From CojsWiki
From the point of view of Judaism as a religion, there can be no doubt of the historical
importance of the restoration of the sacrificial ritual in approximately 520 B.C.E. Written
soon after the destruction of the First Temple, the Book of Ezekiel held up the dream of a
rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, including an enlarged Temple complex, in which sacrifice
would be offered according to an even higher standard of priestly sanctity and ritual
purity than that required in the levitical codes of the Torah. The restoration allowed Israel
to continue its ancestral worship of God in the ways prescribed by its ancient literature.
More importantly, it established the biblical sacrificial system as the dominant pattern of
worship for the entire Second Temple period. Some groups, like the sect of the Dead Sea
Scrolls, withdrew from participation in sacrifices, but the ritual of the Temple was seen
by the majority of the Jewish people as the most efficacious manner by which to reach
God and secure His favor.
The original structure of the Second Temple, before it was refurbished by the
Hasmoneans, and later, more extensively, by Herod, was built, as already mentioned, at
the decree of Cyrus. Indeed, vessels from the First Temple, recovered by the Persians
from the Babylonians whom they had conquered, were returned to the Jews to facilitate
and encourage the rebuilding of the Temple. Many Jews living outside the Land of Israel
contributed financially to the project. A start was made in the time of Sheshbazzar, but
the disturbances made continuation of the work impossible. Zerubbabel completed the
project. He began by erecting a temporary altar on which to offer sacrifices. Since this act
seemingly contradicted the requirements of pentateuch law, the rabbis later termed it an
emergency measure.
Opposition to the rebuilding of the Temple came especially from the nobles who had
taken control of Judea after the exile. They were probably closely related to the
aristocracy of Samaria. Among those who encouraged the project were the prophets
Haggai and Zechariah. The rebuilding was resumed in the second year of the reign of
Darius (521 B.C.E.). Despite continued harassment by their neighbors, the Judeans
persevered in the work.
While there is no complete description of the Temple built by Zerubbabel, considerable
detail can be gleaned from various sources. It had two courtyards. One report suggests
dimensions of 500 by 100 cubits (about 750 by 150 feet) for the inner courtyard. There
were at least four gates inthe wall of the outer courtyard, and at least one of them faced a
street. There were at least two gates to the inner courtyard. Various chambers surrounded
the Temple in both courtyards. Most of these were in the outer courtyard, and were used
for the storage of tithes, equipment, and vessels. Certain high officials apparently merited
private chambers within the Temple precincts.
The returnees constructed their altar on the site of the altar of the First Temple. The
Temple building was of hewn stone, with wooden beams reinforcing the walls from
within. The Temple itself was 60 cubits (approximately 90 feet) high. The Holy of Holies
was empty, as there was no ark and no cherubim.
The construction was completed in 515 B.C.E., and the rededication was celebrated
amidst great pomp and ceremony. After twenty years of effort, sacrificial worship could
now take place in accordance with the rules laid down by the codes of the Torah. The
Temple would stand as rebuilt by Zerubbabel until the Hasmonean period. While
substantial refurbishing was undertaken by Simon ben Yohanan (Simon the Just) ca. 200
B.C.E., he did not modify the basic structure. (Herod the Great would substantially
refurbish the Temple starting in 20/19 B.C.E.) The returnees to Zion had fulfilled their
dream; God’s house had been rebuilt and He would continue to dwell in their midst.