Julian was Roman Emperor from 361-363. In 362, he wrote a letter to the Jews telling of his intent to rebuild the Temple.
There is academic dispute about whether construction actually began on the Third Temple or not. But after the failure of this enterprise all hope seemed lost.
There are no explicit references to Julian’s rebuilding in the Talmud. But in this class we will find some allusions. And ask whether this destruction was the catalyst for the compilation of the Talmud.