Jacob: A Brief Theological Introduction

The Book of Mormon: brief theological introductions #3

by Deidre Nicole Green

"What could I have done more for my vineyard?" In one of the Book of Mormon s most magisterial passages, the lord of a vineyard looks over his beloved olive trees with great sorrow and strives to redeem them. This allegory represents Jesus Christ s labor to save not only individual souls but an entire world. Perhaps more than any other Book of Mormon prophet, Jacob manifests the same divine anxiety, having been born in a wild wilderness and inheriting the task of uniting a divided people. In this brief theological introduction, Deidre Nicole Green presents Jacob as a vulnerable and empathic religious leader deeply concerned about social justice. As a teacher consecrated by his brother Nephi, Jacob insists on continuity between religious and social life. His personal experiences of suffering, his compassion for those in society s margins, and his concern for equality are inseparable from his testimony of Jesus Christ. Because of Christ, Jacob lovingly and mournfully seeks to nurture a faithful and just community, even against all odds of success.

Genres: Religion, Lds, Nonfiction, Theology, Faith, Church, Spirituality

148 pages, Paperback

Published June 23, 2020

Reviews

[Abbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite of the bunch so far!

[Jenny Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, important work here from Green. She’s reading Jacob with care, and she’s clearly invested in the book as scripture. The seriousness with which Green approaches Jacob as a person, prophet, and writer is incredibly helpful. So often with scripture it’s easy to forget that someone, somewhere, wrote those words; Green does not let us forget that fact. I also appreciated the humility of her reading here. While Green is clearly a sophisticated reader and thinker, she draws upon her skill set here in a way that reflects attention from herself as the reader and instead refocuses our attention on Jacob as the writer. That’s not an easy thing to do, and we are the rich for it. This book is a must read for anyone interested in thinking about Jacob specifically, and the work of scripture in our modern world generally.

[Tyler Critchfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jacob is one of the more underrated books in the Book of Mormon. This was an insightful look into Jacob's teachings, though I think it could have benefited from quoting more scriptural passages.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read The Book of Mormon many times and only now, after reading this book, have I appreciated the beauty of the book of Jacob. Instead of focusing exclusively on the Allegory of the Olive Tree in Jacob (which is usually what gets the attention in our church classes), this book examines the influence of Jacob's life -- which was entirely a wilderness experience -- on his theology, while also delving into the importance of right relationship with God and others as a basis for our spirituality. Green's analysis also emphasizes the great love that God has for us, and his untiring efforts to redeem us. My appreciation of this book of scripture has grown and changed in profound ways through reading this book.

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed her analysis of Jacob's use of the Lamanites as revelation and part of the communal repentance.

[Andrew Knighton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Seemed to really reach for some ideas not necessarily evident to me as I read the text of Jacob.

[Dan Call · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you humble a people who think too highly of themselves?
How can a lonesome and traumatized Christian speak truth to power?
How might teachers elevate their craft to transformative levels, not by changing their content, but by recentering their methodology on giving voice to the oppressed?
In Deidre Nicole Green's contribution to this series, we see another successful approach to "[exploring] the spiritual and intellectual force of the ideas appearing in the Latter-day Saints' 'keystone' scripture." Green is the first author in the Brief Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon series whose previous work I was unfamiliar with, which made for a refreshing read. One of the central tenets of these books is that theology can be done well from multiple perspectives, and Green's writing upholds this notion very well.
The book leans into the fact that both Jacob and his record occupy a liminal space in the Book of Mormon. Jacob was part of a lost generation, born in the wilderness, not native to a promised land in any sense. The record of Jacob takes a sharp turn from the abundantly doctrinal and prophetic writings of Nephi, opting instead to preach repentance to the already proud Nephites. Throughout most of the book, Green offers multiple illustrations of how Jacob's teachings make the case for a socially oriented Christianity: through the call to witness suffering in the world, or to perpetually examine our relationships with others (ch. 2); an argument that inequality breeds sin, and that looking and listening carefully to those we are inclined to hate are Christian duties (ch. 3); tearing down the destructive myths of hyper-individualism and patriarchy-driven chastity (ch. 4); a simple but forceful unpacking of the detail-laden allegory of the Olive Tree (ch. 5).
When younger, I read this book (like most scripture) for the gems of thought, finding verses and individual stories that could teach me important principles. Green, however, does extraordinarily well at presenting Jacob as a unified text with an overarching theme and a teacher armed with a potent pedagogy.
This last point especially speaks to me. As a professional educator who has worked in a variety of learning spaces, as well as sometimes teaching to church groups who are looking for comforting and familiar lessons, I dedicate a large part of my time to improving my craft. With thrilling detail, Green demonstrates how Jacob centers voices often silenced or misrepresented by Judeo-Christian religious texts: women and children, othered ethnicities, and vocal heretics. We get a clear picture how this bold teaching method is actually an act of brave love with socially-transformative capabilities. That this ancient book contains models of master-level teaching is a pleasant surprise, and suggests another possibility that Mormonism has so much to offer to the academic community.

[conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning thoughts here from Green. I love how she grounds her reading of the theology in the Book of Jacob in a discussion and analysis of what we learn about Jacob the prophet, particularly how this leads to her observations about Jacob using outsiders as moral exemplars.

I'll be chewing on Green's observations for some time and will write more thoughts to share. Lots of great stuff here provoking further insight and engagement with the scriptural text. This series continues to be insightful and challenges my own readings and understanding of The Book of Mormon. Great great work.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting entry in the "brief theological introductions" series to the Book of Mormon. Green brings up many interesting points. I was a little surprised she didn't qualify some of her assertions: she presumes in several places what Jacob really meant by using certain words. My concern is that because the Book of Mormon is a translation, it is difficult (I think) to know precisely what Jacob meant when he wrote in a different language. That said, it really is a good book. It caused me to consider ideas and topics I had glossed over in past readings. I am excited to reread the book of Jacob. Green's book will certainly be kept close the next time I do.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book I've read in the Brief Theological Introduction series. As with Enos, Jarom, Omni: A Brief Theological Introduction, I found this entry to be very enlightening. I especially appreciated:

1. The discussion on viewing Christ's death with careful reflection and emotional interest in what we are beholding.
2. The discussion about suffering Christ's cross in the context of our relationships with others. We need to see others as equals and just as deserving of Christ's love. We can learn powerful lessons from others, even those we consider to be our enemies (like Sharom or the Lamanites). Indeed, the wellbeing of my branch is dependent on the wellbeing and strength of other branches.
3. The insights into who Jacob might have been, the trauma he likely experienced, and how his sufferings were consecrated for his good and for the good of others.

While mostly good, there were a couple of sections of the book that I struggled to follow:

1. The discussion of the sexual agency of the Nephite women came without really providing a definition of "sexual agency." Probably just me, but in my mind "sexual agency" sounds like "okay to sleep around", so I would have appreciated a clear definition of how the author understood the term. I don't think she was arguing against keeping the commandments.
2. Maybe this is due to the deficiencies in my theological knowledge, but there were also a couple of arguments that just felt like too much of an effort to fit our current world view onto words written by people that lived over 2500 years ago.

[Courtney Hatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jacob was already my favorite of favorites. It’s impossible not to love such an empathetic, priestly, deep theology-loving, feminist, literary teacher who probably battled mental illness (imo). He is the greatest, and Green pays such an exquisite tribute to him and his witness of Christ here. Her perspective and clear love for her subject is a beautiful gift.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve heard people say that the book of Jacob is their favorite in the Book of Mormon. I found that fascinating. I just think of the slog I feel getting through the allegory of the olive tree. I’m going to read it with new eyes and different understanding. I’m so glad I read this book.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edit: I had to come back and give this book another star. I was so distracted by the repetitive language, that I was forgetting the important messages in this book - social justice, right relationships, and the Atonement. The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated it. 3.5 stars.

This was just okay for me. It started out really strong, with an introduction that got me excited. Then it just felt like the author was on repeat. I didn't dislike it though. Maybe 2.5 stars.

[Braden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved everything about this book. Deidre really brought the heat. I think so many millennials/gen z’ers can relate to Jacob. He’s an overly anxious introvert who is passionate about equality and social justice and tries to get the Nephites to respect and learn from the marginalized and the people they consider “other.”

