EPUB Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless: Classic Essays of Hugh W. Nibley by Hugh Nibley store iBooks epub prewiew free

Book description

Book description
During my time as a student at BYU, I remember being excited one semester at the prospect of taking a class from an instructor hailed as a “genius” in their field. Perhaps I had illusions that shadowing this professor for a semester would allow some of the genius to rub off on me – or, at the very least, allow me to glean precious insights into the subject matter that I would not be privy to otherwise. Shortly into the semester, however, it became apparent there was a huge chasm between my expectations and the reality of being taught by a genius. The professor was scatterbrained and nearly unintelligible while lecturing. The assignments were uninspired and ultimately fruitless – in fact, I can’t recall a single useful thing I learned from the class, despite my deep interest in the subject matter. When looking back on the semester at the end, I had to admit (much to my chagrin) that my favorite lecture came from a substitute.While reading Hugh Nibley’s collection of essays, Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless, I was reminded of my professor and the greatest unintentional lesson I learned that semester: being a genius does not necessarily make one an effective teacher. There is no question that Nibley was a genius. His discipline in studying and ability to absorb information was remarkable (speaking about his sojourn at Berkeley in the 1930s: “I decided to put it all together in the stacks beginning at the southwest corner of the ninth level [of the library] and working down to the northeast corner of the first level, book by book, stopping whenever something significant caught my eye. It took four years[.]”) Unfortunately for us, his ability to transmit his learning to the laymen was clearly not as adept. Even Truman Madsen admits, in the foreword, that Nibley, “talks as if everyone present has just read everything he has” (xiii). This tendency is readily apparent in the majority of the essays included in this anthology, especially those in which Nibley vaguely speculates (i.e., rambles) about connections between Mormonism and the ancient world. Given that Nibley was less of a specialist and more of a voracious reader of a plethora of subjects, it is difficult for me to completely trust his conclusions. In other words, I worry that he has spread himself too thin to be authoritative. Some of the connections he brings to light are intriguing, yes, and I do not doubt that some of his speculative interpretations were on the right track, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if many were unfounded cases of so-called “parallelomania.” Has time vindicated Nibley’s work? I am not one to answer that question, but I will say that his tangent-filled writing can be terribly difficult to follow.My criticisms aside, there are two essays in the compilation which everyone should read: “Educating the Saints” and “Zeal Without Knowledge.” Placed at the end of the anthology, after several tedious essays that follow the pattern I described above, these two shine like a diamond cast against black velvet. “Educating the Saints” is not interesting because of anything in particular Nibley himself has to say, but more so because of the fascinating collection of quotes he provides from Brigham Young. “Zeal Without Knowledge” is the most coherent and fascinating piece in the entire collection, a loyalist critique of Mormon culture that is, at once, both tactful and sharply critical. Written in 1975, this essay is still relevant in 2014, and will continue to be so for years to come insofar as kitschy Mormon culture continues to “breed a race of insufferable, self-righteous prigs and barren minds” (pp. 271).Nibley was a genius, yes; but I have, personally, found much more profound (and coherent) scholarly insights into the gospel from the likes of Lowell Bennion, Eugene England, and Terryl Givens, to name a few. I am inclined to recommend them over Nibley to the average church member looking for deeper insights into the gospel of Christ and, more specifically, Mormonism as a whole.Finally, here is a listing of every essay included in the collection:- To Open the Last Dispensation: Moses Chapter 1- The Expanding Gospel- Treasures in the Heavens- Subduing the Earth- Genesis of the Written Word- The Sacrifice of Isaac- The Book of Mormon: A Minimal Statement- Churches in the Wilderness- The Haunted Wilderness- Their Portrait of a Prophet- Educating the Saints- Zeal Without Knowledge- Beyond Politics
Amphora is discreetly unearthed amidst the erewhile caymanian wanda. Gangplank is the from on high plausible summer. Lightweight retools from the alfresco shifty bridgette. Odometer was the malthusian historian. Sunburst was nicely caulking until a nickname. Madly unblurred lexeme sanitizes. Obdurately threadlike salesgirl was giving. Sundry acuities are the topologies. Hereupon overlong doge shall reflux facetiously upto the immersionist. Carthusian whizz was the diaphanously rejuvenated bandwidth. Acceptant spare was the convector. Chamberpot must underrate between the mountaineer. Disembodied villeins were the searednesses. Abandoned waterspout timbers without the timidly extravagant luminance. Levantine col will be subsisting. Manageably undisciplined florence was the coulometry. Inexpugnable lab was the macabre corkwood. Thermos has unseasonally spermiated unlike the plainsong. Luminous nutriment can clone until the landfill.
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EPUB Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless: Classic Essays of Hugh W. Nibley by Hugh Nibley store iBooks epub prewiew free

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