Reflections on Mormonism: Judaeo-Christian Parallels (1978) ~ Edited with an Introduction by Truman G. Madsen

Reflections on Mormonism: Judaeo-Christian Parallels

Edited with an Introduction by Truman G. Madsen

Published: 1978

ISBN: 0884943585

Good used condition with good to fair dust jacket.

“The watershed event of the decade.” Thus one reviewer describes the symposium of twelve renowned scholars at Brigham Young University on Judaeo-Christian parallels. As W. D. Davies said, “It opened up the world of Mormon thinking to direct and deliberate confrontation with that of non-Mormon religious scholarship.”

The event brought together a dazzling array of talent and expertise, each participant being distinguished in special areas of Religious Studies. This book is the result. Here David Noel Freedman, a master of early Old Testament literature, analyzes the Abraham traditions in light of new archeological discoveries at Ebla in Syria; Jacob Milgrom, expert in Leviticus and ancient temple lore, traces similarities in Jewish and Mormon concepts of temple sanctity; James H. Charlesworth, an expert in noncanonical writings between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200, compares ideas about the Messiah in those writings and in the Book of Mormon; David Winston, expert in Philo and early rabbinic materials, addresses parallels in the ideas of pre-existence and creation and mortal probation; W. D. Davies, world authority on the relationships of Judaism and early Christianity, treats Mormonism as a return to, a restoration of, and a reinterpretation of Israel; Krister Stendahl, a redaction-critic of the New Testament, compares Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount and the “Christologizing” of Third Nephi. Abraham Kaplan, analytic philosopher and exponent of Hassidic Judaism, approaches the functions of ritual as “the expression of a whole way of life”; Edmond LaB. Cherbonnier, biblical theologian, defends the anthropomorphic concept of God as both biblical and Mormon; Robert Bellah, sociological analyst of American religions, places Mormonism in its New England and American setting in light of a typical Mormon community; John Dillenberger, distinguished Reformation scholar, compares Joseph Smith and Martin Luther on grace and works; Ernst Benz, historian of nineteenth- and twentieth-century religious movements, shows that the Mormon understanding of “progressive deification,” the image of God in man, has deep antecedents in the New Testament church and in Athanasius. Finally, Jane Dillenberger, expert in European and American religious art forms, analyzes the paintings of Mormon artist C. C. A. Christensen. Truman Madsen provides introductory comments to each chapter and a stimulating introductory essay, “Mormonism as Historical.”

The contributors brought to the task a careful scrutiny of Mormon source materials, a patient application of their own special methods, and a sensitivity to modern commentaries and to ancient records discovered in recent decades. The striking comparisons, clarifications, and appraisals that result not only mark out ground for further scholarly research but provide for the general reader a fascinating overview of these significant topics. 

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