176 Hanna Stettler was torn in two at Jesus’ death (Mark 15,38 par. Matt 27,51; cf. Luke 23,45). The significance of this event is that Jesus takes the place of the sacrificial cult and that from now on he is the one who sanctifies the people for God (75). “Jesus’ atoning death ... opens up the prosag˛gˇ eis ton theon (cf. Rom 5,2) without further priestly-cultic mediation” (76). Viewed from the end of the synoptic gospels, the cultic legislation comes to its end, even though the authors (giving a historically accurate account) initially portray Jesus as being faithful to it. * ** By way of summary we can say that the synoptic gospels portray Jesus as the one, who brings about the reality to which the petition for the sanctification of the name of God refers by his messianic-prophetic life as well as by his death. He appeared as “the Holy One of God” (Mark 1,24; cf. Luke 1,35; Matt 1,23), with whom the time of the outpouring of the Spirit and the messianic fulfilment of the prophetic notion of holiness was to break in. As the Holy One of God, he was to gather the people of God. To start with, it was within Israel that he called people to follow him. He cleansed and restored people who had become disqualified for the kingdom of God through sin or impurity, forgiving their sins, driving out demons, purifying people from their impurities. He made it clear that he had come to fulfil the promises concerning the eschatological sanctification of Israel. But in harmony with those promises he already began to open the people of God for the Gentiles. In this, he clearly followed the eschatological prophets, who had announced that the Gentiles would have a share in the people of God. Only if one takes into account that with Jesus the basileia is (75) Cf. M. HENGEL, The Atonement. The Origins of the Doctrine in the New Testament (Philadelphia 1981) 42 and YATES, The Spirit, 236. According to an alternative interpretation, it was the outer veil which was rent, this being a portent of the impending destruction of the Temple. Such portents are reported in Jos., Bell vi,5a; Tacitus, Hist. v,13; Ps.Clem., Recogn. 1,41; Hier., Ep. 120,8,2 and Comm. in Matt. c.27,51. Cf. the presentation of this view by R. BROWN, The Death of the Messiah. From Gethsemane to the Grave. A Commentary on the Passion Narratives in the Four Gospels (London 1994) II, 1098-1120. Both interpretations imply the symbolic termination of the Temple cult and are congruent with the atoning significance Mark (following Jesus) attributes to Jesus’ death (cf. Mark 10,45; 14,24). (76) STUHLMACHER, Biblische Theologie, I, 148 (translation mine).