Temple Themes in Christian Worship

by Margaret Barker

For a long time scholarship has been seeking the origins of Christian worship in the synagogue. In this new major book, Margaret Barker traces the roots of Christian worship back to the Jewish temple. By proposing a temple setting, a great deal more can be explained, and the existing rather limited resources can be more fruitfully used. By working with a great variety of sources (canonical, extra-canonical and Fathers, all presented here in tranlsation), it is possible to reconstruct something of the early Christian world view, which shows the Church as the conscious continuation of the temple worship.

Fundamental practices such as baptism and the Eucharist had Temple Roots, and familiar words in the liturgy of the church such as Maranatha and Hallelujah derived from the ancient belief that the Lord appeared in the Temple. Jesus was the God of Israel manifested as a the Great High Priest, and the Christians were his new angel priesthood, singing the angelic liturgy to restore and renew the earth.

The chapters in this book cover baptism, in theology and practice, the Eucharist, with special emphasis on the symbolism of the elements, the significance of music and hymns, festivals and pilgrimage, use of the Scriptures, both what the early Christians used and how they read them, prayers, including the Lord's prayer, and the shape of church buildings.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Biblical Studies

304 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2008

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Margaret Barker is a British Methodist preacher and biblical scholar recognized for her pioneering contributions to the study of early Christianity. Educated in theology at the University of Cambridge, she devoted her career to exploring the roots of Christian thought through what she terms Temple Theology, an approach tracing many aspects of early Christian liturgy and doctrine back to the worship of Solomon’s Temple.
In 1998 she served as president of the Society for Old Testament Study, and in 2008 she was awarded the Lambeth Doctor of Divinity by the Archbishop of Canterbury in recognition of her scholarly achievements. Her influential works, including The Great High Priest (2003) and Temple Theology (2004), emphasize the enduring legacy of Temple worship, arguing that it shaped Christianity as deeply as Hellenistic and synagogue traditions.
Drawing on sources ranging from the Hebrew Bible and Septuagint to the Dead Sea Scrolls, Gnostic writings, and early Christian texts, Barker’s research highlights the mystical dimensions of ancient worship and their relevance for understanding early Christian belief. Her work has been both praised for originality and critiqued within mainstream scholarship, yet remains highly influential across diverse theological traditions.

Reviews

[Brett Folkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this work fascinating!! I love the scholarship and insights from a wide range of historic sources. I’m a Margaret Barker fan, as she uncovers what the Deuteronomists removed and re-wrote, the sad purge of King Josiah removing the truths of the first temple period. I found some incredible new insights into the sacrament (Eucharist), the bread of presence, Wisdom (Asherah) Heavenly Mother - the tree of life, just to name a few. I highly recommend this amazing work - there is much to further explore on so many topics covered - a great jumping off point for deeper dives into the mysteries of God.

Brett Folkman
Doctor of Ministry

[Erneilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Robert Pickles · Rating 1 out of 5]

excellent as usual

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, deep, and thought-provoking work on temple worship in the early Christian Church. A bit dry and sometimes over-my-head in that it assumed I knew all the background of symbols and rituals and Old Testament scholarship, but so fascinating. I definitely need to read it again to really absorb it all. The author is a Bible Scholar and a Methodist leader.

[James Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is awesome if you like academic nerdy religious stuff. I would give it 5 stars for quality. However, few people geek out on old stuff like me so... proceed at your own risk.

I will definitely read more from this author.