The Temple as a Place of Worship and the God of Heaven in 2 Maccabees
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Beate Ego
Abstract
By taking up exilic and post-exilic conceptions, the author of 2 Maccabees emphasizes that God dwells in heaven. Yet the reception of this assertion does not result in a marginalization of the sanctuary. The Temple counts as a place of (temporary) divine indwelling, which can only be encountered if one is pure and holy. The Temple is not only a place of worship, but also as a visible sign of the political significance of Jerusalem and the national greatness of Israel. “Temple” and “city” are not opposites; they are closely related to one another. The city is the place of the Temple; the city derives its glory from the Temple, just as, by contrast, the Temple develops its glory within the city. When Israel acts in accordance with God’s will, both remain under divine protection. The connection of the protection motif to other elements shows that the author wanted to emphasize this traditional motif of the old Temple theology.
Abstract
By taking up exilic and post-exilic conceptions, the author of 2 Maccabees emphasizes that God dwells in heaven. Yet the reception of this assertion does not result in a marginalization of the sanctuary. The Temple counts as a place of (temporary) divine indwelling, which can only be encountered if one is pure and holy. The Temple is not only a place of worship, but also as a visible sign of the political significance of Jerusalem and the national greatness of Israel. “Temple” and “city” are not opposites; they are closely related to one another. The city is the place of the Temple; the city derives its glory from the Temple, just as, by contrast, the Temple develops its glory within the city. When Israel acts in accordance with God’s will, both remain under divine protection. The connection of the protection motif to other elements shows that the author wanted to emphasize this traditional motif of the old Temple theology.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter i
- Preface of the Editorial Board of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook vii
- Preface ix
- Contents xi
- How did Early Judaism Understand the Concept of ʿAvodah? 1
- The Garland: A Sign of Worship and Acknowledgement 17
- Temples and Sanctuaries within Their Apocalyptic Setting 41
- Solomon’s Temple and Israel’s Earlier Cultic Traditions in 2 Chronicles 1−8 63
- Sirach Chapter 2 and the Temple 77
- Ben Sira on the Piety of Men and the Piety of Women 107
- Word and Prayer in the Book of Ben Sira 117
- Worship in the Restored Second Temple in Sirach 50 141
- The Temple as a Place of Worship and the God of Heaven in 2 Maccabees 167
- A Narrative-Therapeutic Reading of the Martyr Narrative in 2 Maccabees 6 and 7 181
- Bodily Signs of Penitence in the Book of Baruch 197
- Piety without the Temple according to the Book of Baruch 215
- Babylonian Priests in the Description of the Epistle of Jeremiah 225
- No Place for Worship 247
- Gestures and Locations of Worship in the Book of Tobit 261
- Charity and Cult in the Book of Tobit 277
- Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon 289
- Aspects of Worship in the Letter of Aristeas 305
- Die kosmische Bedeutung des jüdischen Hohenpriesters im Denken Philos von Alexandrien 319
- Temple and Synagogue in Late Antiquity 341
- Worship in Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 365
- Worship and Creation 389
- Contributors 421
- Index of References 423
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter i
- Preface of the Editorial Board of Deuterocanonical and Cognate Literature Yearbook vii
- Preface ix
- Contents xi
- How did Early Judaism Understand the Concept of ʿAvodah? 1
- The Garland: A Sign of Worship and Acknowledgement 17
- Temples and Sanctuaries within Their Apocalyptic Setting 41
- Solomon’s Temple and Israel’s Earlier Cultic Traditions in 2 Chronicles 1−8 63
- Sirach Chapter 2 and the Temple 77
- Ben Sira on the Piety of Men and the Piety of Women 107
- Word and Prayer in the Book of Ben Sira 117
- Worship in the Restored Second Temple in Sirach 50 141
- The Temple as a Place of Worship and the God of Heaven in 2 Maccabees 167
- A Narrative-Therapeutic Reading of the Martyr Narrative in 2 Maccabees 6 and 7 181
- Bodily Signs of Penitence in the Book of Baruch 197
- Piety without the Temple according to the Book of Baruch 215
- Babylonian Priests in the Description of the Epistle of Jeremiah 225
- No Place for Worship 247
- Gestures and Locations of Worship in the Book of Tobit 261
- Charity and Cult in the Book of Tobit 277
- Worship and Holy Places in the Wisdom of Solomon 289
- Aspects of Worship in the Letter of Aristeas 305
- Die kosmische Bedeutung des jüdischen Hohenpriesters im Denken Philos von Alexandrien 319
- Temple and Synagogue in Late Antiquity 341
- Worship in Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 365
- Worship and Creation 389
- Contributors 421
- Index of References 423
