DID IT TAKE FORTY-SIX YEARS OR MORE TO BUILD THE TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM? RECONSIDERING JOHN 2: 20.

While the standard translation of John 2:20 is endorsed by a large majority of commentaries during the last century, a few voices during the last fifty years have proposed an alternate rendering. This study examines the manifold problems that confront the standard translation of this verse. The results demonstrate that the alternate rendering is superior on syntactical, semantic, and historical grounds. Implications for the dating of Jesus's ministry are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]