Yeshua in Context >> Background to Gospels , Temple and Torah >> Yeshua and the Mishnah on Carrying in the Temple
Yeshua and the Mishnah on Carrying in the Temple
What did Yeshua oppose in his Temple protest action (Mark 11:15-19)? He opposed three things:
(1) trading in the Temple courts
(2) carrying vessels through
(3) filling the place of prayer in such a way as to prevent the main activity which should be here.
The second issue Yeshua had, which is stated directly in Mark 11:16, is also discussed in the later deliberations of the Mishnah (c. 200 CE). What is the problem with carrying things through the Temple?
Adela Yarbro Collins ( Mark: A Commentary ) explains that the idea of commerce in the Temple courts began with Herod enlarging the Temple area and including a Portico, like the Greco-Roman markets on their temples. Prior to this, tradition says the necessary trade (selling animals, changing money) happened on the Mount of Olives.
Maurice Casey ( Jesus of Nazareth ) explains Yeshua's very plausible prohibition of carrying vessels through holy space, which is similar to the later rabbinic law from the Mishnah, "one should not enter the Temple mount with . . . his moneybag" (m. Berakhot 9:5).
Filed under: Background to Gospels , Temple and Torah