Herod's temple, familiar to Jesus Christ and his disciples and frequented by the first Christians, was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70.
The building of Herod the Great's temple
Jesus Christ visited the temple and taught in its courts
He was taken there as a baby
Luke 2:22, Luke 2:34, Luke 2:36–38
He stayed in the temple courts after his parents had returned home from the Passover Feast
He cast out of the temple court those who used it for material profit
Matthew 21:12–13 parallels Mark 11:15–17, Luke 19:45–46; John 2:14–16
He taught in the temple
Mark 12:35, Mark 12:41–43 parallel Luke 21:1–4; John 7:14; John 7:32, John 7:45–46; John 8:2–3, John 10:22–24
The religious leaders challenged his authority
Matthew 21:23 parallels Mark 11:27–28, Luke 20:1–2
He foretold the complete destruction of the temple buildings
Matthew 24:1–2 parallels Mark 13:1–2, Luke 21:5–6
The crucifixion and the temple
One of the charges against Jesus Christ was that he had said he would destroy the temple
But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
The curtain of the temple was torn in two at Jesus Christ's death
Matthew 27:51 The curtain symbolised the barrier between God and his people caused by their sins.
At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
Believers in Jerusalem met in the temple courtyards
See also Acts 2:46, Acts 5:12 Solomon's Colonnade was on the east side of the temple courtyard.
Apostles taught and healed in the temple courtyards
Stephen was stoned for allegedly speaking against the temple
However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be?
Paul was accused of taking Gentiles into temple courtyards forbidden to them
See also Acts 21:27–28
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.