Temples Made By Hands : What Does It Mean? (Acts 7:48; 17:24)
By Bro. Nathan
" Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet," (Acts 7:48) KJV
" God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;" (Acts 17:24) KJV
Ito ang mga commonly used na proof text against sa pagpapatayo ng temple sa church. they simply assume na "hindi nagdwedewll ang Dios sa templong gawa ng kamay, therefore hindi magtatayo ng templo" and then ayun. without reading the context.
Ang Acts 7:48 where nakikipagargue dito si Stephen sa mga Jews, is based sa Isaiah 66:3-4. it reads :
"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not." (Isa. 66:3-4) KJV
Sa context, hindi na nagdwedwell si God sa loob ng temple dahil hindi na ito house of prayer but isa nang lugar ng idoltraty. yung temple leaders ay nagclaclaim na sinasamba si God sa temple but in reality ay hindi, sinasamba nila yung gawa ng kamay nila, as argued by Stephen.
Sa Acts 17:24 naman, if titingnan ang setting, Paul here is in Athens sa greece, at nagprepreach siya about sa "unknown God". Paul here argues about sa temples ng mga greeks where winoworship nila yung greek gods gaya ni Zeus, Diana, etc. na unlike sa Latter Day Saints at Israelites, ang Dios ay hindi nakukulong sa iisang lugar lang, for He is omnipresent (1 Kgs. 8:27; Ps. 15:3; Isa. 57:15; Jer. 23:23-24; Mt. 18:20). Jesus explained this sa Samaritan Woman na nakausap niya, that God can be worshipped anywhere for He is everywhere through His Spirit (Jn. 4:20-24; cf. Phil. 3:3). we have records na nagworship ang mga apostles sa temple like Luke recorded that the apostles went to the temple "praising God" (Lk. 24:53). ang context of both Acts 7:48 and 17:24 is agaisnt idoltraty and not worshipping a real God in a temple.
Ang greek word na nagpapakita on both verses, is χειροποίητος (cheiropointos), which is defined as follows from different lexicons. ang term na ito explicitly applies to idols :
χειροποίητος, χειροποίητον (χείρ and ποιέω), made by the hand i.e. the skill of man (see ἀχειροποίητος): of temples, Mar 14:58; Act 7:48; Act 17:24; Heb 9:11; Heb 9:24; of circumcision, Eph 2:11. (In the Septuagint of idols; of other things, occasionally in Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, Polybius, Diodorus.)* (Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon)
4654 χειροποίητος [pg 687]
χειροποίητος,
“made by hands,” in the LXX applied only to idols, bat in the NT used of material temples (Ac 748, 1724): cf. Orac. Sib. xiv. 62 ναῶν ἱδρύματα χειροποιήτων. In the travel-letter, P Lond 8544 (i/ii A.D.) (=111. p. 205, Selections, p. 70), the writer remarks that many go by ship ἵνα τὰς χε[ι]ροπ[οι]ή[τους τέ]χνας ἱστορήσωσι, “in order that they may visit works of art made by hands,” on the banks of the Nile. (Moulton-Milligan, Vocabulary of the New Testament)
Notice how, in Heb 9:11, 24 which are referenced by Thayer, Jesus Himself dwells in a heavenly tabernacle as the Great High Priest.
The NET note to Acts 7:48 is spot-on when it notes the following:
The phrase made by human hands is negative in the NT: Mar 14:58; Act 17:24; Eph 2:11; Heb 9:11, Heb 9:24. It suggests "man-made" or "impermanent." The rebuke is like parts of the Hebrew scripture where the rebuke is not of the temple, but for making too much of it (1Ki 8:27; Isa 57:15; 1Ch 6:8; Jer 7:1-34). (NET Translator Notes)
