Temple, Cosmology, and Myth in the New Testament

The idea of a heavenly temple is widespread in the ancient world, including in the New Testament. Yet it has been a neglected theme in New Testament scholarship, certainly by comparison with the related yet less prominent themes of Christ as temple and community as temple. This article first outlines the extent of the theme in the New Testament. It then outlines reasons for this neglect before focusing on one: the mismatch between ancient conceptualisations of the universe and modern scientific cosmology. It explores and critiques a number of attempts to account for this gulf, a debate which continues to be influenced by Bultmann’s category of demythologisation. It finally argues that, even on a ‘mythological’ construal of the New Testament writers’ cosmology, the connection of temple with heaven speaks eloquently of the nature of God’s abode.