The Interpreter Foundation is pleased to offer two seminars from noted scholar Dr. Margaret Barker. Her presentations were on two successive Saturdays, November 9 and November 16, 2024, both beginning at 11 a.m. Mountain Time. Each seminar featured an illustrated lecture for approximately 50 minutes followed by 15 to 30 minutes for questions. The seminars were free but registration was required.
The Nov. 9 seminar looked at the changes and developments in the text of the Hebrew Scriptures and the work of the scribes who transmitted them.
This provided the context for the second seminar on Nov. 16. Dr. Barker examine five examples from Qumran texts of Deuteronomy and Isaiah to explore how and why differences arose, and which of the versions was the more likely to have been used by the first Christians.
This class is for everyone interested in the story of the Hebrew Scriptures. Knowledge of Hebrew is not required.
Kevin Christensen, who has done much to make Dr. Barker’s work known to Latter-day Saints, introduced her in the seminars. Jeff Lindsay served as the host for the events and as the contact person for questions or comments.
Download audio recording
Download audio recording
About Margaret Barker
Margaret Barker is a biblical scholar who developed the method of study known as Temple Theology. She is a former President of the Society for Old Testament Study, a retired Methodist preacher, and the author of 19 books. In July 2008, the Archbishop of Canterbury awarded her a Doctor of Divinity degree.
In January 2023, she gave a lecture in Westminster Abbey in London for people involved with the coronation of King Charles III, showing how biblical symbols and themes shaped the coronation ceremony.
She has stirred much interest among Latter-day Saints with her findings relevant to the ancient temple and even on issues relevant to the Book of Mormon.
Margaret Barker’s website is at http://www.margaretbarker.com/. The significance of her work for some Latter-day Saint scholars is discussed in Kevin Christensen, “Twenty Years After ‘Paradigms Regained,’ Part 1: The Ongoing, Plain, and Precious Significance of Margaret Barker’s Scholarship for Latter-day Saint Studies,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, Volume 54 (2022) and “Twenty Years After ‘Paradigms Regained,’ Part 2: Responding to Margaret Barker’s Critics and Why Her Work Should Matter to Latter‑day Saints,” Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, Volume 56 (2023).
