Journal for the Study of the New Testament· 2026Q1
One Priesthood After Another: Hebrews, Concurrent Blood Sacrifice, and the Destruction of the Temple
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
The author of Hebrews likely did not view earthly and heavenly temple blood sacrifices as simultaneously active, arguing Jesus's ongoing heavenly priesthood precludes earthly temple activity.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- The author of Hebrews likely did not see simultaneous functioning of earthly and heavenly temple blood sacrifices.
- Jesus's ongoing heavenly priesthood is presented as precluding activity in the earthly temple.
- The text argues for a modification, not obsolescence, of Judaism through spatial and priestly changes.
- Jesus's heavenly role modifies aspects of Jewish law concerning priests to validate his ministry.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
This article argues that it is unlikely that the author of Hebrews, like many other Jewish texts from the second temple period, understood the sacrificial activities involving blood in the earthly and heavenly temples as functioning at the same time. For the author of Hebrews, the ongoing work of Jesus in the heavenly temple precludes the activity in the earthly temple; so long as Jesus is working in the heavens as high priest there can be no activity on the earthly temple below. Yet the author of Hebrew does not argue for the “obsolescence” of Judaism but rather for a spatial and priestly modification of the covenant. Jesus’s priestly activity does not abolish the Jewish law, but only modifies one aspect of it related to priests in order to legitimize his activity in the heavenly temple.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Religious studies
Religious studiesArts and Humanities