Temple

Study Notes

Introduction
If you read through the Old Testament, you’ll find significant space given to the tabernacle
and the temple. These structures were symbols that pointed to the fact that all creation is
God’s temple. Jesus picks up on this truth, presenting himself as the true temple. He also
made a bold claim that God’s presence would come to dwell in his followers and not just in
these sacred structures. The early church formed communities where God rested and ruled—
his intention since the beginning! This is what our theme video on the temple is all about.

These notes go a level deeper than we can cover in a five-minute video. In the following
pages, you’ll be introduced to key concepts, passages, and images that will enable
you to gain a better understanding of the temple theme throughout the Bible.

Contents
Creation is a Temple 2
The Eden Temple 11
Eden Outpost 14
Jesus: The Temple Reality 15
Creation is a Temple: Genesis 1-2:3
The temple theme begins on the first pages of the Bible with
a bold claim: all creation is God’s temple.

The first creation narrative in Genesis 1:1-2:3 depicts God as a cosmic temple builder. He
arranges a three-tiered creation (sky, land, and sea) that is inaugurated on the seventh
day. This previews the three-part design of the Israelite tabernacle and temple (holy of
holies, holy place, and courtyard). This parallel states a significant truth about creation
itself. The cosmos is a macro temple, and the temple is a miniature cosmos. Heaven and
Earth are not separate realms; they are meant to completely overlap within the divine
purpose. And instead of a statue for the divine image, humanity is placed as the image
of God in the temple—a living image of the divine creator and king. Later biblical authors
pick up on this theme as they reflect on the functions of the tabernacle and temple.

“The Hebrew Bible is replete with descriptions of creation

as a tabernacle which God has pitched (Psalm 104; Job 9:8;
Isaiah 40:22), or a house that God has established (with pillars,
windows, and doors: Job 26:11; Gen 7:11; Ps 78:24). Consequently,
the temple of Zion, as a sanctuary that God has established,
becomes a microcosmic metaphor for creation itself.”

W.A. Gage, The Gospel of Genesis, 54.

But chose the tribe of Judah // Mount Zion which he

loved. And he built his sanctuary like the heights //
Like the land which he has founded forever.

Psalm 78:68-69

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Literary Design of Genesis 1:1-2:4
Although not explicit, the literary design of the first creation account in Scripture provides insight into the concept
of creation as God’s temple. God creates an ordered world out of a dark wasteland in seven days. Then on the
seventh day, God’s presence fills creation as he takes up his rest and rule. Days one through three focus on creating
ordered environments, and days four through six focus on the inhabitants of each of those environments.

1:1 Summary Prologue: In the beginning, God created the skies and the land [ 7 words ]

1:2 Expostion of Prologue in 3 lines [ 7x 2 words ]

Now, the land was wild and waste (tohu va-vohu)

and darkness was over the face of the deep abyss (tehom)
but the breath of Elohim was hovering over the face of the waters (hamayim)

tohu - wilderness, unordered, chaotic vohu - uninhabited, empty, no residents

Days 1-3 - Order out of Chaos Days 4-6 - The Habitation of the Ordered
Day 1 [1:3-5] “light” called “day” Day 4 [1:14-19] “lights”

“let there be light” “let there be lights”

Day 1 Day 4
“divide between ...” “divide between ... and between”

“good” “good” rule the day/night

Day 2 [1:6-8] Sky dome in the waters Day 5 [1:20-23] Sky and water creatures

Dome called “heavens” divides the waters Creatures in the waters and the dome
“divide between ... and between” of the heavens “good” / created
Day 5
Day 2
A: waters below A: water-swarmers below + sea monsters

B: waters above B: sky flyers above

Blessing: “fruitful, multiply, fill the land”

Day 3 [1:9-13] Dry land emerges from the waters Day 6 [1:24-31] Land creatures

A: land emerges from the waters [1:9-10] “good” A: Beasts emerge from the land
Day 3 Day 6
B: Plants and fruit trees emerge from the land C: “let the land bring forth beasts” [1:24] “good” / created

