The doctrine of universal baptismal regeneration, in particular, which presupposes a universal call (at least within the church), can on principles of logic hardly be united with the doctrine of an absolute predestination, which limits the decree of redemption to a portion of the baptized. (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, 8 vols. [New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1910], 3:1024)
Now in their simple earnest
faith, the early Christians suppose the thing signified to accompany the sign,
and apply the same terms—“regeneration,” for example—to both, without
sufficiently discriminating between them, but at the same time without intending
to teach that the mere sign effected the change. (James Heron, The Church of
the Sub-Apostolic Age: Its Life, Worship, and Organization, in the Light of
“The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles” [London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1888],
143–144)
This doctrine appeared in the
church at a very early period. Passing the somewhat unreliable Shepherd of
Hermas, the earliest witness is Justin Martyr (middle of second century), whose
words are: “We then lead them [the candidates for church membership] to a place
where there is water, and then they are regenerated in the same manner as we
also were; for they are then washed in that water in the name of God the Father
and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of the Holy
Spirit.” (Henry Cowles, “Baptismal Regeneration; As Supposed to Be Taught in
the Words of Jesus: ‘Born of Water and Spirit.’ John 3:5,” Bibliotheca Sacra
33, no. 131 [1876]: 425-26)
A certain theory of Baptismal
Regeneration appears in the first ages of the Church, which seems in some
measure to have merged the internal regeneration into the external adoption. (William
Burt Pope, A Compendium of Christian Theology: Being Analytical Outlines of
a Course of Theological Study, Biblical, Dogmatic, Historical, 3 vols. [London:
Beveridge and Co., 1879], 3:21)
Development of the Doctrine in the Church. Great importance was
very early attached to the rite of baptism—not as a sign and seal of all
Christian blessings, but in that it was regarded as the means of conveyance, by
which those blessings were imparted. In the later Ante-Nicene age, it may be said
that baptism was universally regarded as the rite of admission to the church;
and since it was held that there could be no salvation apart from the church,
baptism came to be associated with regeneration. At first it was looked upon
solely as the completing act in the appropriation of Christianity—the seal of
positive adoption into the family of God. By the middle of the second century,
however, it was regarded as procuring full remission of all past sins, and
consequently we find it spoken of as “the instrument of regeneration and
illumination.” The Fathers taught this doctrine, not in the modern sense of a
grace bestowed, or a change wrought by means of regeneration, but that baptism
was itself regeneration. (H. Orton Wiley, Christian Theology,
3 vols. [Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1952], 3:163)
25. Wherever in Sacred Scripture
the word angel is used in place of God, it is neither the Father
nor the Holy Spirit, but only the Son, through the dispensation of the
incarnation, who is to be understood. (Isidore of Seville, Sententiae [Ancient
Christian Writers 73; trans. Thomas L. Knoebel; New York: The Newman Press,
2018], Book I, Chapter 10)
. . . we may summarize the ways
in which Isaac stands as a type and foreshadowing of Jesus Christ and Abraham
as a type of God the Father.
1.
Relationship: As Paul notes, Isaac was Abraham’s
only begotten son (Hebrews 11:17) just as Jesus was the Father’s Only Begotten
Son (John 3:16).
2.
Locale: The sacrifice of Isaac took place (v. 2)
where the sacrifice of Jesus Christ occurred—Mount Moriah, the site of holy
Temples (2 Chronicles 3:1).
3.
Donkey: Just as Isaac rode to the place of sacrifice
on a donkey (v. 3), Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the place of his condemnation
and sacrifice, on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-7).
4.
Wood: Isaac carried the sacrificial wood (v. 6)
just as Jesus carried the cross (John 19:16-17).
5.
Lamb: Isaac was the lamb provided (v. 8), just
as Jesus was the Lamb chosen (1 Peter 1:19).
6.
Nothing withheld: Jesus as Abraham did not withhold
his son (v. 12), so too the Father did not spare his Son (Matthew 27:46).
7.
Seen on the mount: Jus as Isaac’s obedience and
sacrifice were seen on the mount, so too were Jesus’ (v. 15).
8.
Descendants: Just as innumerable descendants
came through Isaac to bless the whole world (vv. 17-18), so too innumerable
spiritual descendants came through Jesus Christ to bless the whole world
(Mosiah 14:10-12; 27:25-26). (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, The Old
Testament Verse By Verse, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013], 1:115)
5:7-8 A handful of late
Greek manuscripts, along with a few medieval Vulgate manuscripts and the
Clementine Vulgate of 1592, expand these verses with the line: “There are three
who give witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and
these three are one” (inserted either in 5:7 or in 5:8 with minimal variation).
