Jesus the Temple

by Perrin, Nicholas

• ISBN13: 9780801045387
• ISBN10: 080104538X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-11-01
• Publisher: Baker Academic

Summary

The ancient Jewish temple was not just a religious center--it was a totalizing institution, simultaneously seen as a place, a people, and a person. Many scholars maintain that it was the early Christians who entertained the notion that the temple had been re-established in both the person of Jesus and in the church. Perrin, however, argues that the idea of Jesus as temple dates back to Christ himself and that he saw his following as the new temple movement, the social and confessional boundaries of which were marked off by allegiance to him. Perrin's extensive Introduction offers an overview of the gospel picture of who Jesus was: Paul's perspective in 1 Corinthians; the approaches of the New Quest of the historical Jesus and the Third Quest movement of the prophet; and the kingdom expectations of contemporary exegetes. And he sets forth the basis for the book's premise: that Jesus of Nazareth saw himself and his movement as those who both anticipated and embodied Yahweh's coming kingdom. Chapter 1 discusses Jesus' call to be the new temple and its shared characteristics with his contemporaries--the Psalms of Solomon sect, the Qumran covenanters, and John the Baptist's following. Chapter 2 moves ahead to the time of Paul and the early church, and looks at how primitive Christianity situated itself in relation to the temple. Chapter 3 focuses on interpretations and implications of Jesus' "Cleansing of the Temple." Chapters 4-6 explore the distinctive economic, social, and spiritual aspects of Jesus' temple movement in counterpoint to the failed temple ministry of his opponents. Chapters 7 and 8 examine Jesus' eschatological discourses (Mark 12 and 13), and his last supper with the disciples where he affirms his unique status as high priest of the temple movement. By viewing Jesus as temple, Perrin reveals an enriched understanding of his ministry, teachings, death, and resurrection, and effectively closes he historical gap between founder and movement, between "Jesus" and "Christ." Jesus the Temple takes preachers, teachers, scholars, and students on a dynamic journey of discovery, revealing an answer to the foundational question of faith: Who was Jesus?

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Abbreviations	p. xiii
Introduction: Turning the tables	p. 1
'Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?' John the Baptizer and the anatomy of counter-temple movements	p. 17
Introduction	p. 17
A brief study of two counter-temple movements	p. 21
The Psalms of Solomon sect	p. 21
The Qumran sect	p. 29
Summary of Psalms of Solomon and Qumran materials	p. 37
John the Baptizer and his sect	p. 37
Conclusion	p. 44
Don't you know that you yourselves are the temple of God?' The early Church as a counter-temple movement	p. 46
Introduction	p. 46
The temple and temple imagery in early Christianity	p. 50
Patristic and Johannine literature	p. 50
1 Peter and Hebrews	p. 55
Matthew and Luke-Acts	p. 59
Paul	p. 65
Excursus: Paul, the early Church and the poor	p. 70
Conclusion	p. 75
'Destroy this house!' Jesus' action in the temple	p. 80
Introduction	p. 80
Questions of historicity	p. 82
Was there a temple action?	p. 82
Did Jesus cite Isaiah 56.7 and Jeremiah 7.11 (Mark 11.17)?	p. 83
Jesus' intentions behind the temple action	p. 88
Surveying the options	p. 88
The design of the temple action	p. 92
Sign against the temple	p. 92
Sign for the temple	p. 99
Trial evidence and its tributaries: the testimony of the 'false witnesses'	p. 99
The new temple: a three-day project	p. 106
Conclusion	p. 109
'Forgive us our debts': Announcing the kingdom among the poor	p. 114
Introduction	p. 114
A rich man (Mark 10.17-22)	p. 120
Defining key terms	p. 121
The socio-economic nature of Jesus' call	p. 126
Summary	p. 130
The woman at Bethany (Mark 14.3-7)	p. 131
Behind-the-scenes practices on behalf of the poor	p. 131
Priesthood and the eschatological jubilee	p. 134
Summary	p. 144
Synthesis	p. 145
Conclusion	p. 147
'Thy kingdom come!' Implementing the kingdom among the impure	p. 149
Introduction	p. 149
Healing and exorcism	p. 152
Healing	p. 152
Exorcism	p. 154
The story of the Gergasene demoniac as history	p. 156
Jesus and the 'unclean spirit'	p. 159
The meaning of exorcism	p. 163
Jesus the exorcistic high priest	p. 168
Meals	p. 170
Synthesis and conclusion	p. 179
Conclusion: Issuing some new tables and tabling some new Issues	p. 183
References	p. 191
Index of ancient and biblical sources	p. 209
Index of modern authors	p. 217
Index of subjects	p. 221
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