Haggai and the Rebuilding of the Temple

The book of Haggai is one of the shortest in the Bible: two chapters, four brief messages. Little is known of the prophet Haggai, apart from his mission: to move the people returned from exile to rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, the house where Israel worshipped its God.

The return from exile

In 587 before Jesus Christ, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple built by Solomon, and deported a large part of the people. The exile lasted nearly fifty years. In 538, the Persian king Cyrus, who had conquered Babylon, allowed the Jews to return to their country and to rebuild their sanctuary. A first group came back and laid the foundations of the new Temple, then stopped. The opposition of neighboring peoples, the difficulties of daily life, and discouragement left the work abandoned. For sixteen years, the foundations remained bare: each man built and adorned his own house, while the house of God lay in ruins.

The word of Haggai

Haggai began to speak in the sixth month of the second year of the Persian king Darius, in 520 before Jesus Christ. The book dates each message to the very day. The prophet speaks in a direct tone, made of reproaches, appeals, and promises, to rouse a people absorbed in their cares. He was not alone: at the same time, another prophet, Zechariah, was sent to support the same mission. “Now Aggeus the prophet, and Zacharias the son of Addo, prophesied to the Jews that were in Judea and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel. Then rose up Zorobabel the son of Salathiel, and Josue the son of Josedec, and began to build the temple of God in Jerusalem.” Ezra 5:1-2.

The builders of the reconstruction

A few figures stand around the worksite. Zorobabel is the governor of Judah, the leader whom the Persian king has placed at the head of the province to administer the people; he is descended from David and so carries on the thread of the royal line. Joshua, son of Josedec, is the high priest, head of worship. With them, all those who have returned from exile are called to set to work again. Darius, who reigns over the Persian empire after Cyrus, confirmed the authorization Cyrus had given and ordered that the rebuilding be helped. Roused by Haggai and Zechariah, Zorobabel, Joshua, and the people resumed the abandoned work. “And the ancients of the Jews built, and prospered according to the prophecy of Aggeus the prophet, and of Zacharias the son of Addo.” Ezra 6:14. The Temple was completed in 515 before Jesus Christ, five years after the prophet’s first words.