This is known as the “Johannine Comma” or the “heavenly witnesses” text.
Despite the fact that this line is a clear expression of trinitarian doctrine,
the Holy Office decreed in 1927 that Catholic scholarship, after careful
examination of the manuscript evidence, is not bound to accept the text as part
of the original wording of 1 John. The reading does not appear in the Nova
Vulgata, the updated edition of the Latin Vulgate Bible approved by Pope John
Paul II (1979). (The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, ed. Scott Hahn and
Curtis J. Mitch [San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2024], 2224)
The Johannine Comma
[From the Decree of the Holy
Office, January 13, 1897, and the Declaration of the Holy Office, June 2, 1927]
2198 [DS 3681] To the question: “Whether it can safely be denied,
or at least called into doubt that the text of St. John in the first epistle,
chapter 5, verse 7, is authentic, which read as follows: ‘And there are three
that give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And
these three are one?’ ”—the response was given on January 13, 1897: In the
negative.
[DS 3682] At this response there arose on June 2, 1927, the
following declaration, at first given privately by the same Sacred Congregation
and afterwards repeated many times, which was made a part of public law in EB
n. 121 by authority of the Holy Office itself:
“This decree was passed to check
the audacity of private teachers who attributed to themselves the right either
of rejecting entirely the authenticity of the Johannine comma, or at least of
calling it into question by their own final judgment. But it was not meant at
all to prevent Catholic writers from investigating the subject more fully and,
after weighing the arguments accurately on both sides, with that moderation and
temperance which the gravity of the subject requires, from inclining toward an
opinion in opposition to its authenticity, provided they professed that they
were ready to abide by the judgment of the Church, to which the duty was
delegated by Jesus Christ not only of interpreting Holy Scripture but also of
guarding it faithfully.” (The Sources of Catholic Dogma, ed. Henry
Denzinger and Karl Rahner [trans. Roy J. Deferrari; St. Louis, Miss.: B. Herder
Book Co., 1954], 569-70)
2. Peter (Petrus) took his
name from ‘rock’ (petra), that is, from Christ, on whom the Church is
founded. Now petra is not given its name from Petrus, but Petrus
from petra, just as ‘Christ’ is so called not from ‘Christian,’ but
‘Christian’ from ‘Christ.’ Therefore the Lord says (Matthew 16:18), “Thou art Peter,
and upon this rock (petra) I will build my church,” because Peter had
said (Matthew 16:16), “Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.” Then the
Lord said to him, “Upon this rock” which you have proclaimed “I will build my
church,” for (I Corinthians 10:4) “the rock was Christ,” on which foundation
even Peter himself was built. 3. He was called Cephas because he was
established as the head (caput) of the apostles, for κεφαλη in Greek means ‘head,’ and Cephas is
the Syrian name for Peter. 4. Simon‘ Bar-Jonah’ in our tongue means “son of a
dove,” and is both a Syrian and a Hebrew name, for Bar in the Syrian
language is “son,” ‘Jonah’ in Hebrew is “dove,” and Bar-Jonah is composed of
both languages. 5. Some people simply take it that Simon, that is Peter, is the
son of John, because of that question (John 21:15), “Simon of John, lovest thou
me?” – and they consider it corrupted by an error of the scribes, so that Bar-Iona
was written for Bar-Iohannes, that is, ‘son of John,’ with one syllable
dropped. ‘Johanna’ means “grace of the Lord.” 6. So Peter was three-named:
Peter, Cephas, and Simon Bar-Jonah; further ‘Simon’ in Hebrew means “he who listens.”
(The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville [trans. Stephen A. Barney, W. J.
Lewis, J. A. Beach, and Oliver Berghof; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2006], 168-69)
In the OT we read of a reluctant
prophet who was sent to preach to the city of Nineveh. After a series of
misadventures he arrived at the gate of the city and began to proclaim the
message of doom with which Yahweh had commissioned him: “ ‘Yet 40 days,
and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ ” (Jonah 3:4).
The words of the prophet were
unequivocal: the destruction of the city was announced without qualification.
But 40 days passed and Nineveh still stood. What happened? Was Jonah a false
prophet? Did the prophecy fail? The fact that Nineveh later did come to its end
does not relieve the problem, since the message of doom was linked to the
40-day period.
When we look closer at this
story, additional facets begin to appear. First, it emerges that Jonah himself
had doubts about the fulfillment of his prediction. Jonah 4:2 is important:
“And he prayed to the Lord and said, ‘I pray thee, Lord, is not this what I
said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to
Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil.’ ”
This verse gives us the reason
for Jonah’s abortive flight in the boat to Tarshish and his subsequent petulant
behavior as he sat in the booth waiting to see if Nineveh would be destroyed.
