Permanent temple
A rabbinic text ( Avot de Rabbi Natan , 6) reads:
Once, as Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai was coming forth from Jerusalem, Rabbi Joshua followed him and beheld the temple in ruins.
“Woe unto us,” Rabbi Joshua cried, “that this, the place where the iniquities of Israel were atoned for, is laid waste!”
“My son,” Rabban Yohanan said to him, “be not grieved. We have another atonement as effective as this. And what is it? It is acts of loving kindness, as it is said, For I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Hos 6:6).
But Rabbi Joshua was right, and his comment isolates a way to characterize the differences between Christianity and Judaism. Jews have made good without a temple for nearly two millennia. Christians immediately claimed that Jesus and His body constituted the temple, not as a temporary stop-gap but as the fulfillment of Israel’s sanctuaries.
Or, more counterintuitively: Jews can get along without a temple; Christians can’t.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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