Temple as New Eve
The language of 1 Kings 6:1ff echoes in a number of respects the language of Genesis 2:21f. To wit:
1) The word for the “side chambers” that Solomon builds on the temple is the same as the word for “rib” in Gen 2:21.
2) After taking a rib, the Lord closes up the flesh “underneath” (Gen 2:21), using the same word found in 1 Ki 6:6 (the ‘wing’ underneath).
3) Yahweh “builds” Eve (Gen 1:22), using a verb used repeatedly in 1 Ki 6.
What to make of this? It is commonly noted that the temple in some way represents a human form (cf. eg. Poythress, Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses . That is confirmed by the various anatomical terms that are used in the temple building texts ?Eface, rib, shoulder, etc. But the echoes of Gen 2:21-22 suggest that we can be more precise; the temple is not merely a “human” form, but more precisely a “female” form, a form of the bride for the new Adam, Solomon. How this figures into the theology of the temple remains a mystery to me at the moment.
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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