C: “The land brought forth vegetation” [1:12] “good” B: Creation of adam to rule the land “very good”

Blessing frutiful, multiply, fill the land, rule the land

2:1 Summary Epilogue: Thus were the skies and the land and all their host

2:2-3 Expostition of Summary

1. And God completed on the seventh day his work which he had done [7 words]

2. And he rested on the seventh day from his work which he had done [7 words]

3. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because on it

he rested from all his work which God created to do [ 7 words] [key word of 1:1]

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From Creation to Tabernacle to Temple
Echoing the seven days of creation in Genesis 1, the tabernacle and temple were built and dedicated in
a series of seven speeches and seven days, after which the priest or king could rest and rule in God’s
presence. This chart depicts the specific correspondences between the creation account and the tabernacle
and temple. Through these intentional parallels, the authors confirm the “creation as temple” idea.

Creation and Sabbath Tabernacle Designs and Sabbath Tabernacle Completion Jerusalem Temple Completion
Genesis 1:31-2:3 Exodus 25-31 and Sabbath 1 Kings 6-8
Exodus 39-40
Repetition of 7’s
Seven days open with divine Seven speeches open with Seven acts of obedience to the Seven petitions of Solomon
command: “And God said …” divine command: “And divine command complete the upon the completion of the
Yahweh spoke to Moses …” tabernacle: “And Moses did … just temple: “Blessed be Yahweh who
Day 1 - Genesis 1:5
as Yahweh commanded Moses.” spoke to my father David.”
Day 2 - Genesis 1:8 Speech 1 - Exodus 25:1
Day 3 - Genesis 1:13 Speech 2 - Exodus 30:11 Act 1 - Exodus 40:19 Petition 1 - 1 Kings 8:31-32
Day 4 - Genesis 1:19 Speech 3 - Exodus 30:17 Act 2 - Exodus 40:21 Petition 2 - 1 Kings 8:33-34
Day 5 - Genesis 1:23 Speech 4 - Exodus 30:22 Act 3 - Exodus 40:23 Petition 3 - 1 Kings 8:35-37a
Day 6 - Genesis 1:31 Speech 5 - Exodus 30:34 Act 4 - Exodus 40:25 Petition 4 - 1 Kings 8:37b-40
Day 7 - Genesis 2:1-3 Sabbath Speech 6 - Exodus 31:1 Act 5 - Exodus 40:27 Petition 5 - 1 Kings 8:41-43
Speech 7 - Exodus 31:12 Sabbath Act 6 - Exodus 40:29 Petition 6 - 1 Kings 8:44-45
Act 7 - Exodus 40:32-35 Petition 7 - 1 Kings 8:46-53
Divine rest Seven day feasts

Culmination of 7’s
Seventh day culminates in Seventh speech emphasizes Seventh act of obedience Solomon has two seven-
Sabbath (Genesis 2:1-3) the “sign of Sabbath” “completes” the tabernacle day feasts to dedicate the
(Exodus 31:12-17) temple (1 Kings 8:65)
Repeated Words
“and God saw all that he "and Moses saw all the work "Then the king faced about
had done, and behold, very they had done, and behold, just and blessed all the assembly
good. And there was evening as YHWH commanded, so they of Israel, while all the assembly
and morning, the sixth day.” did, and Moses blessed them." of Israel was standing."
(Genesis 1:31) + “And God
Exodus 39:43 1 Kings 8:14
blessed the seventh day.”
"and the skies and the land "and it came about when he "and Moses completed "and Solomon built the temple
were completed (‫)כל׳׳ה‬." completed (‫ )כל׳׳ה‬speaking (‫ )כל׳׳ה‬the work (‫")מלאכה‬. and he finished (‫ )כל׳׳ה‬it."
to Moses on Mt. Sinai."
Genesis 2:1 Exodus 40:33 1 Kings 6:14
Exodus 31:18
"and God rested (‫)שב׳׳ת‬ "and the cloud covered the "and the cloud filled the
on the seventh day …" tent of meeting, and the glory house of Yahweh."
of YHWH filled the tent."
1 Kings 8:10-11
Exodus 40:34
“… from all his work (‫)מלאכה‬ "you shall keep the Sabbath for Aaron and his sons are brought “In the eleventh year, in the …
… and God blessed (‫)בר׳׳ך‬ it is holy (‫ )קדש‬for you … Six before the tent for seven days eighth month, the temple was
the seventh day and days let the work (‫ )מלאכה‬be in the ordination ceremony. finished throughout all its
made it holy (‫)קד׳׳ש‬.” done, and on the seventh day parts and according to all its
Leviticus 8-9, see 8:35 plans. So he was seven years
it is a Sabbath of Sabbath."
Genesis 2:2-3 in building it.” (1 Kings 6:38)
Exodus 31:14-15
“And the work (‫ )מלאכה‬of the
pillars was finished.” (1 Kings 7:22)

“Thus all the work (‫)מלאכה‬

that King Solomon performed
in the house of the Lord was
finished.” (1 Kings 7:51)
Tragic Disruptions

Temptation and fall Temptation and fall Temptation and fall Temptation and fall narrative:
narrative: Genesis 3 narrative: Exodus 32 narrative: Leviticus 10 1 Kings 9:1-9 and 11:1-13

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“The function of these correspondences is to underscore microcosm, a miniature world. But it is equally the case that in
the depiction of the sanctuary as a world, that is, an ordered, Israel, the world, or I should say, the ideal world, was conceived
supportive, and obedient environment, and the depiction of as a macro-temple, the palace of God which is permeated
the world as a sanctuary, that is, a place in which the reign of with his presence and in which all is aligned with his will.”
God is visible and unchallenged, and his holiness is palpable,
Jon Levenson, Cosmos and Microcosm, 86.
unthreatened, and pervasive … The Temple was conceived as a

Cosmic Geography in Genesis 1

Think of the planet Earth. What comes to mind? Many would picture a satellite image of our planet
amidst a vast solar system. In the ancient world, they had a very different conception of the cosmos.
Throughout the biblical creation accounts, we can construct an accurate view of their three-tiered cosmos.
Let’s walk through some Scripture together to put ourselves in the shoes of the ancient readers.

Tier 1: The Skies

The first tier of the Biblical cosmos is the sky. When an ancient looked up at a blue sky, they believed there
was water behind a carefully placed dome. They concluded that God placed the sun, moon, and stars
within the dome—each with a role to bring order to the universe. Lastly, they envisioned God enthroned
in his heavenly temple above the earth. Let’s look at the Scriptures that confirm these elements:
The sky-dome separates the waters above and below:

Then God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the I was there when he set the heavens in place,
waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
made the dome and separated the waters which were below
Proverbs 8:27
the dome from the waters which were above the dome; and
it was so. God called the dome “skies” (or “heavens”).
He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
Genesis 1:6-8 for a boundary between light and darkness.

Job 26:10
The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their dome is declaring the work of His hands ...
Their line has gone out through all the land,
And their utterances to the end of the world.
In them He has placed a tent for the sun,

Psalms 19:1, 4

The waters above and below:

He established the land upon its foundations, In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the
So that it will not totter forever and ever. seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains
You covered it with the deep as with a garment; of the great deep burst open, and the windows of the skies were
The waters were standing above the mountains. opened. And the rain fell upon the land for forty days and nights.
At Your rebuke they fled,
Genesis 7:11-12
At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away.
The mountains rose; the valleys sank down
To the place which You established for them. Praise him from the skies, praise him in the heights ...
You set a boundary that they may not pass over, Praise him skies of the skies, and the waters above the skies
So that they will not return to cover the earth. He sends forth springs Psalms 148:1, 4
in the valleys; They flow between the mountains;
They give drink to every beast of the field;
The wild donkeys quench their thirst ...
He waters the mountains from His upper chambers;
The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

Psalms 104:5-13

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The stars in the dome:

God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, Praise him from the skies, praise him in the heights
and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. God Praise him all his angels, praise him all his host
placed them in the dome of the skies to give light on the earth, Praise him sun, moon, and stars of light

Genesis 1:16-17 Psalm 148:1-3

The heavenly temple:

The Lord is in his holy temple; In my distress I called to the Lord;

the Lord is on his heavenly throne. I cried to my God for help.
He observes everyone on earth; From his temple he heard my voice;
his eyes examine them. my cry came before him, into his ears ...
He parted the heavens and came down;
Psalms 11:4 dark clouds were under his feet.
He mounted the cherubim and flew;
Thus says the Lord,
“Heaven is my throne and the earth is My footstool."

Isaiah 66:1 Psalms 18:6-10

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;

Yes, the Lord sits as King forever.

Psalms 29:10

Tier 2: The Land

The second tier in the ancient concept of the cosmos was the land. Because of their understanding of
waters above and below the earth, all land was floating on and bordered by the sea. Remember the sky-
dome holding back the waters? They believed the mountains functioned as a support to the sky-dome,
creating a sort of portal to Heaven and Earth. Take a look at the Scriptures that verify these visualizations:

A disk whose center is Jerusalem:

... who live at the center of the world. (Hebrew: Hear my cry, O God;
tabur, the “navel” of the land) Give heed to my prayer.
From the end of the earth
Ezekiel 38:12 I call to You when my heart is faint;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise,
in the city of our God, his holy mountain. Psalms 61:1-2
Beautiful in its loftiness,
the joy of the whole earth,
Like your name, O God,
your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is filled with righteousness.

Psalms 48:1-2, 10

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Land disk is bordered by sea:

Who shut up the sea behind doors I was there when he set the heavens in place,
when it burst forth from the womb, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep,
when I made the clouds its garment when he established the clouds above
and wrapped it in thick darkness, and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,
when I fixed limits for it
when he gave the sea its boundary
and set its doors and bars in place,
so the waters would not overstep his command,
when I said, "This far you may come and no farther;
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.
here is where your proud waves halt"?
Proverbs 8:27-29
Job 38:8-11

I made the sand a boundary for the sea,

an everlasting barrier it cannot cross. May he also rule from sea to sea
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; And from the river to the ends of the earth.
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
Psalms 72:8
Jeremiah 5:22

Land is floating upon the sea:

The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength; The world, and those who dwell in it.
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved. For He has founded it upon the seas
Your throne is established from of old; And established it upon the rivers.
You are from everlasting.
Psalms 24:1-2
The Rivers have lifted up, O Lord,
The Rivers have lifted up their voice,
The Rivers lift up their pounding waves.
More than the sounds of many waters,
Than the mighty breakers of the sea,
The Lord on high is mighty.

Psalms 93:1-4

Mountains reach/support the sky dome and are a portal of Heaven and Earth:

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, Then the earth shook and quaked,
In the city of our God, His holy mountain. The foundations of heaven were trembling
Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, And were shaken, because He was angry.
Is Mount Zion the far north (Hebrew: tsaphon “north”
2 Samuel 22:8
= “extreme height”) The city of the great King.

Psalms 48:1-2

Land is supported by the pillars underneath:

The land ... It is I who have set it upon its pillars. If the heavens above can be measured
And the foundations of the land searched out below ...
Psalms 75:3
Jeremiah 31:37
The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered His voice ... When He made firm the skies above,
Then the channels of water appeared, When the springs of the deep became fixed,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare When He set for the sea its boundary
At Your rebuke, O Lord, So that the water would not transgress His command,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. When He marked out the foundations of the land;

Psalms 18:13-15 Proverbs 8:28-29

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Tier 3: The Waters/Underworld

The third and last tier in the Biblical conception of the cosmos is the waters—or underworld.
Underneath the land were the ominous waters below. This tier is associated with frequent Biblical
imagery of the grave/pit and Sheol. Take a look at the Bible verses that explore these concepts:

The waters below the land:

The land is the LORD’s, and everything in it, ... heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.
the world, and all who live in it;
Exodus 20:4
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.

Psalms 24:1-2

The deep abyss is the grave/pit:

Save me, O God,

For the waters have threatened my life.
I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.
May the flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

Psalms 69:1-2,15

The pit and Sheol (“the grave”) is also the deep waters:

For my soul has had enough troubles, The cords of death encompassed me,
And my life has drawn near to Sheol. And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me.
I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit; The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
I have become like a man without strength, The snares of death confronted me.
Forsaken among the dead,
Psalms 18:4-5
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And they are cut off from Your hand. The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,
You have put me in the lowest pit, But the earth He has given to the sons of men.
In dark places, in the depths ... The dead do not praise the Lord,
And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Nor do any who go down into silence;

Psalms 88:3-7 Psalms 115:16-17

Vertical and horizontal horizons are often combined:

Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
If I take to the edges/wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the end of the sea,

Psalm 139:7-9

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Tying It All Together

Other Ancient Visualizations of the Cosmos

Israel did not exist in a cultural vacuum. Their view of the cosmos is confirmed by other creation accounts
from surrounding nations in the ancient Near East. The Egyptian and Babylonian accounts are of note here.

Egyptian Conceptions

First, you can observe the various Egyptian representations of the primeval hill. They believed this
was the first entity to rise from the water of chaos, which the world eventually evolved from. The
image on the right depicts their more detailed understanding of the cosmos. Here, the sun-god Re
traverses the heavens daily in an invisible boat. Notice how the the sky—with obvious human likeness—
forms a barrier between the waters above the heavens and the waters below the earth.

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Babylonian Conceptions

This sixth century B.C. map, called the Babylonian Sippar Map, presents a flat circular
earth bordered by a circumferential sea. The solid dome of the heavens ends at the
horizon and is supported by seven pillars.

Below you will see a Late Kassite kudurru (boundary stone) from Susa
(ca. 1180 B.C.). The multipart picture of the world distinguishes an
upper heavenly sphere, an earthly realm, and the underworld.

Images Source: Othmar Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography
and the Book of Psalms, trans. Timothy J. Hallett (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997).

What can we learn from these other ancient conceptions?

“It should be evident that within the worldview of the ancient Near the ANE view of the world lies in their profanity and lifelessness.
East, including the Hebrew Bible, their physical-technical and In the biblical and ANE conception, the world is open and
poetic-mythical statements and conceptions are not susceptible transparent to things above and beneath the earth. It is not a
to consistent separation. To the ancient Near East, the empirical lifeless stage. The universe is thoroughly alive, and, therefore,
world, as manifestation and symbol, points beyond its superficial the more capable of sympathy with humans and of response to
reality. A blurring occurs between the actual and the symbolic, and the rule of its creator, on whom both humanity and the universe
conversely between the symbolic and the actual. This openness directly depend. Certainly we have here more than a poetical
of the everyday, earthly world to the spheres of divine life and personification of the cosmos, when it is invited to shout for joy!”
bottomless, devastating lostness is probably the chief difference
Othmar Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient
between ancient Near Eastern conception of the world and our
Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms, 56.
own, which views the world as a virtually closed mechanical
system. The principal error of conventional representations of

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The Eden Temple: Genesis 2:4-3:24
Building on the temple concepts in Genesis 1-2:4a and Genesis 2:4b-3:24 offers a
complimentary creation account focusing on the garden of Eden. It depicts God ordering
the world out of a chaotic wilderness and placing humans atop a cosmic mountain-
garden as his royal priestly representatives. The design plan of Eden is a prototype
of the tabernacle and temple. This narrative is meant to preview the priesthood and
the holy of holies in the Israelite tabernacle and temple, and it makes a significant
claim about the nature of creation itself. God has appointed creation as the place
where humans are united with the beauty and presence of God for all eternity.

What does Eden mean?

Is there any significance to the word eden? How does it help us better understand the concepts the author was trying
to communicate to his readers? Let’s take a look at where the word was first mentioned. In Genesis 2:8, the text states,
“And Yahweh Elohim planted a garden in Eden from the east.” The word eden (Hebrew: ‫ )עדן‬has two facets of meaning.

1) A proper geographical term, Eden (as in all modern English translations)

2) An adjective meaning “liquid luxuriance, watery abundance”

The latter definition is most consistent with the meaning of this word in biblical Hebrew.

They will feast on the richness of your temple, and a stream of your He has filled his stomach with my delights/my edens.
bounty/your edens will water them, for with you is the fountain of life.
Jeremiah 51:34
Psalm 36:9-10

To reflect this concept in our modern Bibles, “delight” was the word adopted by the earliest biblical translators.
The first Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint, is aware of both meanings. In Genesis 2:8, we find
“a paradise in Eden” (παράδεισον ἐν Εδεμ), but in Genesis 3:23, we find “a paradise of bounty” (τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς
τρυφῆς). In a much later translation, the Latin Vulgate, we find “garden of voluptuousness” (paradisum voluptatis).

In summary, this word is part of the larger Eden as cosmic mountain motif that grounds this text in a
larger design pattern that extends forward to the mountains of Ararat, Bethel, Sinai, and Jerusalem.

The Symbolic Topography of Eden

Cosmic Geography
Cosmos in Genesis 1 Tabernacle/Temple
in Genesis 2-3
Tier 1 Skies Cosmic mountain the Holy of holies
middle of the garden
Tier 2 Land The garden in Eden Holy place
Trees Menorah = tree
Animals Cherubim = animals
Humans Priests = humans
Tier 3 Sea The land outside the garden Courtyard = Bronze
sea (1 Kings 7:23)

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Remember the three-tiered cosmos (skies-land-sea) depicted in Genesis 1? The garden of Eden also
connects with the three-tiered design found in Genesis 1 and the tabernacle and temple.

The dry land (Gn. 1:9-13) The land of Israel/Jerusalem

The land of Eden (Gn. 2:8) The Courtyard

Garden in Eden (Gn. 2:8) Holy Place

Tree of life in the center

Holy of Holies
of the garden (Gn. 2:9)

The geography of Eden within the dry land of This conception of the garden of Eden on the dry land provides
Genesis 1-3 depicts a three-part topography: a symbolic template for Israel’s tabernacle temple, especially as
described in Ezekiel’s ideal/restored temple (Ezekiel 40-48).

“In Genesis 2-3 Eden is not explicitly described as a mountain, in Psalm 48:1-3 (“Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the entire earth,
but this can be best understood by a careful reading of many Mt. Zion in the far north”) or Isaiah 2:1-4 (“Mt. Zion will be raised
biblical texts that symbolically identity Eden with Zion. Through the up as the highest of all mountains on earth”). In the symbolic
temple ritual on Mt. Zion, the cosmic images of Eden became an world of Israel’s temple liturgies, ordinary space became sacred
earthly reality. Genesis 2:10-14 mentions the four great rivers that space, the meager water spring of the city became a cosmic river,
proceed from Eden and water all the earth. One of these cosmic and the little knoll of Jerusalem became Mt. Zion, the highest
streams is the Gihon, which appears only elsewhere in the Hebrew mountain on the earth, and Jerusalem a peripheral city in the
Bible in reference to the main source of Jerusalem’s water … This ancient world, became the center of the earth (Ezekiel 38:12).”
connection between the Gihon of Eden and of Jerusalem is not
Gary Anderson, The Cosmic Mountain: Eden and Its
the result of fuzzy or illogical mode of thought on the part of the
Early Interpreters in Syriac Christianity, 192-93.
biblical authors. This symbolic matching reflects Zion’s cosmic and
spiritual importance … The image of Jerusalem’s cosmic stream is
no more inappropriate than similar imagery applied to Jerusalem

Primeval Hills of the Ancient World

The concept of Eden described as a cosmic mountain temple would not be unfamiliar to ancient readers. The
great pyramids of Egypt, ziggurats of Babylon, and ancient palace gardens all pay homage to these concepts.

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The pyramids have the form and also (in the understanding of the ancient Near East) the character
of the primeval hill. In the pyramid of Djoser, these aspects coincide with that of a double
staircase, which is probably intended to enable the ascent of the deceased into the heavenly
world. The Egyptian words for “climb” and “ascend” are determined by a double stair.

