“Made Stronger Than Many Waters”:
The Purported Sacred Names of Moses as a Series of Keywords

Presented at

The 2020 Temple on Mount Zion Conference

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Sponsored by The Interpreter Foundation and Brigham Young University College of Humanities

The idea of names as “keywords” has been associated with temples since very early times. In a temple context, the meaning of the term “keyword” can be taken quite literally: the use of the appropriate keyword or keywords by a qualified worshipper “unlocks” each one of a successive series of gates, thus providing access to specific, secured areas of the sacred space. In this presentation, we will explore how a series of names and titles purportedly given to Moses at various points in his life might relate to accounts of his ascents to heaven.

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