Temple Mount

QUESTION: Temple Mount – Jerusalem in Jesus’ Time

ANSWER:

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the location of the first and second Jewish Temples, the first built by King Solomon in the mid-900’s BC, and the second by the returning Jews from Babylonian captivity in the early 500’s BC. In the first century BC, King Herod rebuilt and expanded the second temple, doubling the area of the Temple Mount and surrounding it with four massive walls. The western retaining wall is the longest and still used today as a sacred area for Jewish prayer.


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Herod’s Temple Mount is the Jerusalem of Jesus’ time. It was this Temple where Jesus taught the people and rebuked the Jewish leadership during holy festivals. The Temple Mount during Jesus’ time was an awesome site, taking 1,000 Jewish priests and 10,000 laborers nine years to complete under Herod. In 70 AD, the Jerusalem of Jesus’ time, including the Jewish Temple, was totally destroyed by the Romans.

The following is a model of Jerusalem in Jesus’ time, including the Temple Mount in the background:


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Since the 7^th century AD, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem has been the site of two major Muslim religious shrines, the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Remarkably, the Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah, is the holiest site in Judaism, the third holiest site in Islam, and a primary site of historical significance for Christianity. Thus, it has been, and continues to be, one of the most volatile sites on the globe.


© 2009 AllAboutGOD.com; View our Copyright Notice.


© 2009 AllAboutGOD.com; View our Copyright Notice.