Like opening a bottle of finely-aged wine, cracking open a new copy of Alfred Edersheim's The Temple was a pleasure that fulfilled all anticipation and more.
If you, like me, have a difficult time digesting the ins-and-outs of the Temple as described in the Old Testament, then take it first of all from me that you need to get a copy of this book. Although originally penned in 1874, its subject matter is so important and its conclusions so timeless that a copy of it would certainly be an asset to any Christian collection. The only way I can describe this book in brief is with an analogy:
Imagine you live in the year 3535. The days of eating food are long gone, life spans are tremendous, travel is safe to such a degree that it necessitates endless entertainment which is seemlessly integrated into every movement of life. With that, you discover, one day, an ancient ticket stub to Disneyworld dated 2019. A quick reference gives stories of people "driving" in fossil-fuel-powered vehicles for days to a park where they would approach castles and dangerous rides themed off of oversized mice and other fairytale creatures. Trying to understand it would be one thing, but actually grasping how everything worked would be impossible. Now, imagine that somebody from 2019 was able to come and describe it all in detail, and answer your questions. What previously would have taken years to put together and grasp could be summarized in perhaps 2 hours. That is what Edersheim's Temple does for 21st Century Christians in reference to the Temple in the time of Christ.
An outward observance without any real inward meaning is only a ceremony. But a rite which has a present spiritual meaning is a symbol; it points to a future reality.
There is perhaps none more qualified and better suited to write about the topic at hand than Alfred Edersheim. A Jew who converted to Christianity, Edersheim understands both the Christian understanding of the fulfillment of these prophecies, as well as the Jewish perspective on the historical precedent for them and their implications. One may think at first that The Temple is simply a reference book (and indeed it could be seen as a very effective one as we will show later), but it is so much more than only that. This book describes every piece of information that a person should ever wish to know about the Temple, as well as the meaning of each item, practice, and tradition from both an historical and religious viewpoint.
After beginning with a brief discussion of the history of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in general, Edersheim describes the Holy Place and the deep reverence that the Jews had for this room. The source material that he relies on is heavily ancient Jewish, only adding to the reliability and credibility of the book as he takes information that would have been either explicitly or unintentionally non-Christian to show the fulfillment of Jewish ideals in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Oftentimes this is made most obvious in passing statements, such as the discussion in chapter 4 of the Priestly Garments, in which Edersheim happens to mention that the same garment that the priests were to be found in was what Christ is said to have worn - and further explanation is given of Him in Revelation as wearing this garment.
Further, he shows that there were clear trends in the Old Testament that point obviously to the fulfillment found in Christ. For example, he argues that in the Old Testament, the foundational idea is not sacrifice, per se, but rather substitution. "The Firstfruits go for the whole produces; the firstlings for the whole flock; the redemption-money for that which cannot be offered; and the life of the sacrifice for the life of the sacrificer." Edersheim points out that all of this was insufficient and incomplete, but it was symbolic of that perfect substitute and perfect mediator that was to come - Christ.
In reference to both the sin- and trespass-offerings, the Rabbinical principle must be kept in view - that they only atoned in case of real repentance.
In keeping with my previous analogy of the ancient time-traveler who takes you through the average day in Disneyworld, Edersheim takes a person not only through an average day at the Temple during the time of Christ, but he takes you into the average day as a person working there, then an average day as a priest, then an average day as the High Priest, then the holy days (Passover, Pentecost, the various Feasts), and then explains the meaning of all of the things that all of the various people did, with their historical origin and development, as well as their symbolic and typological meaning. The point is obviously labored, but it must be said plainly, if there is anything that a person wishes to know about the operations, history, or meaning of things in the Temple during the time of Christ, this book has the answer.
Of particular importance, however, above all the rest is Edersheim's examination of the last night of Christ's life as he instituted the Lord's Supper during the Passover Feast. With an entire chapter devoted towards the "Paschal Feast and the Lord's Supper", one will not be disappointed as they read the ongoing account of every step that Christ took from the time that He sat down to take bread until he was executed. Not a single step is lost. Every action is thoroughly explained (including the very posture in which Christ and His disciples sat while taking the Lord's Supper).
In the following chapter, Edersheim even examines why that it was so simple for Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus to excuse themselves from their normal duties as high-ranking Jews in order to assist in the burial of Christ - a little known reason that has to do with the continuation of the Passover festivities that everyone would have been consumed by. This was a point that some may have thought moot, but to me it was of the utmost importance, as it showed that Christ's arrest, trial, and execution was truly not even the most important thing that the Jews felt that they had to do that day.
The book finishes with a series of chapters that could not possibly build any higher than the pinnacle that he develops in his examination of the Passover festivities in the middle of the book - but they are still valuable, such as his lengthy examination of the scapegoat practice, purification rituals and their meanings, and perhaps most interestingly of the concluding chapters, a series on vows. These are all very valuable, and wonderfully easy to read, and yet pale in comparison to the fantastic elaboration that he gives towards the topics directly relating to the end of Christ's life.
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