Book of Moses Essay #61 Moses 3:9 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw One thing that has always perplexed readers of Genesis is the location of the two special trees in the Garden of Eden. The Hebrew phrase corresponding to “in the midst” means literally “in the center.” Although scripture

Book of Moses Essay #60 Moses 4:1-4 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw After a rapid sweep across the vast panorama of the Creation and the Garden of Eden in Moses 2-3, the scope narrows and the narrative slows to a more measured pace in Moses 4—and with good reason,

Book of Moses Essay #59 Moses 4:1-4 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw In this Essay, we will explore how William Blake’s masterpiece describes Satan in his original glory. One can see in his perverse appropriation of the symbols of kingship not only his selfish aspiration to God’s own power,

Book of Moses Essay #58 Moses 3:9 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw The Tree of Life is certainly the most significant object in the Garden of Eden. However, its presence has always been somewhat of a puzzle to students of the Bible because it is only briefly mentioned in

Book of Moses Essay #57 Moses 3:15-17 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw In this Essay, we review the instructions given to Adam and Eve: the commandments to be fruitful and multiply and not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge; the instruction for Adam to cleave to Eve, the

Book of Moses Essay #56 Moses 3:19–20, 23; 4:26 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw In the depiction of the Garden of Eden above, Jan Brueghel the Elder masterfully fills the foreground of the scene with the abundance, happiness, and beauty of newly created life. From there, however, he skillfully

Book of Moses Essay #55 Moses 3:8-15 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw In Essay #32, we discussed the view of Latter-day Saint scholar Donald W. Parry that the outbound journey of the Creation and the Fall is mirrored in the inbound journey of the Tabernacle, the prototype for later

Book of Moses Essay #54 Moses 3:5-7 With contribution by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw This magnificent painting by Gaetano Previati shows the heavenly hosts as part of the light that appeared at the beginning of Creation. Some ancient sources assert that the heavenly hosts — variously described as including the angels,