Jerusalem Temple know all about it!

The Temple of Jerusalem is a spiritual place, in which miracles and situations took place that made it a temple full of peace, we invite you to learn everything about the Temple of Jerusalem, discover its history and much more here.

History of the Jerusalem Temple

We must begin by telling about the history of the most important Temple of Judaism, it begins in this way, King David, after having achieved victory and conquered the city of Jerusalem, built a fortress and declared it the capital of Israel.

After the Temple of Jerusalem was built, by the son of David, the Ark of the Covenant was brought. For those who do not know what the Ark of the Covenant is, according to Jewish beliefs it is a chest that was built by order of God himself, so that the tablets written by Moses with his laws were protected inside. The Ark of the Covenant, currently it is not known where it is, but inside it is ensured that the tables with the ten commandments are kept.

Initially this ark was in the Tabernacle, a mobile sanctuary that had been ordered to be built by Moses, to place the Ark of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments. King David had good intentions and the best of wishes when transferring the Ark of the Covenant to the Temple, however, at the time of the transfer, they did not respect the way in which it should be transferred. There were clear and specific rules regarding the subject, it had to be moved on foot, loaded with poles that rested on the shoulders of the Levites.

In the first attempt, they mounted to move the Ark of the Covenant in a carriage pulled by oxen and this was about to overturn, in the attempt to prevent the fall of the ark, Uzah touched the ark and was killed by it. Despite the good intentions, rebellions, attempts to take the ark from Israel, King David insisted that he remain in those lands, but he could not finish the Temple, where it would be protected.

King David passed away and could not complete the Temple, his successor King Solomon, better known as the wise king, was the one who completed the house for the Lord, it was a worthy dwelling for him, they say that the Phoenician king sent for the Cedar wood construction from Lebanon, it was decorated with gold, beautiful cherubs, everything to please and honor the Lord.

If we read Chronicles in the old testament, we can find the description of the Temple of Jerusalem, the details will be provided later, but it is important to highlight that in the Old Testament, the Temple of Jerusalem is recognized as the abode of God, where he feels Your presence.

The Temple of Jerusalem is also clear evidence of a before and after of the people of Israel, which went from being a nomadic people to a sedentary people. The Temple of Jerusalem or House of Yahweh was completed in 995 BC and remained intact for more than 400 years, but then came the invasion of the Babylonians, who, under the orders of Nebuchadnezzar, forced the Jews into exile. Jews and in a clear demonstration of power and hatred towards the race and its beliefs destroyed the Temple.

Later, when the Jews were able to return to their country, the Temple of Jerusalem was rebuilt, however, it never reached the splendor of the first temple, which is why there is talk of two Temples and we will also comment on it in this article. But the story about the Temple of Jerusalem is not over yet, they were times of rebellions, conquests, times of impositions and of demonstrating the power between men, cultures.

Alexander the Great allowed the Jews to continue professing their religion, however, the years of peace would be disturbed with the arrival of Antiochus IV Epiphanes who forcefully prohibited the practice of the Jewish religion and used the Temple of Jerusalem to perform pig sacrifices, It was then that the Maccabees rebellion took place.

This was a rebellion carried out by the Jews against the empire that controlled and dominated the Jews and disrespected their culture. This rebellion ended up achieving the expulsion of the Greeks from the city, however, it was inevitable that at the time the Hellenistic influence exerted changes in the beliefs of some Jews and they were also against those Jews who had been convinced and worshiped the Greek gods. .

It is called the rebellion of the Maccabees, because those who started the revolt and organized themselves by adding Jews who thought the same were them, the sons of Mattathias, the first to show dissent in reference to the forced change of religion that had been imposed, the surname of their sons was Maccabees. After this rebellion, the purification of the Temple and the beginning of the Hasmonean dynasty took place, which lasted until the year 63 before Christ, this was the year in which Pompey took the city.

In the accounts found in the New Testament, they point out that Jesus indicated that the Temple was a place of prayer, but also prophesied its destruction. For believers it is a holy word, so it is considered a fact, the Temple was destroyed by Emperor Titus, a Roman politician and military man, who with his army, devastated the city in the year 70 after Christ, but not before having a great resistance in defense of Jerusalem by the Jews.

