Articles on Pre-earth life? Help?
Do you know of any good articles about Mormon thought about the pre-existence? I am looking for something academic, though it can be of an apologetic nature. I need sources for documenting my account of the role of the pre-existence in Mormon thinking. I would also be interested in anything dealing with the council in heaven.
This is part of my dissertation chapter that I started addressing in this post.
I realize that I have the research skills should allow me to this on my own. But I am tired and overwhelmed. I need help from my bloggernacle brothers and sisters. Thanks.
Ask Terryl Givens. If anybody has the sources gathered, it will probably be him.
Comment by AHLDuke — January 8, 2010 @ 5:27 pm
I do have the Given’s book (I chatted with him very briefly about the project last fall). I will take a closer look.
Comment by Chris Henrichsen — January 8, 2010 @ 5:29 pm
Oh, and thanks.
Comment by Chris Henrichsen — January 8, 2010 @ 5:30 pm
Charles Harrell: http://byustudies.byu.edu/articleDownload.aspx?title=5879&linkURL=28.2Harrell c01455fa-7d63-4dc4-8ea5-1be9c1422afc.pdf
Blake Ostler: http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=20104&REC=7
Kevin Barney: http://en.fairmormon.org/wiki/images/d/d6/PreExistenceBibleBarney.pdf
Comment by Justin — January 8, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
Blake Ostler’s article in Dialogue (1985, I believe) should be of interest. Given’s doesn’t do too much with Mormon thought in his book. Also, you will find interesting stuff at Van Hales site:
http://www.mormonmiscellaneous.com/Papers/originspirit.pdf
Ostler:
http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=20104&CISOSHOW=19960
Relax!
Comment by W. V. Smith — January 8, 2010 @ 6:53 pm
Harrell has a decent article on it in BYU Studies from like 1988. If you email me I can send you a pdf.
Comment by Ben — January 8, 2010 @ 7:14 pm
The comments and post here are one of the best sources I am aware of.
http://www.splendidsun.com/wp/brigham-on-spirit/
Comment by Matt W. — January 8, 2010 @ 7:41 pm
If you click on the link to my paper from Justin above, I give the citations to both the Harrell and Ostler articles.
Comment by Kevin Barney — January 8, 2010 @ 8:35 pm
Some of what Givens does in biblical interpretation might be useful for you. He mentions some of what have become standard LDS biblical references to preexistence, but as they were seen among non-LDS exegetes. “before I formed thee in the belly. . . ” etc.
Comment by W. V. Smith — January 8, 2010 @ 10:27 pm
Section two of Daymon Mickel Smith’s dissertation, “The First Shall Be the Last and the Last Shall Be the First: Discourse and Mormon History” deals in part with BY and the Pratts’ concepts of Intelligence and Matter–I haven’t actually read it, so I can’t say whether it works or not or what it adds to the discussion, but I know it’s there.
Comment by Jared T. — January 8, 2010 @ 11:03 pm
Is that thesis of Smith available electronically or just at the BYU library?
Comment by Clark — January 9, 2010 @ 1:08 pm
Truman Madsen, Eternal Man has a thoughtful discussion.
John W. Welch has a FARMS Preliminary Report comparing Oh My Father to the Hymn of the Pearl. Nibley also discusses the Hymn of the Pearl in the Appendices to An Egyptian Endowment.
Nibley discusses the early Christian Timothy’s Discourse on Abbaton in Enoch the Prophet, and Howard Hopkins has put the discourse online at his http://www.thinlyveiled.com
Kevin Christensen
Bethel Park, PA
Comment by Kevin Christensen — January 9, 2010 @ 2:52 pm
It’s available digitally via UMI. It is very interesting. The introduction is generally incomprehensible, but I have found his treatment of 20th century priesthood dynamics very useful. And his sources for the section on correlation are simply amazing.
Comment by J. Stapley — January 9, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
On the council in heaven:
One in Thine Hand: The Stick of Judah and the Stick of Joseph By Lynn F. Price
Page 165
Page 337
Discourses of Brigham Young
A Marvelous Work and a Wonder – Legrand Richards
Comment by Happy Lost Sheep — January 10, 2010 @ 2:15 am
Thank you all. This is really a great help. I plan on finishing this chapter by mid-February. So, I hope to get some of my further work on this up on FPR soon.
Comment by Chris Henrichsen — January 10, 2010 @ 2:44 pm