Emperor Julian and the Rebuilding of the Temple
In the fourth century, Emperor Julian, motivated by his paganism, attempted to rebuild the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Read the primary sources that document his thwarted effort.
Julian’s Interest in Rebuilding the Jerusalem Temple
In the wake of the Bar Kokhba revolt (132–135 CE), Jews had been removed from Jerusalem and its environs, but when Julian became emperor of Rome in 361 CE, plans were made to return Jews to Jerusalem and rebuild the Jewish Temple. Julian’s support for rebuilding the Temple in recently Christianized Jerusalem is explained by his intense opposition to Christianity and his efforts to return the empire to its former paganism (hence his moniker “the Apostate,” that is, one who has abandoned the faith, in this case, Christianity). He enacted a number of policies favoring Jews.
The Sources
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. Socrates Scholasticus, an ecclesiastical historian in the generation after Eusebius, offers a narrative filled with legends and miracles surrounding Julian’s aborted project, perhaps indicating the increasing spread of Christian anti-Judaism during the early Byzantine period. Sozomen’s account has much in common with that of Socrates Scholasticus. The sources include an account by the historian Ammianus Marcellinus and a letter to the Jews from Julian himself.
The church father Jerome also wrote of these events in his commentary on the book of Daniel.
Related Primary Sources
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Acts of God Prevent the Rebuilding of the Temple
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Thwarted Efforts to Rebuild the Temple
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Julian Pretends to Love the Jews
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Emperor Julian’s Policy on the Jews
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Julian Attempts to Have the Temple Rebuilt
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Julian’s Letter to the Jews
Related Guide
The Late Roman Period in History and Memory