More than 60 years passed and the Jews revolted again, managing to regain control of Judea and Samaria, but it would only be under their control for 2 years, since the arrival of Emperor Hadrian dominated the rebellion and decisively put an end to all resistance. and razed Jerusalem. After this drastic action by the Emperor Hadrian, the only thing that remained of the Temple of Jerusalem was one of the external walls, which were not even part of the structure of the Temple, but were part of the fortress that protected it.

This relict is what many of us recognize as the Wailing Wall, since then it has become the holiest place of prayer that the Jews have, since it is the only thing and the closest thing they have to the Temple of Jerusalem, the abode of the Lord, the holy Temple.

Description of the Temple

Now that we know its history, which shows the suffering and struggle of the Jewish people since its inception, we are going to describe in detail the structure and architecture of the Temple of Jerusalem, the abode of the Lord, for this, we are going to base ourselves mainly on the description that is made in the bible of the Temple. It is said that it was a large building that was located in an east-west direction, if we have a visual or location from its longitudinal axis.

With 13 meters high, 9 meters wide and 27 meters long, more than the size of a temple, it is said that they correspond to the dimensions of a Chapel, so the cults were carried out from the outside, they could only enter the priests and the king. The entrance of the King and the priests was made through a huge gold-plated door, which was almost the height of the temple, measuring 10 meters high by 4 meters wide. The front of the temple is flanked by two columns, which were named after Jaquin and Boaz.

Based on the dimensions indicated in the scriptures of the Jerusalem Temple, it can be compared to those of a chapel, not only for reasons of capacity but worship was usually carried out from outside. On both sides of the temple entrance, the two columns, called Jaquin and Boaz, were placed, they were built in bronze and were not directly part of the structure, but were placed on the sides, to give it majesty.

The names of the columns were given by King Solomon and have a beautiful meaning, Jaquin was placed on the South side of the Temple and his name means “May God make you Strong” and Boaz who was located to the north, his name means “In He is the strength.” Every time the priests and the king entered the Temple, the prelude to cross the threshold of the great gold-plated door were these two columns, who remembered to ask for strength and who had it.

In the internal part of the Temple of Jerusalem three enclosures are recognized, one of them is a vestibule which was continued by the other two enclosures. The first enclosure was called Hejal or Santo, it was illuminated with natural light that entered through the windows, which were located in the upper part. In this space, part of the cedar wood from Lebanon sent by its king was used, it has a dimension with a ratio of 1:2, so it is determined that they were a double square.

The second enclosure was called Dvir or Kodesh Ha-Kodashím, considered the most sacred place in the Temple of Jerusalem, also known as Solomon’s Temple, since it was he who completed it. This space was proportionally higher than the Hejal and had to be climbed through some stairs to access it. In the Dvir, which had the shape of a perfect cube, was the enclosure where the Ark of the Covenant was located.

It is also worth describing the characteristics of this chest that contained the commandments of God, it was built with acacia wood, it was covered entirely by gold plates, it had two beautiful figures, above it as if paying honor to its content. and of course the four rings with the rods that were used to transport it.

In the inner part of the Temple of Jerusalem there is a patio that is built with three rows of blocks, which are also covered with cedar wood, this place could be used by the faithful and pilgrims, while the sanctuary only had access as we have indicated the King and the priests.

As for the accessories or furniture that complemented the structure of the Temple of Jerusalem, we can highlight the sacrificial altar, which was located after entering the external courtyard of the temple, in which the animal sacrifices that were offered to God were performed. . As for the meaning of this ritual, it was that through the sacrifice the sins died in atonement for them, which meant that the faithful were free of sins and this pleased God.

Also on the outside was a large bowl made of bronze called the “bronze sea”, it was a large water reservoir that was located next to the sacrificial altar. In the old Tabernacle there was also a water basin and in continuity with the use and symbology this container was built that served to wash away sins, it was to eliminate any possible residue of the sacrifices made.

This large bronze bowl was on top of 12 figures of oxen that were also made of bronze. Another of the accessories that was found in the table of breads, was arranged to the right of the entrance to the Holy Place, on this table 12 breads were placed in two columns of six and it symbolized the food that comes from God. The menorah is the great chandelier with 7 oil lamps, this represents the presence of God in the Temple and as they were fed with oil, the anointing of God in our lives was symbolized.