That is, Jonah’s knowledge of the character of Yahweh—that He is gracious,
merciful, and forgiving—had led him to assume the possibility of a reprieve,
even though the message Yahweh had given him seemed unrelenting.
A second clue is found in the
reaction of the Ninevites to Jonah’s preaching. Instead of fleeing from the
apparently doomed city, they repented. They, too, based their hope in the
character of Yahweh: “ ‘Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his
fierce anger, so that we perish not?’ ” (Jonah 3:9).
The book of Jonah, therefore,
seems to provide us with a clear example of conditional prophecy. Nor does it
stand alone among the data of biblical prophecy:
1. Isaiah 1:19—“ ‘If you are
willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.’ ”
2. Isaiah 38:1–22—The revoking of
the pronouncement of Hezekiah’s imminent death.
3. Jeremiah 18:7–10—“ ‘If at
any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and
break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken,
turns from its evil, I will repent of the evil that I intended to do to it. And
if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and
plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I
will repent of the good which I had intended to do to it.’ ”
4. The prophets’—“Who knows if …”
or “perhaps” attached to warnings of impending disaster (for example, 2 Sam
12:22; Zeph 2:3; Exod 32:30).
5. Luke 19:42—“ ‘Would that
even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from
your eyes.’ ”
Further, some Adventists have
seen in Ellen White’s writings support for a conditionality principle in
biblical prophecy as they have underscored her statement from MS 4, 1883: “The
promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional.” (See Selected Messages, book 1, page 67.)
(William G. Johnsson, “Conditionality in Biblical Prophecy with
Particular Reference to the Apocalyptic,” in The Seventy Weeks, Leviticus and
the Nature of Prophecy, ed. Frank B. Halbrook [Daniel and Revelation
Committee Series 3; Washington, D.C.: Biblical Research Institute of the
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1986], 260-62)
Further Reading:
Richard L. Pratt,
Jr. “Historical
Contingencies and Biblical Predictions”
Joseph Smith held the Melchisedek
Priesthood before he came to the earth, as did Jesus, but it had to be
reconfirmed upon him in the flesh by Peter, James & John, as upon Jesus by
Moses and Elias, on the mount [of Transfiguration] . . . At least this is my
judgment with no further reflection on the subject. (Joseph F. Smith, Letters
to George Mason, February 20, 1881, p. 2, MS 1325, Church History Library)
From The Etymologies VI:i
. . .
3. The Hebrews take the Old
Testament, with Ezra as its redactor, as consisting of twenty-two books,
corresponding to the number of letters in their alphabet. They divide these
books into three classes: Law, Prophets, and Sacred Writings. 4. The first
class, Law (Lex), is taken as being five books: of these the first is
Bresith,1 which is Genesis; second Veelle Semoth, which is Exodus; third Vaiicra,
which is Leviticus; fourth Vaiedabber, which is Numbers; fifth Elleaddebarim,
which is Deuteronomy. 5. These are the five books of Moses, which the Hebrews call
Torah (Thora), and Latin speakers call the Law. That which was given
through Moses is properly called the Law.
6. The second class is of
Prophets (Propheta), in which are contained eight books, of which the
first is Josua Benun, called Iesu Nave in Latin (i.e. the book of Joshua
‘ben Nun,’ the son of Nun). The second is Sophtim, which is Judges; third
Samuel, which is First Kings; fourth Malachim, which is Second Kings; fifth
Isaiah; sixth Jeremiah; seventh Ezekiel; eighth Thereazar, which is called the
Twelve Prophets, whose books are taken as one because they have been joined
together since they are short.
7. The third class is of Sacred Writings
(Hagiographa), that is, of ‘those writing about holy things’ (sacra scribens;
cf αγιος “holy”; φραγειν, “write”), in which there are nine books: first Job;
second the Psalter; third Masloth, which is the Proverbs of Solomon; fourth
Coheleth, which is Ecclesiastes; fifth Sir hassirim, which is the Song of
Songs; sixth Daniel; seventh Dibre haiamim, which means ‘words of the days’ (verba
dierum), that is Paralipomenon (i.e. Chronicles); eighth Ezra; ninth
Esther.
All together these books – five,
eight, and nine – make up the twenty-two as was reckoned above. 8. Some add
Ruth and Cinoth, which in Latin is the Lamentations (Lamentatio) of
Jeremiah, to the Sacred Writings, and make twenty-four books of the Old
Testament, corresponding to the twenty-four Elders who stand present before the
face of God (Apocalypse 4:4, etc.).
