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Three distinct Temples
stood in succession
in Jerusalem
:
Solomon’s Temple
was built in
the 10th century BCE to replace Moses Tent Temple.
The Solomon’s Temple
was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE and thus stood for about 400 years.
The second Temple
was built, on
Emperor Cyrus’ initiative, after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian
Captivity. This return took place around 535 BCE, and, after a number of delays,
the Temple was completed in 515 BCE.
The dimensions of the
Temple Mount were then 150 meters x 50 meters : References : Hecateus of Abdere
or pseudo-Hecateus of Abdere, transmitted by Josephus and Eusebius of Caesarea (References
: Flavius Josephus : Contra Appium : 1/22 ; Eusebius of Caesarea :
Evangelic. Preparation : 9/4).
Herod’s third Temple
was a complete
rebuilding of the entire Temple complex, including extending the Temple Mount :
Herod (King of Jews but not Jew) began his expansion project around 19 BCE :
In order to build a
completely new Temple in a larger and grander version, and before beginning
the building of it, the second (Zorobabel-Hasmonean) Temple was
completely
destroyed (including its Foundations) by Herod. Cf. : Historian Flavius
Josephus (of a Jewish Priestly Family of Jerusalem in the first Century,
Governor of Galilee during the war against the Romans and eye-witness of the
fall of Jerusalem and of the destruction of the Herodian Temple : (References
: Flavius Josephus : Judaic Antiquities : 15/14 ). And this historical
information was confirmed, a few centuries later, by the Babylonian Talmud
(References : Order Neziqin : Tractate Baba Bathra : 3b). -
Therefore the Herodian Temple should more judiciously have been (and be) named
the third Temple.
-
To satisfy
his tyrant Ego,
Herod’s Architectural Concept had denatured and desecrated the
Sanctuary by destructuring the Moses-Solomon Mystical
perfect Cube and by
building atop the Holy of Hollies
(over which the
Shekinah is coming down)
a pagan storey.
This third Herodian
Temple stood downstream of the Jewish Citadel
(= nowadays Haram
Mount) on a
little
square platform of 180 meters x 180 meters (References : Flavius
Josephus).
This modest square
platform
(vanished Temple Mount)
had been erased to the sloppy rock by Emperor Hadrian, in 135.
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