The title of the step-temple of Babylon is “house of the foundation of heaven and earth”
(cf. Psalm 78:69). The temple is the center and mainstay of creation.

Nineveh: palace of Assurbanipal (668–626. b.c.); BM 124939A. R. D. Barnett and W.

Forman, Assyrische Palastreliefs, fig. 134. A. Jeremias, Das AT im Lichte des AO, fig. 18.
BHH, vol. 3, cols. 1385f. Drawing after a photograph in the British Museum.**

Image Source: Othmar Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography
and the Book of Psalms, trans. Timothy J. Hallett (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997), 114-15, 396.

Adam and Eve: Priests of the Garden

If the biblical authors wanted us to see the garden as a temple, then an obvious implication is that
Adam and Eve were to be seen as priests. The temple is where heaven and earth unite and humanity
serves as God’s royal representatives or priests. The following passages confirm this idea.

• Humanity’s work is described in priestly vocabulary: Genesis 2:15, Numbers 18:1-8 (cf. also Numbers
3:7-8 and 8:26): tending to the holy space and not “drawing near” outside of appointed times.
• The map of Genesis 2:4-18 imitates that of the holy space: Eden > garden > middle of garden
with tree of life. Courtyard > tabernacle > holy of holies (see also Numbers 18:1-8).
• The trees of knowledge and of life (Genesis 2:9) are symbolized by the
menorah in the tabernacle and temple (Exodus 25:31-40).
• The danger of the “middle” of the garden is like the danger of “holy ground” for Jacob at Bethel
(Genesis 35:2), Moses on Sinai (Exodus 3:5), and the Israelites in Sinai (Exodus 19:1-12).
• The tree of “knowing” good and evil in the middle of the garden (Genesis 2:8) that is not to be approached
(Genesis 2:17) is like the tablets of the Torah placed in the ark of the covenant in the holy of holies
(Deuteronomy 31:26), which is Israel’s “wisdom” (Deuteronomy 4:4-6) and “life” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47).

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Rebellion: The New Normal
Knowing their original priestly function makes Adam and Eve’s rebellion in Genesis 3 all the more
tragic. They take and eat from the tree and spread, not Eden, but mistrust, violence, and death to
the whole world. God has to exile humanity from the ordered Eden temple into the chaos of the
wilderness. The rest of the biblical story is about the hope for a new humanity to be reunited with
God’s realm of order and life to “work and to serve” and rule as God’s image in the temple.

“The entire book of Genesis is designed according to an archetypal of God’s life-giving presence. But humanity’s movement away
pattern, related to what we may call ‘cultic cosmology.’ In short, from the sacred mountain, and therefore away from God, is
sacred space is poetically conceived in the Bible as a world- depicted as a descent away from the source of life (Eden) toward
mountain surrounded by the primeval waters. At the cloud- death (wilderness, chaos). And conversely, movement toward
covered summit of the mountain is the temple, the dwelling of God is expressed as an ascent from death and into life.”
God, and at the base are the chaos waters, underneath which
Michael Morales, Who Can Ascend the Mountain of the Lord, 49.
lies Sheol, the realm of the dead. The waters of life flow from
the summit of the mountain, representing the outgoing nature

Eden Outpost: The Old Testament Story Continues

We’ve only covered a few pages of the Bible so far with the two complementary creation accounts.
The temple theme continues to develop as we continue on in the biblical story. First, we see God
plant an Eden-outpost in the wilderness after the Exodus event (the tabernacle). Several hundred
years later, the nation of Israel is established in the land and another outpost arises on another
mountain (the Jerusalem temple). Both Eden-outposts include parallels to the creation accounts.
• Patterns of seven in the tabernacle/temple design (See table in Section 1)
• Blessing, rest, gold, jewels, and cherubim (e.g., Exodus 25:1-8, 31-40; 1 Kings 8:29-32)
• Priestly figure reentering Eden once a year on the day of atonement (e.g., Leviticus 16)

In summary, the tabernacle and the temple are to be seen as diminished Edens in a world of chaos.