9. We also have a fourth class:
those books of the Old Testament that are not in the Hebrew canon. Of these the
first is the Book of Wisdom, the second Ecclesiasticus; the third Tobit; the
fourth Judith; the fifth and sixth, the books of Maccabees. The Jews hold these
separate among the apocrypha (apocrypha), but the Church of Christ
honors and proclaims them among the divine books. (The Etymologies of
Isidore of Seville [trans. Stephen A. Barney, W. J. Lewis, J. A. Beach, and
Oliver Berghof; Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006], 135, emphasis in
bold added)
The primary authority for a
critical textual decision lies with the Greek manuscript tradition, with the
versions and Fathers serving no more than a supplementary and corroborative function,
particularly in passages where their underlying, Greek text cannot be reconstructed
with absolute certainty. (Kurt Aland and Barbara Aland, The Text of the New
Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theology and Practice
of Modern Textual Criticism [rev ed.; trans. Errol F. Rhodes; Grand Rapids,
Mich.: Eerdmans, 1995], 280)
The Bundesarchiv (BArch) is a dossier of approximately 500 pages compiled in he 1930s by the Sicherheitsdienst, the intelligence agency of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. It was cataloged under call number 5 48/5686. One of the documents is "Document 30: Report to Reichsleiter Alfred Rosenberg, May 5, 1938." Here is an example of an overview of Latter-day Saint theology and biblical interpretation:
1) The Correctly Translated
Bible
The term “correctly translated
Bible” is derived from the 8th Article of Faith. According to the sect’s
belief, a correct translation could only have been made by their founder Smith
or by the apostles. This has led to a peculiar interpretation of the Bible, as
the following statements illustrate:
“There are many gods (with human
passions and needs), whose supreme god dwells on the central planet Kolob. The
god of our planet is Adam.” “All gods live in plural marriage: God with Eve and
Mary; Christ with Mary and Martha (John 11:5), the bride at Cana (John 2).”
“These ‘gods’ continually produce
new spirits. To provide these with a dwelling place, humans have a religious
duty to practice plural marriage (John 8:39 ff., Hebr. 6:11–14).”
“The saints will become gods
after their death (Job 38:4; Ps. 82:6).”
“After his return, Christ will
gather the 12 Jewish Old Testament tribes and rule in the heavenly Jerusalem
that has descended to Utah.” (“Document 30: Report to Reichsleiter Alfred
Rosenberg, May 5, 1938,” repr. Stephen O. Smoot, “The Nazi Secret Police Files on
the Latter-day Saints,” Latter-day Saint Historical Studies 26, no. 1
[Spring 2025]: 104)
Here is the relevant background to this document:
Summary: This
report, submitted to Reichsleiter Alfred Rosenberg, provides an in-depth
analysis of the Church. The document emphasizes the international orientation of
the Church and describes it as a Judeo-Christian sect whose doctrine fundamentally
opposes the National Socialist worldview. It describes the history, teachings,
and organizational structure of the Church, criticizing what are perceived as
outlandish beliefs and ideological conflicts with National Socialism. The
report highlights concerns about the disproportionate number of American missionaries
in Germany relative to the Church’s small membership. It expresses alarm at the
strong Old Testament influences in Latter-day Saint teachings, pointing to
practices such as tithing, the use of the term “Sabbath,” and the glorification
of Judaism. It accuses the American leadership of the Church of engaging in anti-Nazi
agitation, despite claims from German members that they support the regime. The
report concludes that the Church’s teachings are ideologically incompatible with
National Socialism and recommends increased surveillance and restrictions on
the Church’s activities in Germany. (Ibid., 100, italics silently removed)
I speak of this, that you may understand that your
re-baptisms must be agreeable to the order laid down. It is not simply a man's
saying, 'Having been commissioned by Jesus Christ, I baptize you for the
renewal of your covenant and remission of your sins,' but you must be subject
to your brethren and fulfil the law of God. (Heber C. Kimball, “Discourse,”
October 19, 1856, repr. The Deseret News 6, no. 44 [January 7, 1857]: 4)
17
The Course of the Sun
1. The ancients Aratus and
Hyginus say that the sun moves of its own accord and that it does not revolve
with the world, remaining in one place. For if it remained fixed, it would
necessarily set in the same place and rise in the same place from which it had
risen the day before, just as the other signs of the stars rise and set.
Besides, if it were so, it would follow that all the days and nights would be
equal, and however long the present day was, it would always be exactly as long
in the future.
