"The Temple", A Closer Look, by Reggie Koop

An illustration of the temple during Jesus’ time.

The area of the completed grounds was 34 acres. The northern wall was 351 yards long, and the southern wall was 309 yards. The eastern wall was 518 yards long and the western wall (today’s wailing wall) was 536 yards long.

The first temple was build by King Solomon and was completed in approximately 957 B.C., but was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 B.C.

Cyrus, King of Persia, allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple in 538 B.C., but it was not complete until 515 B.C. It was much more modest in size because the Jewish population, and Jerusalem, had been greatly decimated.

Then, in 20 B.C., Herod the Great began to rebuild the temple (during his 17th or 18th year of his reign. Herod rebuilt the temple complex over and around the existing building. The main thing Herod did was double the size of the outer courts. It took 46 years to build and was completed in 26 A.D.

A constructed model of the temple mount as looking from the east.

The southern entrance was the most frequently used by commoners.  The temple was surround by a series of courts.  Immediately surrounding the temple was the Court of the Priests (smoke can be seen rising from the altar of sacrifice in the Court of the Priests).  The Court of the Women was a large square court to the east and front of the temple. The large court surrounding the temple and its immediate courts was known as the Court of the Gentiles.  A balustrade separated the Court of the Gentiles from the temple and its surrounding courts. Anyone could enter the court of the Gentiles, but only Jews could pass beyond the balustrade. It was in the Court of the Gentiles that money-changers and animals were sold.  Thus, this was the place of the Savior’s cleansing of the temple (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-19; Luke 19:41-48; John 2:13-17). The red-roofed area (the Royal Stoa) was where the Sanhedrin met.

Next, was the Court of the Priests. It was here where the sacrifices to God were prepared and offered. Moving further inward was the holy place which contained a seven-branched candlestick, a golden altar (to burn incense) and a table on which the showbread was placed.

The final room was the Holy of Holies. This area was separate by a veil. This was not an “ordinary veil.” It was 60 foot tall and 30 foot wide with a thickness of about four inches (a handbreadth). It was embroidered with fine linen and was blue, purple, and scarlet. It was through this curtain that only one priest could enter only one time per year (the Day of Atonment). Within the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant.