A Sanctuary in the Heavens and the Ascension of the Son of Man: Reassessing the Logic of Jesus’ Trial in Mark 14.53

This article reappraises the underlying logic of Jesus’ trial in Mk 14.53-65. I propose that the ‘false’ charge that Jesus intends to build the naos acheiropoie-tos (‘sanctuary not made with hands’, 14.58) evokes not a people but a place, the sanctuary in the heavens. Mark thereby invites the audience to envisage the Son of Man’s ascension and enthronement (cf. 14.62), interpreted through the lenses of Dan. 7.13 and Ps. 110 (109 LXX), as the installation of a heavenly priest. This in turn suggests that the ‘blasphemy’ charge in 14.64 is not a piece of abstract Christology, but a grander christological and socio-political exposition of the implications of Christ’s heavenly session for the evangelist and his auditors