Cleansing of the Temple

Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple, Washington version, by El Greco
Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple (El Greco, Washington)

In all four canonical gospels of the Christian New Testament, the cleansing of the Temple narrative tells of Jesus expelling the merchants and the money changers from the Temple. The scene is a common motif in Christian art.

In this account, Jesus and his disciples travel to Jerusalem for Passover, where Jesus expels the merchants and consumers from the temple, accusing them of turning it into "a den of thieves" (in the Synoptic Gospels) and "a house of trade" (in the Gospel of John) through their commercial activities.

The narrative occurs near the end of the Synoptic Gospels (at Matthew 21:12–17,[1] Mark 11:15–19,[2] and Luke 19:45–48)[3] and near the start of the Gospel of John (at John 2:13–16).[4] Some scholars believe that these refer to two separate incidents, given that the Gospel of John also includes more than one Passover.[5]

  1. ^ Matthew 21:12–17
  2. ^ Mark 11:15–19
  3. ^ Luke 19:45–48
  4. ^ John 2:13–16
  5. ^ "The Temple Cleansing (13–25)". pp. 49–51. In Burge, Gary M (2005). "Gospel of John". In Evans, Craig A. (ed.). The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: John's Gospel, Hebrews-Revelation. David C Cook. pp. 37–163. ISBN 978-0-7814-4228-2.

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