Ancient temple rituals in the Bible reveal much about how we worship in the temple today. Check out these fascinating insights into ancient temple worship by a Methodist minister and noted theologian.
Those who entered the Holy of Holies in the ancient temple in Jerusalem not only received holiness, but were said to be transformed into angels, holy ones (saints), or sons of God, declared Margaret Barker, noted British theologian, Methodist minister, and prolific author.
Speaking at the Los Angeles Temple Visitors’ Center on November 3 as part of her appearance in the U.S. at the University of Southern California’s “Sacred Space, Sacred Thread” global conference, the Rev. Barker shared decades of study and research into the First Temple period in her talk “Entering Sacred Space: Beholding the Wonders of Temple Theology.”
John W. “Jack” Welch, who introduced her, called the Rev. Barker “the chief spokesperson for a new field of research called Temple Studies. As a person of faith she has worked with and is highly regarded by His Holiness Bartholomew I, the Ecumenical Orthodox Christian Patriarch. She has been honored by the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, and is proud to count herself as a kindred spirit of Hugh Nibley.” The Rev. Barker is the author of 17 books on temple theology.
Lead image from lds.org.
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