By Krista Tripodi
The covenants, prophecies and hymns of the Old Testament all serve as a valuable witness and testimony of Christ.
That was the message delivered to hundreds who gathered on BYU campus Friday and Saturday for the 30th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium.
The symposium''s theme was 'Covenants, Prophecies and Hymns of the Old Testament,' and it featured 40 presentations highlighting the three most quoted books of the Old Testament - Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Psalms.
The two-day symposium, sponsored by the College of Religious Education, served as a tool to disseminate material which will be helpful to students and teachers of the Old Testament, said Victor L. Ludlow, professor of ancient scripture and the symposium''s chairman.
The symposium began Friday night in the JSB auditorium with an address by Paul Y. Hoskisson, associate dean of religious education.
Hoskisson spoke about Psalms 22 serving as a special witness for Christ.
Christ quoted the prophetic scripture, which begins with 'My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me,' while on the cross. Christ did this to reach out one last time to the House of Israel and call attention to the fact that details found in the Old Testament were unfolding before their eyes, Hoskisson said.
Several of the symposium''s presentations focused on the scriptures in the Old Testament being used in later times to help people to better understand their situation, he said.
'The meaning of the Old Testament is unclear without the New Testament, just as the meaning of the New Testament would be unclear without the Old Testament,' said Noel B. Reynolds, associate academic vice president of undergraduate studies.
Reynolds spoke Saturday morning about the strong similarities between Lehi and Moses.
Lehi used the teaching methods of Moses to remind his people he was also a prophet, Reynolds said.
Lehi''s family and people were familiar with the accounts of Moses and his people. Lehi spoke like Moses to help them see the parallels between themselves and the children of Israel, Reynolds said.
The symposium is more than an opportunity for scholars to present their papers, Ludlow said, it''s a chance for people to get excited for next year''s Sunday school study of the Old Testament.
'The Old Testament is a great treasure. I feel at this symposium we''ve cracked the lid of the treasure chest and examined a few gems,' Ludlow said. 'There''s a lot of good stuff in the Old Testament for students and teachers to get into and have fun with.'
The symposium was in honor of Sidney B. Sperry, a former dean of Religious Education at BYU.
Several members of the Sperry family, including three of his sons, were in attendance.
'The symposium is a great honor,' said Richard Sperry, 72, the oldest son of Sidney B. Sperry. 'But it''s also a great opportunity to increase our knowledge.'
The symposium presentations have been published in a book entitled 'Covenants, Prophecies and Hymns of the Old Testament,' which is available at the BYU Bookstore.
The topic of next year''s symposium will be the New Testament, Ludlow said.