There was also an Altar of incense, it was at the end of the Holy Place, the oracle, the aromas permeated the place and symbolized the supplications that rise to heaven. The separation of the spaces was done with a veil, thus the Holy Place was separated from the Holy of Holies, it was adorned with two embroidered cherubs. The meaning of the veil is very revealing because although it is a fragile material, the only thing that prevented the passage to the Holy of Holies was respect and fear of God.

The construction of the Temple of Jerusalem is one of the most important recognized works of King Solomon, so much so that even today his reign is recognized for the construction of the majestic and ostentatious Temple of Jerusalem. After his death, as we could see in the previously mentioned story, the temple suffered all kinds of desecrations and abuses and finally its destruction.

The Temple of Jerusalem according to the Bible

How could we know so much in reference to the Temple of Jerusalem if it were not for the writings found in the Bible, such as the writings made by other actors and witnesses who were part of history. If we base ourselves on the Bible, the Temple of Jerusalem is the only sanctuary recognized as legitimate by the Israelite people, in which the Ark of the Covenant was found, as we have mentioned.

Inside the temple of Jerusalem there was an altar made of gold, in which pure gold candlesticks and other utensils that were used to make Yahweh’s mass were placed. The Temple was built on Mount Moriah, the location has a history, also reflected in the bible. It is said that David had ordered the counting of his people and God, due to his distrust, sent a punishment that decimated the Israelites.

One day King David saw an angel near Ornan’s threshing floor who was about to hurt the Canaanite tribe, who were known as Jebusites. David humbled himself before the Lord and the Lord forgave him and told the angel to stop and not will release the plague that would destroy the town. King David then decided to buy the property of the Jebusite and paid fifty shekels of silver for it, it was on this land where he ordered the construction of an altar, on which he offered peace offerings, we can find this story in the book of Samuel Chapter 2 , verse 24.

In the book of Chronicles 2 verse 3 they confirm that it is Mount Moriah where Solomon son of David would build the temple. In the book of Genesis, chapter 22, verse 2, it refers to the offerings made by David and how the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem or the Temple of Yahweh was always destined to be. King David had already managed to obtain great treasures, but God planned to build them for Solomon when he became King.

It seems cruel or contradictory, but in reality it is about the way everything was conceived, King David had to recognize and humble himself before the power of God and choose the place where the Temple would be built, but it was not planned to be him, but his son who built it.

When the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem is going to continue, Solomon realizes that the Hebrews did not have the knowledge to create the Temple and that is why Solomon turns to Hiram, who was the king of Tire in Phoenicia and requests support to get builders and workers who have the knowledge to carve stone, goldsmiths to work metal, carpenters for wood.

It was more than seven years of work before King Solomon was able to dedicate the temple of the true God. It is located on the esplanade of Mount Moriah, in the city of Jerusalem, it is very likely that this sacred place is currently where the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built.

After the destruction of the Temple that Solomon ordered to be built, two more temples are distinguished in history. The first replaced the Tabernacle, which was the portable temple in which the Ark of the Covenant with the commandments was kept, serving since its construction as the only center of worship for all the tribes of Israel.

This construction of the first temple by King Solomon marked a before and after in religion, where the Hebrew tradition pointed out that the abode of the God Yahweh was a store and not a true house. It was believed that there were no archaeological remains of this first temple, but the studies and research to learn more about Jewish history have borne fruit.

An archaeological investigation has found what could be the first Temple of Jerusalem and was found among the remains a piece that has inscriptions in Hebrew, which has been recognized as an object belonging to a eunuch who served the King and is also reviewed in the Bible.

Temple evidence

As we have pointed out, most of the information that is known about the temple of Jerusalem derives from the Bible, they were written in the 8th and 4th centuries before Christ, until now not much of the writings in the Bible had been corroborated. , because no archaeological finds had been made, but as we pointed out earlier there are ample possibilities to corroborate the story. As we indicated according to the Bible the Temple was built by Solomon son of David.

By order of Solomon himself, this Temple was declared the main sanctuary of the Israelites, so it replaced the Tabernacle, which had been used since the time of the Exodus to worship the God Yahweh. The Book of Kings and the Book of Chronicles agree on everything that has been said, especially that it would be Solomon who would build the Temple, the Book of Kings in its chapter 6 from verse 1 to 38, tells the detail of how the Temple was built Jerusalem Temple.

It begins by saying that the year 400 plus 80 after the children of Israel left Egypt, in the fourth year of the beginning of the reign of the son of David, the house of the Lord began to be built. They even give the specifications of the size of it, being the cubit the unit of measurement, we can then point out that the Bible in the Book of Kings indicates that it measures 60 cubits long, twenty wide and thirty cubits high.

