Israel's Third Temple

During the course of Jewish history there have been two (2) "Holy Temples" classified as supreme above all other Jewish holy sites (such as synagogues). Both supreme Temples were historically located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem, which is the current site of the Islamic Holy Mosque, Dome of the Rock.  Historically, these Temples served and functioned as the center of ancient Israelite  and later Jewish worship. According to Jewish belief, the Temple is a figurative "footstool" of God's presence.

The first Holy Temple was known as Solomon's Temple and was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem and sat upon Mount Zion (later to become known as the Temple Mount). According to the Hebrew Bible, the holy site was constructed under the direction of King Solomon, king of the Israelites, around the 10th century BC (although secular date estimates vary). The first Temple was dedicated [to the God of Israel] during the era of the kingdom of Judah around 997 BC and housed the Ark of the Covenant, which carried the original Ten Commandments and Hebrew laws given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The Temple endured for 410 years (per Rabbinic sources) and was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II, after the Siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC. (according to Seder Olam Rabbah, he places construction in 832 BC and destruction in 422 BC and the Christian Bible places erection and destruction of the Temple at the years 957 BC and 586 BC, respectively).  Regardless of the correct date, the Temple was never rebuilt during the reign of the Babylonian Empire.

Depiction of  Solomon's Temple

The second Holy Temple was made possible after the accession of Cyrus the Great of Persia in 538 BC., who is also credited with re-establishing the city of Jerusalem. According to the Christian Bible, when the Jewish exiles [from the Babylonia captivity] returned to Jerusalem following a decree from Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1:1-4, 2 Chron 36:22-23), construction started at the original site of Solomon's Temple, which had remained a devastated heap during the approximately 70 years of captivity (Dan. 9:1-2). The second Temple was completed c/518-515 BC under the reign of King Darius of Persia (Ezra 5).

However, Flavius Josephus records that Herod the Great completely rebuilt the Temple, even going so far as to replace the foundation stones and to smooth off the surface of the Temple Mount. The Temple became known as Herod's Temple.  The Temple remained the Jewish center of worship and sacrifice for at least 585 years and was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD under the authority of Titus (who would later become Roman Emperor under the Flavian dynasty).  This period witnessed major historical upheavals and significant religious changes that would affect not only Judaism but Christianity and Islam as well. The origins of the authority of scripture, of the centrality of law and morality in religion, of the synagogue and of apocalyptic expectations for the future all developed during this era. Again controversy arises as to the date of the Temple's erection. Traditional rabbinic sources state that the Second Temple stood for 420 years and based on the 2nd-century AD work by Seder Olam Rabbah, place construction in 350 BC and destruction in 70 AD. While the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple, the lower levels of the Western Wall form part of the few surviving remains of Herod's complex.

Depiction of Herod's Temple

A third Holy Temple, also known as Ezekiel's Temple, is architecturally described in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40-42) as being a "dwelling place of the God of Israel on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem". This temple, which the prophet Ezekiel envisioned, has not yet been built. The prophets of antiquity, including Ezekiel, called for the temple's construction to be fulfilled prior to the Messianic age. The rebuilding of the Third Temple also plays a major role in some interpretations of Christian eschatology (mainly Protestants who believe a future temple will herald in the "End Times").

The Jewish religion is made up of three (3) divisions and they all have different views as to the reason for rebuilding: Orthodox Judaism believes in the rebuilding and the resumption of sacrificial worship, although there is disagreement about how rebuilding should take place. Orthodox scholars and rabbinic authorities generally believe that rebuilding should occur in the era of the Jewish Messiah at the hand of Divine Providence, although a minority position, following the opinion of Maimonides, holds that Jews should endeavour to rebuild the temple themselves, whenever possible. However, the followers of  Conservative and Reform Judaism, disavow the restoration of sacrificial worship.

While a few, such as Rabbi Shlomo Goren the chief rabbi of the IDF (and later chief rabbi of the State of Israel, who advocated the building of the Third Temple) have tried unsuccessfully to reclaim sovereignty over the Temple Mount, in January of 2005 a declaration was signed confirming the 1967 decision which stated no Jews were allowed on the mount due to issues of ritual impurity and holds that it is forbidden for Jews to enter any part of the Temple Mount.

Because of the religious sensitivities involved, and the politically volatile situation in East Jerusalem, only limited archaeological surveys of the Temple Mount have been conducted. Since no excavations have been allowed on the Temple Mount during modern times, there is no direct archaeological evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple or Herod's Temple. But that has not stopped some from wanting to rebuild this sacred edifice.

Depiction of Ezekiel's Temple

From the ancient era until our modern times, the rebuilding of the third "Holy Temple" has been an ongoing challenge for completion amongst mankind.