Product Description
Author Alonzo Gaskill
From a night with no darkness to Timothy being raised from the dead, the Book of Mormon presents countless miracles. Whether you're a student or teacher of the gospel, you'll enjoy Alonzo Gaskill's compilation of the history and symbolism behind each of these miracles. Gain a deeper understanding of the keystone of our religion and discover why these miracles still matter for your life today.
Excerpt:
"While all scriptural miracles are testaments to Jesus as the Son of God, the plethora of miracles in the Standard Works seems to suggest that something is intended by them (in addition to witnessing that Jesus is divine, or that His prophets hold priesthood). In other words, they certainly testify of Jesus's divinity, but to what else might they be a testament? What else might they communicate to the reader? As one studies the various miracles of the Book of Mormon, it becomes evident that they serve well as great teaching devices that can help us understand gospel truths buried within the miraculous events. One commentator penned this explanation: "Miracles were designed to symbolize the spiritual blessings that God is able and willing to bestow upon our needy hearts. The majority of miracles were acts of mercy and are conspicuous as emblems of redemption. . . . The miracles Christ performed, for example, were parabolical illustrations of the great salvation that He preached." In other words, Jesus (and others) preformed many mighty miracles in the lives of the ancients, but each of those can symbolize blessings He has in store for you and me today. One of my BYU colleagues put it this way: "It is interesting that while people are concerned about the historicity of symbols, rarely do they concern themselves with the symbolism of history. Just as symbols can correspond to actual events, actual events can be symbolic. I am not just referring to ritual and ceremony, such as the sacrament or temple worship, which are, by definition, symbolic actions. I am referring to events in everyday life that . . . actually point to meaning outside of themselves." The trick is seeing symbolically so that we might draw out of the historic miracle application to our lives today."
Alonzo L. Gaskill is a professor of Church history and doctrine. He holds a bachelors degree in philosophy, a masters in theology, and a PhD in biblical studies. Brother Gaskill has taught at Brigham Young University since 2003. Prior to coming to BYU he served in a variety of assignments within the Church Educational System-most recently as the director of the LDS Institute of Religion at Stanford University (1995-2003). He lives in Payson, Utah.
Cedar Fort
