What I’ve Been Reading Recently: Entry # 1©
Introduction
This article begins a new series for this blog. There is a great deal of interest in reading among Latter-day Saints generally and I sense it is popular among many Americas as well. [When we took the “Metro” into Washington from Falls Church, Va., a year ago I was amazed at how many commuters were reading and/or carrying a book with them; the same on our recent cruise in the western Caribbean.] Many celebrities such as Bill Gates post what they have been reading and make recommendations. Mostly they talk about books. I’m not even a celebrity in my own home, so it is probably presumptuous on my part to think anyone may be interested in what I read. But I benefit from those lists of what others read; I often find items I did not know of and perhaps may never have encountered. So, I hope something here may interest you too.
This series will discuss some books, but will also review some of the articles, speeches, and talks I’ve been reading. Most but not all of it will be of a religious nature, primarily about Mormonism. I also have a dedicated plan to read about the temple the rest of my life, so many entries here will be about the temple, ancient and modern, its doctrines, principles, and practices. With the ease of finding any book and many articles on the Internet, some of the items in this list will be old, some new.
Articles will be in quotes “ ”, with the title of the journal, magazine, or book where it is found in italics. Book titles are also in italics.
I will also make some sort of recommendation regarding each item listed. Please leave a question or comment if you are so inclined.
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1. John P. Kaminski, ed., The Quotable Jefferson, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University, 2006.
This is not a regular size book. It is 4.5 x 7.5 inches in size and about an inch thick. It is an excellent collection of some of Jefferson’s greatest statements on a myriad of subjects. Kaminski’s primary source is the acclaimed Princeton University’s modern edition of Jefferson’s papers. He used other collections of Jefferson’s writings as well. The quotations in the book fall into four large categories. The largest which constitutes the bulk of the book has quotations on nearly five hundred topics.Two, three, and four respectively are quotations by Jefferson about his contemporaries; descriptions of Jefferson by his contemporaries; and, descriptions of Jefferson by himself.
Jefferson was not only a “Renaissance Man” in the sense of the breadth of his interests and knowledge, but he was also a very wise man–a quality not greatly abundant or valued in our modern world. In addition, as most Americans know, he was extremely articulate in expressing his ideas and opinions. Jefferson had many souls, but this collection shows him to possess the soul of Sophia, and of a poet, of a patriot, of culture, of nobility and sensitivity. Jefferson will stir your soul and your mind.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
2. M. Russell Ballard, Yesterday, Today and Forever: Timeless Gospel Messages with Insights from his Grandfathers Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum Mack Smith, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015.
This book contains some messages gathered from talks Elder Ballard has given in his thirty-eight years of service as a General Authority. He supplements them with words from two grandfathers who were also general authorities–Melvin J. Ballard and Hyrum Mack Smith. The latter is not well known among the Saints. He was the brother of Joseph Fielding Smith, but died early in his ministry. He was every bit the scriptorian as his brother and because of his early death the Church suffered a great loss. He was the co-author of the legendary Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, that was considered a standard on the level of Talmage’s Jesus the Christ and Articles of Faith. It is largely overlooked today.
I have not checked to see if these “messages” are taken verbatim from Elder Ballard's talks, or reworked into chapters for this book, but my sense is the latter. Eleven chapters cover as many topics, all of which are oriented in one way or another to encourage church members to be faithful and live the gospel. I particularly enjoyed chapter 8 on the law of sacrifice. I was also pleased to find this statement in chapter 1: “As you know, the sacrament is a renewal and a reminder of all our covenants with the Lord, not just those made a baptism.” He offers some practical and important advice about studying the scriptures on page 37; setting boundaries in the use of electronic devices and the Internet on p. 43; concerns about the use of electronic devices on Sunday, belittling or ridiculing others, gossip, joking about sacred things and vulgarity and coarseness about human sexuality on p. 48. He sensitively addressed the issue of referring to Christ as our “Elder Brother,” in chapter 5 and explains why it is an inadequate description of our relationship with the Savior. Chapter 6 is about women in the Church and the power and authority which they possess–something both men and women should understand. The chapter also contains important advice to the youth, warning them about Satan’s distortion of attitudes about gender and roles, marriage and family. This chapter is worth the price of the book.
