# Rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 5, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428 "2010-03-05T16:14:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/41 "2010-03-07T15:13:08Z")
> [@Gbro](#): > > Let me put it this way, > If Governor Tim Pawlenty decided he wanted to exercise his authority and and name me, Gbro as the Chief of the Leech Lake Band of Chippewa, well I would be a fake Chief just as herod was a fake king. > He was appointed by the Romans and wasn’t a decedent of David. Let me put it this way. Whether King Herod was legitimate or not, that doesn’t change the facts that you challeneged…that the Western Wall was a retaining wall built by Herod to help support his extension of the temple mount, or that the temple of Jerusalem was in use until it was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70. > [@](#): > > There are many Jewish people that are waking up to reality! I have no real comment, except that this thread is a discussion of the Jewish temple and Jewish messiah, and not what Christians believe about their god. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/42 "2010-03-07T17:50:23Z")
> [@Gbro](#): > > There are many Jewish people that are waking up to reality! [moderating] As other posters have pointed out, witnessing is not allowed in the GQ forum. If you want to debate the relative merits of your religion over someone else’s, do it in Great Debates. [/moderating] ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/43 "2010-03-08T15:20:49Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > Thanks for the replies so far. With the Sabbath nearly over, hopefully we’ll get some posts from those who observe it. I’m still wondering how they managed to rebuild it. Was the exact location of it still in living memory? I don’t know all the requirements for building it (thus this thread), but I recall a lot of them were very difficult. The first temple, built by Solomon, was destroyed when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians around 600 BC, and most of the people were carried off into Babylonian captivity. Subsequently, Babylon was conquered by the Persians, and King Darius allowed Zerubbabel and others of the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple around 70 years after its destruction. So, yes, the location of the temple was within memory of some of those who returned, and probably the foundation and some ruins of the original temple were still visible. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/44 "2010-03-08T15:26:37Z")
> [@Gbro](#): > > He was appointed by the Romans and wasn’t a **decedent** of David. He is, now. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/45 "2010-03-08T16:35:44Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Mrs. Plant points out that to be King, one must be anointed by a prophet. There can be no prophets because there is no temple. There can be no temple until mashiach builds it. There can be no mashiach until he is annointed King… But there were prophets before there was a Temple, weren’t there? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/46 "2010-03-08T16:49:11Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > The first temple, built by Solomon, was destroyed when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians around 600 BC, and most of the people were carried off into Babylonian captivity. > > Subsequently, Babylon was conquered by the Persians, and King Darius allowed Zerubbabel and others of the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple around 70 years after its destruction. > > So, yes, the location of the temple was within memory of some of those who returned, and probably the foundation and some ruins of the original temple were still visible. Was the precise location the hardest part of rebuilding? I assume problems like ritual repurification were solvable. Did anyone at that time try to claim to be the Messiah? Or was it obvious enough that the foreign powers were too strong? Actually, was there even the concept of Messiah at that point in time? ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428/47 "2010-03-08T18:21:49Z")
The Jews have always had the concept of a Messiah, but it was not a prerequisite to building the temple that the Messiah be present. As has been stated previously in this thread, one could make the assumption from the present-day situation that the Messiah would be the only one physically able to rebuild the temple today, due to the political situation in the region and the fact that the Muslims have the Dome of the Rock built on the same site. Where Jews and Christians part company is that Jews believe that the Messiah has not yet come, and they are awaiting him come in glory and overthrow their enemies. (Many) Christians believe that Jesus was/is the Messiah and are looking forward to his Second Coming with much the same outcome. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rebuilding-the-temple-in-jerusalem/531428.md?page=2)