| The Proclamation of Cyrus |
|
 |
Babylon was conquered by the Persians in 538 BCE. In contrast to the Babylonian policy of exiling conquered peoples, the Persian king Cyrus permitted the exiles to return home and rebuild their shrines (Ezra 1:2-3). |
| Copy of the Proclamation of Cyrus, 538 BCE |
| |
| Purification of the Temple |
|
 |
During the reign of Antiochus IV, the Temple was desecrated and devoted to pagan rites. Soon after the outbreak of the Maccabean Revolt, Judah Maccabee gained control of the Temple Mount (164 BCE). The Temple was cleansed of pagan objects, the altar was rebuilt and sacrifices were renewed. |
| Painting on glass showing the destruction of a statue of Zeus as part of the purging of the Temple. |
| |
| ''Nine Measures of Beauty'' |
|
|
Diorama showing the south-western corner of the Temple Mount, in the reign of Herod.
|
King Herod (37-4 BCE) made Jerusalem a splendid city, with huge buildings in the Greco-Roman style. Among the best known were the three towers - called Hippicus, Phasael and Miriamne - that protected the city gate and the adjacent royal palace. Herod's crowning achievement, however, was the expansion of the Temple Mount esplanade, and the magnificent rebuilding of the Temple itself, which attracted masses of Jewish pilgrims from within the country and abroad. About the beauty of the city it was said: ''He who has not seen Jerusalem in its glory has never seen a beautiful city in his life'' (Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 51). |
| |
| Jesus of Nazareth |
|
 |
Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival and partake in its special meal, the seder. He was arrested, brought to trial by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, and condemned to death by crucifixion. With time, the sites connected to his life and death became sanctified by the new religion that had emerged from Judaism: Christianity. |
Photograph of a fresco in the Church of Santa Maria Antiqua,
Rome. |
| |
| Destruction of Jerusalem |
|
|
The destruction of Jerusalem, diorama.
|
After the death of King Herod, the country became a Roman province, under the rule of procurators. The hostility between the Jews and their Roman masters grew, eventually precipitating the Great Revolt in 66 CE. The Roman general Titus, son of the emperor Vespasian, besieged Jerusalem for five months. With its conquest (70 CE), the Temple was razed and the city left in ruins. |
