Marko Jauhiainen, «The Measuring of the Sanctuary Reconsidered (Rev 11,1-2)», Vol. 83 (2002) 507-526
The act of measuring in Rev 11,1-2 does not portray the Church as spiritually protected but physically vulnerable, as normally thought. Not only are there lexical and interpretive difficulties with the traditional view, it is also not supported by the OT and extra-biblical evidence commonly adduced. Reading two kai/j differently and recognizing an allusion to Ezek 8:16 LXX addresses both the lexical and interpretive issues. The act of measuring is used to communicate the fact that contrary to Ezek 8–9, this time God will not abandon his earthly sanctuary, though idolatry among his people will still be judged.
e)n au)tw|= could be rendered "in it", for as Aune has noted, qusiasth/rion (which literally means "the place of sacrifice") can also refer to the altar area48.
This reading not only addresses various lexical issues, but also resolves some interpretive questions. For example, to_ qusiasth/rion can now take its rightful place as the altar of burnt offering, located in the court outside the sanctuary. Similarly, the "court outside the sanctuary" is the court immediately surrounding the sanctuary, regardless of how many other courts there might have been in the temple that served as a model, if indeed John had a specific temple in mind49. But at least three significant questions remain: why does John mention the altar and the worshipers at all? why are the worshipers to be cast out? and, how does the act of measuring function in this context? These questions are interrelated, but let us begin by tackling the first two.
2. Towards a Solution of the Interpretive Problems
As already noted, John must have had a reason to include a reference to the altar and to the worshipers. Within the traditional view, the emphasis is on explaining who the worshipers are and to which altar to_ qusiasth/rion refers, but the view usually ignores the question of why they are mentioned in the first place. If the issue is addressed, the inclusion of the worshipers and the altar is thought, as Murphy puts it, to "constitute a cultic scene which in its entirety represents the church in union with its God through worship"50. However, it is a contention of this essay that the reference serves another purpose: John has mentioned not only the sanctuary and the "outer court", but also the altar and the worshipers, in order to allude to the visit of another prophet to the temple in a vision, namely, to Ezek 8–951. There