An enduring prophecy and a series of miraculous events preventing the reconstruction of the Temple

Synthèse :

Jesus announced that Jerusalem would be "trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Lk 21:24) and Paul went further, prophesying the return of Israel. The first prophecy was spoken by Christ and recorded in the Gospels: it can have several meanings and interpretations, but all have been fulfilled.

Jerusalem has truly been "trampled" for 2,000 years, in both senses of the word:

• In the moral sense, the city has been continually occupied by powers hostile to the Jews.
• In the literal sense, the sacred site of the Holy of Holies, on which it was forbidden to set foot on pain of death, has been trampled on continuously for 2,000 years, and still is today, since the Temple Mount (Jerusalem's holy esplanade) is still under Muslim control.

"Until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" can also be interpreted in different ways, either as "the end of time", the "return of Christ", "the end of the world", or a time when nations will have disappeared, because there will be a one world government? We don't know, but it doesn't matter, because the prophecy is not about that: it simply states that the Jews will not regain control of Jerusalem as long as there are "Gentile" nations on earth, and this prophecy has been fulfilled for 1,700 years.

In the fourth century, the Emperor Julian the Apostate tried to prove the prophecy wrong, but astonishing events opposed his plans.

The emperor Julian II, known as Julian the Apostate, or Julian the Philosopher, nephew of the emperor Constantine, was twenty-eight years old when he was proclaimed emperor by the army in 360. Civil war was only averted by the death of his cousin Constantius II, who had succeeded Constantine in 337. With his death, Julian found himself sole ruler of the entire Empire at the end of 361 and set about re-establishing paganism.

The Roman Empire was ageing and in crisis. For some superficial minds, the explanation was obvious: Christianity was to blame! All it took was a return to paganism to regain its vigour and health. It was in Antioch, where he had settled in July 362 to prepare his expedition against the Persians, that the Emperor Julian announced his plan to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, which had been in ruins for nearly three centuries.

The event is particularly well documented by twelve different, converging sources of the time (Roman officials, Saint Ephrem, Saint Gregory of Nazianzus, Saint Ambrose of Milan, Saint John Chrysostom, and four historians or chroniclers). According to Ammianus Marcellinus, a reputable historian, the emperor spent "considerable sums" on this project. A high-ranking official, Alypius of Antioch, was appointed to supervise the work. And Julian recommended that the governor of Syria support his efforts.

But there is evidence that the work in Jerusalem had to be brought to a sudden halt in May 363, following four astonishing events that occurred consecutively over three days, from 18 to 20 May 363.

Clearing work had probably begun at the beginning of 363, and all the materials needed for construction had been transported and stored. But when the time came to lay the first stone of the new Temple, everything changed.

First there was a violent tornado on 18 May 363; then an earthquake on the night of 18 to 19 May; then fireballs attacked the workers on the 19th; finally crosses appeared on their clothes the following night!

Ammianus Marcellinus bears witness to this in 385: "Julian undertook, in order to eternalise the glory of his reign, to rebuild at great expense the famous Temple of Jerusalem destroyed by Vespasian and Titus after several bloody battles. Alypius of Antioch and the governor of Syria were put in charge of the undertaking. While they were making every effort to bring it to a successful conclusion, frightful whirlwinds of flame erupted from the areas adjacent to the foundations, burning the workmen and, by repeated eruptions, rendering the site inaccessible to them. Finally, as this element persisted in stubbornly repelling the workmen, they were forced to abandon the project." (Res Gestae, book 23, chapter 1). This is the key witness of a historian, a friend of the emperor, who cannot be suspected of credulity or partiality.

Many other testimonies confirm these elements. Saint Ephrem, in his own style, gives a fiery account, speaking of winds, lightning, earthquakes and a "fire that consumed the scribes who had read in Daniel that the desolation would last forever".