This book is not the normal collection of general authority talks. The quotations from his grandfathers found on almost every page add a significant element. Even if you think you heard all of Elder Ballard’s conference address, reading this book provides a much needed and motivating review, generously supplemented with companion teachings from two other great general authorities.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
3. Joel R. White, “Baptized on Account of the Dead”: The Meaning of 1 Corinthians 15:29 in Its Context,” Journal of Biblical Literature, 116, no. 3 (Autumn 1997): 487-499.
There are a multitude of interpretations of 1 Cor. 15:29 which speaks of “baptism of the dead.” One study says 40, another 200! The author says most ignore the context of the verses. He identifies several problems of interpretation and proposes to resolve them. One of the most critical is his argument that the literal notion of baptism for the dead is “at odds with [Paul’s] entire theology,” especially about baptism. He offers a whole new interpretation which he claims is based on the “context” of the pages within the chapter and the book, and which he says resolves the problems of interpreting the meaning of the verse. The context is a conflict among Corinthian disciples about who baptized them. Therefore, “the dead” refers to the apostles not to all the dead. It seems like a strained interpretation to me. It was difficult to follow the technicalities and I did not find the argument convincing.
Recommendation: Not highly recommended except for the theologically inclined, or the specialist.
4. Dennis D. Sylva. “The Meaning and Function of Acts 7:46-50,” Journal of Biblical Literature 106, no. 2 (1987): 261-75.
Luke’s characterization of Stephen’s speech about the temple in Acts 7:46-50 is understood in three main ways by scholars and students: 1) as a thesis for the replacement of the temple; 2) a rejection of the temple; and 3) Jesus’s/God’s transcendence of the temple. Sylva favors the latter. He discusses the arguments against the first two theories, then turns his attention to the establishment of the transcendent thesis on pp. 265-67. The account in Acts deals with a sequence of four items and it turns out that these are the same four things in the same sequence mentioned in Solomon’s dedication of the temple in 1 Kgs 8 and 2 Chr. 6. Section IV on the function of Acts 7:46-50 deals with three problems in the text that have not previously been accounted for by those who advocate the transcendence thesis. This is a good approach, but the technicalities of word use such as found on pages 263-4, 267, and 270-1 are almost beyond the non specialist. Stephan’s emphasis on the law of Moses and the temple are the two foci of Jewish emphasis. Sylva shows an important connection between Mark 14:15 and the Acts 7 passage. He also deals with the relationship of Acts 7:46-50, with verses 51-53. A footnote on Luke’s apparent efforts to soften Mark’s criticisms of the temple is especially interesting and helpful. The essay concludes with a lengthy and difficult discussion of Stephen’s criticisms of the Jews for resisting the Holy Ghost.
Recommendation: Recommended with reservations that this article is primarily for the specialist or those who have great interest in the portrayal of the temple in the Gospels.
5. Russell Stevenson, “History of D&C 4,” in D&C 4: A Lifetime of Study and Discipleship, Salt Lake City, UT: Eborn Books, 2017, 5-26.
I do not know Russell Stevenson, but this article leads me to believe that he is a freshman scholar. He has some interesting ideas but is not very adept at explicating them. He begins the essay saying that this section of the Doctrine and Covenants “is also pregnant with temple allusions and doctrinal developments that would only become apparent in Joseph Smith’s later years.” Though I agree with him, this is an enthusiastic exaggeration in so far as what he produced in this article.The crux of the temple related material in section 4 concerns the initial list of our attributes which the Saints are exhorted to “remember”–temperance, patience, humility, diligence, which are later expanded by adding faith, virtue, knowledge, brotherly kindness, godliness, and charity–all apparently from 2 Peter 1:5-8. Stevenson is unclear why this addition takes place, but he finds the “pregnant” nature of the section wrapped up in the fact that later in Joseph’s life he made 2 Peter 1's exhortation to make your calling and election sure a major goal of the gospel and a temple ordinance. While this indeed is an important insight related to the temple, it is the only one that Stevenson calls attention to, so the plural “pregnant with temple allusions” seems an overstatement.
