A few weeks ago, a friend of mine gave me some taped lectures on the dead sea scrolls and other non-canonical finds of ancient scripture in the holy land surrounding the time of Christ. In part, she gave me these as a joke, since I am the only person she knows who has a cassette player they use, let alone really likes it. I promised as part of receiving them to review them for free. This constitutes the fulfillment of that promise.
Dr. Einar Erickson received his PhD in Near Eastern Studies and spent much of his scholastic career researching and integrating ancient documents into the common canon. Recordings of many of his lectures are available for purchase, as part of his effort to show people how these manuscripts shed light on gospel truths.
Erickson’s lectures constitute first and foremost a confirmation and affirmation of faith. While men who heard them and worked with him have been inspired to seek out truth, they are primarily directed towards an illustration of what principles remain unsullied and why a restoration was necessary after centuries of apostasy. Excerpts from these documents will strengthen the things you already know and affirm the continuity of revelation and salvation that predates Christ’s ministry among the Jews and continues to permeate our lives today. In these lectures, we learn a little bit about why we do what we do and where those practices come from.
One of the things that impressed me most about Erickson’s lectures was how his excitement shines through. You can tell that he loves what he does for a living, that he maintains a fervor for this passion and that he considers it important to pass it on to everyone he meets. You will feel infused as you listen to him with an excitement as you learn, and since you lack the documents in front of you, it may as it did for me light a fire in you to learn more.
This discussion of ancient documents fulfills prophecy. As Erickson shares his investigations, he shows some of those other sources of light and knowledge the Savior promised to send us when he spoke of those other sheep in his fold, scattered in the Diaspora and by the Romans. These manuscripts reaffirm the concept that God cares about all of his children and will share his doctrine with all peoples willing to covenant with him.
Finally, Erickson’s efforts show the earnest seeker of truth where to start his own research. He shares the book titles, tells us where they’re from and why he wanted them, and doesn’t hesitate to confess where some may be critical or contrary. Many of the documents he reads come from conflicting sources, but all are written by individuals seeking to know the truth. His efforts to focus on things of eternal import will help you guide your own investigations, undertaken with inspiration, into what was and is and always will be, the Eternal Jehovah, God of All.
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