Review Of Allan Chapple’s “Jesus’ Intervention In The Temple: Once Or Twice?” -- By: Robert N. Wilkin

Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 29:56 (Spring 2016)
Article: Review Of Allan Chapple’s “Jesus’ Intervention In The Temple: Once Or Twice?”
Author: Robert N. Wilkin


Review Of Allan Chapple’s “Jesus’ Intervention In The Temple: Once Or Twice?”1

Robert N. Wilkin

Executive Director
Grace Evangelical Society

When our journal first started we had a section in which we did journal reviews. However, over time we followed the lead of many journals and stopped doing journal reviews.

This article by Allan Chapple is so timely and well-written that it demands a special review.

I. Four Possible Views Explained

The author begins by laying out four possible explanations of the fact that John reports a cleansing of the temple at the start of Jesus’ ministry and the Synoptics report a cleansing near the end of His ministry. It should be noted that Chapple is not restricting himself to options that are consistent with a high view of Scripture. He is simply laying out four possible views, which are:

  • The Lord only cleansed the Temple once, near the end of His ministry (the majority view).
  • The Lord only cleansed the Temple once, at the start of His ministry.
  • The Lord never cleansed the Temple.
  • The Lord cleansed the Temple twice, at the start and near the end of His ministry (Chapple’s view).

II. Demonstrating That The Accounts Are Different

Rarely do interpreters compare accounts in order to see if they are the same account or different accounts. Most NT scholars today believe that the Gospel writers were very free in their reporting of history so that they felt free to change what Jesus said, including even changing the meaning of what He said. Thus when it comes to two different accounts of the cleansing of the Temple, they would have little problem holding that the two accounts report the same event, but with the authors altering some of the details.

Chapple, however, believes that if the details do not line up, then there must have been two cleansings of the Temple. Here are some of the differences Chapple cites (pp. 547–58):

  • “They locate the event at opposite ends of Jesus’ ministry.”
  • “There are only five words in common between the accounts.”
  • John reports five features not found in the Synoptics: “the sheep and oxen; the whip; the word kermatistēs for money-changers; the “pouring out” of the money; and the command, “take these things away.”
  • “Only the Synoptic account has a reference to Jesus prohibiting the carrying of vessels through the Temple area (Mark 11:16).”
  • In the Synoptics Jesus quotes both from Isaiah and...
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