ἱερόν

ἱεροῦ, τό (neuter of the adjective ἱερός, ἱερά, ἱερόν; cf. τό ἅγιον) (from Herodotus on), a sacred place, temple: of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, Acts 19:27; of the temple at Jerusalem twice in the Sept., Ezek 45:19; 1 Chr 29:4; more frequent in the O. T. Apocrypha; in the N. T. often in the Gospels and Acts; once elsewhere, viz. 1 Cor 9:13. τό ἱερόν and ὁ ναός differ, in that the former designates the whole compass of the sacred enclosure, embracing the entire aggregate of buildings, balconies, porticos, courts (viz., that of the men or Israelites, that of the women, that of the priests), belonging to the temple; the latter designates the sacred edifice properly so called, consisting of two parts, the 'sanctuary' or 'Holy place' (which no one except the priests was allowed to enter), and the 'Holy of holies' or 'most holy place' (see ἅγιος, 1 a.) (which was entered only on the great day of atonement by the high priest alone); (cf. Trench, Synonyms, § iii.). ἱερόν is employed in the N. T. either explicitly of the whole temple, Mt 12:6; Mt 24:1; Mk 13:3; Lk 21:5; Lk 22:52; Acts 4:1; Acts 24:6; Acts 25:8; 1 Cor 9:13, etc.; or so that certain definite parts of it must be thought of, as the courts, especially where Jesus or the apostles are said to have gone up, or entered, 'into the temple,' to have taught or encountered adversaries, and the like, 'in the temple,' Mt 21:12, Mt 21:14; Mt 26:55; Mk 14:49; Lk 19:47; Lk 21:37; Lk 22:53; Lk 24:53; Jn 5:14; Jn 7:14, Jn 7:28; Jn 8:20; Jn 18:20; Acts 3:2; Acts 5:20; Acts 21:26, etc.; of the courts and sanctuary, Mt 12:5; of the court of the Gentiles, out of which Jesus drove the buyers and sellers and money-changers, Mt 21:12; Mk 11:15; Lk 19:45; Jn 2:14ff; of the court of the women, Lk 2:37; of any portico or apartment, Lk 2:46, cf. Jn 10:23. On the phrase τό πτερύγιον τοῦ ἱεροῦ see πτερύγιον, 2.