The Temple Almost Rebuilt

The Roman emperor Julian (r. 361–363 CE) was known to Christians as Julian the Apostate for his rejection of Christianity and embrace of paganism. In his effort to isolate Christianity, Julian enacted a number of policies favoring Jews, including an attempt to facilitate the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem, which had recently been Christianized. Although no Jewish sources refer to Julian’s plan to rebuild the Temple, a variety of Roman and Christian sources do, reporting that construction of the Temple began but was thwarted by a fire. See also “Emperor Julian and the Rebuilding of the Temple.”