Outpost Destroyed
Unfortunately, Israel’s leaders play out Adam and Eve’s rebellion, wanting to rule on their own terms. The
temple system becomes corrupt, the nation ends up in exile, and the temple structure is destroyed (e.g., 2
Chronicles 36:15-21, Jeremiah 52). What happened to God’s plan to reestablish his dwelling in creation?

This is the question many of the biblical prophets wrestled with. When the Jerusalem temple was destroyed by
Babylon, the prophets envisioned a new temple, where God would begin again to recreate his world.

"Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold,
coming and I will dwell in your midst,” declares the Lord. “Many water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward
nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing
My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of
the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. The Lord will possess Judah the altar. He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me
as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem. around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that
faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side.
“Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord; for He is
aroused from His holy habitation.” Ezekiel 47:1-2

Zechariah 2:10-13

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The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and And that we may walk in His paths.”
Jerusalem. For the law will go forth from Zion
Now it will come about that And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
In the last days And He will judge between the nations
The mountain of the house of the Lord And will render decisions for many peoples;
Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears
And will be raised above the hills; into pruning hooks.
And all the nations will stream to it. Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And many peoples will come and say, And never again will they learn war.
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
Isaiah 2:1-4
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways

The Israelites returned to the land, and they rebuilt the temple (Ezra 1:2-3; 3:10-11). However,
it didn’t turn out the way the prophets had hoped (Ezra 3:10-11). Due to opposition and lack of
motivation, the temple took over 20 years to build, and it was way less impressive than Solomon’s
temple. Later Israelite prophets said that this temple was hopelessly corrupt (Malachi). As we
close the Old Testament, we are still waiting for the promise of God’s ultimate temple.

Jesus: The Temple Reality

The New Testament Story

We’ve arrived at the story of Jesus! He claimed that through him, God’s presence and
rule would come to our world in a new way. He presented himself as a new kind of priest,
but Jesus wasn’t a priest, and he didn’t work in the temple. In fact, there was a temple
in Jerusalem at the time, but it had been rebuilt by Herod the Great—an evil ruler.

Jesus declared that the Jerusalem temple was corrupt and that his body was the real place where
Heaven and Earth united (e.g., John 1:1-2; 14; 2:13-22). He was the reality the temple was supposed
to point to all along.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and
in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken
John 1:1-2 forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three
days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only John 2:18-21
Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

The People of Jesus Become the Temple

After his resurrection, Jesus said that God’s presence would come to dwell in and among
his followers, so that they could become minitemples. The promise comes true, and the
Holy Spirit comes to dwell amongst the first believers during Pentecost.

Temple 15
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in
which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they
you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire
and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
Acts 1:8 with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Acts 2:1-4

After this event, the good news spread throughout the ancient world. Communities of people sprung up
where God could rest and rule. Some of the New Testament authors picked up on the deeper meaning
behind this, describing the vision of the church as a temple. It was no longer a building, but people!

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by
citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living
built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to
Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom
1 Peter 2:4-5
you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Looking Forward to Renewed Creation

At the end of the biblical story, do we get a new physical temple? In Revelation, we read about the new creation;
however, a temple structure is lacking. Why? There is no need for a temple building “for the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple” (Revelation 21:22). This was God’s plan all along. We have a glorious future to
look forward to, where all creation will be the place where God rests and rules the world with his people.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal,
the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its
I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve
from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree
And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse;
tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-
and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on
them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will
there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because
mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things Revelation 22:1-5
new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”
Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from
the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will
inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Revelation 21:1-7

Sources
Gage, Warren Austin. The Gospel of Genesis: Studies in Protology and Eschatology. Winona Lake, IN: Carpenter Books, 1984.

Levenson, J. (2014). Cosmos and Microcosm. In Cult and Cosmos: Tilting toward a Temple-centered Theology.(p. 86). Leuven: Peeters.

Morales, Michael. Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus. IVP Academic, 2015.

Othmar Keel, The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of
Psalms, trans. Timothy J. Hallett (Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1997), 56, 114-15, 396.

Walton, John H., and Andrew E. Hill. The Old Testament Today: A Journey from Original Meaning
to Contemporary Significance. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2004.

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