Interpreting Barker

A review of "Josiah´s Reform: An Introduction; Vindicating Josiah; Prophets and Kings in Lehi´s Jerusalem and Margaret Barker´s Temple Theology (Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture Book 4)"

This is an issue of the Mormon magazine “Interpreter”. It contains two articles on Margaret Barker's Temple Theology. Barker (who is not a Mormon) argues that Christianity restored the ancient Israelite temple cult which had been distorted by King Josiah. Mormons find this interesting, since their own church claims to be a re-restoration of the very same cult, after a great apostasy within Christianity. One of the articles in the magazine argues in favor of Barker's position, while the other supports Josiah and dates the distortions of the temple cult to a later date, under the Hasmoneans. Both articles are relatively brief and uninteresting. They also un-ironically argue that the Book of Mormon is true, trying to correlate its narrative with the Bible (or with Barker's interpretations). In the end, I give this material three stars, but a more sustained engagement with Barker from a LDS perspective would be more interesting…