Stephen D. Ricks, “Temples through the Ages.”  EM:??

GeorgeMacRae, “The Temple as a House of Revelation in the Nag Hammadi Texts.”  FARMS transcript

David B. Honey and Michael Lyon, “An Inscribed Chinese Gold Plate in its Context: Glimpses of the Sacred Center.” DAS 19-66.

John Gee. “The Keeper of the Gate.”  TTE: 233-274.

• Examines Egyptian, early Coptic (Egyptian Christian) and Jewish traditions of temple gatekeepers/guardian figures.
• FARMS link, for subscribers.
• Cf. 2 Nephi 9:41-2

Gaye Strathearn and Brian Hauglid, “The Great Mosque and its Ka’ba as an Islamic Temple Complex in Light of Lundquist’s Typology of Ancient Near Eastern Temples.” TTE:275-302.

• FARMS link for subscribers.

William Hamblin, “Temple Motifs in Jewish Mysticism.” TAW: 440-476.

• Examines the theme in early Jewish literature of ascending into heaven, bypassing the gatekeepers/sentinels, and entering God’s presence.
• Gospelink (subscription required).

Joseph Smith and his contemporaries used multiple terms to refer to the ordinances and those who had received them. They spoke of the “Holy Order,” the “order of the Ancient of Days,” “the Quorum of the Anointed,” etc.

John Welch, “New Testament Word Studies.”  Ensign April 1993, 28-30.

• Includes study on the words “Endow” and “Perfect.”
• He wrote a second article of New Testament word studies that is equally useful, Ensign January 1995.
• A longer original version of both articles and other words used to be available from FARMS, but is no longer in their database or at byubookstore.com.

Thomas R. Valletta, “Conflicting Orders: Alma and Amulek at Ammonihah.”  TTE:183-232.

• This article discusses the Holy Order of Melchizedek as described in Alma 13 and its priesthood connection with temple ordinances. Unmentioned in the text is that Joseph Smith referred to the restored collection of Temple ordinances by several names, including “The Holy Order.”
• FARMS link, for subscribers.

LeGrand Baker, “Temple Characteristics of the Book of Mormon.” JBMS 6:2 ??

• A shortened version of a much longer paper examining the Book of Mormon in light of Lundquist’s Temple typology.

Hugh Nibley, “Ancient Temples: What Do They Signify?” Ensign, September 1972. Reprinted in TAW: 399-410.

• Nibley examines ancient temples and briefly discusses Mesoamerican temples.
• Gospelink (subscription required)

John Welch, “The Temple in the Book of Mormon: The Temples at the Cities of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Bountiful.”  TAW: 297-387.

• Gospelink (subscription required)

M. Catherine Thomas, “The Brother of Jared at the Veil.” TAW: 388-398.

• Article examines the brother of Jared on Mt. Shelem against the Temple Typology. A fascinating article.
• Gospelink (subscription required)

Barry Bickmore’s “Dead End or Dead On?” -A Review of J.P. Holding, “Baptism and Beyond: The Mormon Doctrine of Baptism for the Dead,” in The Mormon Defenders: How Latter-day Saint Apologists Misinterpret the Bible, an antimormon argument about Baptism for the Dead. (No longer on-line)

Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks. “Baptism for the Dead and Secrecy” from Offenders for a Word: How Anti-Mormons Play Word Games to Attach the Latter-day Saints.

• This is an excellent book which examines Early Christianity in light of doctrinal objections against Mormonism.

John A. Tvedtnes’ review of Luke P. Wilson (of the so-called Institute for Religious Research, an evangelical anti-mormon ministry) “Does the Bible Teach Salvation for the Dead? A Survey of the Evidence” and “Did Jesus Establish Baptism for the Dead?” in FRB 10:2 (1998): 184-199.

John Tvedtnes, “If baptism for the dead is a ‘suppressed’ Christian doctrine dating from the apostolic age, why did Paul use the pronoun ‘they’ instead of the personal ‘we’ or ‘ye’ when referring to the practice?”  online discussion.

John Tvedtnes. “Baptism for the Dead: The Coptic Rationale.”

• Paper presented at a non-LDS symposium in Jerusalem

John Welch, Review of “Corinthian Religion and Baptism for the Dead (1 Corinthians 15:29): Insights from Archaeology.”  FRB 8:2 (1996) :43-45.

• A Response to Richard E. DeMaris, Journal of Biblical Literature 114/4 (1995): 661-82.

Alex L. Baugh. “‘For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House’: The Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple.” Mormon Historical Studies 3, no. 1 (Spring 2002): 47-58. In .pdf format.

Robert L. Millet, “Was baptism for the dead a non-Christian practice in New Testament times (see 1 Cor. 15:29)…?” – Ensign, August 1987, 19-20

John A. Tvedtnes, “Proxy Baptism.”  Ensign, February 1977.

“Salvation of the Dead.” –EM, 1257-1259.

Hugh Nibley, “Baptism for the Dead in Ancient Times.”  MEC: 100-168.

