Zeichman

Someone mentioned in a now-baleated thread that it was historically impossible. What's the reasoning behind this?

Peter Kirby

Which part of the Temple complex?

best,
Peter Kirby

GakuseiDon

I think you may be referring to the suggestion that Jesus driving out the moneychangers from the Temple grounds was historically impossible, given the size of the area and the number of people involved.

Zeichman

If so, I don't think it has any problems with the story the way the gospels present it.

Toto

There is also the argument that Jesus would not have been able to chase out merchants without either their resistance or him being arrested by the Temple police and immediately hanged or crucified.

Search this forum for the word ruckus and you will find a lot of threads like Found: the OT source for Jesus' Temple Ruckus

sharon45

Also it has been suggested that these were mere sellers of the animals for sacrifice, but were being sold outside of the Temple and that jesus was still very upset because he found the practice disgusted to him. Doesn't really matter either way, he still again contradicted many of his teachings with his behavior.

Amaleq13

IMO, the bigger problem is notion that he would have gotten away with it despite the presence of guards and especially not if Josephus is correct that additional guards were placed in the vicinity specifically to prevent disruptions during this politically volatile holiday.

andrewcriddle

The passage in Antiquities book 20 chapter 5 referring to Cumanus the governor posting guards at Passover (parallel War book 2 chapter 12); seems in context to be making clear that although Cumanus was a bad governor who behaved provocatively towards the Jews, the guards at Passover were not an innovation by him had been accepted by the Jews under earlier governors and hence were not in themselves a provocation.

It might be argued that this only tells us that such guards went back to the restoration of Roman direct rule after the death of Herod Agrippa and are not necessarily evidence for the situation under Pontius Pilate 10 or more years before, but only for the time of Fadus and Alexander the governors between the death of Herod and Cumanus becoming governor.

Andrew Criddle

Amaleq13

I wouldn't consider that a very strong argument if it were offered. In fact, I would think Pilate a likely candidate for being the first to introduce extra guards given the nature of his governorship as described by Josephus.

yalla

Did'nt the temple have it's own force of guards as well? I think I've seen where an individual titled "Captain of the Guard" was a powerful and prestigious position - including Roman times.