Bible Dictionaries
Temple

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

the neuter of the adjective hieros, "sacred," is used as a noun denoting "a sacred place, a temple," that of Artemis (Diana), Acts 19:27; that in Jerusalem, Mark 11:11 , signifying the entire building with its precincts, or some part thereof, as distinct from the naos, "the inner sanctuary" (see No. 2); apart from the Gospels and Acts, it is mentioned only in 1 Corinthians 9:13 . Christ taught in one of the courts, to which all the people had access. Hieron is never used figuratively. The Temple mentioned in the Gospels and Acts was begun by Herod in 20 B.C., and destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70.

"a shrine or sanctuary," was used (a) among the heathen, to denote the shrine containing the idol, Acts 17:24; 19:24 (in the latter, miniatures); (b) among the Jews, the sanctuary in the "Temple," into which only the priests could lawfully enter, e.g., Luke 1:9,21,22; Christ, as being of the tribe of Judah, and thus not being a priest while upon the earth (Hebrews 7:13,14; 8:4 ), did not enter the naos; for 2 Thessalonians 2:4 see Note (below); (c) by Christ metaphorically, of His own physical body, John 2:19,21; (d) in apostolic teaching, metaphorically, (1) of the Church, the mystical Body of Christ, Ephesians 2:21; (2) of a local church, 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 2 Corinthians 6:16; (3) of the present body of the individual believer, 1 Corinthians 6:19; (4) of the "Temple" seen in visions in the Apocalypse, Revelation 3:12; 7:15; 11:19; 14:15,17; 15:5,6,8; 16:1,17; (5) of the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb, as the "Temple" of the new and heavenly Jerusalem, Revelation 21:22 . See SANCTUARY and HOLY, B (b), par. 4.

Notes: (1) The "temple" mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 (naos), as the seat of the Man of Sin, has been regarded in different ways. The weight of Scripture evidence is in favor of the view that it refers to a literal "temple" in Jerusalem, to be reconstructed in the future (cp. Daniel 11:31; 12:11 , with Matthew 24:15 ). For a fuller examination of the passage, see Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, pp. 250-252. (2) For oikos, rendered "temple," Luke 11:51 , AV, see HOUSE , No. 1.