Around the sanctuary of Herod's temple ran a low balustrade with posted warnings in Greek and Latin. Two have been found. The complete one reads, bluntly: no foreigner may pass the barrier, and whoever is caught will have himself to blame for his death that follows. This is the boundary Paul was accused of helping a Greek to cross — a charge that nearly got him lynched — and very likely the “dividing wall” he told the Ephesians the Messiah had broken down.
- What it is
- A Greek notice from the barrier of Herod's temple, threatening death to Gentiles who entered the inner courts
- Date of artifact
- 1st century AD (before AD 70)
- Discovered
- Jerusalem; a complete slab in 1871, a fragment in 1935, 1871 (Charles Clermont-Ganneau (the complete slab))
- Where it is now
- Istanbul Archaeology Museums (complete slab); Israel Museum, Jerusalem (fragment)
- Related to
- The riot over Paul allegedly bringing a Gentile past the temple barrier
- Scripture
- Acts 21:27–31 · Ephesians 2:14
What this find showsThe lethal seriousness of the accusation in Acts 21 was real, posted law in first-century Jerusalem — Rome let the temple authorities enforce it even against Roman citizens.
What it does not proveIt documents the rule and the stakes, not the specific incident involving Paul and Trophimus.
Sources & further reading