• An excellent article.
• FARMS transcript, text only. Gospelink (subscription required)

“Baptism for the Dead.” –Two articles, by Elder H. David Burton and Krister Stendahl (Lutheran Bishop of Sweden and former Dean of the Harvard Divinity School). EM, ??

William Hamblin, “Temple Motifs in John 17.”  FARMS Paper. Not yet available online.

John Tvedtnes. “Early Jewish and Christian Practices Related to the Temple.”  FAIR presentation

Matthew J. Grey. “Becoming as a Little Child: Elements of Ritual Rebirth in Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity.”  Studia Antiqua: The Journal of the Student Society for Ancient Studies Vol. 1 Num. 1, Fall 2001. 63-85. Available soon from their website.

• Discusses washing, anointing, clothing, and naming as early Christian and Jewish rituals of rebirth

Truman G. Madsen,  “The Temple and the Restoration.” In The Temple in Antiquity, edited by Truman G. Madsen, (Provo, UT: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1984): 1-16.

• Gospelink (subscription required)

S. Kent Brown,  “The Temple in Luke and Acts.” In Revelation, Reason, and Faith: Essays in Honor of Truman C. Madsen, edited by Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2002): 615-633.

Barry Bickmore, “The Temple”  Chapter from his book, Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and Early Christianity.

Barry Bickmore, “Early Mormonism and Christianity: ‘Orthodox’ Christian Esoteric Rites” from his webpage.

Barry Bickmore’s page on Early Christianity and the Endowment.

• Barry Bickmore is a BYU geology professor who published Restoring the Ancient Church: Joseph Smith and Early Christianity, now available in entirety on-line. See the FAIR review and the FARMS review, both written by David Waltz, a friendly Catholic, which provide good information and perspective.
• See also the next item.

Robert J. Matthews, “Were the blessings of the Temple available to the saints in Jesus’ day…?”  Ensign, September 1974.

• Also here

John Tvedtnes, “Baptism for the Dead in Early Christianity.”  TTE:55-78.

• FARMS link for subscribers.
• See also under Baptism for the Dead

M. Catharine Thomas, “Hebrews: To Ascend the Holy Mount.” TAW: 479-491.

• FARMS transcript, Gospelink (subscription required)

My Father’s House -Temple Worship and Symbolism in the New Testament by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and David Rolph Seely, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1994). ISBN:0884949540

• Out of print and hard to find. BYU library has several copies.

Elder John A. Widtsoe, “Is the Gospel Changing?” in Evidences and Reconciliations (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft 1960), 47ff. 

• Gospelink (subscription required). E-copy from Kerry Shirts.

Hugh Nibley.  “The Forty Day Ministry.” Talk given at BYU Feb. 12, 1964, in mp3 format. Click here for part 1, here for part 2.

• From BYU Speeches, a great resource with lots of free mp3s by professors, General Authorities, etc.

David Wiley, “The Forty-day teachings of Christ in the Books of Jeu and the Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Endowment.”  Newly on-line again, here. 

• David Wiley is Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University.

To any who may stumble over this site, I am in process of transferring in all the content. I’m working on the two temple pages first, and then the BoM page. Other content may appear over time. If you do discover an embedded link that doesn’t go anywhere, please drop me a line.

Thanks for your patience!

John Gee, “Forty-Day Ministry and Other Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus Christ”  EM, ??.

• Also here, but requires some scrolling down to find it.

Hugh Nibley, “Evangelium Quadraginta Dierum: The Forty-day Mission of Christ—The Forgotten Heritage.”  MEC: 10-44.

• FARMS transcript, Gospelink (subscription required)
• A similar talk is now available in .mp3.

Wilfred Griggs and S. Kent Brown, “The 40-Day Ministry.”  Ensign August 1975: 6-10.

• “What happened after the resurrection? Apocryphal documents give accounts—some reliable, some not.”
• Also available here.
  

John Tvedtnes,“Baptism for the Dead in Early Christianity.”  TTE:55-78.

• FARMS link for subscribers.

William J. Hamblin, “Aspects of an Early Christian Initiation Ritual”-  BSAF  1:202-221.

• Posted here by permission in PDF format.  Gospelink (subscription required)

Marcus von Wellnitz, “The Catholic Liturgy and the Mormon Temple.” BYUS 21:1 (1981): 3-35.

• A fascinating paper tracing the seeming remnant of early Christian temple ordinances into the ordinances of today’s Catholic church.
• Direct PDF download (15 Mb) from BYU Studies, with pictures. (This is easier to read and download than the link above.

Jay and Donald Parry, “The Temple in Heaven: Its Description and Significance.”  TAW: 515-532.

• Gospelink (subscription required)

M. Catharine Thomas, “Hebrews: To Ascend the Holy Mount.” TAW: 479-491. FARMS transcript  Gospelink (subscription required)

Daniel B. McKinlay, “Temple Imagery in the Epistles of Peter.” TAW: 492-514.

• FARMS transcript Gospelink (subscription required)