Jesus and Temple: Textual and Archaeological Explorations

The New Testament provides abundant evidence that Jesus frequented the temple; according to Acts, so did his followers after his death. But the Gospels also depict Jesus in conflict with temple authorities, and questions about his attitude to the temple swirl around what the Gospels label false accusations from his opponents and around the dramatic but inconsistent accounts of Jesus “cleansing” the temple.

Jesus’ attitude toward the temple is at the center of current historical Jesus researc...