The Temple And The Spirit

Ἔτι δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ ἐρῶ ὑμῖν, ὡς πλανώμενος οἱ ταλαίπωροι εἰς τὴν οἰκοδομὴν ἤλπισαν, καὶ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτούς, ὡς ὄντα οἶκον θεοῦ. Σχεδὸν γὰρ ὡς τὰ ἔθνη ἀφιέρωσαν αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ναῷ. Ἀλλὰ πῶς λέγει Κύριος καταργῶν αὐτὸν, μάθετε· Τίς ἐμέτρησεν τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ ἢ τὴν γῆν δρακί; οὐκ ἐγώ; λέγει Κύριος· Ὁ οὐρανός μοι θρόνος, ἡ δὲ γῆ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν μου· ποῖον οἶκον οἰκοδομήσετέ μοι, ἢ τίς τόπος τῆς καταπαύσεώς μου; Ἐγνώκατε, ὅτι ματαία ἡ ἐλπὶς αὐτῶν. Πέρας γέ τοι πάλιν λέγει· Ἰδού, οἱ καθελόντες τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον αὐτοὶ αὐτὸν οἰκοδομήσουσιν. Γίνεται. Διὰ γὰρ τὸ πολεμεῖν αὐτοὺς καθῃρέθη ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν· νῦν καὶ αὐτοι οἱ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ὑπηρέται ἀνοικοδομήσουσιν. Καὶ ὁ λαὸς Ἰσραὴλ παραδίδοσθαι, ἐφανερώθη. Λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Καὶ Κύριος τὰ πρόβατα τῆς νομῆς καὶ παραδώσει καὶ τὸν πύργον αὐτῶν εἰς καταφθοράν. Καὶ ἐγενετο καθ’ ἃ ἐλάλησεν Κύριος. Ζητήσωμεν δέ, εἰ ἔστιν ναὸς θεοῦ. ἔστιν, ὅπου αὐτὸς λέγει ποιεῖν καὶ καταρτίζειν. γέγραπται γάρ· Καὶ ἔσται, τῆς ἑβδομάδος συντελουμένης οἰκοδομηθήσεται ναὸς θεοῦ ἐνδόξως ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Εὑρίσκω οὖν, ὅτι ἔστιν ναός. Πῶς οὖν οἰκοδομηθήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου, μάθετε. Πρὸ τοῦ ἡμας πιστεῦσαι τῷ Θεῷ ἦν ἡμῶν τὸ κατοικητήριον τῆς καρδίας φθαρτὸν καὶ ἀσθενές, ὡς ἀληθῶς οἰκοδομητὸς ναὸς διὰ χειρός, ὅτι ἦν πλήρης μὲν εἰδωλολοτρείας καὶ ἦν οἶκος δαιμονίων διὰ τὸ ποιεῖν, ὅσα ἦν ἐναντία τῷ Θεῷ. Οἰκοδομηθήσετα δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Προσέχετε δέ, ἵνα ὁ ναὸς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐνδόξως οἰκοδομηθῇ. πῶς, μάθετε. Λαβόντες τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ ἐλπίσαντες ἐπὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἐγενόμεθα καινοί,´πάλιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κτιζόμενοι· διὸ ἐν τῷ κατοικητηρίῳ ἡμῶν ἀληθῶς ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖ ἐν ἡμῖν. Πῶς; ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ τῆς πίστεως, ἡ κλῆσις αὐτοῦ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἡ σοφία τῶν δικαιωμάτων, αἱ ἐντολαὶ τῆς διδαχῆς, αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν προφητεύων, αὐτὸς ἐν ἡμῖν κατοικῶν, τοὺς τῷ θανάτῳ δεδουλωμένους ἀνοιγων ἡμῖν τὴν θύραν τοῦ ναοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν στόμα, μετάνοιαν διδοὺς ημῖν, εἰσάγε εἰσ τὸν ἄφθαρτον ναόν. Ὁ γὰρ ποθῶν σωθῆναι βλέπει οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ’ εἰς τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικοῦντα καὶ λαλοῦντα, ἐπ’ αὐτῷ ἐκπλησσόμενος, ἐπὶ τῷ μηδέποτε μήτε τοῦ λέγοντος τὰ ῥήματα ἀκηκοέναι ἐκ τοῦ στόματος μήτε αὐτός ποτε ἐπιτεθυμηκέναι ἀκούειν. Τοῦτό ἐστιν πνευματικὸς ναὸς οἰκοδομούμενος τῷ Κυρίῳ.  Ἐπιστολή βαρνάβα Migne PG 2 772-774