[Jared Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best expositions of the short book of Jacob that I've read. Green does a great job of drawing out the ways that Jacob consistently decenters himself and centers those that the Nephites marginalize. Even Jacob's confrontation with Sherem is written in a way that gives the last word to Sherem, and decenters Jacob. She speculates that he may have suffered from some sort of anxiety disorder, perhaps as a result of trauma he survived as a child. This is speculative, of course, but she makes a convincing case from his own words, and it makes Jacob more relatable to a modern audience and highlights important insights in his preaching.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some fascinating and potentially paradigm shifting insights in this volume, especially as regards the encounter between Jacob and Sherem. However, they are counterbalanced by other ideas that are poorly argued and do not engage in conversation with much of the relevant scholarship. I hope to see those ideas addressed in further work.

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best so far

[Chanel Earl]

I loved this book. I would have liked more scriptures cited throughout, but I appreciate the things I learned from it.

[Delanie Dooms · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book of Jacob through the Book of Mormon.

The book of Jacob is basically segmented into three parts (although 7 chapters).

The first is the exhoration against sin, the second a long quote from a prophet named Zenos, and a final section in which Sherem is introduced and killed.

In the first section, the main sins are greed and lust; however, lust is the one most focused upon. The reasons behind why lust is bad are not described. We see Jacob describe the anger and dislike that God has toward those who are polygamous or otherwise disposed toward numerous partners, and this anger is poised as more than just a cause of fear--it is a cause of denigration. For, as Jacob notes, even the Lamanites have monogamous relationships, wherein the husband and wife love each other and their children. This section is steeped in racism of the lowest order, with the curse of a darker skin tone being a sign literally of sinfulness, which is juxtaposed to the white Nephites who are nevertheless evil, not as a result of their forefathers, but as a result of themselves. The whiteness of the Lamanites will be shown in the final judgment, but the Nephites, if they don't change, will be black!

The Zenos section, I was happily surprised to note, was not plagiarized from the Hebrew Bible, but was a creation of the mind of Joseph Smith himself. It details a story of a lord who owns a vineyard. He sees a tree near death, grafts wild branches onto it, and takes branches from the tamed tree and grafts them and plants them around his vineyard; afterwards, the trees give good fruits, but soon become totally corrupt, and the mistake the lord makes becomes evident; thus, he desires to save his trees, and the method of doing this, as proposed by his servant (which, I suppose, is the Christ), is to graft on the original branches from other trees, pruning and destroying the bad things and keeping the good things. Wonder of wonder, this works, and we hear that our friend the lord shall collect numerous fruit for the winter and one day his vineyard shall burn.

Our narrator resumes by stating that this is the selfsame story of the Jewish people and what shall happen to them. At this point, we also get a discussion on a false prophet among the Nephites. Sherem doesn't believe in the Christ and decides to talk about it. He is a good talker, probably influenced by the devil, and begins to convince people, but he chooses to try his worst enemy (Jacob): a choice which results in him being cursed by Jacob (although unwillingly) to be smited by God as proof of the Christ, which smiting occurs, and the final thing we hear of Mr. Sherem is that he repents of all his beliefs, fears God's retribution in death, and his immediate death after speaking. There is no point in me saying that the fate of Sherem is unjust. If he was possessed of the devil, he had no agency, and his actions were not his; if he was not, and he just needed further proof, we already know from the other books the many wonders God enacts upon the people, so that, I mean, why not do it again?

Most of what I care about in this book comes from the story elements (like the pretty little folkish tale of Sherem or the tale of the vineyard lord), for the theology lacks lustre and deepness, and the main goal of the work (to show that the people of Nephi knew of Christ, etc., etc.) is not only obviously bunk and a scam, but is rather an odd thing to drone on about when we hear our friend Jacob, again and again, relate that he has limited space. Say it once and get onto something else!!

[William Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve really enjoyed reading all of these so far, but I stumbled a little with Green’s writing style. I found it much more dense and less accessible than the two preceding volumes, and a heavy usage of terms Green has introduced and defined herself, that gives a strong jargon-y quality to the writing and a certain repetitiveness in particular passages. Having read her author bio at the back, and seeing that she is a postdoc fellow, it makes sense to me that her writing would feel less developed and mature (in the sense of refined, realized, or honed) as compared to the writing of the first two authors, whose careers have been longer.