Recommendation: Recommended.
6. Dana M. Pike. “Obadiah 1:21: Context, Text, Interpretation, and Application,” in Prophets & Prophecies of the Old Testament, The 46th Annual Brigham Young University Sidney B. Sperry Symposium, 47- 78, eds., Aaron P. Schade, Brian M. Hauglid, and Kerry Muhlestein, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2017.
While Latter-day Saints have used this verse which speaks of “saviors on Mt. Zion” since the days of Joseph Smith in reference to temple work for the dead, a detailed study of the text, its context, and the validity of its interpretation have not been undertaken by Mormon scholars. Pike begins to fill this gap and discusses several problems of interpretation due to ambiguities and peculiarities in the text. There are also problems with various interpretations through history because of questions about the historical context and interpretive issues such as the meaning of the phrases “the day of the Lord,” and “Mt. Zion”. However, he concludes that it is highly unlikely that Obadiah was speaking of temple ordinances when he made this statement. Joseph Smith’s use of the passage is more likely to be his application of this passage to his circumstances in introducing the temple ordinances, than it is an authoritative prophetic interpretation of the original intent of Obadiah. Peter did the same thing with a passage from Joel, and Pike argues that therefore this is a legitimate use of the scripture. It has a contemporary meaning to the author, but subsequent generations may apply it to local times and circumstances.
Recommendation: Recommended.
7. Wendy Watson Nelson. “Love and Marriage,” address at the Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, 8 January 2017, Brigham Young University.
Available online at:
https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/worldwide-devotionals/2017/01/love-and-marriage?lang=eng
Sister Nelson accompanied her husband Elder Russell M. Nelson to this Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults and spoke briefly. Her remarks were thought provoking, and perhaps to some even controversial. She gave four truths about love and marriage. 1) “Truths about love and marriage are brought to you by the Holy Ghost from our Heavenly Father. He decreed marriage to be an irreplaceable component of His plan of happiness.The Spirit is the messenger of these truths. I urge you to seek to understand them.” In contrast Satan promotes lies about love and marriage. 2) “Personal purity is the key to true love.The more pure your thoughts and feelings, your words and actions, the greater your capacity to give and receive true love.” 3) “As an important part of the expression of their love, the Lord wants a husband and wife to partake of the wonders and joys of marital intimacy.” It is ordained by, commanded and commended by Him because it draws a husband and wife closer together and to the Lord. 4) “For true marital intimacy, the Holy Ghost needs to be involved. It is simply not possible to have the kind of intimate experiences outside of marriage that you can have within because the Spirit will not be present.” Parley P. Pratt taught that the Holy Ghost will increase, enlarge, expand, and purify “all the natural passions and affections.” Satan does just the opposite. She gives a nice list of about eight contrasts between worldly and Spirit blessed marital intimacy.
Recommendation: Recommended, requires some spiritual maturity to appreciate the message.
8. Neal Rappleye, “With the Tongue of Angels’: Angelic Speech as a Form of Deification,” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 21 (2016): 303-23.