2. Night also would always remain
equal for the same reason, but since we realize that the days are unequal, and
we see that the sun will set in one place [tomorrow] and that it set in another
place yesterday, and because it sets and rises in different places,
philosophers think that it definitely does not revolve with the world,
remaining itself fixed, but that it moves of its own accord. After dipping its
burning wheel in the ocean, it returns by ways unknown to us to the place from
which it had emerged, and, with the completion of the night’s revolution, it
quickly bursts out again from its place. For it proceeds on an oblique and
uneven line through the south to the north and so returns to the east. And in
wintertime /235/ it runs through the southern region, but in summer it
neighbours the north. But when it runs through the south, it is nearer to the
earth; when it is close to the north, it is raised up on high.
3. God ordained diverse places
and seasons for the sun’s course, lest, by always lingering in the same places,
it destroy them with its daily heat. But, as Clement says, it takes diverse
courses, in order that the temperature of the air may be regulated in
accordance with the rhythm of the seasons, and that the order of their changes
and alterations may be preserved. For as the sun ascends to the higher regions,
it tempers the spring; but when it reaches the height of heaven, it kindles
summer heat. Declining again, it restores the moderate temperature of autumn;
and when it returns to its lower orbit, it bequeaths to us from the icy
structure of heaven the severity of our wintry cold.
4. The hours derive from the
sun; day is created from it when it arises; night is also formed from it when
it sets; the months and years are reckoned from it; the changes of the seasons
derive from it, and although it is a good /237/ servant,
to be thanked for moderating the changes of the seasons, nevertheless when by
the will of God a scourge is inflicted upon mortals, it glows more fiercely,
and burns the world with more furious flames, and the air is unsettled,
and affliction of men and corruption is cast upon the earth, and plague is
decreed upon living things and a pestilential year upon mortals everywhere.
5. As to the fact that the
rising sun takes its course through the south, that is, the meridional region,
and, after having descended through the southern region, travels invisibly,
returning to its starting place, truly this world was created in the likeness
of the Church, in which the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal sun, traverses his
own region – hence they call it the meridianum – but he does not arise
for the north, that is, for the hostile region, just as, when he comes on
Judgement Day, these people will say: ‘the light of justice has not shined on
us, and the sun has not risen upon us’. So also it is written: ‘but for
those fearing the Lord, the sun of justice arises, and health in his wings’.
Indeed, it is night at midday for the wicked, just as we read: ‘while they
await the light, darkness falls upon them; while they await brightness, they
have walked in the dark night’. (Isidore of Seville, On the Nature of Things
[trans. Calvin B. Kendall and Faith Wallis; Translated Texts for Historians
66; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2016], 139-40)
From The Etymologies III.l-li:
l. The course of the sun (De
cursu solis) 1. The sun moves under its own power, and does not turn with
the universe. If it were to remain fixed in the heavens, every day and night
would be of equal length; but since we see that it will set in a different
place tomorrow, and that it had in a different place yesterday, it appears that
it moves through its own power, and does not turn along with the universe.
Furthermore, the sun makes its annual orbits with unequal intervals, on account
of the changing of the seasons. When the sun rises, it makes the day; when it
sets, it brings on the night. 2. Wandering farther to the south it makes winter,
so that the earth grows fertile with wintry moisture and frost. When it
approaches closer to the north, it brings summer back, so that crops growfirm in
ripeness, and what was unripened in damp weather mellows in its warmth.
li. The effect of the sun (De
effectu solis) 1. When the sun rises, it creates the day, and when it sets
it brings on the night, for day is the sun over the earth, and night is the sun
under the earth. The hours come from it: the day comes from the sun when it
ascends: the night comes from it when it sets. The months and the years are
numbered by it, and the changing of the seasons is caused by it. 2. When the
sun runs across the south, it is the closer to the earth; but when it is near
the north, it is raised higher in the sky.
