Temple and Cosmos

The book, 'Temple and Cosmos' by Hugh W. Nibley, is an amazing work. Nibley's grasp of the subject matter is truly astounding as are all of his works. LDS and Non-LDS alike have come to appreciate the vast scope of Hugh Nibley's grasp of the Mormon faith and especially the subject of the temple. Nibley's work on Temples, ancient and modern, are incredible. Many of the chapters in 'Temple and Cosmos' were previously unpublished works. Others are from firesides and addresses at BYU and other places. All are generally aimed towards the LDS audience.
Dr. Nibley's understanding of the details of man's relationship to the heavens and eternity is at once both simple and complex: complex on the first read-through, simple once you understand it (after multiple readings and contemplation). But as Nibley has stated elsewhere, "Don't be afraid of something because you have never heard of it before."
I first became acquainted with Professor Nibley while attending BYU and was quick to become a Nibley fan. He is not only revered by LDS members but also by LDS critics who may not agree with the LDS beliefs yet still have a profound respect for Nibley's grasp of so many subjects. Nibley is also respected for being the father of LDS Apologetics as this article demonstrates: Mormon Apologetic Scholarship and Evangelical Neglect: Losing the Battle and Not Knowing It? written by two Evangelicals, Carl Mosser and Paul Owen. (For the one of the best LDS Apologetic sites see FAIR: Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research.)
The complete book of 'Temple and Cosmos' is available online at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute and a list of many other works by Huge W. Nibley is also available. Since this books is a large volume it will be the pick for March and April for the 'Temple Study Book Club.

TEMPLE AND COSMOS:

1. Temple Articles in Other Volumes of the Collected Works
2. Key to Abbreviations
3. Foreword by: Don Norton
4. The Meaning of the Temple
5. Return to the Temple
6. Sacred Vestments
7. The Circle and the Square
8. The Expanding Gospel
9. Rediscovery of the Apocrypha and the Book of Mormon
10. Apocryphal Writings and Teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls
11. The Terrible Questions
12. One Eternal Round: The Hermetic Vision
13. Do Religion and History Conflict?
14. Genesis of the Written Word
15. Science Fiction and the Gospel
16. The Best Possible Test
17. Some Notes on Cultural Diversity in the Universal Church
18. From the Earth upon Which Thou Standest
19. Foreword to Eugene England's Book


About Hugh Nibley:
Hugh Winder Nibley (1910-2005) was one of the most gifted scholars in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His linguistic abilities, his concern with detail, and his brilliant mind combined to make his efforts productive and meaningful.
He was a prolific writer and a popular lecturer. Dr. Nibley graduated summa cum laude from the University of California in Los Angeles and completed his Ph.D. as a University Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. While there he read every significant book in the Berkley Library. He taught at the Claremont Colleges in California before serving in military intelligence in World War II.
Nibley joined the faculty of Brigham Young University in 1946, where he spent most of his time in research and writing as a professor of history and religion. Dr. Nibley has been honored as the recipient of many awards, including the David O. McKay Humanities Award in 1971 and Professor of the Year in 1973. He served as a missionary for the Church in Switzerland and Germany and concluded his mission in Greece. He and his wife, the former Phyllis Draper, are the parents of eight children. Nibley's great-grandfather, Alexander Neibaur, a Jewish convert and immigrant taught Joseph Smith German and Hebrew.
Nibley was fluent in numerous languages, including Classical Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Egyptian, Coptic, Arabic, German, French, English, Italian, and Spanish. He also studied Dutch and Russian during World War II. He also studied Old Bulgarian and Old English, and his fluency in Old Norse was reportedly sufficient to enable him to read an entire encyclopedia in Norwegian.

There are many historical aspects that Nibley introduces in 'Temple and Cosmos.' Among some of the many interesting subject is 'gammadia markings' in early Christian art. These markings also show up in textiles at archaeology sites which Nibley talks about in the chapter six, Sacred Vestments in 'Temple and Cosmos.' For illustrations in historical Christian art of gammnadia markings see my posts: Garments, the Veil and Gammadia and Early Christian Garments, both located on the LDS Temple Endowment page.


Update: For those who have come to love "The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley" series, his masterwork, "One Eternal Round," just came out this month (March 2010) in time for his 100th birthday, March 27th. See the article "Hugh Nibley writings that changed the church" at Mormon Times for the announcement.

Also See: Hugh Nibley a man of paradoxes and disagreements