And I will also speak with you concerning the Temple, of how the wretched erred by putting hope in a building, and not in the God who made them, so to be a real house of God. For almost like the Gentiles they consecrated him in the Temple. But learn how the Lord speaks, making that valueless, 'Who has measured the heaven with a span, or the earth with a hand? Have not I? says the Lord. Heaven is my throne, and the earth the footstool of my feet; what house will you build for me, or what is the place of my resting?' 1 You know that their hope was vain. Furthermore he says again, 'Behold, they who destroyed this temple, the same shall build it.' 2 So it is. For by war it was destroyed by the enemy, and now even the servants of the enemy will build it up again. And that the people of Israel were to be delivered up was made manifest. For the Scripture says, 'And the Lord shall hand over the sheep of his pasture and their tower to destruction.' 3 And so it was as the Lord said. But let us seek if a temple of God exists. It does, where He himself said that He makes it and perfects it. For it is written, 'And it shall come to pass when the week is ended that a temple of God shall be built gloriously in the name of the Lord.' 4 I find then that a temple exists. And learn how it will be built in the name of the Lord. Before we believed in God, the dwelling of our heart was corrupt and weak, truly like a temple built with hands, because it was full of idolatry and was the house of demons through the doing of things which were opposed to God. 'But it shall be built in the name of the Lord.' And attend, in order that the temple of the Lord may be built gloriously. Learn how. Receiving forgiveness of sins, and putting our hope in the Name, we became new, being created again from the beginning, whence in that dwelling God truly dwells in us. And how? His word of faith, the calling of His promise, the wisdom of the ordinances, the commands of the teaching, Himself prophesying in us, Himself dwelling in us who have been enslaved in death, opening to us the door of the Temple, that is, the mouth, giving repentance to us, and thus leading us into the incorruptible Temple. For he who desires to be saved looks not to the man, but to Him who is dwelling and speaking in him, and he is amazed at him, for he has never heard him speak such words with his mouth, nor has he himself ever desired to hear them. This is a spiritual temple being built for the Lord. from The Letter of Barnabas 1 Isai 40.12, 46.1 2 Isai 49.17 LXX 3 Enohc 89.56 4 Dan 9. 24-27; Haggai 2.10

Wisdom And Judgement

Λέγει γὰρ ἡ γραφή· Οὐαὶ οἱ συνετοὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιον ἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήμονες. Γενώμεθα πνευματικοί, γενώμεθα ναὸς τέλειος τῷ θεῷ. Ἐφ’ ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν ἡμῖν, μελετῶμεν τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φυλάσσειν ἀγωνιζώμεθα τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασιν αὐτοῦ εὐφρανθῶμεν. Ὁ Κύριος ἀπροσωπολήμπτως κρινεῖ τὸν κόσμον. Ἔκαστος καθὼς ἐποίησεν κομιεῖται. Ἐὰν ᾖ ἀγαθός, ἡ πονηρός, ὁ μισθὸς τῆς πονηρίας ἔπροσθεν αὐτοῦ· ἵνα μήποτε ἐπαναπαύομενοι ὡς κλητοὶ ἐπικαθυπνώσωμεν ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ἡμῶν, καὶ ὁ πονηρὸς ἄρχων λαβὼν τὴν καθ’ ἡμῶν ἐξουσίαν ἀπώσηται ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Κυρίου. Ἔτι δὲ κἀκεῖνο, ἀδελφοί μου, νοεῖτε· ὅταν βλέπετε ματὰ τηλικαῦτα σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα γεγονότα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ οὕτως ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι αὐτούς· προσέχωμεν, μήποτε, ὡς γέγραπται, πολλοὶ κλητοί, ολίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοὶ εὑρεθῶμεν  Ἐπιστολή βαρνάβα Migne PG 2 735   Greek source

For Scripture says: 'Woe to those who are wise for themselves, and have knowledge according to themselves.' 1 Let us become spiritual, let us become a temple perfect to God. Insofar as we can, let us have care for the fear of God, and let us strive to keep His commandments, that we may take joy in His judgements. The Lord judges the world without respect of persons and each as he has done shall be established. If he be good; and if he be evil, the reward of evil is before him, lest ever we relaxing as men who are called should nod over our sins and the prince of evil receive power against us and drive us out from the kingdom of the Lord. And think on this also, my brothers,  when you see that after so many signs and wonders done in Israel, that even so they were abandoned, and so let us give heed, lest perhaps we be found so; as Scripture says, 'Many are called, but few are chosen.' 2 from The Letter of Barnabas 1 Is 5.21 2 Mt 20.16