Second Temple completed
About this date: Traditionally dated to Darius's sixth year.
The rebuilt sanctuary anchors worship in the Persian-period community, though it differs from Solomon's Temple.
Historical context
Ezra 6 moves from the completed Temple and its dedication to the returned exiles' Passover. The community's renewal is expressed through both the restored sanctuary and the remembered liberation from Egypt.
Perspective note
Shared subject; this bundled record was originally written with an Orthodox-informed editorial lens.
Key points
- The completion is dated by Darius's regnal year in Ezra 6:15.
- The returned exiles keep Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
- Purification, participation, and a joyful seven-day feast follow in the narrative.
People
- Zerubbabel
- Joshua the high priest
Scripture
- Ezra 3-6 — Ezra narrates the return, altar and Temple rebuilding, opposition, and completion.
- Haggai 2 — Haggai promises future glory for the rebuilt Temple amid the community's discouragement.
- Ezra 6:19-22 — The returned community keeps Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread after the Temple's completion and dedication.
Sources and further reading
- USCCB introduction to Ezra
Retained background link from the established Timeline dossier. - The completed Temple and the returned exiles' Passover
Read the regnal date, dedication, and Passover as successive parts of the narrative. The host's additional commentary is not used as independent evidence.