This article gives considerable evidence which suggests that the Book of Mormon construct of “speaking with the tongue of angels” is likely referring to the “breaching [of] the veil to enter into the Lord’s presence, becoming divine, and thereby joining the divine council.” The author takes us to the background context of Nephi’s use of the phrase. He points out that at the same time this phrase shows up in his discourses, Nephi was building a temple and this proximity suggests to Rappleye “that Nephi’s record of “the more sacred things” may have been made in connection with the newly built temple.”Moreover, Nephi mentions mysteries which commonly refer to imitations rites connected to temples or sacred space. Thus the temple seems to be at the heart of Nephi’s small plates project.Rappleye also shows an important connection between the temple and entrance into the divine council and goes on to show how the account of Lehi’s call exhibits many elements of of typical accounts of prophetic ascent to the divine council. Interestingly, once a prophet enters the heavenly body, he is usually sent back to teach the mysteries he has learned to his people–speaking the words of Christ as an angel might. Nephi’s own vision also contains at least six significant elements of traditional ascent literature and becomes his personal experience of interacting with an angel and being authorized to speak for God. The call of Isaiah found in chapter 6 of his book also conforms to the notion that prophets raised to and entering into the council then speak for God. Isaiah’s lips need to be cleansed before he could do so. At Ezekiel’s call he ate a book given him so he was empowered to speak to the house of Israel. And additional important sidelight of this ascension and passing through the veil and being authorized to speak is symbolic of deification of the prophet or individual, which in Nephi’s view was to be available to all who would spiritually qualify.
Recommendation: Recommended, especially for those interested in the Temple.
9. Dallin H. Oaks, Life’s Lessons Learned: Personal Reflections, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2011.
For me this was a surprising little book. Elder Oaks looms large in my mind as a scholar and intellect, as well as an Apostle. Years ago I read the book, Carthage Conspiracy, which he co-authored with historian Marvin Hill. It was a scholarly and detailed study of the trial of those who were accused of murdering Joseph and Hyrum Smith. I’ve also found some of his conference and other talks detailed and often deep. So, the simplicity, plainness, and homespun nature of this book caught me off guard. It is divided into three parts dealing with lessons of life learned up to 1971; part 2 lessons learned while he presided over BYU and served in the Utah Supreme Court; part 3, lessons learned as a general authority from 1984 to the present. The “lessons” cover a wide range of topics. For example, temple teachings, influence of family histories, the law as a blunt instrument, worldly wisdom leads to revelation, assigning reasons to revelation, goal setting, leadership, unselfish service, the meaning of “real intent” refusing requests, tithing blessings, principles vs. perfection, caution about sharing spiritual experiences, the death of a spouse and second marriage.One will find in this gem many ideas and principles which will enlighten and provoke thought.In some places I wanted more explanation and commentary, but Elder Oaks is expeditious in this book and generally leaves the simple lessons to speak for themselves.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
10-. A. Keith Thompson, “Joseph Smith and the Doctrine of Sealing,” Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 21 (2016): 1-21.
This article uses a statement by Brian Hales, the Church’s authority on plural marriage, to the effect that the primary evidence we have for Joseph’s temple theology is in D&C 132 and a few statements in William Clayton’s journal as a straw man for the thesis that the idea of sealing authority was introduced to Joseph Smith in both the First Vision and the first visits of the angel Moroni to him three years later. In the First Vision stress was placed on “having the form of godliness but denying the power thereof” which Thompson argues began Joseph’s interest in the relationship between authority and godliness. Moroni stressed passages from the book of Malachi which emphasized Elijah’s mission to reveal the priesthood, plant the promises to the fathers in the hearts of the children, and turn the hearts of the children to the fathers–an important set up for later and greater understanding of this power. These teachings were followed up by an important statement made to the Prophet by John the Baptist when the Aaronic Priesthood was restored that the Aaronic Priesthood would not be taken from the earth until the sons of Levi offer and offering in righteousness to the Lord. Thompson argues that though Joseph Smith may not have understood the theological implications of these important temple-related statements, nevertheless, they laid a foundation for temple work and sealing in particular. Joseph continued to be interested in these ideas and subsequent revelations moved him line by line and precept by precept toward the full temple doctrine. There are important and helpful insights in this article on the first and third of these ideas, but the second one has received considerable treatment and is not a new discovery by Thompson. Indeed, that section is the most lengthy and offers the least new material in the way of ideas and insights.
Recommendation: Recommended.
Let's think together again, soon.
