Heavenly Ascents – A New Blog by David Larsen

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David J. LarsenOur long-time reader and commenter at TempleStudy, David J. Larsen, has begun a terrific blog – “Heavenly Ascents.” David received his BA from BYU in Near Eastern Studies in 2001, and is a current graduate student in Theology at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, studying under Dr. Andrei Orlov who is a prominent Enoch scholar. David’s background includes Biblical studies, Sociology, Anthropology, Christian Studies, and Apocalyptic Literature. His language study has included Greek, Hebrew, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. In other words, he is well-qualified to speak on the topic he has chosen (but he’s still a non-authoritarian like the rest of us). The subject matter of his blog looks very interesting:

This blog . . . will cover a wide range of topics that have to do with theological/religious studies, based on what I am studying in school and other ventures into my own related interests. . . . Some of my research interests include Temple studies, Temple roots of early Christian beliefs, apocalyptic writings, intertestamental literature, and pseudepigrapha. . . .

It will focus on insights I learn in my graduate program in Theology at Marquette University and will include my reviews of books by authors such as Margaret Barker and other religious scholars of interest to LDS readers. ((Heavenly Ascents blog, and email communication June 2, 2008.))

Discussions such as these will be very helpful for Latter-day Saints and others to learn more about our religious traditions, and the symbolism and origin of our temple practices.

One of his first posts talks about the insights he’s gained from reading Margaret Barker’s recent book “Temple Themes in Christian Worship.”

To begin her study of “temple themes in Christian worship,” Barker begins by giving evidence that there was, in fact, a “secret tradition” of beliefs/practices that had its roots in the ancient Temple of Solomon. Many of the early Church Fathers knew of “authentic Christian traditions not recorded in the Bible” (p. 1). ((Insights from Margaret Barker’s “Temple Themes in Christian Worship”, Heavenly Ascents.))

Examples are given from early Church Fathers about the a tradition of unwritten, guarded, and secret practices or mysteries in the early Church, handed down from Christ to his apostles.

Sharing Temples & Apologetics from the Bloggernacle

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What the Shared Items look likeOne feature of TempleStudy.com that you may or may not have noticed is the “Shared Items” feature in the right sidebar. It looks something like the image on the right, if you scroll down beyond the “Top Posts,” “Favorite Posts,” “Recent Comments,” and “Recent Posts.” These shared items are links to those posts from the Bloggernacle that I think are interesting, usually about temples, apologetics, or other fascinating subjects that I think you might enjoy.

I use Google Reader (it’s the best, of course!) to browse the Bloggernacle, and whenever I come across a story I like I click the “Share” feature and it automatically adds a link to the story in this section of my sidebar. It’s a quick way to let you peek over my shoulder to see some of the more interesting articles I’ve been reading recently. I currently browse 72 blog feeds from the Bloggernacle. It’s a lot to take in, but I think I’ve got a good system now to sift the wheat from the chaff.

In fact, there is a whole web page devoted to the items I’ve shared with you. You can see it here. This page even has its own RSS feed, if you want to track my shared items in your own reader. In other words, you can track my tracking. Geeky, I know… Occasionally I may comment on an article I see, in which case at the beginning of the shared article you will see my name followed by my comment backed in blue, like this:

Google Reader also gives me the opportunity to share anything else with you from the web as I so choose. So if I come across a web page or something that I find interesting, and if it is not pertinent enough to deserve a full post, I might also add it to the shared items list and perhaps a few comments to go along with it.

Let me know if you like or use this feature of TempleStudy.com in the comments.

King Benjamin and the Temple

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King Benjamin's Farewell Address - Minerva Teichert, 1935The other article that impressed me from the latest Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 16/2 (2007), was Donald W. Parry’s “Service and Temple in King Benjamin’s Speech.” Why did it impress me? Because it related subjects in the Book of Mormon to the temple, something that we haven’t seen a lot of yet, but is becoming more common in recent days. Some of our detractors like to criticize the fact that the Book of Mormon appears to have little content related to the temple, while on the other hand the Church emphasizes the importance of the temple and the ordinances that occur therein. It is articles such as this one in the JBMS that clearly show otherwise. The temple plays a central role in the gospel, even in the text of the Book of Mormon, but we must be willing to look for it, and search a little deeper. I can attest that once you have this focus, the temple appears everywhere in this book of scripture as it does in all scripture. [Read more…]

Temple Worship among Post-Exile Jews

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Excavation of Jewish settlement on Elephantine Island, Egypt

First of all I’d like to thank all those who have participated in the TempleStudy feedback that was posted yesterday. I have received a good number of responses, and most were very positive. Some even compared my methodology, albeit detrimentally, as similar to Hugh Nibley’s, for which I could not be more flattered. If I am able, in the least measure, to be compared to Dr. Nibley, I am very grateful. I also received many ideas for topics and directions which will help to continue charting the course here. I’m glad to see that there is so much support for this site, however inadequate my research or conclusions may be. Mostly we are trying to sit at the feet of some of the greatest LDS scholars here, and learn as we go along. And just to quell some uncertainties, I have not entertained any thoughts of quiting TempleStudy anytime soon. We’ve just begun!

I’d like to draw some attention to the great research on the temple that was presented in the latest Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, 16/2 (2007). Two articles in particular in this issue have the temple as a major theme, namely, “A Tale of Three Communities: Jerusalem, Elephantine, and Lehi-Nephi” by Jared W. Ludlow, and “Service and Temple in King Benjamin’s Speech” by Donald W. Parry. We’ll review Ludlow’s study today. [Read more…]

TempleStudy Feedback

It’s been about four months since I began the TempleStudy.com blog. During that time I have made many new friends, and have become acquainted with many new people. It has been a great learning and growing time. I have found that I learn much more about the temple as I research these topics, and I’ve had many comments from readers who also have been positively influenced by the things they read here. I am grateful that I started this blog, and for the many people who have participated.

I’d like to get a little more feedback on the site, and more direction from you. This site will only serve its purpose if it addresses the subjects you are interested in, and starts good positive conversations and discussions. Please help by answering a few questions below: [Read more…]