Review
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Title: In God's Image and Likeness: Ancient and Modern Perspectives on the Book of Moses
Author: Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
Publisher: Eborn Publishing, Salt Lake City
Genre: Religion, Mormon Scripture, Pearl of Great Price
Year Published: 2010
Number of pages: 1101
Binding: Cloth
ISBN-10: n. a.
ISBN-13: 978-1-890-71863-3 (hardback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-890-71863-3 (leather)
Price: $49.93

Reviewed by: Roy Schmidt for the Association for Mormon Letters

One of the things catching my attention as I investigated the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1968 was a slim volume of scripture know as The Book of Moses. I have loved that little book ever since. It contains marvelous teachings, including many found nowhere else in the scriptures.

Author Jeffrey M. Bradshaw has produced a marvelous book, In God's Image and Likeness: Ancient and Modern Perspectives on the Book of Moses, and I thank him for his work. Bradshaw, who holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from the University of Washington, works as a Senior Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola, Florida. He wrote Temple Themes in the Book of Moses, and has published in the International Journal of Mormon Studies, Element: A Journal of Mormon Philosophy and Theology, and BYU Studies. He has presented at FAIR meetings in the United States, France and Germany, and is currently writing a series of articles for Meridian Magazine.

Let me describe the book itself. It is massive, weighing in at a little over eleven pounds. The publisher, Eborn Publishing, should be commended for producing a volume of such high quality. The illustrations are first rate, and the typeface is easy to read, the paper is “magazine quality,” and three convenient ribbon markers are included. The organization of the book is interesting. Each chapter begins with an overview of the material covered, the “Text and Commentary” on the text (Moses 1, Moses 2, etc.) is rendered, and is followed by a section of “Gleanings,” and ends with the chapters “Endnotes.” The footnotes and endnotes are exhaustive. For instance, the Preface has one hundred-four footnotes, and twenty-one endnotes. An extensive “Excursus” (a more detailed discussion of points made in the text) consists of some fifty-four topics. This is followed by an Appendix on The Origin of Man, a one hundred six page Bibliography, a ninety-nine page Reference section, thirty pages of stunning Color Plates, and a series of Indexes covering some sixty pages. As I said, it is massive.

So what does the book either teach us orhelp us better understand? It is obvious to anyone who has read the Book of Moses, and has attended an endowment session in an LDS temple, that the major theme of the former is a main focus in the latter. Bradshaw, like Hugh Nibley and others before him, instructs us by showing these themes are of ancient origin, and exist far beyond LDS teachings.

An example of this is in the section “The Nakedness and the Clothing of Adam and Eve.” Bradshaw writes, “Moses' account depicts Adam and Eve as naked and without shame in the Garden, and clothed by God in coats of skin only later, after the Fall. However, many of the early artistic depictions of the story show a surprising reversal of the situation, portraying Adam and Eve clothed in regal glory within Eden, and naked after their expulsion. How can this be?

"Recalling the parallels between the Garden of Eden and Israelite Houses of God, [G. A.] Anderson points out that 'the vestments of the priest matched exactly those particular areas of the Temple to which he had access. . . Each time the high priest moved from one gradient of holiness to another, he had to remove one set of clothes and put on another to mark the change:


(a) Outside the Tabernacle priests wear ordinary clothes. (b) When on duty in the Tabernacle, they wear four pieces of clothing whose material and quality of workmanship match that of the fabrics found on the outer walls of the courtyard. (c) The High Priest wears those four pieces plus four additional ones – these added garments match the fabric of the Holy Chamber where he must go to attend the incense altar.


In Eden a similar set of vestments is found, again each set suited to its particular space. (a) Adam and Eve were, at creation, vested like priests and granted access to most of Eden. (b) Had they been found worthy, an even more glorious set of garments would have been theirs (and according to St. Ephrem, they would have entered even holier ground). ( c) But having [transgressed], they were stripped of their angelic garments and put on mortal flesh. Thus, when their feet met ordinary earth – the realm of the animals – their constitution had become “fleshy” or mortal.

