The prophesy of temple destruction (2)

The prophesy of temple destruction (2)

"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." (13:2)

One of the questions that often lingers in my mine is, “Is there any word in the gospel that isn’t spoken by Jesus?” This question poses a matter of serious concern to those who believe the Bible as holy word of God. If I say conclusion first, there are certain words which cannot be retroactive to Jesus in the gospel. The above verse also one of them.

The verse mentioned above is the prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem which truly fulfilled in A.D. 70. The Zealot of Israel under Roman’s colonial rule fought fervently. There were some Zealots even among Jesus’ disciples. Roman Empire was tolerant in culture and religious matter but they severely punished those who resisted. All captives were crucified. The prolonged resistance of Judea was consequently undermined by the Roman soldiers. Later on, the Jerusalem temple was completely devastated to such an extent that not one stone was left on another. This incidence of historical fact was clearly recorded in the book of Josephus, a renowned historian. The gospel of Mark was written in A.D. 70-73 right after the destruction of Jerusalem temple.

I hope you will not misunderstand. I neither mean the gospels are groundless make-up story nor fiction. The author of Mark’s gospel reinterpreted the incident that happened during the time of Jesus by communicating with the Spirit, Spirit of truth. In his public life, Jesus did not exercise as the absolute of the law of temple but could say such word. Considering the overall situation, we have to correctly interpret the gospel.