I start today by going back to Isaac almost being sacrificed, then I’ll share what I think of the story of tricking Isaac for the blessing, and I’ll end with a discussion about Mount Moriah, otherwise known as the Temple Mount.

Links

Old Testament Manual

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-genesis-2-samuel/genesis-24-36-the-covenant-line-continues-with-isaac-and-jacob?lang=eng

Messengers of God

https://archive.org/details/messengersofgodb00wies/page/96/mode/2up?q=isaac&view=theater

Midrash

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/midrash-101/

Temple

https://rsc.byu.edu/ascending-mountain-lord/great-jerusalem-temple-prophecy-latter-day-context-likening-unto-us

Today my sparks concern the healing power of Abraham, and what one author called the Abrahamic Test.

Links

The Wife/Sister Experience

https://rsc.byu.edu/sperry-symposium-classics-old-testament/wife-sister-experience

Abrahamic Test

https://rsc.byu.edu/sperry-symposium-classics-old-testament/abrahamic-test

Elder Holland quote

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/12bednar?lang=eng

Old Testament Manual

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/old-testament-student-manual-genesis-2-samuel/genesis-18-23-abraham-a-model-of-faith-and-righteousness?lang=eng

This week I am talking about Abraham seeking after righteousness, the Abrahamic covenant, what it means to cut a covenant with the Lord, and the disciple’s journey.

Links

Elder Maxwell quote – Pearl of Great Price Manual

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/the-pearl-of-great-price-student-manual-2018/the-book-of-abraham/abraham-1-1-3?lang=eng

Abraham Gospel Topic Essay

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng

The Abrahamic Covenant

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-4-no-3-2003/abrahamic-covenant-foundational-theme-old-testament

Cutting Covenants

https://rsc.byu.edu/gospel-jesus-christ-old-testament/cutting-covenants

Facsimiles Arguments

https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-4-no-2-2003/teaching-book-abraham-facsimiles

Joseph Smith Papers Facsimile scans

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/introduction-to-egyptian-papyri-circa-300-100-bc/1

Elder Maxwell quote

https://deseretbook.com/p/wherefore-ye-must-press-forward-neal-maxwell-78567?variant_id=136892-paperback

Hero’s Journey

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/#the_12_steps_of_the_hero_s_journey

Hafen Disciple’s Journey

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-c-hafen/disciples-journey/

This week we read Genesis 6-11 and Moses 8, which recount the story of Noah and the flood, some genealogies, all the way to the Tower of Babel. For my sparks I’ll discuss the animals on the ark, the implications of the earth needing a baptism, and the story of Noah and the wine.

Links

Flood as Baptism

https://rsc.byu.edu/let-us-reason-together/was-noahs-flood-baptism-earth

Chiasm in Noah’s story

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/chiastic-structuring-of-the-genesis-flood-story-the-art-of-using-chiasm-as-an-effective-compositional-tool-for-combining-earlier-chiastic-narratives/

The Gospel and Animals

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1972/08/the-gospel-and-animals?lang=eng

Noah Drunk or in Vision

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/was-noah-drunk-or-in-a-vision/

Garment of Noah

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-12120/

Noah’s Nakedness

https://juvenileinstructor.org/noahs-nakedness-and-the-curse-of-canaan-gen-918-27/

This week we are discussing Moses 7. I’ll talk a bit about the history of the Book of Moses, the blackness of the seed of Cain, the law of consecration, the oath and covenant of the priesthood, and the new and everlasting covenant.

Links

History of the Book of Moses

https://rsc.byu.edu/book-moses-joseph-smith-translation-manuscripts/history-book-moses

Sons and Daughters of God

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/gs/sons-and-daughters-of-god?lang=eng

LDS Living Black and Curse

https://www.ldsliving.com/how-we-misinterpret-black-and-curse-in-the-scriptures-insights-from-an-african-american-convert/s/88562

Meridian Magazine Am I a Zion person?

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/article-1-11361/

Law of Consecration

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/victor-l-brown/law-consecration/

Oath and Covenant

https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Oath_and_Covenant_of_the_Priesthood

New and Everlasting Covenant

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2015/12/the-new-and-everlasting-covenant?lang=eng

Today I’ll talk about the importance of knowing the patriarchal order of the priesthood, the history of the apocryphal book 1 Enoch, and the divine inspiration behind the act of writing as a form of communication.

