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James Edward Talmage
18621933
Front cover: Photo used by permission, Utah State Historical Society, all rights reserved.
Spine: Photo courtesy Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Used by permission.
Frontispiece: Photo courtesy Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah. Used by permission.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Talmage, James E. (James Edward), 18621933, author.
[Works. Selections (Beginners guide to Talmage)]
A beginners guide to Talmage : excerpts from the writings of James E. Talmage / Calvin R. Stephens, compiler.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60907-397-8 (paperbound : alk. paper)
1. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. 2. Mormon ChurchDoctrines. I. Stephens, Calvin R., 1946 editor. II. Title.
BX8635.3.T35 2013
230.93dc232013009075
Printed in the United States of America Publishers Printing, Salt Lake City, UT
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Introduction
In paying tribute to Elder James E. Talmage, Elder Melvin J. Ballard, who served with him for fourteen years in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said:
He produced many volumes that shall be read until the end of time, because that which he has written is so clear and so impressive that it shall be among the cherished treasures of those who love the works of God. Yet those contributions he gave freely to the Church, without any earthly reward (Deseret News, Aug. 5, 1933).
Elder James E. Talmage was a gifted scholar, scientist, teacher, author, orator, and apostle, whose writings made a significant contribution to the published doctrines of the Church. Schooled in the laws, principles, and doctrines of the Church, he was a faithful Latter-day Saint and great defender of the faith. Seen only through the medium of his writings on theology, Dr. Talmage may appear as a somewhat stern and always serious-minded man, but in life he was not only warm and understanding but also possessed of a rich sense of humor (Talmage, Talmage Story, 229). Although some may think of his writing as difficult to understand, his experiences, attitudes, and teachings provide great lessons for Latter-day Saints today.
Whether then or now, the adversary has always fought ferociously to prevent the growth of the Lords Church. Even at a young age, James courageously stood firm in his convictions against these opposing forces. Foreordained to become a vital leader in the earthly kingdom of God, he must have posed a serious threat to Satan. On June 15, 1873, when James was ten years old, his father planned to baptize him after dark not far from their home to avoid persecution from those who opposed the Church. James recalled, As father stood in the water and took my hand,... we were veritably horror-stricken by a combined shriek, yell, scream, howlI know not how to describe the awful noise such as none of us had ever heard. It seemed to be a combination of every fiendish [noise] we could conceive of. I remember how I trembled at the awful manifestation, which had about it the sharpness and volume of a thunderclap followed by an angry roar, which died away as a hopeless groan.... Father... asked me if I was too frightened to be baptized;... I answered by stepping into the water (An Unusual Accompaniment to a Baptism, Improvement Era, June 1922, 67576).
Jamess unquenchable thirst for knowledge and his passion for learning began in his youth. Although a third-generation member of the Church, like all Saints, he had to gain his own testimony. He said, I seem to have been born with a testimony yet in my early adolescence I was led to question whether that testimony was really my own or derived from my parents. I set about investigating the claims of the Church and pursued the investigation by prayer, fasting, and research with all the ardor of an investigator on the outside. While such a one investigates with a view of coming into the Church if its claims be verified, I was seeking a way out of the Church if its claims should prove to me to be unsound. After months of such inquiry, I found myself in possession of an assurance beyond all question that I was in solemn fact a member of The Church of Jesus Christ. I was convinced once and for all, and this knowledge is so fully an integral part of my being that without it I would not be myself (Bryant S. Hinckley, Greatness in MenJames E. Talmage, Improvement Era, July 1932, 524).
As he grew to adulthood, it became clear that James was brilliant, capable of great accomplishments and worthy of recognition; however, whether in his pursuit of education or in the performance of his Church duties or callings, he was both selfless and humble. Having been advised by President John Taylor to seek his education in the East and return home promptly, James did not focus on attaining degrees and academic honors for himself. Instead, he was like a bee, going forth to gather honey that he could then bring back to the hive. He sought knowledge primarily to bless the lives of others (Talmage, Talmage Story, 230).
Humility and integrity also characterized his feelings about each of his callings in the Church, including his call to serve in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:
Every call I have received to an office in the priesthood has come to me because someone was needed to fill a particular place, and was in no sense a matter of advancement or honor to myself as an individual.... Early in life I realized that I would have to live with myself more than with anybody else, and I have tried to so live that I would be in good company when alone (Hinckley, Greatness in MenJames E. Talmage, 524).
James E. Talmage was a prolific author and a powerful orator. He wrote several volumes related to geology and minerals, but his most influential works relate to Church doctrine and principles. His best-known books were written at the request of the First Presidency, and others were drawn from lectures delivered to the University Sunday School or other audiences. Concerned about his writing being part of the permanent record and doctrine of the Church, he specifically requested that a committee on criticism be appointed to review and approve all material before it was published.
The excerpts in A Beginners Guide to Talmage are from the following writings and speeches:
Articles of Faith was published in 1899. Church President Lorenzo Snow announced: During the early part of April there will be issued by the Deseret News a Church work, entitled The Articles of Faith, the same being a series of lectures on the principal doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by Dr. James E. Talmage. The lectures were prepared by appointment of the First Presidency, and the book will be published by the Church. It is intended for use as a text book in Church schools, Sunday schools, [Mutual] Improvement associations, quorums of the Priesthood, and other Church organizations in which the study of Theology is pursued, and also for individual use among the members of the Church. The work has been approved by the First Presidency, and I heartily commend it to the members of the Church (Official Announcement,