Second Temple - Part 1

The Jewish Second Temple (Hebrew: הַבַּיִת הַשֵּׁנִי) was an important shrine which stood in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced Solomon's Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon.

In the second year of the reign of Darius Hystaspes (519) the real rebuilding began. The people were aroused to the effort by the prophets from the Old Testament, Haggai and Zechariah, and in the course of three years the rebuilding was accomplished.

Since some of the original artifacts were lost after the destruction of the First Temple, the Second Temple lacked the following holy articles, as written in the Bible Scriptures: The Ark of the Covenant, containing the Tablets of Stone, the pot of manna, and rod.; The Urim and Thummim, The holy oil, The sacred fire.

In the Second Temple, the Kodesh Hakodashim was separated by curtains rather than a wall as in the First Temple. Still, as in the Tabernacle, the Second Temple included: The Menorah (golden lamp) for the Hekhal, The Table of Showbread, The golden altar of incense, with golden censers.

The Second Temple also included many of the original vessels of gold that had been taken by the Babylonians but were restored by Cyrus the Great. According to Jewish tradition, however, the Temple lacked the Shekinah/Ruach HaKodesh present in the first.

Credits:

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=128&letter=T

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple

http://www.amit.org.il/musagim/moreshet/moreshet_5/Temple_1_small.gif