1

General Introduction
Religion in general, refers to mans faith and belief in some supernatural power or force. Mac Iver and Page say that, religion implies a relationship not merely between man and man but also between man and some higher power (cf. An Introduction to Sociology, Allahabad 1986, p.565) and man attain this relationship through various ways. In India we find a multiplicity of religions-Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism and so on, which intends to make man basically good, obedient and helpful to others. Thus, from the very ancient time onwards, we find a tolerant and peace loving atmosphere on the highly spiritual Indian soil. The contemporary scene is different. Many parts of India have become sources of conflict and violence. We are passing through a potentially disastrous crisis created by the conflict between the majority community of Hindus and the minority communities of Muslims and the violence provoked by the Hindu fundamentalist against Christians in Orissa. Parts of the complexity of the interrelationship among the religions are the question of nationalism. Religion by itself not a source of conflict but the real problem is the abuse of it by vested interests. What was called cultural revival of the Indian heritage gradually turned into a full- fledged force in Indian politics by the growth of fundamentalist movement. When they are mixed with narrow political agenda, they become very deadly. The responsible citizens cannot ignore the threats posed by these movements. It is imperative that responsible citizens, who love this country and its future, study the phenomenon and try to meet it with creative and healing responses. As a student of theology and a lover of our motherland, I cherish a great interest to give some solutions to the problems that our country facing due to the fanatical elements in the religions. This dissertation is an attempt to go deeper to the biblical theology of the temple and to transmit the universal view of the temple in the Bible: Jesus, the new temple of the humanity for the unity and harmony among the various religious communities of India. 1. Significance of the Study: we can see how the temple holds a special important for Christians. The temple is important for God, and it is important for us. This study of the temple in the Bible finds the temple as one of those things that has lasting spiritual significance. Let us list the reasons that will be developed in this book. First, the temple is important because it is the dwelling place of God. Second, the temple is

important because of the truth that it presents about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Thirdly, temple is important because it has the potential to encourage your spiritual life and motivate you in Christian service. Fourthly, temple is one aspect of the future world that we can describe, measure, and even build a model of. Most people who study the temple begin to view the future with greater confidence. Finally, temple brings the unity among the people. The temple is no longer for Jews only but for Greeks, Gentiles and for all the humanity. All are invited to the temple, house of the Lord. Today why we look to Jesus for the unity and harmony of religions in our country? In India there has been none like Mahatma Gandhi in the sheer scale and scope of his thought, action and effect reflected the life of Jesus. A departed leader is one who usually continues to live in the minds of his people through some of his great deeds and achievements. And yet such a memory is found to fade out with time, in the changing context of developing situations. Gandhi has found truth in the teachings of Jesus Christ and he has still been living with us, or shall continue to live and invite to us to the peace and harmony of the nationals. In the age of ours, in which new problems are cropping upon every sphere, the endless multitude clamouring for radical and creative answers. One of the greatest problems of the day is the growth of religious fundamentalism. Gandhi had been speaking all the while to each one of us, and, in fact, on almost each one of our contemporary problems. Yes, he is still speaking, if only we could care to listen to him. Thus like Gandhi, we can reflect on Jesus Christ as the new temple for the peace harmony of all the humanity. 2. Source and Limits of the Study: in this dissertation primary source of the study is the Holy Bible, Encyclopaedias, Dictionaries, books and periodicals which dealt with the Biblical theology and world religions. This study does not deal with Historical and Geographical aspects of the Jerusalem temple and the structure and contend of it. But it deals only with the theological aspect of the temple in the Old Testament and the New Testament. And finally, we try to apply Biblical teaching on temple into the conflict-ridden situation of the Indian Soil. 3. Division and Content of the Study: this dissertation, Theology of the Temple: a Biblical Enquiry, consists of five chapters. In the first chapter, we are dealing the concepts of temple in the religions of India. Besides this chapter also deals with and the contemporary religious situation of the temple as medium of conflicts, divisions and violence. In this chapter we try to give Indian cultural background of the temple and how they affect the social, political, economic and religious life of the people. Today religious

institutions have become the media of conflicts and violence in the present world forgetting religious tolerance of the past. We are dealing with those terms and religious institutions that are used by the Semitic people for the worship of God. However, we are not concerned about how they practised their religion. In this second chapter, our aim is to give background for the biblical theology of the temple. This section is entitled as Temple: Biblical Vocabulary and Cultural Background. The first two chapters are in fact a necessary introduction to the following chapters. In the biblical history of the temple we find an evolving scenario of the concept of the temple. It is the core of our study; the third chapter begins with this theme. In this chapter we deal with the Physical temple made with human hands and the future temple made without human hands. This chapter gives the concept of temple in the Old Testament. The centre of our study is Jesus as the new temple and it replaces the old physical temple of Jerusalem. The fourth chapter deals with the emergence of new humanity related to the new temple built by Jesus through his death and resurrection. He gives importance to this new community and insists others to respect each other by becoming a great model for others and finally a door for others to enter in. Finally in the fifth chapter is a critical evaluation, analysis how can the concrete problems in both the political and religious spheres of India be solved by this concept of spiritual temple. And in the conclusion a bright single Temple of humankind for future, built upon the bricks of love, is hoped