Herod's Temple

Reconstruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod JJ Tissot

Previous Notes on Josephus' account of Herod's Building Work (and therefore the politically explosive nature of any comments about destroying the temple)

The temple was not only the heart of Israel’s religious life but also the symbol of its national identity. The rededication and purification of the temple in 164 AD after Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled it with the worship and altar of Zeus and the restoration of temple worship were the high points of the Maccabean victory and were commemorated annually thereafter in the feast of Dedication in December. The patriotic as well as religious symbolism of the temple was thus enormous, and the magnificence of Herod’s rebuilding matched its symbolic significance.  The Gospel of Mark (The new international Greek testament commentary) - RT France) p436-7