Resources for Studying that Most Beautiful and Controversial LDS Practice, Baptism for the Dead
by Jeff Lindsay
Baptism
for the dead and the whole LDS concept of the redemption of the dead
is one of the most controversial and misunderstood LDS doctrines, and
yet one of the most beautiful and philosophically satisfying parts of
the LDS experience, in my opinion.
In
addition to being evidence of God’s love and fairness, and of
the unlimited and majestic power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, it
also provides important evidence for the basic LDS claim of a divine
Restoration. It is a topic worthy of careful study.
For
a deep dive (or should I say immersion?) into the topic of baptism
for the dead,
here are some resources that I find helpful:
"Baptism
for the Dead in Early Christianity"
by John A. Tvedtnes, from The
Temple in Time and Eternity,
pp. 55-78. Excellent survey of related practices and teachings that
we know of from several early Christian groups.
"Baptism
for the Dead: The Coptic Rationale"
— a scholarly review by Dr. John A. Tvedtnes of the early
Christian practice of baptism for the dead, as understood by Coptic
Christians. This paper was presented at a 1981 symposium in
Jerusalem, sponsored by the L.A. Mayer Memorial Museum of Islamic Art
and the Israel Ministry of Education and Culture and later published
in Special
Papers of the Society for Early Historic Archaeology,
No. 2 (September 1989). The Jerusalem symposium marked the opening of
an exhibit of Coptic art at the museum, where Dr. Tvedtnes one of two
American scholars invited to speak.
Baptism
for the Dead in Ancient Times
— an early, groundbreaking article by Dr. Hugh Nibley. More
evidence has been found since this scholarly exploration was first
published in 1948, but it's still valuable today. Nibley provides
many exciting leads and reviews a variety of ancient sources not
available to Joseph Smith.
"Temple
Imagery in the Epistles of Peter"
by Daniel B. McKinlay, an excellent and scholarly essay that includes
treatment of passages in Peter about the preaching of the Gospel to
the dead (including a discussion of alternate interpretations that
others have offered). Available at FARMS, reprinted Temples
of the Ancient World: Ritual and Symbolism
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1994, pp. 492-514).