Hugh Nibley (1910–2005)

“As surely as the words of a prophet are written down in books, they become the object of specialist study. Once the true prophet has been duly rejected and passed to his reward, swarms of experts descend upon his words to begin the learned business of exegesis. The words of the dead prophets become the peculiar possession of armies of specially trained and carefully conditioned scholars. In a very old text, Peter is reported as saying in a letter to James regarding the use of his own show more writings in the church: “They think they are able to interpret my own words better than I can, telling their hearers that they are conveying my very thoughts to them, while the fact is that such things never entered my mind. If they take such outrageous liberties while I am alive, what will they do after I am gone!”’* Much later, Clement of Alexandria expressed much the same sentiment.* You see the point: The scholar and learned divine must necessarily get their knowledge from the written word, and then trouble begins. The prophet, on the other hand, who may well be illiterate, gets his knowledge by direct intercourse with heaven. The orientation of the two is entirely different.”
(The World and the Prophets, Hugh Nibley, 1987, page 28) show less

. Nibley delves into studies of apocryphal writings discovered in the last centuries....the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Pyramid Texts, Books of Abraham, and many, many more to compare and discover the Book of Enoch. Enoch lived at the time of Noah of the Great Flood.. There are hundreds of manuscripts found in a dozen different languages. Nibley arranges these in a readable text with side by side comparison to Biblical and other scripture. What you discover is totally awesome whether you see it as show more fantasy or reality, fiction or religious actuality. Any way you take it gives numerous ideas to ponder and contemplate about our world now as well as what we already believe from Bible stories.

Much of the beginning is spent proving the validity of the resources. Then the text is lined up in columns to compare with modern scripture, including the Christian Bible and the LDS Pearl of Great Price to study the book of Enoch. Books of Enoch depicting the story of the great world flood, commonly known in our sphere as the flood of Noah have been uncovered in numerous and different parts of the world, It is a given that some of these stories may have been embellished or portrayed with different details, but there are so many similarities and parallels that it is extremely interesting. Nibley has done an incredible job researching and organizing all this information. The text is easy to read, always intriguing and fascinating. You read about Noah's flood and the evil that brought it about, the ascension of Enoch to heaven, Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac, and find information that you've never imagined. Reading the book is akin to doing a research. What is here is presented for your own consideration. The amazing part is that all of it has been brought to light by discovery of apocryphal writings throughout the last centuries. To quote Dr. Nibley:
"We have been told that if we stop seeking, we shall not only find no more but lose the treasures we already have. That is why it is not only advisablie but urgent that we begin at last to pay attention to that astonishing outpouring of ancient writings that is the peculiar blessing of our generation. Among these writings, the first and most important is the book of Enoch."

I am very impressed with all the knowledge captured in Hugh Nibley's research.We must admire him for accomplishing such a monumental task of research and comparison to available scripture today It is presented in an easy to read format, although he never 'dumbs down' for his readers and seems to expect them to put forth an effort into actually studying his books. What you will discover will be well worth the effort. show less

For some, evidence of God’s existence is based solely on prayers and faith. And while those are requisite elements, scriptures also play an essential part in one’s journey toward a better understanding of their relationship to Deity.
But for some, deep research is necessary- an added-upon element that helps fill in the blanks their inquiring minds require. And for that latter group, scholar Hugh Nibley offers the deep theological dive.
Scripture in the Christian world- up until 1830 AD- show more consisted of the Old and New Testaments, as found in the Bible. But with publication of The Book of Mormon, by The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church), in March of 1830, a new set of scriptures- considered to be “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”- was now available.
Other works considered by the LDS Church to be divinely inspired then followed; one of those, published in 1880, is The Book of Abraham. Translated from a papyrus, the book is an autobiography of the patriarch Abraham. In it, Abraham speaks of his desires to obtain the priesthood he was entitled to receive, by virtue of the patriarchal order in his lineage.
Later, after being persecuted by corrupt priests (and rescued by Jehovah), Abraham escapes to Canaan. Jehovah appears and promises Abraham that through him, his descendants will receive all blessings promised by obedience to the Gospel. Abraham also has revealed to him the creation of the earth, as well as the pre-earth life, foreordination, the choosing of a Redeemer, and the eternal nature of man.
As with other books the LDS Church considers to be scripture from God, critics have attacked The Book of Abraham specifically as being nothing more than “ordinary vignettes from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, and therefore could have nothing whatever to do with Abraham,” in the words of Hugh Nibley, author of “Abraham In Egypt.”
In his book, Nibley uses several methods to buttress the veracity of The Book of Abraham. He does a side-by-side comparison of it to other ancient documents such as “The Apocalypse of Abraham,” “With the Testament of Abraham,” and “The Books of the Dead.” He examines the traditions, rituals and culture of the world Abraham lived in, using them as evidence pointing to the book's authenticity.
And all along the way, Nibley returns to the fact that there are details in The Book of Abraham not found in the Old Testament. That being so, he asks, why is it that those same details appear all over the place in the two documents he compares to The Book of Abraham?
“Abraham In Egypt” is an indispensable guide for anyone desiring a fuller understanding of the tumultuous world Abraham lived in, as well as a realization that there is much more information available about Abraham now than ever before.
Nibley’s examination of The Book of Abraham may even leave readers questioning previous assumptions they may have had about what constitutes scripture, in this day and age. show less

Since Nibley writes mostly about ancient civilizations, it was with great interest that I read about his own experiences. I enjoyed his detachment from emotional involvement, and his frank evaluations of a conflict that has probably had more written about it than any other conflict.