ממלכת כוהנים או גוי קדוש? מעמדו של המקדש בנצרות הקדומה

An analysis of early Christian attitudes towards the Temple in the first century calls for an examination of all the relevant material in the New Testament. These attitudes may be classified under four headings: participation, analogy, criticism, and rejection. Indirect participation in the Temple cult, i.e., visiting the Temple Mount, is attributed to Jesus in Mark, Luke, and John. The apostles in Jerusalem, including Paul, are depicted as engaging in certain activities (mostly prayer and teaching), without the slightest evidence of resistance to the sacrificial cult. Such participation was probably emphasized with the aim of demonstrating that belief in Jesus does not contradict commitment to the Temple cult. Analogies between the Temple/Sacrifice and the community/believer (or between priest in service and the apostle) are introduced in a positive light in the epistles of Paul and elsewhere. These 'spiritualized' analogies are not intended to 'transfer' the cult to new realms but are merely literal expressions of sanctity. There is no indication that the community or the believer are substitutes for the actual symbol. On the contrary, the analogies draw on the assumption that the Temple, sacrifices, and ministering priests are the archetype of holiness and sanctity, without any attempt to invalidate their image. Criticism of the Temple is quite rare and may be found in Jesus' 'cleansing' of the Temple and in Mark 13. Rejection is found in only three relatively late (post-70 CE) texts: John, Hebrews, and Revelation, in which substitute cultic systems are introduced, imitating major components of the traditional sacrificial rituals. Most early Christians, therefore, held a favorable view of the Temple and its cult, and were most probably practically committed to its ritual. Since those who rejected it introduced alternative holiness systems, it would seem that they actually acknowledged the importance of the Temple's symbolism in order to cope with its strong impact upon their fellow Christians.