Posted on 01/03/2004 7:52:10 AM PST by Zechariah11
The fact that the Second Temple would be destroyed was undeniably known to the ancient rabbis. And the belief that the Messiah was to come to that temple was also held by most of them. In the Babylonia Talmud (tractate Nazir 32b) we read an interesting discussion about the Second Temple and its destruction. Rabbi Joseph says:
Had I lived then, I would have spoken to them of what is written about the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord (sic) and that which points to the destruction. Granted that they (the rabbis of the Second Temple period) knew it would be destroyed, did they know when this would occur? Is it not written, seventy weeks are determined upon the people, and upon the holy city.
This is an obvious reference to Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy and clearly demonstrates that the rabbis tied this prophecy to the destruction of the Second Temple. Since, in the same portion of scripture we read that the Messiah was to come to that temple, it was entirely reasonable for the rabbis to believe that the Anointed One (Messiah) would arrive before its destruction.
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