The Meaning of the Temple in Luke-Acts

One of the notable results of biblical study over the past quarter-century has been to firmly establish the author of Luke-Acts as a major contributor to early Christian theology. In spite of this achievement and the interest that it has generated in Luke’s work, one major Lucan theme continues to escape the careful examination that it deserves. That theme involves the Jerusalem Temple and its role in Luke’s writing and thought. Most Lucan commentators openly acknowledge the importance of this theme for Luke, and commonly observe that Luke’s Gospel narrative both begins and ends in the Temple. Nevertheless many scholars even today continue to confuse Luke’s outlook on the Temple with insights taken from elsewhere in the NT, or else to use only a handful of the more than 60 references to the