THEOSISBeda Venerabilis
The Jewish leaders remarked, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will reconstruct it in three days?" (John 2:20). Their response came from their own understanding. To ensure we interpret our Lord's words spiritually, the evangelist swiftly clarified which temple was being referred to. The mention of the temple being built over forty-six years pertains to the second structure, not the original. Solomon completed the first temple in seven years amidst a period of peace within his realm (see 1 Kings 6:38). This temple was later destroyed by the Chaldeans (see 2 Kings 25:9), but after a reparation period of seventy years instituted by Cyrus the Persian, the reconstruction began when captivity ended (see 1 Ezra 1:1-3).
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However, the descendants of those exiled could not complete the building project led by Zerubbabel and Joshua for another forty-six years due to opposition from neighboring nations. This figure aligns appropriately with the completion of our Lord's physical body. Scholars who study natural history note that the human body's form reaches perfection over a specified number of days. In the first six days post-conception, it resembles milk; in the following nine days, it transforms into blood; after another twelve days, it solidifies; and during the final eighteen days, it develops the essential features of all its parts, continuing to grow until birth. Adding these periods together—six plus nine plus twelve plus eighteen—results in forty-five. By including one more day, which marks the initiation of the development of distinct bodily members, we arrive at forty-six days, mirroring the duration of the temple's construction.