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Sacred Symbols: Finding Meaning In Rites, Rituals And Ordinances (2011)

by Alonzo L. Gaskill(Favorite Author)

4.38 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

159955965X (ISBN13: 9781599559650)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Cedar Fort, Incorporated/C F I Distribution

review 1: A fantastic, scholarly book looking at the commonality of symbolic forms through many religions and across time that sheds great light on the temple ceremony. And be sure to read the footnotes--they often had wonderful information that I was glad I hadn't missed. The more you know about the temple experience, the more this book will enrich your understanding and worship experience there. Perhaps this book has more of a draw to someone who loves symbols and layers of meaning, but as Elder John A Widstoe said, "We live in a world of symbols. No man or woman can come out of the temple endowed as he should be unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the mighty realities for which the symbols stand." I highly recommend this book; I really, really enjoyed it and learned many thing... mores that amazed me.
review 2: When I was preparing to go to the Temple the first time, I took a "temple prep" class like most members do. Now, I don't know about the class that everyone else received, but I came away from mine with the simple concept of "temples use symbols." Yes, they certainly do, but they didn't really prepare me in any way. Instead, this book would have been a much better introduction to the temple the myriad symbols utilized within. Alonzo Gaskill also wrote "The Lost Language of Symbolism", which I would highly recommend as well. However, that book discusses common scriptural symbols; specifically Jewish symbols that are commonly overlooked by modern readers. This book focuses more on the symbols of various ordinances, but specifically focuses in on the Temple. Now, Gaskill tries to differentiate his book from LDS apologist books that seek to establish the ancient roots of the modern Temple Endowment as being a book that seeks to explore what different aspects of modern ordinances and temples meant in antiquity. And he does that, but I think the end result is much the same. Gaskill seems to do a good job of referencing a lot of different sources and faiths and explaining what the different symbols meant to them, but I couldn't say if he cherry-picked the ones that most resonate with LDS members or not. Most of his references are Judeo-Christian from the inter-Testament writings or early Christian writings, but he does get into a few other religions as well. As in his other book, reading through the chapter footnotes is highly recommended. Gaskill points out early on that symbolism is used in large part because, like Christ's parables, they can mean different things to different people at different times, and that's ok. What this book does, in my view, is two-fold: One, it gives a jumping off point for our own contemplation of Temple symbols. The Temple can be a little overwhelming at first, and this book helps one to see that almost everything we see and do in the Temple symbolizes something. As we consider the some of the meaning of these symbols, perhaps we can more easily relate the Temple to our own lives. Two, the book impressively shows a lot of ancient references to everything we do in the Temple, showing the LDS readers the continuity of Temple Worship from antiquity to our own era. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and would highly recommend it, especially to those preparing or who have just gone through the Temple themselves. less

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