It also makes reference to the width and height of the entrance porch of the Temple, which was 20 cubits high. Illumination was achieved with the construction of windows that were wider on the outside than on the inside of the Temple. This holy place had lateral chambers, a room in the lower part. It is said that when the house was built, the stones were already finished, so that no noise created by the iron tools would be heard in the lord’s house.

The door of the room is located on the right side of the house and was climbed by a spiral staircase. The house made of beautiful stone was finished and covered with beautiful wood from cedar trees, as were the rooms around the house. And Jehovah approached Solomon and said if he built his house and complies with his laws, he would comply with what was discussed with his father David, he assured him that he would live in it, surrounded by the children of Israel and would not abandon them.

Everything was covered with cedar, no stone was visible on it, it was covered with pure gold and covered the cedar altar with gold, you can read it in verse 20. It is also given in the bible from verse 21 to 28 the detailed description of the cherubim that would be located in the place of the most holy. Verse 38 indicates that it was finished in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, that is, its construction lasted 7 years.

Secondary cameras

In 2 Chronicles verses 3 and 9 they name the place destined for the Ark of the Covenant to be, it is called the Holy of Holies, being the space considered main, in these verses they indicate the existence of cenacles. The detail that is told in the Bible of the Temple of Jerusalem, is what has allowed men to currently have made a sketch and an outline of what the Temple of Jerusalem was like, the mention of these secondary chambers, suggests that the Holy , had a height equal to that of the debir. Also very beautifully adorned with wood and gold. In Kings 3 mention is made of the characteristics.

roofs and windows

The roof of the Temple of Jerusalem was supported by wooden beams and covered with cedar coffered ceilings, the architects who have carried out the analysis of the descriptions of the Temple of Solomon that appears outlined in the scriptures, suggest that since the roof of the temple did not rest on arches, it must have been inclined to avoid leaks when it rained, however, as everything is based on interpretations, others indicate that the roof was flat.

Regarding the windows, these were secured with bars made of wood, the windows had the purpose of allowing air circulation rather than lighting. According to the writings of Kings 1, the space of the Holy of Holies had no windows, so it is supposed to be a very dark place.

bronze pillars

It is in the writings of Ezekiel in the Bible where clear reference is made to the presence of the pillars covered in bronze that were placed not as part of the structure of the Temple, but were majestic decorations that were at the end of the stairs of access.

They also talk about their dimensions in Kings 1. It is said that the pillars were hollow but the width of the sheets that covered them were four fingers wide, Jeremiah 52 verse 21 points out “21 As for the columns, the height of each column was eighteen cubits, and a cord of twelve cubits surrounded it; and their thickness was four fingers, and they were hollow.

Another of the details that are given about the columns is about the capitals that were in the upper part of the columns which had the shape of a lily, it is said in the bible in great detail how the capitals were, however, it was both the dedication in each one of them and their decorations of so much detail, that it is said that it is almost impossible to repeat them exactly.

Playgrounds

The Jerusalem Temple had two important courtyards in its structure, a courtyard called the Court of the Priests and the Outer Court. The Court of the Priests covered the north, south and west faces, with a size according to Ezekiel of 40 and 47 cubits, but they also speak of the Court of the Priests in the books of Kings and Chronicles, as well as about its use and exclusivity of the priests are referred to in Jeremiah.

This patio was built of slabs that were of beautiful stone and there was access from three different places. The importance of this patio is the presence of the altar of burnt offerings according to Kings 1, the description of the altar is found in 2 Chronicles verses 4 and 1. They describe the detail of this altar that had the harel and the ariel.

After this altar came the mountain of God. Also in this Courtyard of the Priests was the bronze sea, which is a large round container made entirely of bronze, it is on oxen made of the same material, where the priests washed their hands and feet, before and after the sacrifices that were offered to God.

The exterior patio or external patios do not have as much detail as the patio of the priests, in addition to that, their existence is supposed because in the Bible in 1 Kings verse 6 and 36, they mention the existence of interior patios, which makes assume external patios.

Reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem

The temple of Jerusalem built by Solomon was erected to the Lord around the year 966 before Christ and it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar 400 years after its construction. Upon returning after being released from captivity, Zerubbabel built a second Temple on the ruins of the first, it is estimated that this construction of the second Temple happened in the year 537 BC. Zerubbabel’s Temple did not have the majesty of the first, the ostentation of Solomon’s Temple had been lost forever.

Those who had known Solomon’s temple noted the austerity with which Zerubbabel’s Temple had been built. Within the scriptures the reconstruction of the Temple of Jerusalem is recognized, however, there are discrepancies in admitting that there are 3 Temples, because if this is the case, Haggai’s prophecy was not fulfilled.

The prophecy indicates that the Glory of the second house of the Lord will be greater than the first, because it will receive the arrival of the Messiah. Based on this, some scholars and interpreters of the sacred scriptures say that for this prophecy to have been fulfilled, the Temple of Zerubbabel should not have been destroyed in its entirety, so that what some recognize as the third temple, it only replaced partially to the second. That is why some only admit the presence of two temples and not three.

However, when the revision of the Septuagint is made, instead of the Vulgate, which is where the aforementioned scripture is found, the prophet asks “Who of you knew the splendor of the first house?”, and then concludes by saying “the final glory of this house will be greater than the first. From this moment and way of addressing those present, it follows that the prophet only recognized one house from Solomon until the arrival of the Messiah.

However, three different temples can be recognized if we base their identification on those who built it and the architectural differences in each of them. The First Temple in Jerusalem was built by Solomon son of David, the Second Temple was built by Zerubbabel, and the Third Temple was built by Herod.

The construction of the first was in Mount Moriah, which is located bordering Mount Bezetha to the north and limited to the east and west by two narrow valleys that join the southern end. It is now recognized that the so-called sacred rock found in the center of the Mosque of Omar was the base of the altar of burnt offerings in the first Temple in Jerusalem.

And why David chose this hill, because that was the place where Abraham would sacrifice his son Isaac, as a sign of obedience to God; It was also the place where David, in the era of Ornan, saw the exterminating angel and humbled himself before God, receiving forgiveness from him and as the third foundation because this was the highest point in Jerusalem.

Considering that this stone is the sacred stone, because it complies with the descriptions made of it, including the hole through which it is said to flow towards the underground channel described for the altar of burnt offerings, the exact place of the house of Yahweh. Let us remember that the scriptures say that it opened to the east, in front of the altar of burnt offerings.

The Third Temple of Jerusalem, called the temple of Herod, was the one that Jesus knew, this temple had a huge patio, which today is recognized as the great esplanade. Among the most notable features are said to be the huge and sumptuous porticoes, which were over 13 meters wide. Some columns of beautiful white marble were recognized that were a unique piece, it was not about stacked pieces of marble, it was a single piece of 11 meters. The roof of this temple was made of cedar wood.

It is also said that this Temple had a huge external patio, which is called the Patio de los Gentiles, and three internal patios that were smaller in size, called the Patio de las Mujeres, which was located in reference to the farthest sanctuary. , then followed the courtyard of Israel and finally the closest to the sanctuary the courtyard of the priests.

Herod’s temple was protected by a wall, which protected the entire temple, the entrance to this sacred place was prohibited to any person who was not Jewish and could get death if he disobeyed this order.

The temple built by Herod respects the characteristics that were indicated in the old testament, which is why two spaces could be differentiated, one where the table was, where the bread and the candlestick were placed, and the altar with the perfumes. This space was separated by a veil from the place where the Holy of Holies is located, the same place where in past times the Ark of the Covenant was placed.

The construction of this third temple happened in the year 19 before Christ, more than a construction it was an expansion of the temple built by Zerubbabel. Although the expansion and reconstruction was really great, it is said that the temple built by Zerubbabel was almost completely knocked down. This third temple in Jerusalem, like the previous ones, is recognized by the name of the king who built it. According to the historical accounts of the scriptures, it is said that the new temple occupied a space of approximately 500 meters long and 300 meters wide.

There is archaeological evidence of the sites from which the materials for the construction of this third temple were extracted. It is really wonderful to be able to demonstrate that the stories that are indicated in the bible can be confirmed in our time with such important findings as these.

Unfortunately, with the looting carried out in the Temple built by Zerubbabel, the Ark of the Covenant was stolen, its whereabouts are still unknown, therefore, this third Temple of Jerusalem did not have several really important pieces of irreplaceable religious value.

