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Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

03-31-2021

Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses — Inspired Origins, Temple Contexts, and Literary Qualities Volumes I and II

Edited by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David R. Seely, John W. Welch, and Scott Gordon

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

David R. Seely

David R. Seely

John W. Welch

John W. Welch

Proceedings of the Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses Conference
September 18-19, 2020 and April 23–24, 2021

Published by The Interpreter Foundation
In cooperation with Eborn Books, Salt Lake City
In collaboration with Book of Mormon Central and FAIR (Faithful Answers, Informed Response)

Available Fall 2021 – in time for the Come Follow Me 2022 Old Testament Curriculum

FAIR Bookstore

  • PDF: Volumes I and II — $19.99
  • Softbound: Two Volume Set
  • Hardback: (coming soon)

Eborn Books

Amazon

Because we believe that the Book of Moses includes authentic history, the possibility of evidence for that belief interests us as scholars. Although the primary intent of Joseph Smith’s translations is to meet the needs of modern readers, not to provide precise matches to texts from other times, we consider significant patterns of resemblance to ancient manuscripts that the Prophet could not have known and of unexpected conformance to conditions imposed by an archaic setting as potential indicators of antiquity that are best explained when the essential element of divine revelation is acknowledged.

Though comparative research can never prove a particular interpretation, it can certainly rule out some and suggest others. In addition, we are persuaded that the process of careful comparison can increase understanding and appreciation of otherwise obscure details in both ancient and modern texts.

Some scholars have come to the conclusion that there is little of genuine value that can be gleaned by comparing modern scripture to writings from antiquity. In part this is because comparative studies have not always been conducted with adequate attention to needed methodological controls. Such carelessness may lead to unreasonable or excessive claims. However, a more important reason for the reluctance of some to embrace the comparative method is that they may see little or nothing of historical value in either the scriptural productions of Joseph Smith or in ancient traditions preserved inside and outside the Bible. If both the Moses of modern scripture and the Moses of ancient Near East tradition are largely, if not exclusively, literary rather than historical figures, why would a detailed comparison of their stories reveal anything real about the material past?

While imperfections in the Bible will not greatly disturb or surprise most Latter-day Saints, their belief that the principal events and characters described in modern scripture have a basis in history and revelation is of great consequence to their faith. How so?

  • First, Joseph Smith claimed to have met and conversed with many of these characters, including Moses;
  • Second, many ancient figures mentioned in modern scripture are presented at face value as historical characters in historical settings;
  • Finally, and most importantly, some of these individuals are recorded as having personally transmitted priesthood authority and keys to Joseph Smith.

For these reasons, those who believe that Joseph Smith met, conversed with, wrote about, spoke about, and was given authority by divinely sent personages who formerly lived on earth also embrace by implication the idea that authentic history sits behind the records of the Prophet’s visions, teachings, translations, and revelations.

 

Table of Contents

Volume I

Keynote Overviews

    • Adam, Eve, the Book of Moses, and the Temple: The Story of Receiving Christ’s Atonement

Bruce C. Hafen and Marie K. Hafen

    • Mormon, Moses, and the Representation of Reality

Richard L. Bushman

Inspired Origins and Historical Contexts

    • How We Got the Joseph Smith Translation, the Book of Moses, and Joseph Smith—Matthew

Kent P. Jackson

    • The Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Moses: An Outpouring of Revelations and the Beginning of Joseph Smith’s “New Translation” of the Bible

Kerry Muhlestein

    • “We Believe the Bible to Be the Word of God, as Far as It Is Translated Correctly”: Latter-day Saints and Historical Biblical Criticism

David Rolph Seely

    • The Priestly Interests of Moses the Levite

John W. Welch, with Jackson Abhau

    • The Bible Before and After: Interpretation and Translation in Antiquity and the Book of Moses

