The tale of the Emperor Julian and his doomed attempt to revive the Temple is an enduring warning to those who wish to renew such endeavors in our time.
Julian, dubbed the Apostate, the last of the pagan emperors of Rome, ascended to the purple in 361 A.D. His uncle Constantine the Great had, decades prior, set the imperial seal upon the Church, and his successors, for all their political failings, did not reverse that course. Raised as a nominal Christian but steeped in Hellenic philosophy, Julian was a shameless self promoter, styling himself as the restorer of the old gods. Though his reign would be short lived, his revolt against the Church, like all revolutions, required a symbolic target.
Enter Jerusalem. The city still bore the scars of Titus’ fury, and the Temple remained a ruin — just as Christ had said it would: “Not one stone shall be left upon another.” What better rebuke to the Christians than to raise up again that which their Messiah had declared desolate?
Julian’s letter to the Jews of Rome is cloying in its flattery (emphasis mine):
…those who are in all respects free from care should rejoice with their whole hearts and offer their suppliant prayers on behalf of my imperial office to Mighty God, even to him who is able to direct my reign to the noblest ends, according to my purpose. This you ought to do, in order that, when I have successfully concluded the war with Persia, I may rebuild by my own efforts the sacred city of Jerusalem, which for so many years you have longed to see inhabited, and may bring settlers there, and, together with you, may glorify the Most High God therein.
— Emperor Julian the Apostate, To the community of the Jews (The Works of Emperor Julian, Vol. III, Letter 51)
The Apostate’s efforts in Jerusalem were the culmination of his agenda against the Church. Imperial resources were devoted to the project, and no expense was spared: Julian appointed Alypius of Antioch, a seasoned administrator, to oversee the effort. That he chose the Temple, and the Jews, to stage this humiliation, reveals both his cunning and his contempt.
Yet, as we shall see, Heaven is not mocked so easily.