Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage
Jesus the Christ: A Study of the Messiah and His Mission According to the Holy Scriptures Both Ancient and Modern is a book written by James E. Talmage. Published in 1915, Jesus the Christ continues to be viewed as a classic, is still in print in multiple languages and formats, and is approved reading for Latter-day Saint missionaries.
Talmage was a teacher at Brigham Young Academy and in 1904 taught a course on Jesus Christ to the University Sunday School. On July 18, 1905, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which at the time included Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund, “wrote Talmage a letter requesting that he convert his lectures into a book, ‘believing that they will prove a valuable acquisition to our Church Literature, and that the proposed work should be placed within the reach of Church members and general readers.’” [https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/the-story-behind-the-story?lang=eng#:~:text=The%20history%20of%20Jesus%20the,be%20written%20in%20the%20temple
- Nearly 10 years passed before Talmage was able to focus on the project. These were not idle years, however. “Work on this appointment has been suspended from time to time owing to other duties being imposed upon me,” he wrote. Among those other duties were family, Church, and professional obligations. During this time, he wrote and published The Great Apostasy and The House of the Lord. On December 7, 1911, he was called as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.
- All the while, he had been pondering and preparing and looking forward to the day when he would be able to write the requested book. That day finally came in September of 1914, when the request was again made, this time specifying that he should write the book “with as little delay as possible.”[1]
Talmage was given space in the Salt Lake Temple where he could work on the book with less distraction. The Brethren relieved him of some of his apostolic duties so he could dedicate every spare moment to his work on the manuscript. Using his lecture outlines and research, he completed the text seven months later on April 19, 1915.
- “Had it not been that I was privileged to do this work in the Temple it would be at present far from completion,” he wrote. “I have felt the inspiration of the place and have appreciated the privacy and quietness incident thereto.” His son John R. Talmage wrote, “James’ first words as he entered his home that night were to tell Maia [his wife] that the basic writing was finished, and to tell also his feeling that this was the outstanding book of all he had written, or would ever write.”[2]
Talmage then read the manuscript, chapter by chapter to the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles over the course of 18 sessions, and this editing process was completed on June 24, 1915. After the Brethren approved the manuscript, Talmage spent the next several months making final changes to printed proofs. The first copies of Jesus the Christ were printed on September 9, 1915.
- The history of Jesus the Christ is a remarkable story for a remarkable book. Jesus the Christ is the first study on the life of the Savior to be written by a Latter-day Saint. It was written by request of the First Presidency and is the only book to be written in the temple. It is unique in its scope, covering not only the mortal life of the Savior but also his premortal and postmortal existence. It has contributed to doctrinal understanding and increased faith in Christ among its readers. In the official announcement of its upcoming publication, the First Presidency wrote, “The sacred subject of our Savior’s life and mission is presented as it is accepted and proclaimed by the Church that bears his Holy Name. We desire that the work, ‘Jesus the Christ’ be read and studied by the Latter-day Saints.”[3]
