Nationality American Name Truman Madsen | Role Professor Home town Salt Lake City | |
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Born December 13, 1926 ( 1926-12-13 ) Salt Lake City, Utah Alma mater Harvard University (Ph.D.)
University of Utah
University of Southern California Occupation Philosopher, historian, speaker, author, professor Religion The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Died May 28, 2009, Provo, Utah, United States Education University of Utah, University of Southern California, Harvard University Books Joseph Smith - the Prophet, Eternal Man, The temple, Defender of the Faith: The B H, Five Classics | ||
The Return of Elijah | Truman G. Madsen
Truman Grant Madsen (13 December 1926 – 28 May 2009) was an emeritus professor of religion and philosophy at Brigham Young University and director of the Brigham Young University Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He was a prolific author, a recognized authority on Joseph Smith, and a popular lecturer among Latter-day Saints. At one point Madsen was an instructor at the LDS Institute of Religion in Berkeley, California.
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Biography
Madsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was a grandson of Heber J. Grant.
Madsen served as a missionary in the New England Mission with S. Dilworth Young as his mission president. After his marriage and the start of his academic career, he was called in 1961 to serve as president of the New England Mission. He served in this position until he was replaced by Boyd K. Packer in 1965.
Madsen received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He also studied at the University of Utah and the University of Southern California.
Madsen wrote several philosophical theses, including Four Essays on Love. He also wrote a paper Are Christians Mormon?, as well as a biography of B. H. Roberts.
While at Brigham Young University, Madsen held the Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding for over 20 years. He also for a time served as the director of the BYU Jerusalem Center.
Madsen most recently served in the LDS Church as the patriarch of the Provo Utah Sharon East Stake.
He died at his home on the morning of 28 May 2009 from bone cancer.