(BA) Second Temple

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23 July 2022

The Second Temple refers to the Temple that existed in Jerusalem until 70 AD. It was rebuilt by returnees from the Babylonian exile into what was then the province of Yehud. The exact date of rebuilding is difficult to reconstruct exactly. This rebuilding is associated with Ezra-Nehemiah, though the exact correspondence of Ezra-Nehemiah to history continues to be a matter of discussion. After the end of Persian rule, the name Judea is used for the province in which Jerusalem was located, and Jews lived in varying degrees of tension with Greek rule, until the time of the Maccabees. After the Maccabean revolt, the territory came under the sway of the Roman Empire, and an ill-fated confrontation with the Romans lead to a massive military defeat and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. In the wake of the destruction of the Temple, a distinctively Rabbinic Judaism developed.