Nebuchadnezzar was in charge of disappearing the sacred objects of the Temple, however, the Temple maintained a space reserved for the Holy of Holies, which, like the second Temple, was separated by silk curtains and there were objects that had been consecrated in the first temple in Jerusalem.

Jesus and the Temple of Jerusalem

Our now father Jesus Christ, in his time on earth always recognized the sanctity of the Temple, in which a series of events and situations took place that are part of history and that many of them are widely known. One of the first encounters of Jesus with the Temple was when Mary and Joseph were lost for three days, when they found him, he was in the temple surrounded by the wise priests who listened attentively to what the 12-year-old boy said.

This is one of the most relevant events in the life of Jesus and the Temple of Jerusalem, it is about the presentation of Jesus, it was the custom of the Jewish people of the time, when the children reached the age of 12 they were already considered to be adults, so he could celebrate the Easter holidays with grown men.

As it is known, Easter is the most important holiday of the Jews, since it commemorates when God took them out of Egypt, where they were slaves. Reviewed in Saint Luke, is this episode, in which after celebrating Easter, Mary and Joseph go back home with the pilgrims and after a long journey they realize the absence of Jesus, so full of fear They return to Jerusalem to look for him and that is when they find him in the Temple talking with the teachers about the law of God.

Specifically in Luke 2 verses 46 to 49. When an anguished Mary and Joseph claim his absence, Jesus answered “And why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I should be in my Father’s house? They returned to Nazareth and Jesus grew up with respect, obedience, wisdom and grace, at the age of 30 he said goodbye to Mary, and went to preach.

When he became an adult and left his mother’s house to evangelize, the Temple was one of the places where Jesus preached with greater force, it was in that place where he invited them to follow him. Jesus expelled the vendors from the Temple because he always considered it a sacred place, one of his recognized teachings was to point out that generosity is giving when you have the least, that is true generosity.

This statement is based on an anecdote from the life of Jesus when he was in the Temple preaching and people were depositing alms in the Temple’s treasure chest and a very poor widow deposited just a few cents. Jesus recognized that she was the one who had given the most and made it known to her disciples “everyone has put in what is left over, she has put in everything she had to live on”. The temple of Jerusalem was the place where Jesus experienced great encounters with the people and also the disagreements between politics and religion.

One of the best known episodes of Jesus is his arrival in Jerusalem and how he angrily takes the merchants out of the temple. It is said that Jesus went to visit the Temple of Jerusalem and found the patio “full of cattle” and people exchanging coins, Jesus did not tolerate this situation and with several ropes he acted as a whip and took out the cattle and turned the tables of those who exchanged coins. It was not the first time that Jesus attended Easter in Jerusalem and this is very well described in the Gospel of John.

There is a historical difference between Jews and Christians. It is said that the first Christians arise in the first century after Christ, which is evidence that Jesus was in the Temple of Jerusalem, because in the scriptures each of his actions are indicated.

But the Jews had a heavenly idea of ​​the presence of Jesus, so they consider Christians to be far removed from Jewish foundations. However, it is written about an episode of Jesus in the Temple where he performed an unspecified miracle and the people believed in him, but Jesus did not trust them as he knew them all. Some scholars recognize this claim to know them all, as a quality to recognize the divine and heavenly nature of Jesus, for having the ability to know his souls.

In each of their interventions while Jesus visited Jerusalem, the priests insinuated that this man who had not been educated by them, how could he know letters, God’s laws and be so wise, what they always insinuated and instigated on his person, because for them he was a real threat.

There are several relevant episodes of the life of Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, which are widely recognized and that show in some way the rejection of the Jews, of which we will comment below. Jesus was aware that actions were being sought to accuse him and arrest him and use those alleged infractions so that the people who followed him would turn their backs on him.

One of them was of course the offense with the word and also the failure to comply with the Sabbath, it was true he had failed on one occasion and performed a miracle on the Sabbath and for that they had tried to kill him. But he made them see that his act was one of mercy and the Law of Moses allowed compassionate acts.

There were Jews who knew that a plot was being planned to imprison Jesus, but doubts were planted in them, as to why they did not imprison him if they had, according to them, the reasons to do so. Then they began to think that they had convinced themselves that Jesus was the Messiah, but everyone knew that he came from Nazareth and supposedly the arrival of Christ would be so mysterious that no one would know where he would come from.

