"Community as Temple: Revisiting Cultic Metaphors in Qumran and the New Testament,"

In this article, I will compare the different usages of symbolism for the community as temple in the Community Rule (1QS)‪ and 4QFlorilegium to those in the NT—Paul’s Epistles, Ephesians, and 1 Peter.‪ I will reassess the link that these expressions create between the cult/community and the Jerusalem Temple to determine whether the widespread assumption that the community truly replaced the temple is correct.‪ The Community Rule’s metaphors are sophisticated, including not only temple terminology (although the temple itself is never explicitly mentioned)‪ but also the priestly or sacrificial function of atonement.‪ I propose taking “the Temple of Man” ( miqdash adam )‪ wherein the torah practices are offered up as similar to the cultic metaphor in the Community Rule.‪ For Paul, such cultic metaphors are part of a wider system, which is secondary to his rhetorical and functional needs.‪ There are clear differences between Paul’s identifying his community as the temple as compared to the Yahad’s, but there are also strong similarities between the Community Rule, Ephesians, and especially 1 Peter.‪