God Dwells with Us: Temple Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel

In the years after the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, and the ensuing rift between Judaism and Christianity, the Fourth Gospel offers hope to Christians that the God of Israel's traditions can now be found in and through Jesus. Within this historical milieu, the Temple provides a major christological symbol for the Johannine community. The Temple, as the place of God's dwelling, reveals both the identity and the mission of Jesus. Having shown how the Temple symbolism applies to Jesus, God Dwells with Us discusses how the Temple symbolism in the Fourth Gospel also applies to the Christian community. Thus in the absence of the historical Jesus, Christians still have access to a God who dwells in the midst of the community.