(July 24, 2014 at 12:56 pm)Aractus Wrote: Well this event appears in all 4 gospels, so it very likely did happen. He accuses them of thieving, so whether this was by extortion, or simply by occupying the only space accessible to the unclean is unclear. The second explanation in my mind is favourable since they could provide services outside the temple.
How did this actually happen? What were the logistics?
The Temple was 35 acres filled with livestock, vendors and money changers. There were also many Roman guards scattered around. Just to give you an idea, 35 acres is about the size of 26 American football fields.
So, just how is it possible that Jesus walked into the Temple, filled with guards, livestock, tables of other vendors, and drove out the money changers?
Also, wouldn't the money changers have their own guards to protect the money?
You'd believe if you just opened your heart" is a terrible argument for religion. It's basically saying, "If you bias yourself enough, you can convince yourself that this is true." If religion were true, people wouldn't need faith to believe it -- it would be supported by good evidence.