This was one of the weighty reasons why the Jews did not believe in Jesus, they did not recognize in him a miraculous arrival. Jesus, aware of his doubts and knowing that they saw him as a man just like them, said in the Temple of Jerusalem “I have come from God, from the process, he sent me”, but what he did was make the Jews furious plus.

Although they went to look for him to put him in prison, he continued his speech and told them that he would be with them a little longer, but that he had to return to his father. After the festivities Jesus was in the Temple, as always people came to listen to him, but a group of Pharisees arrived carrying a woman, who had been caught in adultery. They asked Jesus, “In the law that Moses commanded us, it says that women of this kind should be stoned. What do you say?”.

Jesus knew the intention of the question, they just wanted a reason to accuse him. But the law was explicit, despite this capital punishment had already ceased, but they wanted Jesus to declare it and say that they should not punish her, which would have been a lack of respect for the law of Moses, what was necessary to take him prisoner. The insistence of the Pharisees and the scribes caused Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem to answer with the proverbial phrase: “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

The Temple of Jerusalem was the scene of great demonstrations of wisdom, teaching and the greatness and grace of Jesus, unfortunately the Jews always based the absence of recognition of Jesus as the Messiah, based on his origin, ignoring the grace and evidence of his actions and miracles.

Destruction of the last Temple  

We will comment on the destruction of the Temple, everything begins in the year 70 after Christ, the news was quickly known, the legions of Rome had elected a new emperor, so the ambassadors and representatives of the Romans had to travel and be present in Alexandria. allied states to greet Vespasian, the ruler.

From where Vespasian emerges to become emperor, he was only four years old after having arrived in the Middle East and Nero before being dethroned, after the conspiracy carried out to have a tyrannical regime, had appointed Vespasian governor of Judea, who was entrusted with a single mission, to end the rebellion of the Jews against Rome.

Vespasian, if you will, a calculating and strategic man, based on the failures of previous attempts with the same objective, preferred to wait and prepare the attack on Jerusalem in advance. With the appointment of emperor, he entrusted the task to his son, a man of his complete confidence, Titus Vespasian.

Jerusalem over time and the innumerable attacks, had become a fortress, so it was not easy to take it by assault. Tito had a large army, he had been in command of four legions with a total of 60 thousand men. The walls of Jerusalem were one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome, only within the city there were two great walls, which allowed separating the old city from the new one, which was next to the Temple.

A third wall made it possible to defend the northern area of ​​Jerusalem, which was actually the most vulnerable area of ​​the city of Jerusalem, because it was flat, which made it easy to attack. The pronounced valleys of the geography of the region, made a natural barrier in the western, southern and eastern areas, which made it almost impossible to circumvent the walls.

In addition to the walls built to defend the city, the dissidents of Roman power had become stronger, the Zealots divided up Jerusalem, but there was mistrust between the created groups and it all ended in a civil war, where the priest Eleazar died. The internal conflicts in Jerusalem weakened it, since food reserves were destroyed that could help resist the attack of the enemies for years. With the arrival of Titus, the Jews decided to forget about any possible agreement with the Romans.

All the details that are known in reference to these facts, is due to Flavio Josefo, a Jew who was in the service of Tito and was in charge of writing everything with luxury and detail, these writings are found in the book that is known as The War of the Jews. The attack began on the northern flank, where they deployed a fierce attack with stone bombardment, infantry and more. The Jews defended themselves with torches of fire.

The strength of the Romans was unbeatable and they managed to open a hole in the outermost wall, through which they entered the New City. Already inside Israeli territory, they prepared the attack for the old city. Despite this, the Jews showed their courage and fury to defend Jerusalem, Titus in a way of psychological warfare, had 500 Jews crucified, in front of the wall, there were too many lives, so many that there were not enough crosses, not enough space to place them.

But this gave more strength to the Jews who did not give up, despite this the second wall fell. The Jews under the orders of Juan de Giscala dug tunnels under the embankments that the Romans had built, set them on fire and managed to confront the land they had gained from the Romans but this did not remain there, but in battle they managed to set the weapons on fire enemy assault.

The other strategy implemented by Titus was famine, not letting anyone out of Jerusalem and starving them to death. Perhaps if during the civil war, the grain deposits had not been destroyed, they would have been able to resist for years, but they no longer counted on it. The effects were devastating and the famine allowed the conquest of Jerusalem.

