Temple, Herod's

Herod the Great's temple was a massive renovation and expansion of Zerubbabel's Second Temple, begun in 20/19 B.C. and still under construction in Jesus' day (John 2:20: "forty-six years has this temple been under construction"). Herod doubled the size of the Temple Mount by constructing enormous retaining walls and vaulted substructures — the Western Wall ("Wailing Wall") survives today. On this platform stood the gleaming white marble and gold-clad sanctuary, the Court of the Gentiles, the Court of Women, the Court of Israel, and the inner sanctuary. Jesus taught throughout this complex (John 7–8; Matt. 21), performed his cleansing of the outer court (John 2:14–16; Matt. 21:12–13), and predicted its total destruction: "There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down" (Matt. 24:2). Roman armies under Titus fulfilled this prophecy in A.D. 70.