PINNOCK On 4 December FARMS will sponsor a conference at BYU titled "Temples through the Ages." The three-hour event will comprise four presentations, including a keynote address by Elder Hugh W. Pinnock and a concluding lecture by Hugh W. Nibley.

In an address titled "Temples Then, Now, and Forever," Elder Pinnock, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the North America Central Area, will discuss the temple in the New Testament, the current building of the Nauvoo Temple, LDS temple building in general, and related items.

BYU emeritus professor of ancient scripture Hugh Nibley will speak on the topic "Temples Everywhere." Those familiar with Nibley's extensive knowledge of ancient temples will surely appreciate his remarks on one of his favorite topics.

The conference will also include presentations by FARMS scholars Donald W. Parry and Stephen D. Ricks. Parry, an associate professor of Hebrew language and literature at BYU, will address the topic "He That Hath Clean Hands and a Pure Heart: Three Biblical Temple Entrance Hymns." He will examine three Old Testament hymns or poems that list the moral qualities of those who were permitted to enter ancient temples. In "Prayer with Uplifted Hands in the Ancient World," Ricks, a BYU professor of Hebrew and Semitic languages, will discuss ancient texts that deal with that worship practice.

"The Latter-day Saints have always been temple building people," Donald Parry observes. "Our first constructed buildings were temples, and temple building continues to increase, an evidence of the importance of the temple to the church. The meaning, power, and significance of the temple are presented in literally scores of scriptural texts where we learn about the temple as a place of holiness, prayer, sacred ordinances, revelation, and power. The temple has been called the connecting link between heaven and earth. This conference will touch upon these and other interesting topics that pertain to the temple."

The conference, which is open to the public without charge, will be held in the Joseph Smith Building Auditorium. It will begin at 9:00 a.m. and close at noon. Those who attend may wish to park south of the Joseph Smith Building, in the lot on the corner of 800 North and 400 East.