By Dr. Bill Jones
Part 4 of a 6-part series
From Zerubbabel to Herod
We have seen in previous parts of this series the purpose of the Tabernacle, the magnificence of Solomon’s Temple, and the inferior Zerubbabel’s Temple that was built after the Babylonian captivity.
Though inferior, that Temple stood and served the Jewish nation for 500 years. It withstood the tumultuous years between the Old and New Testaments (about 4 centuries). It would be desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 B.C., and reclaimed, cleansed, and rededicated by the Jewish people in 165 B.C., which initiated the Feast of Dedication and the eventual holiday of Hanukkah (John 10:22).
For about 100 years, the Jewish people enjoyed a period of self-rule. By 36 B.C., Herod the Great was appointed by Rome to be the king of Judea. Because of his character, he would be called many things, most of them cruel and despicable in nature.
But he was also a brilliant architect, which is how he acquired the nickname “the Great.”
Expanding the Temple Mount
In about 20 B.C., Herod decided to enlarge and beautify the Temple. Several reasons for this have been suggested.
One is that Herod desired to build his ego by constructing a Temple more magnificent than Solomon’s. A second possible reason is that he desired to find some favor with the Jewish people by building this beautiful edifice. The third – and most likely – reason for Herod’s undertaking to rebuild the Temple had to do with the limited space and huge crowds of people who came to the Temple for the major Jewish feasts.
The Temple Mount at that time was less than 18 acres. It was not unusual to have 200,000 people attempting to crowd into that small space on a feast day such as Passover. The crowded conditions made riots a serious possibility.
The one thing rulers of Roman provinces did not want was a citywide riot. Caesar looked upon such behavior with great disapproval. The ruler was, at the least, rebuked and, at most, removed from power. It was greatly to Herod’s advantage to eliminate the potential for rioting.
Herod more than doubled the size of the Mount itself – to almost 36 acres – allowing it to accommodate in excess of 300,000 people. But Herod was not content to just enlarge the Mount; he was determined to erect beautiful buildings to accompany the project.
Enlarging the Temple
Herod next turned his attention to the Temple itself. The Jews feared that if Herod dismantled the current (Zerubbabel’s) Temple, he would never rebuild another.
Some scholars disagree and believe that indeed Herod did destroy the old one and constructed a new one. However, the majority of Orthodox Jews call Herod’s Temple “the Second Temple,” indicating it was an extended project – up, over, and around the old one.
Regardless of which theory is correct, the Temple Herod constructed could only be described as magnificent and beautiful.
The priests declared that if anyone other than a priest handled the materials for the Temple proper, it would become desecrated. Therefore, Herod had 10,000 priests trained in the art of stonemasonry. They were the ones who build the new edifice.
But the Temple was not the only building constructed. Other structures – beautiful porches, a system of aqueducts and underground drainage tunnels, as well as a host of other projects would take a total of 82 years to complete.
Over the course of time, the vast construction project would include 10,000 carpenters and craftsmen, 90,000 woodcutters, and 30,000 stonecutters. In total, 181,000 men worked on rebuilding the Temple area. When it was finally completed in A.D. 62, the Jewish historian Josephus said there were still 18,000 laborers completing the work.
Its Spectacular Appearance
The Temple itself may have been the crowning achievement of Herod’s career. More than 150 feet high (possibly 180), the Temple was constructed of marble, in which the reflected sunlight turned into beautiful hues. Herod began covering the outer façade with gold plating, but the Jews asked him to stop because the colors of the marble were more beautiful than the gold layering.
A magnificent porch was built on the front of the Holy Place. Over the lintel of the giant portico was a solid-gold replica of a grapevine. According to Josephus, the grape clusters were the size of a man.
Inside the Holy Place, there was only one golden lampstand, one table of showbread, and one altar of incense. It did not have 10 lampstands and tables as did Solomon’s. The interior of the sanctuary was completely covered with solid-gold panels, each about 18 inches square, and as thick as a gold coin.
The panels were taken down and displayed outdoors during the 3 main pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles). After the festival, they were returned to the Holy Place.
Separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was the veil of the Temple. There seems to be some difference of opinion, once again, as to the exact dimensions and configuration of the veil. Because the Holy of Holies was 30 feet wide and 90 feet high,[1] it should be safe to assume that the veil covered the entire opening.
There is some consensus among scholars that there were actually 2 veils, hung 18 inches apart. The one nearest the Holy Place had an opening 18 inches wide at the southern (left) end. The priest would enter there, walk in the 18-inch space between curtains to the northern (right end), where the second curtain had an 18-inch opening into the Holy of Holies.
This arrangement of the curtains kept any unauthorized people from looking into the Holy of Holies. Actually, the High Priest was the only person authorized to enter into the Holy of Holies. In the Mishnah – one of the ancient writings of the traditional oral law – we read: “The veil was one handbreadth thick,” or 4 inches. “… it was made by 82 young girls and they used to make two in every year; and 300 priests immersed it [to purify it before hanging].”[2]
Once the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, it must have been a great disappointment to see there was no Ark of the Covenant. Instead, a foundation stone 3 fingers (inches) thick was there. The Ark would have rested on that stone. What happened to the Ark?
According to Jewish tradition, when the Babylonian army was on the march to destroy Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the Jews removed the Ark from Solomon’s Temple. They did want the Ark to be captured by the pagan Babylonians. They hid the Ark, and its location is still debated to this day.
On the roofline of the Temple was a 6-foot-high parapet with 18-inch gold spikes on its tops. It was to keep ravens and other birds of prey from perching about the slain sacrificial animals. Interestingly enough, the spikes were called “scarecrows.”[3]
The Fate of Herod’s Temple
What was the end of the magnificent structure?
In A.D. 70, the Romans came to destroy the city and its Temple. The general of the Roman army, Titus, originally intended to spare the Temple because of its great beauty. However, as the Lord Jesus had prophesied it would be destroyed (Matthew 24:2), indeed it was to the point that not one stone would be left standing on another.
Some soldiers accidentally set fire to the Temple. The heat caused the gold layering to melt and run between the crevices among the stones. The soldiers then dismantled the building to scrape the gold. Because of their love of gold they fulfilled Jesus’ prophecy to the letter – not one stone was left upon another.
With the destruction of the Temple, the Jewish people also lost their priesthood and sacrificial system. In so doing, God no doubt desired to turn their eyes, hearts, and minds from the SHADOW (the Temple) to the SUBSTANCE (Jesus the Messiah). Unfortunately, this has not happened for the vast majority of them.
For us, however, it should be different. As we read the many scriptures about the Tabernacle and Temples of Israel, may we indeed read of the structures, but may we see Jesus – for it is He of whom they speak!
Dr. Bill Jones was a longtime teacher / writer with Zion’s Hope.
Up next, Part 5: The Temple That Was Never Built
[1] Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Merrill F. Unger, Moody Press, 1966, pp. 1081-1082.
[2] Archaeological Society, Washington D.C., 1990.
[3] Ibid.
Zion's Hope 
This was one of my favorite places to visit! The model of Jerusalem was fabulous and made it so much easier to picture Bible events in my mind.
LikeLike