Christmas, the Original Story

by Margaret Barker

Publisher:

SPCK

, 2008

Overview

In Christmas, the Original Story, Margaret Barker explores the nature of the Christmas stories and the nature and use of Old Testament prophecy. Beginning with John’s account, the book then goes on to include Luke and Matthew, the apocryphal gospels, and the traditions of the Coptic Church, throwing light on the wise men and their gifts, the character of Herod, Matthew’s use of prophecy, and the holy family in Egypt. This book also discusses the stories we get from the Infancy Gospel of Jesus and the development of the Orthodox Christmas icon, as well as the Christmas story and the Mary material in the Koran.

Contents

Top Highlights

“The Christmas story does not describe the birth of the Son of God; it describes the incarnation of the Son of God who was ‘born’ in eternity.” (Page xii)

“The world view of the first Christians was expressed in, and derived from, the shape and the liturgy of the temple in Jerusalem.” (Page 2)

“The words of the angel show that errors in the temple meant errors in society” (Page 3)

“The first Christians used these images to describe the incarnation” (Page 5)

“When the early Christians read the Old Testament, they recognized that the Lord was the Son of God Most High, the One they were eventually to call the Second Person. It was the Lord who became incarnate, and the theophanies in the Old Testament were pre-incarnation appearances.” (Page 11)

Product Details

• Title: Christmas, the Original Story
• Author: Margaret Barker
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 192

About Margaret Barker

Margaret Barker (born 1944), a Methodist preacher, studied theology at the University of Cambridge, after which she has devoted her life to research in ancient Christianity. She has developed an approach to Biblical studies known as Temple Theology. She was president of the Society for Old Testament Study in 1998, and in July 2008 she was awarded a DD by the Archbishop of Canterbury.