Temple Themes in the Scriptures
by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Allusions to temple themes can be found throughout the scriptures, but it is not always easy to recognize them. Efforts have been made to bridge this gap through books that explain the meaning of specific symbols used in scripture and temple worship. However, most of us not only struggle with the meaning of individual concepts and symbols, but also—and perhaps more crucially—in understanding how these concepts and symbols fit together as a whole system. The symbols and concepts of the temple are best understood, not in isolation, but within the full context of temple teachings to which they belong.

My purpose is to explore ancient and modern perspectives that seem to shed light on the meaning and significance of LDS scripture and temple worship.

For information on how to purchase my books, please visit the link entitled "Store" on the left. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Upcoming Presentations:


BYU Campus Education Week

Enoch, Noah, and the Tower of Babel

Date: 19-23 August 2013
This four-part class will be an in-depth study of the lives and missions of Enoch and Noah, based on the teachings of the Pearl of Great Price and modern prophets. The prominence of temple themes in these accounts will be emphasized, and striking parallels to modern revelation found in writings from the ancient Near East will be described. We will also discuss the story of the Tower of Babel in its biblical and ancient Near East setting, and will explore how lessons from the stories of Enoch, Noah, and the Tower of Babel apply to the Saints in our day.
For more information, visit the Campus Education Week site by clicking here.

2013 Sidney B. Sperry Symposium on the Old Testament

The Tree of Knowledge as the Veil of the Sanctuary

Date: 26 October 2013
Consistent with recent scholarship that sees the Garden of Eden as a temple prototype, Ephrem the Syrian, a fourth-century bishop, called the Tree of Knowledge "the veil for the sanctuary." He pictured Eden as a great mountain, with the Tree of Knowledge providing an inner boundary partway up the slopes. The Tree of Knowledge, Ephrem concluded, "acts as a sanctuary curtain [i.e., a veil] hiding the Holy of Holies which is the Tree of Life higher up." In this presentation, we will show how this ancient perspective sheds light on the nature of the two special trees in the Garden of Eden and the story of Adam and Eve's transgression.
For more information, visit the Sperry Symposium site by clicking here.

Symposium on Science and Mormonism

Cosmos, Earth, and Man

Date: November 2013

Additional details forthcoming.


Recent publications:


As of March 7, 2012, a new book in the Temple Themes series, entitled Temple Themes in the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood, is available for purchase in several formats, softback and digital. For more information on the book, see here, or visit the store for information on where to purchase it.

A series of excerpts from the book was published online through Meridian Magazine. The first segment can be seen here.