ABSTRACT
The idea of a Mother in Heaven is deeply enshrined in Mormon thought. The unique Mormon version of the divine feminine has long been opposed by both Protestant and Roman Catholic critics. Perhaps more surprising than present Christian theological interest in a divine feminine is the emerging body of scholarship which indicates that the idea of a Heavenly Mother is no modern innovation but has biblical support. Margaret Barker's research reveals many ancient sources which speak of a divine feminine. In addition to Ugaritic tablets, Hebrew graffiti that associates Yahweh and Asherah, and the hundreds of pillar figurines from Jerusalem that date to the time of Josiah, Barker enumerates many Biblical texts that allude to a feminine deity, including many from the Targums. Barker draws on a wide range of evidences to discuss the significance and the identity of the woman clothed with the sun who appears at the exact center of Revelation.