Saint Gregory of Nazianzus confirms "the prodigy of which everyone speaks and to which even atheists do not refuse to give credence"by also mentioning "a terrible tornado accompanied by an earthquake", "a fire from the temple that stopped, consumed and destroyed some [..] and left others with their limbs amputated"and "a light appeared in the sky and traced a cross [...] that the spectators and witnesses of this miracle still show today their clothes, which were then studded with crosses". Saint John Chrysostom also speaks of an "an underground fire that suddenly broke out and killed a large number of the workmen, threw far away the stones that had already been laid and caused the project to be abandoned"; headds: "We are all witnesses to this event, which happened before our very eyes not long ago. And look at all the cases of this victory: this miracle did not take place under the Christian emperors, lest it be said that we opposed the works and that it was we who prevented them. It was when we ourselves were persecuted" (Homily against the Jews, 5, 11).

There are many other concordant testimonies, such as that of Saint Ambrose of Milan: "Have you never heard, Emperor, how Julian wanted to restore the Temple of Jerusalem, and how those who were working to clear it were burnt by a divine fire?" (Letter 40, no. 12; PL 16, 1152); from Rufinus of Aquileia: "Suddenly, a globe of fire burst forth from it, and, circulating through the square, it ran here and there, burning and killing the Jews who were there. And this happened again, and again, and very frequently throughout the day [...]. Thus terrified, the Jews and pagans abandoned the place and the great work they had begun in vain" (Ecclesiastical History, PL 21, 505); Socrates of Constantinople: "Thus the Temple, instead of being rebuilt, was completely destroyed" (Ecclesiastical History, 1, 3 c. 20).

Similarly, Sozomen speaks of a "great earthquake" and of "a sudden fire that burst forth from the foundations of the Temple and devoured many people: this is counted and believed with confidence by all and is disputed by no one" (Historia Ecclesiastica, 1, 5 c. 22). Philostorgius, likewise: "a terrible storm arose, which shook the place where they had dug. Throughout the night there was a continuous thunder and lightning storm, and finally, as day approached, there was an earthquake in which even some of the people who had stayed outside perished. And a fire came out of the hole in the foundations and burnt all those who were there."(History of the Church, 7, 9); Theodoret of Cyrrhus: "A fire, springing from the excavations dug for the foundations, burnt most of the diggers and scattered the others" (Ecclesiastical History, 1, 3); and Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: "When the foundations of Jerusalem were being dug, the earth was shaken strongly, and there were tremors in the towns and villages all around [...] None of the Christians present were hurt. On the other hand, many Jews perished in this plague, and not only in the earthquake, but also because of the fire and the waterspout."

What were the emperor's motives? Christian chroniclers explicitly mention the desire to belie the prophecy of Jesus Christ, who had foretold the destruction of the Temple.

Jesus had specified that it would not remain "a stone upon another stone" (Mt 24:2; Mk 13:2; Lk 21:6) in Jerusalem. It is likely that that was Julian's intention, as he was fond of anti-Christian arguments. The Treatise against the Galileans, which he wrote at exactly the same time, bears witness to this. But the emperor never made this intention public. That would have been the ultimate blunder, especially in Antioch where there were many Christians. The desire to symbolically oppose Constantine, who had made holy sites of Calvary and the Sepulchre of Christ, and built churches  there, certainly also played a role.

The fact remains that the emperor's plan to rebuild the Temple was aborted in an astonishing and spectacular manner, and that the prophecy has remained fulfilled to this day, just as Christ had foretold it.

Aller plus loin :

Article  "Julian's attempt to rebuild the Temple : an inventory of ancient and medieval sources", Studies on the Hebrew Bible, Intertestamental Judaism, and Christian Origins, Presented to John Strugnell. Ed. by Harold W. Attridge [et al.]. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1990

En savoir plus :

• Stephen Beale's article in Catholic Exchange, "The Greatest Historical Miracle You’ve Never Heard Of", April 7, 2014
• Extensive quotes from the ancient historians cited above, on the attempted rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem by Julian the Apostate