The Roman battering rams brought down the wall of the Antonia fortress, the Temple was the only thing left to take refuge, it was another fortress, the legionnaires used assault ladders to overcome the outer wall of the temple and managed to enter the Court of the Gentiles. Jewish dissidents, including Juan de Giscala and Simon bar Giora, took refuge in the inner enclosure and rejected any offer of surrender.

The Temple Today

The Temple of Jerusalem, which was destroyed more than two thousand years ago by the Romans under Emperor Titus, could be built again. There are many movements won over to the idea of ​​rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem, believers know that the temple will not fall from the sky, that it must be rebuilt, just as its predecessors did in the past. There are organizations that have taken care through social networks to locate all those Jews who are won over to the idea of ​​rebuilding the Temple and it is said that they have already collected a significant sum of money.

The construction of the Temple cannot be achieved in any other way than with the participation of all, aware that it will be a great job, it has the advantage of all the technological and construction advances that exist at the present time, however , it would be following the original architecture, although with the inclusion of security cameras, air conditioning, lighting among other technologies that would make a notable difference. The temple of Jerusalem, without a doubt, would be a place of pilgrimage for all the peoples of the world, at the present time it would be the project that would bring humanity back together.

However, there are important conflicts of interest, the Islamic authorities are on alert before the progress and organization of this project, since it threatens one of the sacred places of Islam, because the Temple would be built in the place chosen by David. , on Mount Moriah. We cannot ignore that the place where the Temple of Jerusalem is to be rebuilt is the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Rock Cathedral.

Those who do not know religious history well may feel a little confused, with the possible conflict that the construction of the Temple of Jerusalem may generate and here we are going to explain it. When we read the Bible we recognize Jerusalem as the holy land and where this statement comes from, from the Book of Genesis, which indicates how God asked Abraham to go to Mount Moriah, to sacrifice his son Isaac, he was a act of obedience, a test that God had imposed on him. This place 900 years before Solomon built the Temple received the name of Salem and was later called Jerusalem.

This city then became the capital of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. That is why for Judaism, there are its foundations. But what happens that both Jews, Christians and Islam recognize Abraham as their prophet, therefore, all three religions claim Jerusalem as their center of worship.

Christians, for their part, also consider Jerusalem their main center of worship, because Jesus Christ founded the foundations of Christianity in Jerusalem, however, in the first centuries, these were considered sects, which is why Christians had to flee from Jerusalem, because they were persecuted and killed, so if they really wanted to prosper as a religion they should protect and strengthen themselves.

The Christians began to found cities that were under the control of the Roman Empire, then Constantine built Christian churches in Jerusalem and despite all the divisions that the Christian church has suffered, Jerusalem is still the place where the first Church arose.

In reference to Islam, this religion is developed from Judeo-Christian beliefs, it is centered on the Coram and on the prophet Mohammed, one of the three most important sanctuaries is in Jerusalem and they will wonder why three sanctuaries, the answer is because one that It is located in Mecca and is considered the most important since it was where the Coram was revealed, then there is the sanctuary located in Medina where Muhammad was buried and the one in Jerusalem where the Mosque is built, which is where Muhammad ascended to heaven. .

For its part, Islam recognizes the version of the Coram as the correct one and points out that the biblical versions or sacred writings of the Jews and Christians are wrong versions, misinterpreted, even if they are prior to Islam. As we can see, the so-called holy land, which should be a land of peace, is far from it. Historically, as we have been able to observe throughout the article, Jerusalem has been a land in permanent conflict and currently there is a tense calm. between Islam and the Jews since there is an interreligious conflict.

But in reality who owns Jerusalem, is a claim between Israelis and Palestinians. The city is currently under the control of the Israelis, however, in the late 1940s, the United Nations Organization issued a resolution practically dividing Jerusalem into two, one part for the Palestinians and another for the Israelis, however, it was not well received by any of those involved, on the contrary, the conflicts in Palestine increased.

Following Israel’s independence, the armed forces of Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan invaded Israel, resulting in Jerusalem being divided, to the East by Jordan and to the West by Israel. Then in the late 1960s, Israel took back the territory taken by Jordan and declared Jerusalem an indivisible land. For its part, Palestine proclaims Jerusalem as its capital. Even today it is expected that Palestinians and Israelis reach an agreement in reference to the city of Jerusalem, this would be good news for the world and the possibility of seeing the temple of Jerusalem erect again.