The Temples of Israel, Part 5: The Temple That Was Never Built

By Dr. Bill Jones

Part 5 of a 6-part series

Read Part 1 Here

Read Part 2 Here

Read Part 3 Here

Read Part 4 Here

Little-Known Fact
In previous parts of this series, we looked at the Temples (and the Tabernacle) of Israel. We have seen the implicit instructions God gave Moses for the wilderness Tabernacle, the magnificent beauty of Solomon’s Temple, the disappointing inadequacy of Zerubbabel’s Temple, and Herod’s Temple of marble and gold.

The history of those structures ended in A.D. 70 when Herod’s Temple was destroyed by Roman legions assigned to Titus’ command. He was the general in charge of putting down Jewish rebellion once and for all. And thus, all attempts to rebuild the Temple ended.

Or did they?

In a little-known fact of history, there was another serious attempt to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount. It had the blessing and financial backing of the emperor of Rome himself. The workmen, materials, plans, and enthusiasm for construction were all in place.

And yet, not one stone was ever laid.

What happened to this Temple? To answer this question, we must go back in Roman history.

Constantine’s “Vision”
In A.D. 306, Constantine the Great became emperor of the eastern region of the Roman Empire. A series of battles took place in an effort to unite the empire – east and west – under one ruler. In A.D. 313, Constantine marched on Rome with a well-trained army.

It is at this time a story is told of a vision Constantine claims he had. He saw a flaming cross beneath the sun with the words, “In this sign you will conquer.” Constantine’s “conversion is dated at this time.

It is probably closer to the truth to see Constantine’s conversion as an effort to bring unity to the empire by linking all the monotheistic groups into a common cause. Regardless of the reason, Christianity became the religion of the empire.

Suddenly, those who had suffered terrible persecution now found themselves in a position of favored status. It became fashionable and profitable to be called a Christian. It has been said that the history of the Church can be summarized like this: The first 300 years is the history of “the Church in the world”; since then, it has been the history of the “world in the Church.”

An “Opportunistic” Temple
Constantine died in A.D. 337, and in A.D. 361 his nephew Flavius Claudius Julian became the emperor.

As a youth, he received a Christian education under the supervision of Eusebius (the leading Christian scholar). However, Julian was later greatly influenced by Greek philosophy and ideas. He began to see Christianity as a sickness within the body of Roman politics.

Though he did not promote outward persecution of Christians, he did all he could to discredit and isolate Christianity. One way to accomplish this was to allow the Jewish community to build a Temple. Julian saw this as an insult and “slap in the fact” to the Christians. His prejudice against Christianity earned him the nickname of “Julian the Apostate.”

Julian saw the opportunity to rebuild the Temple as a means of discrediting the prophecies of the perpetual ruin on the Temple. What prophecies he was referring to was a matter of debate, or, at least, conjecture.

Many scholars believe Julian’s thinking was connected to a statement by Cyril, the Bishop of Jerusalem at the time of Julian. Socrates wrote that Cyril declared:

… bearing in mind the words of the prophet Daniel, which Christ had confirmed in the Holy Gospels, declared to be beforehand, that now the time was come, when stone should not remain upon stone for that Temple, but the Savior’s prophecy should be fulfilled.

Cyril argued that since the foundation stones still remained, the prophecy had not yet been completed. If a Temple were built on those foundation stones, it would never be fulfilled, thus making the words of Jesus null and void.

Another conclusion came from those who believed the “argument” came from Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman. He told her that people were to “… worship at Jerusalem” (John 4:20). The Jews, they argued, were indeed to worship there, as everywhere, but would worship without the Temple, because they were to worship “… in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23).

But a “spiritual” worship – one without the Temple – was incompatible and incomprehensible to the Judaic worship service. Therefore, when Christianity appeared, the Temple had been destroyed. Julian believed that rebuilding the Temple would falsify Christianity.

Julian’s plan to rebuild the Temple was also occasioned by motives other than his disdain of Christianity. He had initiated a war with King Shapur II of Babylonia, who was at that time a Persian government official.

Julian, no doubt, hoped his promise to the Jewish people would assure him of the tactical advantage of safe passage through Israel, and would weaken the loyalty of the Jewish citizens of the Persian Empire.

Regardless of the reasons, Julian made preparation for the rebuilding of the Temple in A.D. 363. Word of the project spread quickly, and soon there was no lack of volunteers, workers, or even finances. In addition to the emperor’s funds, wealthy Jews gave generously to the cause.

It is extremely interesting to read some of the ancient accounts of this effort to rebuild the Temple. Some say they made mattocks (digging tools), shovels, and baskets of silver. Even large numbers of women volunteered to haul away the debris in the lap of their gown, or with expensive and beautiful silk and linen clothes.

So, what happened to this ambitious project? It was so desired by the Jewish people and even underwritten by the Roman emperor. All the materials were there. Volunteers came from around the Jewish world. Julian even appointed one of his closest and most trusted friends – Alypius of Antioch – to supervise the work.

Furthermore, rubble was cleared from the area in preparation for the construction. Storehouses were erected to provide a place for the many materials. Shelters were built for the workmen. To mark the occasion, an inscription was carved into the stone of the Western Wall. The inscription came from Isaiah 66:14: “Then you will see this, and your heart will be glad, and your bones will flourish like the new grass.”

How the Plan Failed
What happened next is documented by numerous historians, philosophers, and theologians of the day. They include St. Gregory, St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom, Socrates, Theodoret, as well as others not so well known. Some of these lived at the very time of occurrence, and many mention names of people who were eyewitnesses to the events.

Early in the morning of the day the work was to actually begin, a violent whirlwind scattered large amounts of lime, sand, and other loose materials that had been stored for building. A thunder and lightning storm followed. Fire fell and melted the workmen’s tools.

If these stones were the ones preventing Jesus’ prophecy from being completely fulfilled, that was no longer true. The excavations that had been dug for a new foundation were filled from the earthquake. Buildings and coverings collapsed, and many people standing under them were killed.

In spite of all this, many of the workers tried to resume their jobs. However, from the fissures on the earth left by the earthquake, balls of fire burst out. One report said that these balls of fire ranged up and down the street for hours.

Finally, the eruptions ceased and calm prevailed. Then appeared what might be the most difficult part for 21^st century men and women – especially believers – to acknowledge.

Among others, St. Gregory – and early church scholar and writer – relates that in the sky a luminous cross appeared, surrounded by a circle. Upon the clothing – and even the bodies – of the people, were seen crosses. One author relates that the crosses were luminous by night, and at other times they were a dark color. The crosses would neither wash out nor wash off.

The attempt to rebuild the Temple was abandoned. Within a month, Julian unexpectedly died.

Jesus Our Temple
We may well conjecture how much of this is true, how much is exaggeration, and how much was forged by natural causes. What cannot be debated is that a Roman emperor, Julian, made a serious attempt to rebuild the Temple, and his effort was totally frustrated, ending in tragedy and utter failure.

Perhaps one reason for God’s total rejection of this effort has to do with His timing of rebuilding the Temple to coincide with the events surrounding His second coming. Or maybe it was God’s way of saying that, for this age, another Temple (Jesus) has been provided.

When Jesus’ enemies asked for a sign to prove His authority, He replied, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

Jesus’ resurrected body is the Temple for our day. It is a Temple with the power to change lives, and serves as the firstfruit of what we shall one day be like.

Dr. Bill Jones was a longtime teacher / writer with Zion’s Hope.

Up next, Part 6: The Future Temples