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Prophecy

“Your house is left to you desolate” (Matthew 23:38)

The Temple of Jerusalem sacked and destroyed by the Romans in 70: artist’s impression by Nicolas Poussin (1625-1626, Israel Museum).
Artist’s impression The Temple of Jerusalem sacked and destroyed by the Romans in 70: artist’s impression by Nicolas Poussin (1625-1626, Israel Museum). — Nicolas Poussin, Wikimedia Commons · Domaine public

○ Written after the events, according to historians; tradition dates it before

Written c. 30–62 AD according to tradition; c. 70–90 AD according to historians. Event: 70–363 AD.

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

In short

The announcement. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus announces to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, around 30-33: “Your house is left to you desolate”.

What happened. In 70, the Romans raze Jerusalem and its Temple. After 135, the emperor Hadrian builds a pagan city in its place with a temple of Jupiter, and in 363 the rebuilding of the Temple launched by the emperor Julian is abandoned. The Temple has not been rebuilt since 70.

What is still debated. the word “desolate” is missing from some ancient manuscripts, and “your house” can mean the Temple, but also the city or the people.

What would be striking if the text came first

According to historians, the destruction of 70 may already have happened when Matthew writes. But what followed, the city refounded as a pagan city in 135, access forbidden to Jews, the failure of 363, comes after all the proposed dates, and non-Christian sources attest it.

Main objection (in French for now)

Le mot « déserte » (erēmos) manque dans une partie de la tradition textuelle : Westcott et Hort l’omettent en Mt 23:38, et le texte critique de Lc 13:35 ne l’a pas (apparat de la SBLGNT). Sans lui, « laissée » peut signifier « abandonnée par Dieu » plutôt que « dévastée ».

The text (World English Bible)

Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

Matt 23:38

Sources