"That They May Know That They Are Not Cast Off Forever": Jewish Lectionary Elements in the Book of Mormon

by Bradley J. Kramer

Overview

Abstract: It is not uncommon for Jews who join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to notice connections between certain events in the Book of Mormon and modern Jewish practices associated with the feasts of Passover, Weeks, Tabernacles, and Rosh Hashanah. Aware that traditional Christianity holds not only that Jews were ousted from God's covenant but that Jewish traditions in support of that covenant are spiritually worthless, these Jews find great comfort in these connections as well as in Book of Mormon statements that affirm their continued inclusion in that covenant. But aren't there also connections to the modern Jewish lectionary—the order in which Jews today read and explain their scriptures as part of their worship services? And don't these connections similarly affirm Jewish efforts to uphold that covenant? This article explores these possibilities, first by describing three of the most basic principles behind that lectionary and second by showing how Book of Mormon prophets, Jacob in particular, adhere to these principles in their presentation of passages from the Hebrew Scriptures. In this way, this article shows how the Book of Mormon strengthens its already strong refutation of Christian supersessionism and encourages its readers to value Jews as Jews and to cease all anti-Semitic activities and attitudes.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940186171881
Publisher:	Interpreter Foundation
Publication date:	08/22/2024
Series:	Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship , #62
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	337,282
File size:	272 KB

About the Author

Bradley J. Kramer is the author of Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon and Gathered in One: How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism in the New Testament. He holds an MA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in English from Brigham Young University with a minor in Near Eastern Studies. As a native of Cincinnati and as the son of an LDS mother and a non-LDS father, he has had a life-long interest in interfaith dialogue. For over twenty years, he has been a regular participant in Torah and Talmud classes at local synagogues in Durham, North Carolina, and has helped arrange joint Latter-day Saint-Jewish study sessions and other educational exchanges. He has also given several presentations to local and regional groups on the affinities between Latter-day Saints and Jews and is a regular speaker at comparative religion classes. Bradley has worked professionally as a writer and editor for several computer companies. He is an avid reader and researcher; a one-time youth soccer coach; a frequent Sunday School, Seminary, and Institute teacher; and devoted tennis player. He and his wife, Nancy, have three children and eight grandchildren.