[Thus God made diverse locations
and seasons for the sun’s course, so that it does not consume everything with
its daily heat by always tarrying in the same place. But, as Clement said, “The
sun takes diverse paths, by means of which the temperature of the air is meted
out according to the pattern of the seasons, and the order of its changes and
permutations is preserved. Thus when the sun ascends to the higher reaches, it
tempers the spring air; when it reaches its zenith, it kindles the summer heat;
dropping again it brings back the temperance of autumn. But when it goes back
to the lowest orbit, it bequeaths to us from the icy framework of the sky the rigor
of winter cold.”] (The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville [trans. Stephen
A. Barney, W. J. Lewis, J. A. Beach, and Oliver Berghof; Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2006], 102)
The translators of the above from the Etymologies
provides the following note:
The quotation is from Rufinus
Tyrannius’s translation of the Clementine Recognitions, 8.45. A circular
figure follows in some early manuscripts. It has in its center the words medium
mundi, i.e. the “center of the universe,” and around it the stations of the
sun are written thus: “here is the sunrise on the nativity of the Lord; the sixth
hour of the day; sunset on the nativity of the Lord; sunset on the equinox;
sunset on the nativity of John; perpetual midnight; sunrise on the nativity of
John; here is the sunrise on the equinox.” (Ibid., 102 n. 31)
Roman Catholic apologist Robert Sungenis, in
An exhaustive investigation into
a standard Protestant Greek text of the New Testament (Nestle-Aland Novum
Testamentum Graece (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelstiftung, 1979) reveals that
of the 7,948 total verses from Matthew to Revelation, 6,176 verses contain
textual variants. In other words, 78% of the New Testament verses are to some
extent corrupted. The variations range from simple letters which change a word
or its tense, to whole sentences which are either missing or significantly
different. (Robert A. Sungenis, “Protestant Objections and Catholic Answers,”
in Not By Scripture Alone: A Catholic Critique of the Protestant Doctrine of
Sola Scriptura, ed. Robert A. Sungenis [Goleta, Calif.: Queenship Publishing,
1997], 250 n. 58)
This morning, I decided to check out this figure in an
updated critical edition of the Bible. I used the following resource I have on Logos
Bible Software:
Nestle-Aland: NTG Apparatus Criticus, ed. Barbara
Aland et al., 28. revidierte Auflage (Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft,
2012)
With the exception of the inscriptions to the books, I
counted each verse that had a variant noted in this work and manually counted.
While there may be some discrepancies, I don’t believe there is any substantial
error. The final tallies, from my own count, can be found in the following spreadsheet
here.
My count was 6,041, a rate of approximately 76%.
|
KJV |
1867 Inspired Version (RLDS) |
|
A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that
dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon
the seas, and established it upon the floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the
hill of the Lord? or who shall stand
in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and
a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn
deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing
from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O
Jacob. Selah. 7 Lift up your head, O ye
gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall
come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The
Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye
gates; even lift them up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of
glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. |
A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. 2 For he hath founded it upon the seas, and
established it upon the floods. 3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure
heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the
Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is the generation of them that seek
him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. 7 Lift up your heads, O ye generations of
Jacob; and be ye lifted up; and the Lord strong and mighty; the Lord mighty
in battle, who is the king of glory, shall establish you for ever. 8 And he will roll away the heavens; and
will come down to redeem his people; to make you an everlasting name; to
establish you upon his everlasting rock. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye generations of
Jacob; lift up your heads, ye everlasting generations, and the Lord of hosts,
the king of kings; 10 Even the king of glory shall come unto
you; and shall redeem his people, and shall establish them in righteousness.
Selah. |
OT Manuscript 2, p. 88:
XXIV
7 verse lift up your heads, O ye generations of
Jacob, and be ye lifted up; and the Lord strong and mighty; the lord mighty in
battle, who is the king of glory, shall establish you for ever. And he will ro[oll]<ll>
away the heavens; and will come down to redeem his people; to make you an
everlasting name; to establish you upon his everlasting rock. Lift up your
heads, O ye generations of Jacob; lift up your heads ye everlasting generations,
and the lord of hosts, the King of Kings; even the King of glory shall come unto
you; and shall redeem his people, and shall establish them in righteousness.
selah.
|
KJV |
1867 Inspired Version (RLDS) |
|
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his
heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable
works, there is none that doeth
good. 2 The Lord looked down from
heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did
understand, and seek God. 3 They are all gone aside, they
are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not
one. 4 Have all the workers of
iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my
people as they eat bread, and call
not upon the Lord. 5 There were they in great
fear: for God is in the generation
of the righteous. 6 Ye have shamed the counsel of
the poor, because the Lord is his
refuge. 7 Oh that the salvation of
