ISRAEL - Second Temple Era Stone Quarry Uncovered
A stone quarry dating from the Second Temple period, recently uncovered in a northern Jerusalem neighborhood, contains massive limestone slabs that were likely used in King Herod’s various construction projects from the first century BCE, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) said.
The archaeologists also discovered two stone bowl-like vessels, of a type that according to Jewish law cannot become ritually impure, “a find which by its nature always signals the presence of a Jewish population,” the IAA said.
The quarry, based on the small amount of ceramics found at the site, was “in use for decades during the end of the Second Temple period,” up to the “generation before the destruction” in 70 CE, archaeologist Michael Chernin told The Times of Israel.
The majority of building stones extracted from the quarry were “huge rock slabs” weighing around two and a half tons.
“The impressive sized stones this quarry produced likely attest to their intended use in one of Jerusalem’s many royal construction projects in the late Second Temple period, beginning under King Herod the Great’s reign in 37-4 BCE,” said Chernin and archaeologist Lara Shilov, co-directors of the excavation, in a statement.
-www.timesofisrael.com, 1 August 2024
Arno's Commentary
Finding new evidence of the Jewish temple seems like a never-ending archaeological task. The fact that Jerusalem is Jewish is proven by the abundance of archaeological discoveries; in this case, the stone quarry pointing to the temple in Jerusalem.
The books of Chronicles conclude with these declarations: “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up” (2 Chronicles 36:22-23).
Presently, the Temple Mount—where once the temple stood—is Arab Islamic-occupied, with a Muslim mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Much speculation has been published regarding the potential to rebuild a temple on that mountain. Yet, that seems all but impossible. The Arabs fiercely defend their right to the Temple Mount.
For how it will end, we find a very simple answer. Jeremiah 3:17 states: “At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.”
When will that happen? In His time, but it will happen: “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:21).
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