Links

Come, Follow Me for 2022 BYU Religious Studies Center

https://rsc.byu.edu/my-gospel-study/come-follow-me/2022

The Ages of the Patriarchs in the Joseph Smith Translation

https://rsc.byu.edu/witness-restoration/ages-patriarchs-joseph-smith-translation

Insights into Genesis

https://rsc.byu.edu/joseph-smith-translation/insights-book-genesis

Eternal Marriage and the Old Testament

https://rsc.byu.edu/gospel-jesus-christ-old-testament/eternal-marriage-family-old-testament

EOM – Enoch

https://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Enoch

Nibley Part 1

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1975/10/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-1?lang=eng

Nibley Part 2

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1975/12/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-2?lang=eng

Nibley Part 3

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1976/02/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-3

Nibley Part 4

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1976/03/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-4?lang=eng

Nibley Part 5

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1976/04/a-strange-thing-in-the-land-the-return-of-the-book-of-enoch-part-5?lang=eng

When we talked about Creation I quoted from a talk by Elder McConkie called the Three Pillars of Eternity. This week we are talking about another pillar: the Fall. Before I share what Elder McConkie said about it, this week I went searching for some of the other version of the fall to contrast what they believe and what we believe. What I found was that sometimes, we have more in common than we think.

Links

Elder McConkie
https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-mcconkie/three-pillars-eternity/

Catholic Encyclopedia

https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/original-sin

Catechism quote

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/is-original-sin-stupid

Quran

https://quran.com/7?font=v1&reading=false

Islam and Adam and Eve

https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-about-islam/adam-and-eve-in-the-bible-and-the-quran/

Rabbi Friedman on Adam and Eve

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXxZ7RMHt4g&t=452s

Father John Breck on Adam and Eve

https://www.oca.org/reflections/fr.-john-breck/on-reading-the-story-of-adam-and-eve

Latter-day Saint Mag

https://latterdaysaintmag.com/what-do-we-know-of-the-serpent-that-tempted-eve/

Messiah in Ancient America

http://ancientamerica.org/library/media/HTML/tow7bp1v/34.%20WHY%20THE%20SERPENT%20SYMBOLISM%20OF%20CHRIST.htm?n=0

This week is the creation. We are reading this week chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis, 2 and 3 of Moses, and 4 and 5 of Abraham. Each set of chapters are different accounts of the creation of the world. We are blessed to have three versions of creation to study. Two accounts are from Moses, but Joseph Smith restored essential truths in his translation, including the context for why the story of creation was told to Moses in the first place.

Links

McConkie Three Pillars

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/bruce-r-mcconkie/three-pillars-eternity/

Nelson – Creation

https://abn.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/04/the-creation?lang=eng

Discussions in the Old Testament Genesis 1

https://youtu.be/hzPnMpAs9Bs

Scriptural Accounts of Creation: a Scientific Perspective

https://rsc.byu.edu/converging-paths-truth/scriptural-accounts-creation-scientific-perspective#_ednref11

Xenphanes

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/xenophanes/#RefKno

Fallibalism

https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_fallibilism.html

Hello. Thank you for listening today to the first episode of 2022. I hope you had a spirit-filled Christmastime that helped you think of your Savior. Hopefully today you can get another dose of goodness from me.

I’ll talk today about some context the church gives us for the Old Testament, the importance of the knowledge of the Premortal Council, and the Atonement. 

Links

Episode on book of Abraham
https://sparksforlatterdaysaints.buzzsprout.com/1472050/6391942-modern-revelation-how-does-it-work
 

Overview

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/come-follow-me-for-individuals-and-families-old-testament-2022/old-testament-overview?lang=eng

Premortal Existence

https://rsc.byu.edu/apocryphal-writings-latter-day-saints/premortal-existence-foreordinations-heavenly-councils

Origin of Book of Abraham

https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/Book_of_Abraham/Origin

Marginalian – Schrodinger

https://www.themarginalian.org/2021/11/03/erwin-shcrodinger-my-view-of-the-world/?mc_cid=37e84db740&mc_eid=29d56caac2

Merry Christmas! Thank you for being here on this the last episode of 2021. As we close this year and think of our Savior’s birth, the Come, Follow Me study manual points us to the declaration known as “The Living Christ.” 

Links

When Was Jesus Born? BYU Studies

https://byustudies.byu.edu/article/when-was-jesus-born-a-response-to-a-recent-proposal/

Nelson Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into Our Lives

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/04/drawing-the-power-of-jesus-christ-into-our-lives?lang=eng

The Living Christ

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles/the-living-christ-the-testimony-of-the-apostles?lang=eng

We Talk of Christ

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/1987/04/we-talk-of-christ?lang=eng

Chabad.org

https://www.chabad.org

One Percent Better

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/54dunn?lang=eng