When was Solomon’s Temple Burned Down? Reassessing the Evidence

Abstract

This article reassesses the evidence for when Solomon’s Temple was destroyed. It involves a close look at the biblical account of Babylonian actions at the time of Jerusalem’s fall together with relevant comparisons between the Greek and Hebrew Bibles. It also focuses on events surrounding the life of Gedaliah, including his assassination and the fast that has commemorated his name. Arguments are presented for believing that the destruction may have occurred some time after the traditional date. While these arguments do not conclusively refute the traditional date, they do call into question whether the current confidence in this date is justified. They also provide a framework for explaining the available data.