Second Temple Completed
516 BC
📂 BIBLICAL
📖 About This Event
The Second Temple, also known as the Temple of Zerubbabel, was completed and dedicated in 516 BC, approximately sixteen years after the first group of exiles returned to Jerusalem under Cyrus's decree. Though the foundation had been laid in 536 BC, opposition from the surrounding peoples and the people's own discouragement had halted the work. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah stirred the people to resume the construction, and the Temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius I (Ezra 6:15).
The dedication of the Second Temple was celebrated with great joy, though the older men who had seen Solomon's Temple wept at the comparatively modest structure. The Second Temple lacked some of the glory of the first—the Ark of the Covenant was not present, and the Shekinah glory did not fill it as it had Solomon's Temple. Yet it would serve as the center of Jewish worship for nearly 500 years, until Herod the Great began its massive expansion (which is the Temple Jesus knew), and until its destruction by the Romans in 70 AD.
The Catholic Church sees in the Second Temple a sign of God's faithfulness to His promises. Despite the exile and the loss of the first Temple, God restored His people and their place of worship. The Second Temple would be the setting for many events in Jesus' ministry, including His presentation as an infant, His teaching as a boy, and His cleansing as an adult. Key Scripture: Ezra 6:13-18; Haggai 2:3-9; Zechariah 4:6-10; Luke 2:22-38; John 2:13-17; CCC 57-59
📜 Key Facts
Date
516 BC
Category
Biblical
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