Avram R. Shannon

    • The Book of Moses as a Pre–Augustinian Text: A New Look at the Pelagian Crisis

Terryl L. Givens

    • “Strong Like unto Moses”: The Case for Ancient Roots in the Book of Moses Based on Book of Mormon Usage of Related Content Apparently from the Brass Plates

Jeff Lindsay and Noel B. Reynolds

    • The Book of Moses as a Temple Text

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

    • “This Thing Is a Similitude”: A Typological Approach to Moses 5:4–15 and Ancient Apocryphal Literature

David Calabro

    • An Early Christian Context for the Book of Moses

David Calabro

    • Centralizing Scriptural Resources

Ryan Dahle

Volume II

Literary Explorations

    • The Book of Moses: Exploring the World OF the Text

David Rolph Seely

    • The Original English of the Book of Moses and What It Indicates about the Book’s Authorship

Stanford A. Carmack

    • Hebraisms in the Book of Moses: Laying Groundwork and Finding a Way Forward

Jonathon Riley

    • “The Word of My Power”: The Divine Word in the Book of Moses

Matthew L. Bowen

Moses 1: Temple Echoes in the Heavenly Ascent of Moses

    • Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David J. Larsen, and Stephen T. Whitlock

    • “I Am a Son of God”: Moses’ Prophetic Call and Ascent into the Divine Council

Stephen O. Smoot

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

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw and Matthew L. Bowen

Moses 6–7: Enoch’s Divine Ministry

    • “Enoch Walked with God, and He Was Not”: Where Did Enoch Go after Genesis?

Jared W. Ludlow

    • Moses 6–7 and the Book of Giants: Remarkable Witnesses of Enoch’s Ministry

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

    • Man and Son of Man: Probing Theology and Christology in the Book of Moses and in Jewish and Christian Tradition

S. Kent Brown and Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Ancient-Threads-in-the-Book-of-Moses-2-204x300
Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw (PhD, Cognitive Science, University of Washington) is a Senior Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola, Florida (www.ihmc.us/groups/jbradshaw. His professional writings have explored a wide range of topics in human and machine intelligence (www.jeffreymbradshaw.net). Jeff has been the recipient of several awards and patents and has been an adviser for initiatives in science, defense, space, industry, and academia worldwide. Jeff has written detailed commentaries on the Book of Moses, Genesis, and on temple themes in the scriptures. For Church-related publications, see www.TempleThemes.net. Jeff was a missionary in France and Belgium from 1975 to 1977, and his family has returned twice to live in France. He and his wife, Kathleen, are the parents of four children and sixteen grandchildren. From July 2016-September 2019, Jeff and Kathleen served missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa Mission office and the DR Congo Kinshasa Temple. They currently live in Nampa, Idaho. As a church service missionary for the Church History Department, Jeff is writing histories of temples in Africa, and for Interpreter is documenting selected episodes in the history of the Church in Africa on film (www.NotByBreadAloneFilm.com).

David R. Seely

David R. Seely

David R. Seely is a professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University. He received his undergraduate and Masters degree at BYU in ancient Greek and Classics and his PhD from the University of Michigan in Near Eastern studies. Together with Professor Moshe Weinfeld, he published the Barkhi Nafshi hymns from Qumran in the Oxford series Discoveries in the Judean Desert and he co-authored with William Hamblin the book Solomon’s Temple in Myth and History, and with Richard Holzapfel and Dana Pike Jehovah and the World of the Old Testament. In addition, he co-edited with John W. Welch and Jo Ann H. Seely the volume Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem.

John W. Welch

John W. Welch

John W. Welch is Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law, Brigham Young University. J.D., Duke University (1975); M.A. Classics, Brigham Young University (1970); Lit. Hum., Greek Philosophy, Oxford University (1970–1972).

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All journal publications and video presentations are available for free by digital download and streaming. The price of hard copy versions of journal articles covers only the cost of printing; books are typically priced to help cover both upfront pre—publication expenses and royalties to authors when applicable. In some cases, the Foundation may subsidize publication costs to keep retail prices affordable.