Julie Smith, ed., As Iron Sharpens Iron: Listening to the Various Voices in Scripture. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2016. Paperback. 182 pages. $17.68 at Amazon.

Editor Julie Smith makes an observation that notwithstanding our assumptions about the unity and harmony of our sacred writings, the scriptures are not always consistent across the many books and authors that make up our standard works. Some historical accounts do not agree; in other cases, the treatment of important doctrines are not always in harmony.

Sometimes the scriptural authors themselves make comparisons that, on closer examination, aren’t always valid. For example, Smith’s introduction cites Nephi, the son of Helaman, speaking longingly of the state of Lehi’s family on arriving in the Promised Land: “Oh, that I could have had my days in the days when my father Nephi first came out of the land of Jerusalem…then were his people easy to be entreated, firm to keep the commandments of God, and slow to do iniquity, and they were quick to hearken unto the words of the Lord…” (Helaman 7:7)

As Smith points out, “…one can imagine Father Lehi smiling ruefully at this idealized portrayal where nostalgic yearning has overtaken historical accuracy.” But Smith seizes on these differences as a means to understanding scripture and some of our ancient writers and prophets. What if these disparate authors could engage each other in dialogue, in a manner similar to the dialogues between Job and his friends? What if Jonah and Jeremiah could talk about the different circumstances of their prophetic callings? What if Alma and Abinadi could talk about their growing understanding of the nature of the atonement, and how Abinadi’s words struck a resonant chord in Alma’s incompletely hardened heart, while serving as a priest in King Noah’s court?

This is not a new literary device. It hearkens back to the Book of Job, with Job and his friends talking, arguing, and comparing their thoughts on suffering, humanity, and the nature of our relationship to God and each other. Galileo used a similar model to present his defense of his at-the-time heretical views on astronomy. Smith invited a number of writers to imagine these conversations, and gave them license to select their subjects and settings. As she imagined it, using Proverbs 27:17 as a guide, if iron can sharpen iron, then these conversations between friends might sharpen our understanding of scripture and each other, and the nature of our own personal struggles, as we come to terms with the stories and ideals our scriptures give us.

These conversations are fascinating, enlightening, and in some cases, heartbreaking. For me, the iron sharpening iron analogy ends up going a bit farther. I am reminded of the language of the Doctrine and Covenants, where the Lord says “…my word is quick and powerful, sharper than a two-edged sword to the dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (D&C 33:1).

Some of these discussions are polite conversation between two strangers who have walked the same roads, and fought the same good fight, but with widely differing outcomes. In a piece by Michael Austin, Father Abraham and Job compare their experiences regarding suffering, and try to understand why they have such differing views of their own and each other’s travails. Walter E.A. van Beek imagines Solomon and King Josiah engaging about the writing and creation of scripture and history.

Others, like the two-edged sword, cut deeply, and challenge some of our basic assumptions, and not without good cause. Mark Decker sets up a discussion between Joseph Smith and Nephi’s younger brother Jacob on their opposing instructions to their followers on polygamy, and the costs of those teachings. Emphasizing those differences, it includes the image of an angel with a sword. Polygamy continues to be a sharply dividing issue in our church today. A conversation between the Apostle Thomas and Abraham as related by Steven Peck turns an emotionally loaded exchange about the limits of faith into an examination of the possibility that Abraham may have failed his test, and, in a shattering moment, who may have been the “angel” that stayed Abraham’s hand as he was prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac?

Many of these imagined conversations serve to sharpen our understanding of history and theology as we contemplate why individual prophets’ views of their lives and experiences vary so widely. Others, like the one between Thomas and Abraham, take that sharpened iron, and use that dual edge to divide asunder some of our favorite assumptions and our comfortable musings on what we have always been taught. We are left with unanswered questions, and sharper perceptions about our own doubts and weaknesses. We strive to learn how the Lord might want to hew us to greater perfection, as we manage paradoxes in our lives. In doing so, we discover that our sharpening never comes without some painful cuts and the wearing away of the rough spots on our imperfect edges.

Handle this book carefully. It looks innocent enough, but you’ll likely end up needing a few bandages and stitches as you play with the new sharper edges that it creates in your vision, thinking, and faith.