| The temple building motif is a major one that reoccurs in various contexts in ancient Near Eastern literature, the Old Testament, the intertestamental literature, and the New Testament. It is often found in association with and as a component of the broader divine warrior motif and is in turn made up of a number of themes. This dissertation will identify and analyze inductively extant house building texts in order to elucidate the house building motif, its various themes, and the significance of temple construction. This dissertation will show that the temple building motif is significant and should be considered in more exhaustive works of biblical and systematic theology.;Chapter one provides a general orientation to the discipline of biblical theology, a statement of the significance of the motif, a review of the literature, hypothesis construction, and the methodological design.;Chapter two is devoted to the identification and analysis of selected extant temple building texts in the ancient Near East. The temple building motif will be seen as an important and widespread motif in the ancient Near Eastern culture.;Chapters three through six are given over to the identification and analysis of house building texts in the Old Testament. Consideration will be given to the construction of the tabernacle in chapter three, Solomon's temple in chapter four, Zerubbabel's temple in chapter five, and Ezekiel's temple in chapter six.;Chapter seven will identify and analyze house building texts in the intertestamental literature. Chapter eight will identify and analyze house building texts in the New Testament and investigate the New Testament appropriation of this motif and its component themes. Chapter nine contains a final statement of the theology of the temple building theme in the Bible. |
