Symbolic meanings of the terms

Perhaps no theme in the Book of Mormon resonates so powerfully to modern readers as that of separation from and reconciliation with God. The sense of being cut off, isolated, or driven out is attested throughout the book. Similarly, messages from the Book of Mormon prophets of hope, reconciliation, and communion with God seek to alleviate the fears and depression that arise from loneliness or abandonment. This theme is particularly evident in Jacob’s great speech recorded in 2 Nephi 6–10 and the two “last” speeches from Moroni in Mormon 8 and Moroni 10. Jacob and Moroni both address separation from and reconciliation with God, providing a template for the reader to understand their own experiences. In particular, these prophets quote the words of Isaiah to teach how sacred covenants reconcile us to God.

Mormon missionaries began proselyting in Wales in 1840. From their pulpits Welsh religious leaders warned members of their congregations to be wary of this new faith. Their concern was reflected not only in sermons and conversations but also in the Welsh periodical and pamphlet literature as well. Although willing to publish attacks against the Mormons, the editors of the religious periodicals refused to print any of the rebuttals submitted by those under siege. What the Welsh Mormons needed was their own periodical, a vehicle through which they could defend themselves against their enemies and spread their unique religious beliefs as well. The father of the Welsh Mormon press was Captain Dan Jones. This book contains some of the writings that resulted. ISBN 0-8849-4656-8

In this comprehensive and compelling biography, learn of the trials and triumphs of W. W. Phelps, early Latter-day Saint leader, printer, scribe, ghostwriter, and monumental hymn writer. He printed the Book of Commandments and other early standard works. He was one of the “council of presidents” that guided the Church in Kirtland in 1835–36. Phelps continued to be the leading light in newspaper publishing in Nauvoo and was Joseph Smith’s political clerk in governing Nauvoo and running for the US presidency, also playing a key role in the Council of Fifty. He went west with the Saints, helped propose the “State of Deseret,” and published prose and poetry in the Deseret News and his Deseret Almanac. Phelps’s strong feelings sometimes put him at odds with Church leaders, and he was excommunicated three times, rejoining each time. ISBN 978-1-9443-9436-3

Reprinted from “What Is a Temple?” (1963 and 1968). Also reprinted in Mormonism and Early Christianity, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 4. 355–70. This essay was first written in 1958 for the dedication of the London Temple. Those Church Fathers, especially of the fourth century, who proclaim the victory of Christianity over its rivals constantly speak of the Church as the competitor and supplanter of the Synagogue, and modern authorities are agreed that in ritual and liturgy the Christian Church grew up “in the shadow of the Synagogue.” This is a most significant fact. While the Temple stood, the Jews had both its ancient ordinances and the practices of the Synagogue, but they were not the same. The Temple was unique, and when it was destroyed, the Synagogue of the Jews did not take over its peculiarly sacred functions—they were in no wise authorized to do so.

This article makes clear that the sacred purposes of the Temple were understood and its ordinances practiced in dispensations before the great falling away which brought about the disappearance of these important truths.

The Book of Mormon declares the Bible to be a sacred and true record, but it sustained serious losses in its early stages, which has caused considerable stumbling. Many biblical scholars today reject the authenticity of many of the teachings of Jesus. The Book of Mormon confirms the truthfulness of the Bible.

Historians rarely discuss God’s hand in history. This collection offers the vantage of faith in viewing the events of the modern world. The book features Elder Alexander B. Morrison’s keynote address on God’s role in history, along with timely articles that delve into the role of divine providence in world events. Topics include the voyage of Columbus to the Americas, the birth of freedom in the Western world, scientific and technical advances, and the rise of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ISBN 0-8425-2610-2

The BYU 2012 and 2013 Easter Conferences At times, prophets have compared various aspects of the Savior’s ministry to the mother hen, teaching that he has healing in his wings. The Savior likewise used that metaphor to describe his own power to offer refuge to his followers. By likening himself to a mother hen, the Savior testifies that he will cover us symbolically with his wings to save us if we, like the chicks, will come to him. This volume discusses the Savior, his life, his mission, the Atonement, and his healing influence in our lives today. Contributing authors are Elder Gary J. Coleman, Elder John M. Madsen, Brad Wilcox, Brent L. Top, Andy C. Skinner, and Gaye Strathearn. ISBN 978-0-8425-2836-8

The Book of Mormon contains powerful and priceless principles relating to the preaching of God’s word to His children. Although various principles relating to missionary work are found throughout the Book of Mormon, nowhere is this more evident than in Alma 17 and 18. This chapter seeks to help students and teachers of the restored gospel identify and implement a few of these potent principles that can help all of us have greater success in missionary work.

