New book argues 'The Book of Mormon' was written by temple worshippers

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

Have you ever considered "The Book of Mormon" as a temple book?

The Book of Mormon has been studied for its language, its doctrine, its history and genealogy, its geography, and many other aspects. All these studies add dimension and perspective to our knowledge of "The Book of Mormon."

Now there's a new book that paints a totally fresh perspective on the ancient scripture — and it's likely to pique many people's curiosity.

The book is called "In the Language of Adam," by author D. John Butler, a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and prolific author. In the book, Butler argues "The Book of Mormon" was written by temple worshippers and for temple worshippers.He says that "Nephi puts us on notice in his very first sentence that he is a temple man and the Book of Mormon is a temple book."

Butler argues that Nephi and other prophets in the book were visionary men and devout followers of Christ who practiced sacred ceremonies in the temple by means of which they entered into the presence of God.

"The Nephite prophets used the sights, experiences, furniture, architecture, sounds, and even tastes of their temple experience to inform their writing," Butler writes. He explains that the purpose of "In the Language of Adam" is to help readers understand and perceive the truths these ancient visionaries were teaching.

"The more we understand about the temple practices of the visionary men, the better we can read 'The Book of Mormon,' as well as the writings of visionary men in the Bible and elsewhere," Butler says.

If the reviews are any indication, the book seems to enhance readers' love of and appreciation for "The Book of Mormon."

Read the reviews

So far, "In the Language of Adam" has received nothing but five-star reviews on Amazon from its readers.

One reviewer wrote, "If I could give this book 10 stars out of five, I would. … It's incredible how all of these things are right before us but I've never seen them before! I highly recommend sharing this book for anyone you know and love that wants to find Jesus Christ and his ancient religion in the Book of Mormon."

Another wrote, "Ultimately, In the Language of Adam is about what has been lost and how we can find it again if we look carefully not just at the language of words, but of symbols, images and implications. I recommend it for all students of hermeneutics and religion who want a fresh perspective on Christianity and its ancient roots."

Other words people used were "life-changing," "a must-buy" and "eye-opening."

Order your copy today

If you're interested in exploring Butler's theory that "The Book of Mormon" is a temple book, the best way to do that is by reading the book for yourself. You can purchase a copy of "In the Language of Adam" directly from the publisher online.

Want to learn more? Check out this YouTube channel

If you're looking for additional Book of Mormon study helps and resources, you may want to add this to your list. The Stick of Joseph is a YouTube channel that's striving to create a Netflix quality docuseries about the historical and archaeological evidence of The Book of Mormon.

Brothers Hayden and Jackson Paul host the channel and launched Plain and Precious Publishing, earlier this year with "In the Language of Adam" being the venture's first book.

The brothers recently interviewed Butler on their channel and the author further explored his idea that "The Book of Mormon" is a book written by temple visionaries and full of teachings and images and power of the temple.

To hear an excerpt of their conversation, visit their YouTube channel. To buy your copy of "The Stick of Joseph," visit the Plain and Precious Publishing website.

D. John Butler is an independent scholar and Plain and Precious Publishing is an independent publisher affiliated with the Stick of Joseph. Neither is an official representative or otherwise an affiliate of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or any other church.

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