Margaret Barker Temple Theology Collection (2 vols.)

by Margaret Barker

Publisher:

SPCK

, 2004–2007

Overview

The Margaret Barker Temple Theology Collection helps readers bridge the theological and historical gap between the Old Testament and the New, and between Judaism and Christianity. These penetrating studies examine the evolution of the cultural traditions which began centuries before Christ was born, yet influenced the development of Christian theology and practice. Barker draws heavily from the Old and New Testaments—especially the book of Hebrews—along with Apocalyptic literature in order to construct the worldview of the earliest Christians.

In this historical and theological study, Barker shows how the Temple theology of early Christianity traces its origins to the First Temple. She draws heavily from the book of Hebrews, the book of Revelation, and various biblical and extra-biblical Apocalyptic literature. By examining the historical and theological understanding of the covenant, atonement, resurrection and the Kingdom of God, Barker outlines the implications of Temple theology for faith and practice today.

The Margaret Barker Temple Theology Collection serves as a valuable guide for understanding the relationship between Christianity and culture—especially in the earliest years of the church. These books will benefit students and scholars of Temple theology, and those interested in understanding the development of Christian concepts related to the Jerusalem Temple. What’s more, with the Logos Bible Software edition, all Scripture references are linked directly to biblical and extra-biblical texts in your digital library (that you own). You can also perform powerful searches, aiding your research and enriching your biblical and theological study.

Key Features

• Comprehensive introduction to Temple theology
• Examines the origins of the Christian concepts of atonement, resurrection, covenant, and more
• Detailed indexes of people, places, and subjects

Product Details

• Title: Margaret Barker Collection
• Author: Margaret Barker
• Publisher: SPCK
• Volumes: 2
• Pages: 248

Temple Theology: An Introduction

• Author: Margaret Barker
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 104

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

How was it that early Christian reflection on Jesus emerged so rapidly and with such a high degree of definition?

What patterns of interpretation, already known in late Second Temple Palestine, crystallized around the person of Jesus Christ and his work?

Margaret Barker believes that Christian theology matured quickly because it was the return to a far older faith. Those who preserved the ancient tradition rejected the Second Temple, and longed for the restoration of the original, true template and the faith of Abraham and Melchizedek, the first priest-king. In this fascinating discussion, the author refutes the scholarly assumption that crucial Christian concepts, such as the Trinity, the earth as a reflection of heaven, and the cosmic nature of the atonement, are informed by Greek culture. Rather, she argues, they are drawn from the eclipsed faith of the First Temple.

[Margaret Barker’s] interpretation of Temple theology should not be ignored by anyone interested in Judaism and the origins of the Christian faith.

—John McDade, Principal of Heythrop College, University of London

The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God

• Author: Margaret Barker
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 144

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Kingdom of God has been a major concern of New Testament scholars for many years. What did it mean to Jesus? What does it mean for Christian belief and practice today?

"To understand what was meant by the Kingdom of God," writes Margaret Barker, "it is necessary to recover what remains of that hidden tradition of the holy of holies and the high priesthood. . . Recovering the original Kingdom. . . enables us to glimpse again the original vision. We see. . . the complexities of the Kingdom that explain what it became in later Christian teaching."

The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God shows how the variety of beliefs about the Kingdom, and the related problems of eschatology, all derive from Temple traditions about the holy of holies. This inner sanctum was the Kingdom in the midst, the Unity beyond all change and decay. It was the state whence the Lord came forth, and where the faithful would go, to see him in his glory.

We live in a time when politics, and also geopolitics, are enormously affected by passionate arguments over what it would mean to establish the ‘Kingdom of God’ on earth. Anybody with an interest in the outcome of those arguments should pay close attention to Margaret Barker’s insightful and thought-provoking investigation of the background and context in which the first Christians spoke of the Kingdom.

—Religious Affairs Correspondent, The Economist

About Margaret Barker

Margaret Barker is an independent biblical scholar who has been developing her Temple Theology for many years, most recently as the basis for a theology for the environment. She is a former President of the Society for Old Testament Study, a member of the Ecumenical Patriarch’s Symposium on Religion, Science and the Environment and a Methodist Local Preacher.