Temple symbolism and mission in the pauline churches

Brouwer, Leendert

doi:10.7832/46-1-212

Temple symbolism and mission in the pauline churches

Author(s)

Brouwer, Leendert

Universidad Peruana Unión

Date Issued

1 de agosto de 2018

Type

Article

Publisher

Southern African Missiological Society

Volume

46

Issue

1

Series/Report No.

Missionalia

Contained in

Missionalia

Start Page

85

End Page

108

DOI

10.7832/46-1-212

ISSN

0256-9507

Abstract

This study explores the role of temple symbolism in the mission of the Pauline churches. It is theoretically informed by Beale’s (2004) and most recently Wright’s (2013) claim that Genesis 1:28 and 2 should serve as “the controlling paradigm” for mission. Taking the Garden of Eden as an archetypal temple, a ‘cosmic mount’ that provides a microcosmic portrayal of the cosmos, Beale and Wright don’t discuss important concerns about the ‘cosmic mount’ theory. This study addresses these concerns, providing an alternative interpretation that emphasizes the contextual nature of temple symbolism.