The Enoch Letters, by Neal A. Maxwell
Originally published in 1975 as Of One Heart, The Enoch Letters, by the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell is a fictional, yet truly intelligent correspondance between Mahijah, a prominent man of his time who is converted by and comes to follow Enoch the prophet, and his friend in another land, Omner. In it, we have a beautiful first-person portrayal, not just of the wonder that is the community of the City of Enoch, but of the miraculous softening of the heart that comes with the gospel of Christ.
Through these letters, we experience conversion and the birth of a community in a very real and human way, seeing the evolution of the understanding of one man. As he writes to Omner, Mahijah shares early encounters with the wandering Enoch with an air of misunderstanding and mocking. His tone changes, though, as he goes to hear the prophet again and again and begins to take hold of various threads of truth, realizing that there may be more to this life than he has thus far seen.
I have a deep decision to make. The strange thing about this decision, Omner, is that while it is not at variance with logic and reason, it does not depend alone upon them either. Nor will the decision be made on a basis of mere feeling. It is a decision to be made by a form of knowing which lies somewhere beyond the realms of both thinking and feeling. I regret not being able to explain it. A man can know something and yet not be able to speak of that truth easily to another (p. 14).
In time, we see as his heart glows with the truth that he has received and he aches to share it with his distant friend.
Those here who are wiser than I (and such are legion) tell me that this city may exist for a time to draw men unto Jesus Christ, but that the more part of mankind will nevertheless be unpersuaded. This gives me a heavy heart, especially when I have friends like you, Omner, whom I would gladly see drawn unto Jesus Christ (p. 36).
Every conversion is a unique miracle, and one that can only be understood as its strength is built line upon line. Elder Maxwell has truly captured that process of the heart and brought us, the readers, along, weaving throughout the story beautiful wise words about conversion, truth, and love of one’s fellow man as these concepts are learned by Mahijah.
Repentance takes care of the past, faith the future, and the Holy Ghost helps us with today. The Holy Ghost can be our constant companion. It enlarges our conscience. It helps us to see the truth of all things, including the truth in the transactions of the marketplace. It sharpens our eyes to see the needs of others who would otherwise be obscure. It quickens our pulse of pure passion, stirs us to action to assist others whom we might otherwise pass by and notice not. With this great gift, whether one consults his heart or his mind, the precious and practical counsel that comes forth is the same: we can receive such directions daily, even hourly (p. 38).
The Enoch Letters is both personally compelling and spiritually nourishing. The fictional characters are every bit as interesting as their historical context and the consequent revelation of gospel truth. Elder Maxwell created Omner and Mahijah as if they had spent many hours in discussion on the nature of the world and man, and that context provides ample ground for the intimate sharing of the fascinating details of Mahijah’s new understanding.
The adversary need not be consistent, Omner. Indeed, evil is not only erotic; it is erratic, since it must entice so many in such a multitude of ways. Thus, persuade a man posessed of one truth that he has all truth. Convince another that there is no truth whatsoever. Let another believe that all truths are of equal importance to man. Notice, Omner that the result is the same in all cases: the searching for truth stops. Allow one person to think that no matter what he does, it is not wrong. Tell another that he has done wrong, but it is not serious. Persuade another that he has erred so gravely that there is no hope for him. Again, the result is the same: the sinning continues. (pp. 32-33)
All in all, this is a profoundly touching, moving, insightful, and even enlightening read. While I highly recommend it to all, it may be of special interest to those who have friends in their life with whom they seek to share the gospel. One cannot help but admire Mahijah’s patience, tenacity, and love in his efforts to bring Omner to an understanding of the truth.
December 4th, 2006 14:32
Wow. This sounds fascinating! Elder Maxwell was always one of my favorites, and the quotes you shared have simply whetted my appetite for more of his teachings that are obviously and powerfully presented via this story. Thank you for this review! I had never heard of this book so I appreciate you sharing!
December 4th, 2006 16:45
That’s interesting. A while back I read two terrific books called “Zion: Seeking the City of Enoch” (1998) and “Zion: The Long Road to Sanctification” (2000) written by Larry Barkdull, Lance Richardson and Ron McMillan. It was going to be a whole series of books, but then Lance Richardson passed away and I guess that ended the project.
Anyway, these books are about the City of Enoch and, like Elder Maxwell’s book, feature a character by the name of Mahijah. Does anyone know if these books’ stories are purposely linked? Or is the name a coincidence?
December 4th, 2006 16:52
Naiah, you do such a wonderful job of reviewing books. Like Michelle, my appetite has been whetted! I was just mourning my budget when I thought of looking for the book under its original title in my 1999 GospeLink and Infobase CDs. To my delight, it is in both of them, so I am happily looking forward to reading the book. Thank you for the review–I love Elder Maxwell and wasn’t familiar with this book and what it is about.
December 4th, 2006 17:58
Michelle, it is just beautifully, seamlessly seeded with true pearls.
narvlis, The name Mahijah comes from Moses 6:40 as Elder Maxwell noted in the Acknowledgements. My guess is that the other series also borrowed the name from the same source.
Mary, I’m so glad I thought to throw in the original title! Enjoy! It really is a delightful read.
December 4th, 2006 20:36
I have a copy around from my mission when it first came out (and our mission president gave everyone a copy).
December 4th, 2006 21:25
I read this when it was published under the original title (many decades ago), have reread it a couple of times since then, and have recommended it to several other people. I was so happy to see it reprinted, because I agree that it is a “profoundly touching, moving, insightful, and even enlightening read.” I have already given away one copy of the new version, and plan to give away others as Christmas or birthday presents to relatives and friends.
December 4th, 2006 21:38
Stephen, I can see why he gave it out to everyone. What a precious gift.
RoAnn, That’s a great idea! It would make a great gift, and not even just to Latter-day Saints. Any person of faith would appreciate the beauty and wisdom woven throughout the story. Hmm, I think I know what to get my mother-in-law! (She’s Catholic.)
December 5th, 2006 12:40
Feel free to send me a copy this Christmas, if you haven’t picked out anything yet
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December 10th, 2006 18:44
Naiah, I have now read this wonderful book! It is all that you said it was. I loved the way Mahijah’s conversion unfolded before our eyes and the descriptions of life in the City of Enoch–how they weren’t suddenly perfect, but rather progressed toward perfection, as we all must do. There are indeed many gems to ponder here. Thank you so much for the review, and for including the original title so that I could find it on my GospeLink CDs. This is a book I will return to.
December 11th, 2006 08:43
Mary, you’re very welcome! I too loved the evolution of the City of Enoch, that it wasn’t just ‘oh, they’re so perfect; I’m not. I can never live that standard.’ The way Elder Maxwell wrote it, showing which principles were ‘hard’ for Mahijah as they were introduced, somehow makes the City of Enoch feel less like a human anomaly, and more like an acheivable goal.