This is a bit of a shame because Green’s ideas and readings are both thought-provoking and uniquely centered on the idea of community regarding the Atonement and the mortal experience. Some of the ideas that particularly resonated with me include the highlighting of Jacob’s personal traumas and clinical anxiety to inform his teachings and approach; the potential purpose in Lehi and Sariah naming their wilderness-born sons Jacob and Joseph, invoking the scattering and gathering of Israel in microcosm vis-a-vis their own experiences; Jacob’s treatment of Sherem being a purposeful opportunity to combat Nephite blind spots about their righteousness in comparison to outsider groups; and recasting the allegory of the olive tree with a wider interpretation as a representation of the process of Atonement.

I felt the final thoughts section brought the work into greater cohesion than I would have anticipated based on the earlier chapters, and was happy to see ideas restated and linked more closely. This pushes my overall estimation of the book higher, but it was a challenge to get there. Worth pushing through, but I suspect a second reading might also raise it higher in my esteem, having already become familiar with Green’s ideas and created vocabulary.

[Jackson Switzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Among the first three books of the Maxwell Institute "Brief Theological Introduction" series, this was the best. I recognize and deeply care about the need for social change with regard to gender and race relations, but so many of the voices pushing those changes are faithless and even believe the Church is culpable that I cannot identify with them. It is frustrating and emotionally exhausting to try to be a part of that community while completely disagreeing with their foundational principles and thus with many of their methods and motives. On the other hand, so many of the nominally Christ-centered voices I hear minimize or outright deny the suffering caused by systemic oppression; identifying with that worldview would likewise require that I compromise a significant piece of who I am. I need both: yearning for social change AND unwavering commitment to Christ. A Christ-centered model for pursuing social justice.

Because my first loyalty is to Christ, the overwhelming secularism of so many progressive voices has gradually pushed me toward ambivalence regarding social inequality. My passion about its rectification had been fading, because I felt there was no community absolutely committed to Christ's Church and honest about the large societal problems we face. Indeed, I had difficulty finding any scriptural justification for such a perspective, which made it all the more challenging to hold out hope for validation. But no longer! I found the Christ-centered model, well articulated, scriptural, and sincere, in the Book of Jacob, through Deidre Green's theological introduction.

[Andrea Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Green does a wonderful job of filling in the blanks of whatbit means to love your neighbor as yourself. There are some amazingly insightful, and heart changing parts to her writing.
There are some very beautiful ideas she flushes out and develops so well; the change of heart that comes about when we see others as our self and as great in the sight of God(pg. 39-41) and we see a spectrum of behavior with entitled at one end and undeserving at the other extreme, we want to be balanced in the center with love for self, and others, and love of God, being where our joy and change of heart occurs. We want to prevent wrong relations with others and become one whom God relies on to care for others. Chapter five, The love of God and the Allegory of the Olive Tree is so compelling and I love her description of one who comes unto God. Equally fascinating is her take on how Jacob treats Sherem and how he reacts to him. I won't spoil these sections by commenting on them more.
I'll end by sharing a quote from Green about our divine worth. "We are all fundamentally created by God; our creaturely status is primary and precedes any other identity we might construct for ourselves on the basis of what we credit ourselves with accomplishing or making ourselves into."

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third volume of the "Brief Theological Introductions" that the Maxwell Institute is publishing, and it may be the best one so far. Green makes Jacob a living breathing person, who suffered childhood trauma, likely suffered from anxiety and depression, and may have lived as a hermit, separate and distant from his people. Green also makes a compelling argument that Jacob's "theology" was focused on the necessity of right relationships with others (in particular, the marginalized and social "others") to have a right relationship with God. Green also demonstrates that Jacob's belief in Christ and his atonement permeates that theology, as such a belief requires a coming together or unity. This relatively short volume (it's only about 120 pages) gave me a lot to think about, challenging me to reconsider my relationships with those around me and to confront my racist and sexist attitudes towards others.

