sources, the Jews believed that the temple was the place
from which divine powers emanated to the world.
The temple endowed sanctity to the entire city of Jerusalem and
the land of Israel beyond it.
Rabbinic sources concretized the temple’s centrality by
requiring Jews to pray facing Jerusalem — and, if praying in Jerusalem, to pray
toward the temple.
If praying in the temple itself, one must pray toward the holy of holies.
Sacrificial offerings and prayers were performed twice daily, in
the morning and late afternoon, with additional rites on Sabbaths and festival
days.
Offerings were tendered for forgiveness of sin, purification from contact with the dead and other ritual impurities, and expressions of gratitude to God.
These and other offerings involved pure (kosher) animals such as cows, sheep, goats, and birds, grain
offerings, or the first fruits of each season.
The priests (Hebrew, kohanim) traced
their ancestry to the descendants of Moses’ brother Aaron, and the
Levites, who traced their ancestry to Jacob’s son Levi, were their assistants.
They provided the musical psalmody, assisted with the upkeep of
the sanctuary, and served as guards and doorkeepers.
They also coordinated supplies and helped with the financial
administration.
During the Great Revolt of the Jews against Rome, in 66-73 C.E., various
Jewish rebel groups fought in Jerusalem for control of the temple, which
symbolized the leadership of the nation.
Ironically, this conflict led to the Romans’ razing of the city —
and the temple itself — in 70 C.E.
After the destruction, Jews throughout the world who had
contributed money each year for sacrifices and temple upkeep had to pay their
half-shekel as a tax to the Roman government.
What is the significance of the second temple in Judaism and Christianity?
The second temple and its rituals were a point of contention
between various Jewish groups of the time, with numerous texts criticizing the
temple for violating the laws of the Torah.
The Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ disagreement led to inconsistent
control of temple rituals.
Sadducean views held sway until the Pharisaic approach took over
after the Maccabean Revolt, but the Sadducees regained control later in the
Hasmonean period.
The Dead Sea sectarians, who believed temple ritual was being
conducted illegitimately, abstained completely.
Josephus reports that the Essenes processed offerings in their own area of the temple
in order to fulfill their special ritual purity requirements.
The Temple Scroll from Qumran, like the end of the book of Ezekiel, looked forward to
a vastly expanded temple complex.
Josephus records numerous events around the temple during pilgrimage festivals, often related to the deteriorating
relationship between the Jews and their Roman rulers.
Huge numbers of Jews from all over the world attended the
pilgrimage festivals. According to Josephus, 256,500 lambs were sacrificed to
accommodate more than 2.7 million people at the Passover celebration of 66 C.E.
While this may be an exaggeration, Josephus also reports that
during that Passover, right before the outbreak of the Great Revolt, a massive
protest erupted against the actions of the Roman procurator Florus.
The temple also played a central role in the early history of
Christianity.
Jesus’ family came to the temple after his birth to celebrate
the redemption of the firstborn (Exodus 13:13, Numbers 18:15-16) and so that his
mother could offer the sacrifice the Torah requires after childbirth (Leviticus 12).
Most first-century Jews in the land of Israel observed these
rites.
Later, Jesus taught in the temple during one of his family’s
Passover pilgrimages (Luke 2:41-48).
Jesus saw the financial arrangements of temple maintenance and
the purchase of sacrifices as corrupt, resulting in his famous protest, the
overturning of the moneychangers’ tables (Mark 11:15 and parallels).
This incident took place around Passover, as Jesus was
participating in the festival (John 2:13).
Indeed, according to the Gospels, Jesus predicted the temple’s
destruction (Mark 13:1-2 and parallels).
The temple and its sacrifices figure especially prominently as
symbols in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Many later Jewish and Christian rituals were based on temple
rituals.
For Jews, daily prayers replaced the sacrifices that could no
longer be offered at the temple.
Other temple rituals, such as the Passover seder and the
carrying of the palm branch (Hebrew, lulav) and
citron (Hebrew, etrog) on Sukkot, were transferred to the home or the synagogue, which is
regarded as a replacement for the temple.
Church worship was also largely patterned on the rituals of the
second temple.
The second temple in Jerusalem was the central place of worship
for the Jewish people from ca. 515 B.C.E. until its destruction by the Romans
in 70 C.E.
Did you know…?
· According to
biblical tradition, the temple was the permanent structure modeled on the
movable desert tabernacle described in Exodus. The Jews built
the tabernacle as they traveled to the promised land after their liberation from slavery in Egypt.
· Different parts of
the Temple were understood as symbols of the universe. The 12 loaves
represented the 12 months, the seven lamps burning on the menorah hinted at the
orbits of the seven planets known to the ancients, and the colors blue and
green symbolized the sky and earth. These symbols showed that God ruled over
the entire universe, not just one part of it.
· Only the high
priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies, and only on one day each
year: Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the most sacred day of the Jewish calendar. So awesome was
the presence of God in that place that, according to postbiblical Jewish sources, a special prayer was uttered upon his exit
to thank God for his safe return.
· The Roman emperor
sponsored a daily voluntary sacrifice at the temple. This sacrifice was offered
by the Jews as a substitute for emperor worship, which was required throughout
the Roman Empire. As a rebellion
against Rome, some Jewish priests prevented the offering of the Emperor’s
sacrifice, touching off the Great Revolt, which ultimately resulted in the
second temple’s destruction in 70 C.E.
· The Dead Sea Scrolls envisioned a temple even grander than the second temple.
It had three concentric courtyards with 12 gates, one for each of the tribes of
Israel, and was designed to cover the entire ancient city of Jerusalem. This
temple plan was never realized.
Lawrence
H. Schiffman
Professor, New York University
Professor, New York University
Lawrence H. Schiffman is the Judge
Abraham Lieberman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and director of the
Global Institute for Advanced Research in Jewish Studies at New York
University. He has written extensively on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinic
Judaism. His most recent books are The Courtyards of the House of the
Lord: Studies on the Temple Scroll (Brill, 2008) and Qumran and
Jerusalem: Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the History of
Judaism (Eerdmans Publishing, 2010).
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