The House with Many Rooms: The Temple Theme of Jn. 14:2–3

by James McCaffrey

Publisher:

Pontifical Biblical Institute

, 1988

Overview

The text of John 14:2–3 bristles with difficulties. It describes the redemptive work of Christ in terms which pertain to the family and its intimate personal relationships. However, careful examination also reveals significant temple implications. The text states equivalently that the New Temple of the risen Jesus is the way of access to the heavenly temple of the Father’s house. Moreover, the term “place” is taken to mean sanctuary or temple.

Extensive arguments support this interpretation by the use of a method which distinguishes two levels of meaning in the text, a pre-Paschal and a post-Paschal respectively. Part 1 of this study treats directly of the Jewish background, with a preliminary chapter which opens up the rich possibilities of the text. Part 2 deals with the Johannine context, the deeper post-Paschal meaning, and the links with other Johannine temple texts. A final chapter shows the unity between the two levels of understanding. Such an interpretation points to the temple as an important theme of the Johannine farewell discourses which cannot be adequately explained without reference to it.

In the Logos edition, all Scripture passages in The House with Many Rooms are tagged and appear on mouseover, and all Scripture passages link to your favorite Bible translation in your library. With Logos’ advanced features, you can perform powerful searches by topic or Scripture reference—finding, for example, every mention of “the Promised Land” or “victory over sin.”

Key Features

• Study on John 14:2–3
• Examination of the Jewish background
• Analysis of the Johannine context

Contents

Top Highlights

“Indeed to understand 14:2–3 in this sense would be to go beyond the spatial imagery of the text to the deeper reality of a spiritual ‘temple’, or ‘sanctuary’, like the risen body of Jesus.” (Page 38)

“New Temple of the risen Jesus is the way of access to the heavenly temple of the Father’s house.” (Page 21)

“The Goal of the Disciples’ Journey: Reunion with Jesus in the Father’s House” (Page 43)

“Some kind of at-one-ment with Jesus is clearly promised.” (Page 43)

Product Details

• Title: The House with Many Rooms: The Temple Theme of Jn. 14:2–3
• Author: James McCaffrey
• Publisher: Pontifical Biblical Institute
• Publication Date: 1988
• Pages: 293

About James McCaffrey

James McCaffrey has lectured widely in India, Israel, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the U.S.A. He has also contributed articles and written several books on biblical topics. At present he is a Lecturer and Tutor at Ushaw College, Durham University.