Julian's Temple Rebuilding Attempt

The emperor Julian, who rejected Christianity and sought to restore the older Roman religion, authorized the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and appointed an official to oversee the work. Construction began but stopped after fireballs or explosions erupted from the foundations, described by both Christian and pagan sources and often explained as ignited gas in sealed underground chambers, possibly triggered by an earthquake. Julian was killed campaigning in Persia later that year and the project died with him. It is the closest the Temple came to being rebuilt in nearly two thousand years.