<P> The Second Temple was originally a rather modest structure constructed by a number of Jewish exile groups returning to the Levant from Babylon . However, during the reign of Herod the Great, the Second Temple was completely refurbished, and the original structure was totally overhauled into the large and magnificent edifices and facades that are more recognizable . Much like the First Temple, the Second Temple was destroyed alongside Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans, in retaliation to an ongoing Jewish revolt . </P> <P> Jewish eschatology includes a belief that the Second Temple will be replaced by a future Third Temple . </P> <P> The accession of Cyrus the Great of the Persian Empire in 559 BCE made the re-establishment of the city of Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple possible . According to the closing verses of the second book of Chronicles and the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, when the Jewish exiles returned to Jerusalem following a decree from Cyrus the Great (Ezra 1: 1--4, 2 Chron 36: 22--23), construction started at the original site of Solomon's Temple . After a relatively brief halt due to opposition from peoples who had filled the vacuum during the Jewish captivity (Ezra 4), work resumed c. 521 BCE under Darius the Great (Ezra 5) and was completed during the sixth year of his reign (c. 516 BCE), with the temple dedication taking place the following year . </P> <P> These events represent the final section in the historical narrative of the Hebrew Bible . </P>

Who built the second temple in the bible