Temple Theology: An Introduction

by Margaret Barker

Publisher:

SPCK

, 2004

Overview

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? 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.

Contents

Top Highlights

“There was no fixed canon of Hebrew Scripture until after the advent of Christianity, and there is good reason to suspect that the familiar Hebrew canon was established in reaction to Christianity.” (Page 9)

“Jesus as Melchizedek can now be seen as the key to the New Testament, and the implication of this is that Melchizedek’s temple was the world of the first Christians.” (Page 5)

“The two temple rituals originally exclusive to the high priests were carrying blood into the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement and eating the most holy Shewbread on the Sabbath. These were combined to become the Christian Eucharist.” (Page 10)

“Resurrection was transformation into the angelic state” (Page 23)

“The veil represented the second day, the table the third day and the seven branched lamp the fourth” (Page 24)

Product Details

• Title: Temple Theology: An Introduction
• Author: Margaret Barker
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2004
• Pages: 104

About Margaret Barker

Margaret Barker (born 1944), a Methodist preacher, studied theology at the University of Cambridge, after which she has devoted her life to research in ancient Christianity. She has developed an approach to Biblical studies known as Temple Theology. She was president of the Society for Old Testament Study in 1998, and in July 2008 she was awarded a DD by the Archbishop of Canterbury.