Book Recommendations
NEW YEAR STUDY
This is by far the best book I read last year. Dr. LeGrand Baker and Dr. Stephen Ricks put together a masterpiece when it comes to unfolding the Book of Mormon. I understand that the coming year's study is on the New Testament, but we have been commissioned to keep the Book of Mormon a part of our study as well. This book highlights the use of Psalms in ancient Israelite Temple worship and then proceeds to highlight the use of Psalms in the Book of Mormon. In short, the temple and its ordinances are abundant in the Book of Mormon.
This is another must-have for serious students of the Book of Mormon. Fresh off the printing press from The Maxwell Institute. I am currently navigating myself through it and there is so much to digest. It incorporates Royal Skousen's Book of Mormon Text project as well presents the Book of Mormon in such a way that it is easy to read. It situates the text in paragraph form and organizes various texts based on if they are a poem, chiasmus, and so forth. Probably closer to the way the Book of Mormon was meant to be read than any other edition of it.
Here we have the must-have book for this coming year's study of the New Testament. Dr. Thomas Wayment has published through BYU's Religious Studies Center his 10+ year work on an LDS translation of the New Testament. The fresh translation will put the New Testament in a more narrative mode that makes it a ton easier to follow. It also has interesting translation differences from the KJV that can make many scriptures come to life. The notes contained in this volume are my favorite part. So much to uncover and learn in this one. For a preview, I quote from it in the following article: Bleeding from Every Pore: Christ's Blood Deleted by Early Christianity
As you make your way through the New Testament and approach the end, to me, this is the best LDS commentary on the Book of Revelation. Dr. Draper does a fantastic job at highlighting the symbols. This book was recommended to me about 5 years ago by a few people who worked in the Church Educational System. It is a great read.
BOOKS ABOUT THE TEMPLE
The two books above are of the same series. It is a 3 volume, in-depth, commentary of the Book of Moses. Jeffrey Bradshaw is the most prolific writer in our day when it comes to the Temple. This volume, while a bit pricey, is a treasure trove that will take you weeks/months to savor. The third book on the left is a more summarized and cheaper version of the three volumes.
Do not be startled by the price. There are cheaper options if one buys from other sellers on Amazon. This book is pricey due to it being out of print, but it also has been quoted 13 times in General Conference (bold added for emphasis) since it was first published in 1981. This ought to suggest how valuable of a resource it is. It is the best-documented history on the teachings of Joseph Smith during the Nauvoo period (except for the comparatively recent Joseph Smith Papers project). The Nauvoo period was when the temple ordinances, as we know them today, were restored. The notes in this book are what make it a delicious read.
Margaret Barker is a household name in the LDS scholar community. The funny thing is that she isn't even LDS. She is a Methodist minister who studied theology at the University of Cambridge. She has been writing for a very long time on how the key to understanding the world of the first Christians is to understand the theology of what scholars call 'The First Temple Period'. The first book on the right is a short summary of how to interpret the New Testament (**Spoiler** It is the temple). The second book is about the female diety that Israel appears to have worshipped in the First Temple Period. The third book is the best available commentary on the Book of John in my opinion. It is a very good commentary on all the writings of John for that matter. The last book is a great small book on how the original Christmas story points, in every facet, to the temple. I quote from her works in the following articles: Changes to the Endowment Ordinance and An Unconventional Telling of the Christmas Story
BOOKS ON LDS THEOLOGY
At this moment in time, Terryl Givens is probably the most prolific LDS writer and scholar alive. He is a Church Historian and is a fellow member of The Maxwell Institute. The first two books on the right are so very good when it comes to extrapolating the theology and practice of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. However, they are a very heavy read for the average reader. The third book is a look at Pre-mortal theology outside of the LDS tradition. It is a delicious read for those who enjoy that doctrine. The third book is a very light read, but light intensive as to its possibilities. 'The Christ Who Heals', written by Dr. Givens and his wonderful wife, Fiona (a very noteworthy LDS scholar as well), ought to set anyone free who reads it. It corrects many roadblocks in our minds that hold us back from a relationship with the Savior. I quote from his works here: Bleeding from Every Pore: Christ's Blood Deleted by Early Christianity and An Unconventional Telling of the Christmas Story
This is a must have for any serious student of the Book of Mormon. Dr. Royal Skousen has been working on this project for a very long time and this volume, published by Yale Printing Press, is a culmination of his work. Quoting from the book's own description: "Over the past twenty-one years, editor Royal Skousen has pored over Joseph Smith's original manuscripts and identified more than 2,000 textual errors in the 1830 edition. Although most of these discrepancies stem from inadvertent errors in copying and typesetting the text, the Yale edition contains about 600 corrections that have never appeared in any standard edition of the Book of Mormon, and about 250 of them affect the text's meaning."
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