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Temple Themes in Christian Worship. By Margaret Barker. New York: T & T Clark International, 2007, xi + 286 pp., $29.95 paper.
In her various publications, Margaret Barker has developed the concept of a "Temple Theology," which involves a number of radical reinterpretations of biblical texts as well as major reassessments of traditionally held views concerning the development of ancient Judaism and early Christianity. The present volume continues to work out the implications of Barker's "Temple Theology" for our understanding of the origins of Christian worship.
Chapter 1, "The Temple Tradition," charts the course for much of the book by arguing for the existence of an authentic though unwritten temple tradition that builds upon St. Basil's claim to know of unwritten mysteries pertaining to divine worship (e.g. eastward orientation in prayer, the sign of the cross, etc.) that were handed down from Jesus Christ. Barker argues that this "secret teaching" about the temple - only hinted at by obscure references in the canonical Scriptures - was known only to a few, and for reasons that become evident later in the book, was a teaching that originated specifically in the early Solomonic temple rather than the temple of later eras.
Chapter 2, "Temple and Synagogue," argues against the commonly held view that the origin of Christian worship is to be located in the synagogue. Instead, as indicated in the previous chapter and now developed more fully, Barker argues that it is to be sought in the Solomonic temple. That early Christian communities viewed themselves as the new temple is borne out explicitly by NT and patristic writings that make this connection (e.g. 1 Pet 2:9), and the point is made implicitly by the vast theological importance attached to Christ's atonement in the NT, which is obviously drawn from the imagery and language of the temple rather than the synagogue. In this connection she argues (e.g. p. 32) that the Day of Atonement ritual is the proper context for the theological interpretation...