Image by Bert Kaufmann January 8, 2017. (CC BY-NC 2.0)
According to 2 Chronicles 3:1[1], King Solomon built the first Temple on the site of the threshing floor which King David had purchased from Ornan the Jebusite. After the Temple’s destruction in 586/587 BCE by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, it was rebuilt in 516 BCE by Jews returning from exile as commanded by Cyrus the Great[2]. The second Temple was reconstructed under Herod beginning around 20 BCE and completed with a dedication in 18 BCE. Herod completely rebuilt the Temple but allowed sacrifices to continue during construction uninterrupted and so, although the Temple was new, it is still considered a continuation of the second Temple. This is the Temple that Jesus knew and prophesied would be completely destroyed[3].
The location of the first and second Temples is of interest to both Jews and Christians alike as both groups believe that a third Temple will be built on the site in the future. While the traditional location for the Temples is the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem and, specifically, where the Dome of the Rock currently stands, there are some scholars who believe the Temples were located in a different part of the Temple Mount. Another view suggests that the Temples were located in the City of David, South of the Temple Mount itself. With the Temple Mount being one of the most contested sites on the planet, the location of the Temples is more than just an interesting historical footnote.
The Traditional View
Tradition, along with most scholars, hold that the original Temples were located where the current Dome of the Rock can be found. Many believe that the rock that lies under the dome is the location of the Holy of Holies.