Teacher, scholar, researcher, speaker, university administrator, church leader, religious ambassador, friend—in each of these regards Truman G. Madsen has shone brilliantly and memorably. This volume of essays is a tribute to Professor Madsen's unforgettable, inspirational contributions to the academic life at Brigham Young University, at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, and in other settings, and a sign of gratitude for his marvelous example as mentor and friend.

The themes of this volume of essays reflect Madsen's research and academic interests: Joseph Smith and the earliest history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, temples, Judaism and Mormonism, theology, and philosophy. The authors of these essays—representing various disciplines and faiths—reflect the range of the appeal of Madsen's academic work and the extent of his academic contacts.

We announced plans for the publication of this volume of essays in honor of Madsen at the banquet and meeting of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) on 5 November 1999. We solicited articles from among his wide-ranging acquaintances. The extent of the response was extremely gratifying. This volume is a result of those efforts.

The opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the opinions of the volume's editors, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, the Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts, Brigham Young University, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the authors' employers.

The production of this tribute to Truman Madsen would not have been possible without the sterling efforts of the editorial and production staff of FARMS: Shirley S. Ricks coordinated the work of Angela Clyde Barrionuevo, Alison V. P. Coutts, Julie A. Dozier, Naomi L. Gunnels, Tessa Hauglid, Ellen Henneman, Paula W. Hicken, Sunny Larson, Shannon Murdock, David Pendleton, Linda Sheffield, and Elizabeth Watkins. We also wish to thank Don E. Norton, who interviewed Madsen for his educational biography; Dillon K. Inouye for his tribute to him as a teacher; Daniel B. McKinlay for his bibliography of Madsen's works; and Paula W. Hicken for providing an index for the volume.