Hidden traditions

A review of "The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God" by Margaret Barker. 

My original review of this book (see main product page) was quite negative, not because of the contents, but due to the impenetrable writing style of the author, independent Bible scholar Margaret Barker. I recently decided to reread the book. I still consider it a difficult read, and you probably need to be a near-scholarly expert on Bible exegesis to fully grasp all the arguments. That being said, Barker does give an interesting new perspective on early Christianity, Judaism and the Bible. Despite being a Methodist, her private theology is closer to Mormonism (!), while also having some traits similar to the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Curiously, it's also compatible with atheism. If you disbelieve in the resurrection, it's relatively easy to argue from Barker to a historical-critical viewpoint.

Barker's complex case can only be summarized here, and she admits that it's to a large extent speculative. Barker believes that Christianity was based on an ancient Jewish “temple tradition” which rejected king Josiah's reforms and the entire Second Temple, while adhering closely to ancient rituals performed in the days of King Solomon. After the Babylonian captivity, this tradition lived on in Qumran and elsewhere, expressing itself in sources such as the Book of Enoch and Jubilees. Early Christianity was simply an extension of this tradition. Jesus was seen as high priest, king and Lord. Barker argues that these functions were identical in the First Temple (before Josiah), with the king being the high priest who offered up himself to God in the holy of holies, and through this act became transformed to a divine manifestation. He was also anointed by holy oil signifying Wisdom, personified as a female. The king or Lord was the “son” of Wisdom, the Queen of Heaven and the divine mother. The inner sanctum of the Temple was a place where the high priest “saw God” literally in the form of ecstatic visions induced by the incense and the darkness. Connected to this is the idea that ancient Israel really had two gods, Yahweh being the “lesser” god, while God Most High was the “higher” one. Yahweh was the son of God Most High, and it was Yahweh who incarnated in the high priest and/or king. Melchizedek was a title associated with both. Melchizedek was indeed the “priest of God Most High”. Yahweh was also a pluriform deity, manifesting as seven archangels, each representing a different facet of the Lord. Barker also speculates that the original sacrifice might have been bread and wine (as in the Christian eucharist). This too is associated with Melchizedek. In the almost unknown temple built by Israelite refugees in Egypt, only vegetarian offerings were made.

To Barker, Jesus simply continued this tradition, which was driven underground by Josiah and Ezra. She places strong emphasis on the epistle to the Hebrews, arguing that it represents the original Christian message, rather than being a curious meditation upon it by heterodox Jews in Alexandria. Another important scripture is the Book of Revelation. Barker believes that “John's” revelation really contains revelations *given to Jesus*. Thus, Jesus believed himself to be the coming Messiah who would restore the ancient priesthood and kingship. The New Jerusalem is a new temple. The Woman clothed with the sun and stars who gives birth to the Messiah is Wisdom, the female aspect of God. By voluntarily dying the death of a martyr, Jesus would ascend to Heaven and be transformed into a divinity. Then, he would return in power and glory, smite his enemies and restore all of creation. The Book of Revelation was later written down and circulated by John and other Jewish disciples of Jesus. It was written shortly after the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans, an event believed to herald the end of the world.

However, the end didn't arrive, forcing the Christians to reinterpret the original apocalyptic message. This was done by the author of the Gospel of John, who attempted to “spiritualize” the Kingdom and its coming. Note how easy it is to draw the conclusion that Jesus was a failed apocalyptic prophet whose message was “massaged” when the expected millennium didn't arrive on schedule! One aspect not discussed fully in this book is Paul's ministry. If Barker is right, original Christianity must have been a Jewish sect, albeit one we would regard as heterodox. She seems to believe that James (Jacob) played an important role in the early Church due to his position as high priest at the Jerusalem Temple. Where does Paul fall into all this? Barker often quotes him, but there is no discussion of the “de-Judaizing” tendencies in the apostle's writings, nor of his conflicts with the Brother of the Lord. Barker's own take on the Kingdom is that she turns it into a call for environmentalism and simple living, a remarkable anticlimax to a book filled with references to Enoch, sacral kingship, sacramentalism and apocalypses!

That being said, the scenario as presented in “The Hidden Tradition” does feel strangely believable. It's certainly worth looking into. Personally, I wonder how Joseph Smith managed to restore so many aspects of the “tradition”? Unless you believe he really conversed with God, the Freemasons and/or the Kabbalists are the prime suspects. Smith was a Freemason, and one of his associates was a Jewish Kabbalist. Of course, some aspects of the temple tradition presumably survived in the Catholic and Orthodox churches, for instance in the claim that Melchizedek really was a pre-incarnation appearance of Jesus, or in the sacrifice of the mass (or even in the “Jewish” traits of the Ethiopian church – the Ethiopian emperors used Biblical titles and claimed descent from Solomon). Barker also suggests some purely esoteric possibilities, such as the claim that Pythagoras really studied in the First Temple, rather than in Egypt!

“The Hidden Tradition of the Kingdom of God” isn't an easy read by any standard, but it's probably worth the while if you have a very advanced interest in these kinds of issues. Therefore I ultimately give it four stars.