Architecture in the Time of Jesus

During the time of Jesus the land of Israel was extremely beautified by Herod the Great. He brought many building projects into the land and great architecture everywhere, especially in Jerusalem. He built cities, arches and palaces, harbors, powerful walls, towers, aqueducts, markets, gates, and fortresses. His desire was to impress Rome, yet he also needed to please the Jews so he built them their Temple. The Jerusalem Temple was splendid, its giant gates and colonnades were magnificent and the courts were enormous and skilfully designed. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem they buried it underground, it would be impossible to truly understand the beauty that Herod made the land of ancient Israel without having been there. Many of the ruins reveal exactly what the Bible and history has described.

Picture Study Bible - Matthew 2:1

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