“Salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22). Jesus Christ makes this truth clear in the Gospel of John, as He famously converses with the Samaritan woman at the well. Like much of John’s Gospel, there are scenes contained in the Fourth Gospel that are not present in the three Synoptics, this scene being one of the most significant.
The image of Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman is among the most famous not only of John, but of all the Gospels. As Jesus does, He takes that which is considered a “curse” or a taboo in the Old Testament, turning it into a garden of blessing. He personally encounters and touches lepers, healing them of their dreaded disease – indeed, being in the company of lepers would be considered unthinkable in the ancient world. Likewise, a Jewish man conversing with a Samaritan woman would be considered highly controversial, given the historical tension between the Jewish people and the Samaritans.
But Jesus deliberately chooses this woman as among the first to hear about the new Temple. Her place as both a woman and a Samaritan makes her a perfect audience for this news. She represents the “flip” that takes place from the Old to the New Testaments: curses become blessings, and foreigners are now welcomed into the People of God.
The First Temple of Jerusalem – also known as the Temple of Solomon – was built during the reign of King Solomon, son and successor of David, with Solomon reigning as King of the united Israel from c. 970 until 931 BC. The construction of Temple can be seen as the “high point,” the peak of the Golden Age of ancient Israel. Tragically, this Temple was infamously destroyed by the Babylonian army during the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, a horrific event recounted by the Prophet Jeremiah and the Book of Lamentations.
The Temple is of immense importance to the Old Testament. In many ways, its building is a massive turning point for salvation history, for the identity of Israel, and as a foreshadowing of the Church as the New Temple. The Temple represents a New Garden of Eden: trees are in the Temple, evoking the memory of the happier times of Eden. The Temple is also a microcosm of the universe, representing the sheer beauty and goodness of creation. Just imagine this: given our modern scientific knowledge of how massive the universe is, what would be put into a modern-day Temple that was likewise a “universe-in-miniature?”
Of course, The Temple is most famous for containing the Ark of the Covenant, the most sacred object of ancient Judaism. The Glory Cloud of God’s Presence likewise dwelt in the Temple, a reminder of God’s presence among the People since the Exodus from Egypt. By all accounts, the First Temple was truly one of the Wonders of the Ancient World. It is a shame that no image of it remains.
But increasing corruption and idolatry ultimate led to the Temple’s downfall, as God allows it to be destroyed in 586 BC by the invading Babylonians. Just as its construction is a monumental event for ancient Israel, so its destruction is likewise a monumental event: the fall of the Temple and all of Jerusalem is, for many ancient Jews, the end of the world as they know it. The Jews then begin their fateful seventy-year exile to Babylon, which incidentally can be viewed as an image of Purgatory: if the Promised Land represents heaven, then heaven cannot tolerate the presence of sin. Exile to Babylon is therefore a necessary “purgation” that will prepare them for re-entry to the Promised Land.
With the Persian conquest of Babylon in c. 538 BC, the Jews are joyfully sent home (about 50,000 of them initially) with the blessing of King Cyrus the Great of Persia, who supports them in their rebuilding of the Temple. The Books of Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah give us enormous insight into the rebuilding effort, and Ezra and Haggai in particular tell us of the relative disappoint in the Second Temple. Ezra tells us:
But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy; so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard afar (Ezra 3:12-13).
The Second Temple is a relative disappointment. It lacks the Ark of the Covenant, it lacks the Glory Cloud of God’s Presence, and it lacks the sheer size and scope of the First. And yet, its construction is commanded by God, and the Prophets assure the People that it will still be of immense importance to them.
But like the First Temple, the Second will meet a similar fate. Like the Babylonians before them, the Romans besiege and ultimately destroy Jerusalem, including the Temple, in 70 AD.
It amazes me that so many Catholics, and so many people in general, have a great interest in the ancient world, including the First and Second Temples (and rightly so), but do not appreciate the glory of the Catholic church a mile from their home. The ancient Temples were indeed magnificent and worthy of honor and worthy of our study today. But the magnificence of even the most humble and simple of Catholic Churches makes the Temples pale in comparison. We’ll discuss this more in the coming articles.