THEOSISBeda Venerabilis
The Jews remarked, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?" (John 2:20). Their response reflected their understanding. To prevent a literal interpretation of the Lord's words, the evangelist quickly clarified which temple He referred to. The mention of the temple’s forty-six years of construction pertains to the second temple, not the original. Solomon, who built the first temple, completed it in just seven years during a time of peace in his reign (see 1 Kings 6:38). This initial temple was destroyed by the Chaldeans (see 2 Kings 25:9), but after seventy years, under Cyrus the Persian’s directive, the reconstruction commenced following the end of the captivity (see 1 Ezra 1:1-3).
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However, the descendants of those taken captive could not complete the work led by Zerubbabel and Jesus until forty-six years had passed, as they faced opposition from neighboring nations. This duration aligns closely with the perfection of our Lord's physical form. Scholars in natural history indicate that the human body's formation reaches perfection in this span of days. In the first six days post-conception, it resembles milk; in the following nine days, it turns to blood; then after twelve days, it becomes solid; during the next eighteen days, it develops distinct features; and thereafter, it continues to grow until birth. Adding six, nine, twelve, and eighteen results in forty-five. Including one more day—the day the body first begins to form into separate members—yields the same number of days invested in the development of our Lord's body as the total years spent in the temple's construction.