'Consistent with this schema, each stage in the sequence of changes in Adam and Eve's status in the Book of Moses is marked by a change in their appearance. The imagery of clothing is "a means of linking together in a dynamic fashion the whole of salvation history; it is a means of indicating the interrelatedness between every stage in this continuing working out of divine Providence," including "the place of each individual Christian's [ordinances] within the divine economy as a whole. . .'” (234-236) This section goes on for several more pages, and is all part of the overview discussion of Moses 4: The Fall. I've included this lengthy quote to illustrate the detail of the text. I would point out the “Gleanings” section for this chapter includes selections from Terryl Givins, Hugh W. Nibley, Louis Ginsberg, Allamah at-Tabataba'i, The Zohar, John Milton, The Khoja Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Community, and many others. Readers will find these discussions most helpful in understanding the subject matter.'"

A few more comments, and I will conclude. While the author is exhaustive in both research and detail, there were a few instances where I was not completely satisfied. I consider Moses 1:39 to be the foundation scripture in all the standard works. I would have appreciated more commentary on this verse.

Section 30 of the “Excursus” considers “Adam-God Theory and the Heavenly and Earthly Adam.” (603-605) Bradshaw cites Joseph McConkie, “ All men have both Adam and God as their Father. Each had a son renowned for righteousness and obedience (Christ and Abel), and each had a son who became Perdition (Lucifer and Cain). Both righteous sons were martyred by the shedding of blood at the hands of one called Perdition.” This is a reasonable explanation as to how Adam can be seen as a type of Heavenly Father. The Kabbalistic teachings on Adam Kadmon [as the] “primordial man,” the archetype of the rest of humanity. . . is presented, and A.A. Bailey states, “President Brigham Young expressed the idea in 1852 and later years that Adam 'is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do.' This remark has led some to conjecture that Brigham Young meant that Adam, who was on the earth as our progenitor, was in reality God the Father. However, this interpretation has been rejected as incorrect. Later in the same speech Brigham Young clearly stated, 'that the earth was organized by three distinct characters, namely Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael.'”

He gives other examples including S. E. Robinson's statement that the Adam-God doctrine is a “classic example of an anomaly in the LDS tradition” that the Church has now “set aside.” In a lengthier quote, Robinson offers, “. . . even expert students of his [Brigham Young's] thought are left to wonder whether he was misquoted, whether he meant to say one thing and actually said another, whether he was somehow joking with or testing the Saints, or whether some vital element that would make sense out of the reports has been omitted.” This reviewer has been reading and quoting Brigham Young for over forty years. I see him as saying what he means, and meaning what he says. If anything, he is very blunt and plain spoken. I could more readily accept the explanations cited if Brigham made statements about Adam-God once, and left it alone, but he didn't. If Tullidge, for example, is to believed, Adam-God was once part of the endowment ceremony. (See The Women of Mormondom.) I need to be clear that I do not accept Adam-God, but am not convinced by the explanations offered herein. I also feel this is a very “tough” topic, and am grateful the author did not chose to ignore it.

Several people who knew I was reviewing the book asked why the author ended his work at Moses 6:12 when the book continues until Moses 8:30. I wrote Bro. Bradshaw, and here is his response: “I would have loved to have continued through the end of the book of Moses (and even beyond), but I only had one year to do the bulk of the writing. As you know, the Enoch literature is massive. I knew that when we returned from France, the 2-3 hours each morning I had been taking advantage of would disappear. With work, church, and family responsibilities since my return, it's been a struggle just to keep up with the short articles for the weekly Meridian Magazine column on 'Temple Themes in the Scriptures.' If all goes as planned, I hope to have finished a broad overview of temple themes through the end of Genesis by the end of 2010.” It amazes me that most of this work was completed in just a year.

My last comment deals with the overall size of the book. I think it would have been better if this work had been published in two or three volumes instead of a giant one. The book is simply too big and heavy to be manageable, particularly to an old guy like me. Perhaps the author and publisher could consider that in the future.

I hope the reader does not take my comments as indicating a dislike of In God's Image and Likeness. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This work is a major addition to the study of The Pearl of Great Price in general, and “The Book of Moses” in particular. It will occupy a prominent place on my bookshelf, and will be used as constant reference for as many years as I have left. It deserves a far more comprehensive review. I might suggest F.A.R.M.S consider doing one. I urge all to please buy and read this book.