Yahuda101 The splitting of the Temple Veils
The splitting of the Temple Veils By Yahuda101 Some background information before we get into the splitting of the veils. A little more than fifty years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Babylonians, who had destroyed the First Temple, were vanquished by the rising Persian Empire. The Persian king, Cyrus the Great, soon authorized the Jews to rebuild the Temple, but construction ground to a halt due to interference by the Samaritans. In 353 BCE, exactly seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Jews began building again—at first independently, but King Darius soon ratified their effort. The Second Temple was completed in 349 BCE. Under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah, the community in Judea became vibrant and secure. The Second Temple era spanned 420 years, ending with the Romans' destruction of the Holy Temple in 70 CE. 1 For much of this period, Judea was under foreign domination. First the Jews were ruled by the Persians, and then, after