Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple & Sermon on the Mount: An Approach to 3 Nephi 11-18 and Matthew 5-7

by John W. Welch

In 1990 John W. Welch s book The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount presented a thorough Latter-day Saint interpretation of the Savior s greatest sermon, drawing on insights from Jesus s Sermon at the Temple in 3 Nephi to shed light on his Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew.

Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple and Sermon on the Mount builds on that earlier study with substantial additions based on insights gleaned throughout a decade of continuing research.

The basic analysis remains unchanged: understanding the Sermon (meaning both texts in their shared, collective meaning) as a temple text reveals that it has far more power and unity than a mere collection of miscellaneous sayings of Jesus. Seeing the teachings and commandments of the Sermon on the Mount in its Book of Mormon setting at the Nephite temple, in connection with sacred ordinances of covenant making opens new insights into the meaning and significance of the Sermon. In this light, readers never again see the Sermon the same.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1998

About the author

John W. Welch is the Robert K. Thomas Professor of Law at the J. Reuben Clark Law School, Brigham Young University, where he teaches various courses, including Perspectives on Jewish, Greek, and Roman Law in the New Testament. Since 1991 he has also served as the editor in chief of BYU Studies. He studied history and classical languages at Brigham Young University, Greek philosophy at Oxford, and law at Duke University. As a founder of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, one of the editors for Macmillan’s Encyclopedia of Mormonism, and codirector of the Masada and Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition at BYU, he has published widely on biblical, early Christian, and Latter-day Saint topics.

from http://deseretbook.com/auth/420/John_...

Reviews

[Cambria Hazard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once this book lays out the connections between the Sermon on Mount/Sermon at the Temple and the Temple ordinance, it’s hard not to see them. Very deep and took me a long time to get through, but so worth it. I will say, I started it several years ago and got halfway through the third chapter and then stopped. This time when I picked it up, I realized I stopped right when it started to get good. If you struggle reading this from the beginning, skip to chapter 4.

[Jacob H Healey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and Illuminating

This is a wonderful insightful well-written book with an illuminating thesis. It has inspired me and others to examine the sermon on the mount with new eyes.

[Jacob J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christ's sermon on the mount from Matt. 5-7 appears nearly verbatim in the Book of Mormon in the passage where Christ appears to the people in the Americas following his resurrection. This book takes a close look at the sermon on the mount and explores the significance of the differences between the Biblical and Book of Mormon accounts. Welch is an apologist, but he makes a compelling case that the differences are targeted and significant. His goal is to show that Joseph Smith did not simply copy the sermon on the mount into the Book of Mormon (as critics obviously suppose) but that the changes are significant in ways that Joseph Smith could not have known. Not everyone will be convinced, but the arguments are worth considering and unless you are already an expert on the sermon on the mount, you will learn something.

[Analisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed chapter 4--took lots of notes and plan to study it before I go to the temple. The rest of the book was a little too deep for me--I just skimmed.

[Leah Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. This is an easier read than Hugh Nibley and possibly more inspiring. It really makes you want to internalize the principles expounded.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Particularly loved chapter 4. Enlightening.

[Enid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking.