The Temple and the Human Body
1 John 2:20 says the Jews to Jesus: "For 46 years this temple has been under construction, and you will raise it up in three days?" The number 46 is thus connected with the building of the temple in Jerusalem under Herod the Great. However, Jesus uses the temple as a picture of his own body and resurrection (John 2:21), which gives the number a deeper symbolic meaning. The number 46 links together the physical temple, the human body, and Christ's resurrection, pointing to the fact that God's true temple is not built of stone but revealed in Christ. The church father Augustine pointed out that the Greek numerical value (gematria) of the name Adam is 46 (Α=1, Δ=4, Α=1, Μ=40), and saw in this a symbolic connection between Adam, the temple, and Christ's incarnation – Christ as the new Adam dwelling in human flesh. Herod the Great's temple project began according to Josephus around 19 BC. If the Jews' statement in John 2:20 is dated to about AD 27, the period of 46 years aligns well with this.*