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G1493 · Greek · New Testament
εἰδωλεῖον
Eidōleion
Noun, neuter
Idol Temple

Definition

The Greek eidōleion refers to an idol temple — the physical structure housing idol worship. Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 8:10 in his discussion of food sacrificed to idols: 'For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple (eidōleion), won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?' The location matters — eating in the eidōleion itself signals participation in idol worship beyond mere food.

Usage & Theological Significance

Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 8-10 about eidōleion is nuanced. The strong know an idol is nothing (1 Corinthians 8:4) — but reclining at table in an idol temple could ensnare weaker brothers (8:10-11) or inadvertently constitute fellowship with demons (10:20-21). Knowledge without love causes harm. The freedom to know that idols are nothing does not grant freedom to participate in spaces devoted to their worship. The church's separation from the eidōleion was not because the idols were real but because of what such spaces signified socially and spiritually.

Key Bible Verses

1 Corinthians 8:10 For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol's temple, won't that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols?
Acts 17:23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
1 Corinthians 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
2 Corinthians 6:16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.
Revelation 2:14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols.

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