Speakers take scholarly look at life of Christ

PROVO — LDS Church scholars and leaders gathered at Brigham Young University Saturday to present recent research into the life of Jesus Christ at an Easter symposium.

Speakers Richard Draper, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Eric Huntsman, Thomas Wayment, Gaye Strathearn and Andrew Skinner, all members of the BYU religious education faculty, discussed the early life of Christ, from birth to the Sermon on the Mount. Each of the presenters has contributed to a recently published volume of research on the life of Christ titled, "The Life and Teachings of Jesus Christ: From Bethlehem Through the Sermon on the Mount."

Holzapfel and Wayment edited the volume, the second in a series of three to be published by Deseret Book. Holzapfel said the book originated as a response to mainstream debate about the life of Christ.

"It used to be an academic discussion, and it's now become a popular discussion, between the historical Jesus versus the Christ of faith," he said. "So I kind of made a list of all the big questions that people are asking about Jesus, and asked some of my colleagues, who have the tools of New Testament studies, forget everything you've ever read before. Literally, start fresh, and answer these questions."

The contributors presented their findings to the public at the symposium, progressing chronologically through Christ's life. Holzapfel said he sees his type of research as fulfilling an obligation of today's Mormon scholars.

"At the 100th anniversary of BYU in 1976, President (Spencer W.) Kimball said, 'You must speak the language of scholarship, and of faith,' " he said. "We've done a good job speaking of faith; Deseret Book pumps out books every year. But now, we're actually doing what President Kimball asked us to do: We're speaking the language of scholarship."

Holzapfel said he sees the volumes as an important step toward getting the work of Mormon scholars into mainstream New Testament discussion.

"This is really cutting-edge research," he said. "We're having a dialogue with international New Testament scholars, the first time ever Mormon scholars have been able to do that. And it's because we have a generation of young scholars who've been trained at the very best schools in this subject."

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Presidency of the Seventy concluded the session with his reflections on the Atonement, noting that it is a difficult concept for many, including himself, to fully comprehend.