Clivedurdle

I have Judas Maccabees and Hadrian so far. How many times was the Temple looted destroyed desecrated, Zeus put in, circumcision and worshipping on the Sabbath banned etc etc?

mountainman

Are you being specific about the Jewish "Temple at Jerusalem"
or are you considering in general the abominations of desolation
of the entire ROman empire wide temple system itself, in antiquity.

If the latter, see Knowledge Burning: Destruction of Libraries, temples and books in the Fourth Century



Best wishes,


Pete Brown

DCHindley

I guess that depends on what "abomination of delolation" is supposed to mean.

In the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, it was sacrificing swine's flesh on the alter in contradiction to Jewish law (Dec 168 BCE). Judas Maccabeus was the one who wrested control of the temple back from Antiochus' puppet high priest Menelaus, and redidicated the temple *after* it had ben so desecrated (around 165 BCE).

If one uses the additional comment in the gospel accounts, "standing where he should not", one might suggest an unauthorized person standing before the holy of holies (the room at the very center of the temple where the high priest stood before god once a year).

Then you could add Pompey (63 BCE) who took a peek in and found the alter empty of any images.

Then there is Caligula's unsuccessful plan to place a statue of Zeus (modeled on his own features) in the temple, presumably in the holy of holies (ca 40 CE).

Then I think Titus also popped in for a look after his soldiers had "accidentally" set the temple porches on fire, confirming what Pompey had seen (70 CE).

While Hadrian banned circumcision, and planned to build a temple to Zeus on the spot where the Jewish temple had stood (thus equating Zeus with the Jewish god, and attempting to finish Antiochus' plan to Hellenize Jews), the temple had long before been destroyed. There is no abominable desolation to something that has *already* been desolated.

What the gospel accounts referred to is probably Titus' peek into the holy of holies as he was burning the temple down, but projected back into Jesus' time as a prophesy of what was "to come".

The "man of sin" mentioned in 2 Thess, when not interpreted metaphorically of Roman emperors in general, could be seen as Caligula, although this allusion would date this letter about 10 years earlier than usual.

DCH