The leather-bound record book was a perfect place for Lorenzo Snow to preserve his outgoing correspondence while incarcerated in the territorial penitentiary. The record book’s significance lies in three areas. First, the record book sheds much-needed light into the thoughts, personality, and personal life of Lorenzo Snow. The deftness with which he puts his thoughts into verse, his vocabulary, as well as his humor and compassion all reveal facets of Snow’s intellect and character unfamiliar to many Church members today. Second, the record book is significant for its doctrinal content. Finally, it is an important primary source for students of the antipolygamy crusade. His poems and letters are invaluable for understanding how the Saints viewed their persecutions, justified their resistance to the laws, and found the nerve and the will to carry on despite increasingly difficult circumstances. ISBN 978-0-8425-2762-0

FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY, Robert J. Matthews has mentored students and colleagues alike at Brigham Young University and in the Church Educational System of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has filled many roles in the discharge of his professional responsibilities—classroom teacher, scholar, curriculum editor, professor, administrator, and friend—all to the end of building the kingdom of God. And he has done so possessing an attitude of selflessness. Because he has influenced generations of students, teachers, and fellow scholars, it is appropriate that a collection of scholarly essays has been commissioned in his honor. His colleagues have contributed to this volume as a tribute to him and to honor him on his eightieth birthday. A pivotal moment in his life occurred in July 1944 when he first heard Elder Joseph Fielding Smith refer to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Bible during a KSL radio broadcast. He felt the promptings of the Lord’s Spirit to look into the subject more, to acquire a copy of the Inspired Version, and to begin a lifelong study of the work. The wide-ranging essays in this book are, in a way, a reflection of the varied interests and academic loves of Robert Matthews. They encompass an interesting and impressive orbit of topics, from ancient languages to LDS history, from Greek word studies that inform our understanding of the Atonement of Christ to questions about religious tolerance in view of the Lord’s words uttered during the First Vision. ISBN 978-0-8425-2676-0

In 1989 there were two Sperry Symposiums held. The first was in February on the Doctrine and Covenants, which was published later that year as Doctrines for Exaltation. The second was in October on the Old Testament, which was published in 1990 as A Witness of Jesus Christ.

Contents:

Preface

Isaiah: Disciple and Witness of Christ / L. LaMar Adams

The Law of Moses and the Law of Christ / Edward J. Brandt

The Waters of Destruction and the Vine of Redemption / Allen J. Christenson

The Abrahamic Test / Larry E. Dahl

A Major Change in Israel: Effects of the Babylonian Captivity / Dean Garrett

The \"Hidden Messiah\" / Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

Job\'s Relevancy in the Twenty-First Century / Clark V. Johnson

The Old Testament, a Witness for Jesus Christ / Daniel H. Ludlow

Beyond the Biblical Account: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and Moses in Latter-day Revelation / Robert J. Matthews

Isaiah 53: The Richest Prophecy on Christ\'s Atonement in the Old Testament / Keith H. Meservy

The House of Israel: From Everlasting to Everlasting / Robert L. Millet

The Twelve Prophets Testify of Christ / Monte S. Nyman

The Marriage of Hosea and Gomer: A Symbolic Testament of Messianic Love and Mercy / Brent L. Top

The Two Davids / Rodney Turner

Redeeming the Dead as Taught in the Old Testament / Bruce A. Van Orden

The Abrahamic Covenant / S. Michael Wilcox

The Waters Which Make Glad the City of God: The Water Motif of Ezekiel 47:1-12 / Fred E. Woods

As a Latter-day Saint woman during the early days of the Church, Helen Mar Kimball Whitney (1828–96) lived in an extraordinary time. She experienced firsthand the difficult period of persecution in Missouri, the introduction of plural marriage, the aftereffects of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s martyrdom, the exodus from Nauvoo and trek across the plains, and the Saints’ arrival in Utah. This volume presents in their entirety Helen Mar Whitney’s reminiscences as they appeared in the Woman’s Exponent between 1880 and 1887. The author’s eyewitness insights into Latter-day Saint life during the formative years of the Church, as well as her expressions of faith in the gospel, will provide a nontraditional source of study and appreciation as they present a woman’s view of early Church history. ISBN 1-5700-8357-6

This book was in many ways a first: first to provide a full collection of Joseph Smith’s Nauvoo discourses in the mature and climatic years of his life; first to reproduce them in exact fidelity to their original written sources in diaries and journals; first to cross-reference them to earlier sayings and discourses of Joseph Smith; first to index all the biblical and other scriptural verses discussed or alluded to; first to provide contextual settings for each discourse in proper chronological sequence; first to footnote the discourses in terms of their historical and doctrinal kinships; and first to interlace all these discourses with other fundamental teachings of this rich and formative period of Church history. ISBN 0-8849-4419-0

Scriptures are by nature preserved in words. Words alone, however, cannot contain the full reality of the worlds they represent. As sacred texts, our scriptures are overwhelmingly historical, presenting factual accounts of things that happened in time and space. But because they are written, scriptures are also inherently textual, possessing literary qualities that contribute to their witness. The aim of the writing of sacred history is different from that of history writing in general, because scripture seeks to bear testimony while it seeks to preserve events. To read the record without feeling the testimony is to misread. To be understood properly, scripture requires both the companionship of the Holy Ghost and a keen sensitivity to the inspired objectives of the author. Often those objectives are not seen fully without reading the scripture as sacred literature as well as history.

The 2014 BYU Church History Symposium This volume is a compilation of scholarly papers prepared by presenters at the BYU Church History Symposium entitled The Worldwide Church: The Global Reach of Mormonism. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the First Presidency, was the first keynote speaker. He emphasized the importance of learning our history. Quoting Michael Crichton he stated, “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” The second keynote speaker, Terryl Givens, highlighted the universal nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Seventeen other papers by notable historians, scholars, educators, and leaders are included in this volume. ISBN 978-0-8425-2973-0