Nobody can question the paramount importance of the temple
within the old covenant. What is not so commonly appreciated,
however, is the fact that the temple has a vital role to play today –
in the new covenant. 1 But, whereas in the old covenant the temple
was a physical building, in the new covenant the physical has
entirely disappeared, leaving no role whatsoever for any special
buildings; rather, the temple now serves as a motif. But this in no
way signals a diminishing role for it. Quite the reverse! With the
change of covenants, the truth is, the temple’s role has been
enhanced. Nevertheless, at first glance, the fact that the temple
still makes any contribution – let alone an important contribution
– to our understanding of the new covenant is somewhat
surprising. |