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, informative, but a bit of a slog compared to the first two short volumes in this series. Green produces a handful of very incisive insights, including an interesting and novel take on the allegory of the olive tree, but on the whole I felt that I was being repeatedly hammered with social justice theory for 100 pages. I do not think Green was shoehorning this interpretation into Jacob's writings; I'm convinced that DEI principles were important to Jacob. But I was convinced of this before I picked up Green's book, and I think she could've conveyed this take on Jacob in 5-10 pages.

This may come across as a larger criticism than I intend it to be. I think this volume is valuable, thoughtful, and important, particularly for those keen to view the Book of Mormon from fresh perspectives. At the end of the day though, I just didn't enjoy this volume quite as much as the theological foundations of 1 Nephi and 2 Nephi.

[Hollie Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some really profound thoughts and sentences in this book. I’ve definitely highlighted the most in this book than it’s two other brothers.
The whole concept of being open to learning and being taught by any person or party really spoke to me, and I kept feeling the word meekness come to mind, which is a hard quality for many to describe.
I know these books are supposed to be scholarly writing. But can I just complain about HOW scholarly the writing in here was? I’ve written a couple intense college papers before and man, I don’t want to go back and read them because the language is so repetitive and I sometimes have to reread a sentence a couple times to see where the odd structure and grammar were taking me. I found a lot of that in this volume. And I know it’s 100% a me problem because I am not used to reading about spiritual and scriptural things with that kind of cadence.

[Hollie Andrus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, I struggled with this book. Not with the book of Jacob but with the author’s interpretations of the book. It was clear from the onset that she and I have very different views, e.g., societal equality, and that made it difficult to read, especially when I felt like I was reading the same concepts/interpretations over and over and over again. A 121-page book on a book that is about 20 pages should have been my first warning.

I am not sure who the author’s audience was intended to be. It clearly was not me. Previous books in this series had me feeling more connected to the Book of Mormon and helped me feel a sense of connection to the author. This felt more like a dissertation than a brief theological introduction to Jacob.

Here’s hoping the next book is more relatable. And less political.

[Peter Andrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

These brief theological introduction books have been, so far, amazing. Jacob is no exception. It brings new insights and needed perspective to this short book of scripture.

I love how she relates Jacobs teachings to the idea that salvation is a societal and communal thing just as much as a personal one. No person is an island, and we are not separate from those around us. Truly, we must show our conversion to Christianity through how we think of and, ultimately, treat others. No hypothetical love or obedience is as powerful as how we actually treat our fellow humans.

This book awakened me to my dire need to connect with others; To mourn with them; To love them. COVID has truly robbed us of too much

[Brent Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites of the series - along with Adam S. Miller's review of Mormon's book.

Deidre Green helps me see Jacob as an advocate of social justice and equality, working through his personal melancholy and trauma to find meaning in the service of others. Her analysis of Jacob's encounter with Sherem was especially memorable. Sherem serves as both an "anti-Christ" figure as well as a Christ figure - something I had noticed before but Green helped clarify. And the olive-tree parable shows God in dynamic reciprocal relationship with us. He needs us as much as we need Him and can only save us when we let Him.

My version of this book is heavily marked up - always a sign of engagement in just the way she sees Jacob engaging his people!

[Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening

This has been a very enjoyable and thought provoking read. I have read Jacob many times and found it highly insightful and inspirational. Consequently when I learned of this volume I was interested to read it as well to see what thoughts it might add.

This volume has added to an already beautiful scripture. Not added in words or even ideas but rather avenues of thought or ways of considering Jacob’s teachings that can increase its impact in my daily life.

This volume helped me see even clearer than before that not only the whole Book of Mormon but this portion of it is written for our day.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have relished reading this book and found my already strong affection for Jacob to be deepened as I read. Green’s approach to the atonement is one that I will ponder for some time.

Several years ago I decided to give myself permission to skip Jacob 5 in my Book of Mormon reading for a while. I’d read it many times and found it to be for me far more of a stumbling block than the oft cited Isaiah chapters. I realized while reading this book that I had allowed my scriptural paradigm to be limited to the idea of a house of Israel allegory in that chapter. No wonder I never found it meaningful! Inspired by this book I will return with a more personal view.