We know the power of God’s love is eternal and all encompassing—but how can God truly love the sinner? The temptations of the world are powerful, and the inevitability that we will all make mistakes is sure—yet the truth of God’s love for His children remains unchanged. No matter how often His sheep stray from the flock, God is waiting with open arms to receive them back—a fact powerfully evidenced in the pages of the Old Testament. Replete with tales of individuals making and overcoming mistakes, this sacred book of scripture demonstrates the reality that God never stops loving His children. In Return unto Me, BYU professor Dr. Kerry Muhlestein encourages readers to discover the eternal principles hidden in the pages of the Old Testament and come to understand this important truth: our Father in Heaven is a God of love, and He will patiently guide His lost sheep back into the fold. Listen to His pleading voice, feel His guiding hand, and return unto Him.
A Guided Tour by Kerry Muhlestein. American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2013. Talk on 3 CDs. Approximately 3 hours.
In 1835, after beginning the translation of some ancient Egyptian papyri that he had obtained from an exhibitor passing through Kirtland, Ohio, Joseph Smith announced, “Much to our joy [we]found that one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham.” Some of his translation was eventually canonized as the book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. For nearly one hundred years, it was thought that all these papyri had been destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. However, in 1967,New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art presented the Church with portions of the papyri Joseph Smith had owned, which the museum had purchased some twenty years earlier. This small collection of eleven papyri fragments came to be known as the Joseph Smith Papyri.
In this fascinating discussion on three CDs, respected scholar and Egyptologist Kerry Muhlestein takes his listeners on a guided tour through the book of Abraham. He first looks at how the book of Abraham came to exist and how the papyri ended up with Joseph Smith. Next, he discusses what we know about the translation process and the publication of this ancient book of scripture. Finally, he examines each of the facsimiles and discusses what Egyptology says about the kinds of things found in the Joseph Smith Papyri and in the book of Abraham. This talk set combines the latest research with faithful scholarship for those seeking to better understand the book of Abraham.
Kerry Muhlestein is a professor of ancient scripture and director of the BYU Egypt Excavation Project. Kerry received his BS from BYU in psychology with a Hebrew minor. he received an MA in ancient Near Eastern studies from BYU and a PhD from UCLA in Egyptology.
The Prophet Joseph testified, “I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it” (JS—H 1:25). This is the best documented vision of God in the history of the world. Yet, because the details of the vision are spread over several different accounts, many people do not know all they could about this remarkable and world-changing experience. At the same time, many people today have questions, sometimes even doubts, about Joseph Smith’s First Vision, in part because the nine recorded accounts differ in emphasis and some details.
Kerry Muhlestein, BYU professor of ancient scripture, presents one compelling harmonized account to show how each of the various accounts might relate select aspects of the vision, yet all be consistent with the actual event experienced by Joseph Smith. As the Prophet recorded his remarkable vision in four firsthand accounts—either recorded by him or under his direction—he emphasized different details depending on the audience and circumstances in which the account was shared. The five secondhand accounts also have much to offer, although perhaps in varying degrees of reliability, all taken into account by Muhlestein in this relatable, harmonized retelling of Joseph Smith’s incomparable vision. Readers will come to understand the vision more fully through this combined account. This retelling of the vision is enhanced by the inclusion of the full, original text from all nine accounts, allowing readers to take in all the glorious and edifying details of the event.
We know the power of God’s love is eternal and all encompassing—but how can God truly love the sinner? The temptations of the world are powerful, and the inevitability that we will all make mistakes is sure—yet the truth of God’s love for His children remains unchanged. No matter how often His sheep stray from the flock, God is waiting with open arms to receive them back—a fact powerfully evidenced in the pages of the Old Testament. Replete with tales of individuals making and overcoming mistakes, this sacred book of scripture demonstrates the reality that God never stops loving His children. In Return unto Me, BYU professor Dr. Kerry Muhlestein encourages readers to discover the eternal principles hidden in the pages of the Old Testament and come to understand this important truth: our Father in Heaven is a God of love, and He will patiently guide His lost sheep back into the fold. Listen to His pleading voice, feel His guiding hand, and return unto Him.
Kerry Muhlestein. American Fork, Utah: Covenant Communications, 2013. Hardbound, 7.5″ x 9″, 540 pages.
Third in a series of scripture guides, this companion is meant to be a user-friendly fellow traveler on your journey through the Old Testament. Between its covers, you’ll find a thorough overview for every book in the millennia-old sacred text, and a highlight of key concepts, passages, helpful character descriptions as well as storyline summaries. This guide offers accessible lists of main themes, suggestions for how we might “liken the scriptures” to ourselves, and insights into what the Old Testament teaches us about the nature and character of Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. Useful before, during, and after reading portions of the Old Testament, this engaging guide, filled with imagery, is a perfect resource for family and personal study as well as preparation for talks and lessons.
