<P> The accession of Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire in 559 BCE made the re-establishment of the city of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple possible . According to the closing verses of the second book of Chronicles and the books of Ezra and Nehemiah , when the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem following a decree from Cyrus the Great ( Ezra 1 : 1 -- 4 , 2 Chron 36 : 22 -- 23 ) , construction started at the original site of Solomon 's Temple . After a relatively brief halt due to opposition from peoples who had filled the vacuum during the Jewish captivity ( Ezra 4 ) , work resumed c. 521 BCE under Darius the Great ( Ezra 5 ) and was completed during the sixth year of his reign ( c. 516 BCE ) , with the temple dedication taking place the following year . </P>
<P> The accession of Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire in 559 BCE made the re-establishment of the city of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple possible . According to the closing verses of the second book of Chronicles and the books of Ezra and Nehemiah , when the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem following a decree from Cyrus the Great ( Ezra 1 : 1 -- 4 , 2 Chron 36 : 22 -- 23 ) , construction started at the original site of Solomon 's Temple . After a relatively brief halt due to opposition from peoples who had filled the vacuum during the Jewish captivity ( Ezra 4 ) , work resumed c. 521 BCE under Darius the Great ( Ezra 5 ) and was completed during the sixth year of his reign ( c. 516 BCE ) , with the temple dedication taking place the following year . </P>
who led the rebuilding of the temple in jerusalem
who led the rebuilding of the temple in jerusalem
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus the Great