Restoration
Epoch 95 · 516 BC
Temple Completed under Darius
The rebuilt temple is finished and dedicated, restoring public worship in Jerusalem.
Header image source: Unsplash search: stone city
Bible references
Scripture in full
The passages connected to this timeline moment are shown in full below.
Ezra 6:13-22
Then Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates consequently did with diligence what Darius the king ordered. So the elders of the Jews were building and prospering, through the prophecy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished building by the command of the God of Israel and by the decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia. This house was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius. And the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. And they offered during the dedication of this house of God one hundred young bulls, two hundred young rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats as a sin offering for Israel according to the number of the tribes of Israel. Then they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their sections for the work of God in Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses. On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles observed the Passover feast. For the priests and Levites together had consecrated themselves; all of them were clean. And they slaughtered the Passover sacrifice for all of the returned exiles, for their brothers the priests, and for themselves. The Israelites who returned from the exile and all those who separated themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the earth to seek Yahweh the God of Israel, ate. With joy they celebrated the festival of unleavened bread for seven days, because Yahweh had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them in order to help them with the work of their hands on the house of the God of Israel.
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Why this moment matters
The second temple is a real mercy, but it still points beyond itself. The larger kingdom promises remain unfulfilled.
About this section
The exiles return, rebuild temple and city, and renew the covenant while still waiting for the fuller kingdom promise.
Further study
Previous epoch
Epoch 94 · 520 BC
Zechariah's Visions and Branch Hope
Next epoch
Epoch 96 · 483–473 BC
Esther Preserves the Covenant People
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