Israel were come out of Zion! when the Lord bringeth back the captivity
of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and
Israel shall be glad. |
To the chief Musician, A Psalm
of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no
man that hath seen God. Because he showeth himself not unto us, therefore
there is no God. Behold, they are corrupt; they have done abominable works,
and none of them doeth good. 2 For the Lord looked down from heaven upon
the children of men, and by his voice said unto his servant, Seek ye among
the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand God. And he
opened his mouth unto the Lord, and said, Behold, all these who say they are
thine. 3 The Lord answered, and said, They are
together become filthy, thou canst behold none of them that are doing good,
no, not one. 4 All they have for their teachers are
workers of iniquity, and there is no knowledge in them. They are they who eat
up my people. They eat bread and call not upon the Lord. 5 They are in great fear, for God dwells in
the generation of the righteous. He is the counsel of the poor, because they
are ashamed of the wicked, and flee unto the Lord for their refuge. 6 They are ashamed of the counsel of the
poor because the Lord is his refuge. 7 Oh that Zion were established out of
heaven, the salvation of Israel. O Lord, when wilt thou establish Zion? When
the Lord bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice,
Israel shall be glad. |
OT Manuscript 2, pp. 85-86:
<XVI>
<XIV>
The fool hath said in his heart,
There is no man that hath seen God, because he sheweth him--self not unto us,
therefore there is no God. Behold they are corrupt; they have done abominable
works and none of them do<e>th good, For the Lord look down from heaven
upon the children of men, and by his voice said unto his servant, seek ye among
the children of men, to see if there are any that do understand God. And he
opened his mouth unto the Lord, and said; behold, all these who say they are
thine. The lord answerd and said, they are all [a]<g>one asi[g]<d>e,
they are to-gether become filthy. Thou canst be hold none of these that are
doing good, no, not one; <all> they have for there teachers, [a]<are>
workers of eniquity, and there is no knowledge in them. They <are they>
who eat up my peo-ple, they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord. they are in
great fear, for God dwels in the gen-eration of the righteous, he is the coun[c]<s>el
of the poor, because they are ashamed of the wicked, and flee unto the Lord for
there reffuge, The[n]<y> are ashamed of the coun[c]<s>el of the
poor, because the Lord is his ref--fuge, O that Zion were established out of heaven,
the salvation of Israel. O Lord, when wilt thou establish Zion? When the lord
bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, Isreal shall be
glad.
Further Reading:
Walker Wright and Don Bradley, “’None
That Doeth Good’: Early Evidence of the First Vision in JST Psalm 14,” BYU
Studies 61, no. 3 (2022): 123-40.
|
KJV |
1867 Inspired Version (RLDS) |
|
To the chief Musician upon
Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, Lord; for the godly man
ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2 They speak vanity every one
with his neighbour: with flattering
lips and with a double heart do
they speak. 3 The Lord shall cut off all
flattering lips, and the tongue
that speaketh proud things: 4 Who have said, With our
tongue will we prevail; our lips are
our own: who is lord over us? 5 For the oppression of the
poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord; I will
set him in safety from him that puffeth at him. 6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord,
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever. 8 The wicked walk on every
side, when the vilest men are exalted. |
In that day thou shalt help, O
Lord, the poor and the meek of the earth. For the godly man shall cease to be
found, and the faithful fail from among the children of men. 2 They shall speak vanity every one with his
neighbour; with flattering lips, with a double heart do they speak. 3 But the Lord shall cut off all flattering
lips, the tongue that speaketh proud things, 4 Who have said, With our tongue will we
prevail, our lips are our own, who shall be Lord over us? 5 Therefore, thus saith the Lord, I will
arise in that day, I will stand upon the earth, and I will judge the earth
for the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy; and their cry
hath entered into mine ear. 6 Therefore the Lord shall sit in judgment
upon all those who say in their hearts, We all sit in safety; and puffeth at
him. These are the words of the Lord; yea, pure words, like silver tried in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt save thy people, O Lord; thou
shalt keep them; thou shalt preserve them from the wickedness of their
generations for ever. 8 The wicked walk on every side, and the
vilest men are exalted; but in the day of their pride thou shalt visit them. |
OT Manuscript 2, p. 84:
In that day thou shalt help,
<O> Lord, the poor and the meek of the earth, For the Godly man shall \
cease to be found, and the faithful fail from among the children <of
men,> They shall speak vanity evry one [of]<with> his nei[bo]<gh>bor.
With flattering lips, with a double heart do they speak; but the Lord shall cut
off all flattering Lips, the toung that speaketh proud things, who have said,
with our tongue, we will <we> prevail, our lips are <are> own, who shall
be Lord over us? therefore, thus saith the Lord, I will arise in that day, I
will stand upon the earth, and I will judge the earth for the oppression of the
poor, for the sigh<ing> of the needy; and there cry thath entered into
mine ear, therefore the Lord shall sit in judgment, upon all those who say in
there hearts, We all sit in safety; and puffeth at [n]<h>im, Th[s]<e>se
are the words of the lord; yea[!]<,> pureword, like silver tryed in a
furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt \ save thy people, O Lord;
thou shalt keep them; thou shalt preserve them from the wick--edness, [of this]<of
these> generations for ever, and ever The wicked walk on evry side, and the
vilest men are exalted; but in the day of there pride thou shalt visit them.
|
KJV |
1867 Inspired Version (RLDS) |
|
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the Lord put I my trust: How
say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird
to your mountain? 2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow
upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. 3 If the foundations be
destroyed, what can the righteous do? 4 The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of
men. 5 The Lord trieth the
righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. 6 Upon the wicked he shall rain
snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. 7 For the righteous Lord loveth
righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. |
To the chief Musician, A Psalm
of David. In that day thou shalt come, O Lord; and I
will put my trust in thee. Thou shalt say unto thy people, for mine ear hath
heard thy voice; thou shalt say unto every soul, Flee unto my mountain; and
the righteous shall flee like a bird that is let go from the snare of the
fowler. 2 For the wicked bend their bow; lo, they
make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the
upright in heart, to destroy their foundation. 3 But the foundations of the wicked shall be
destroyed, and what can they do? 4 For the Lord, when he shall come into his
holy temple, sitting upon God's throne in heaven, his eyes shall pierce the
wicked. 5 Behold his eyelids shall try the children
of men, and he shall redeem the righteous, and they shall be tried. The Lord
loveth the righteous, but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul
hateth. 6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares,
fire, and brimstone, and a horrible tempest, the portion of their cup. 7 For the righteous Lord loveth
righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. |
Old Testament Manuscript 2, pp. 83-84:
Chapter
XIth
1 Verse In that day thou shalt come, o Lord; and I
will put my trust in thee, T†hou shalt say unto thy people, for my ear
thath heard thy voice; thou shalt say unto evry soul, Flee unto my mountain[;]<,>
and the righteous shall flee like a bird that is let go from the snare of the
fowler. For the wicked bend there bow; low, they make ready ther arrow upon the
string, <that> they may privaly shoot at the upright in heart to destroy
there foundation[,]<.> Bud the foundations of the wicked shall be
destroyed, and what can they do? for the lord when he shall come into his holy
temple, sitting upon Gods throne in heaven, his eyes shall pierce the wicked[,]<.>
behold his eyes leds shall try the children of men, and he shall redeem the
righteous, and they shall be tryed, The Lord l<o>veth the righteous; but
the wicked, and h[e]<im> that loveth violence, his soul hateth. U†pon
the wicked he shall rain snairs, fire and brimstone, and an <a> horrible tempest,
the portion of there cup. For the righteous lord loveth righteousness; his
countinence doth be hold the upright.
as we journeyed, from Haran, by
the way of jersh Jurshon, to come th to the land of canaan. Now I
Abram, built an altar unto the Lord, in the land of Jurshon and made an
offiring unto the Lord and prayed that the famine, might be turned away from my
fathers house, that they might not perish; and then we passed from Jurshon
through the land unto the place of Sichem . . . (Book
of Abraham Manuscript, circa July–circa November 1835–C [Abraham 1:1–2:18]:9-10)
Beginning with the northern
kingdom, Israel, ostracon no. 41 from Samaria with the phrase cglyw,
"the calf (of) Yahweh", "the Yahweh-calf”, gives us an insight
into how the Israelites conceived of their national deity. This ostracon should
be compared with Hos. 8:5 f., where the prophet mentions "thy calf, Oh
Samaria" (cf. 13:2). This expression is usually understood to be a reference
to Baal. The phrase "cglyw shows, however, that Yahweh
was also worshipped in tauromorph form. Bull imagery is well-established for
Yahweh, as it is for both El and Baal. Hosea's "calf of Samaria",
Jeroboam's reference to Yahweh's being a bull at the festival at Bethel (1 Kgs.
12:28), and the bull statues at the state sanctuaries of Bethel and Dan (1 Kgs.
12) can all be seen as reflections of an old northern Yahwistic tradition which
conceived of Yahweh as a bull. The selective Judean tradents of the Old
Testament have presented this old northern tradition as an innovative act of
apostasy by the "renegade" Northern Kingdom. From the
religio-political viewpoint of the tradents, this kingdom should never have
existed. It was a break-away from Yahweh of Jerusalem and the Davidic dynasty.
It is thus not at all astonishing that the writers do not give us any detailed
information about the religious role of the Israelite capital, Samaria. It is
in harmony with their program that Samaria should not be given any leading
position as a center of Yahweh worship because for them only Jerusalem could
play such a role. (G. W. Ahlström, “An Archaeological Picture
of Iron Age Religions in Ancient Palestine,” Studia Orientalia 55, no. 3
[1984]: 125)
Turning
to Judah, the many figurines found in the soil of Palestine from the Bronze
through the Iron Age, among other things, are very important for drawing a
picture of the religion of the kingdom of Judah. We know from the textual
material that the Judahites and the Israelites used idols in their worship.
Ezek. 44:10 f. is a clear indication that both the Levites and the population
at large worshipped not only Yahweh, but also several other gods in idol-forms.
Ezek. 8:10 and 12 inform us that the people of Judah had many gods. The first
verse, 8:10, says, namely, that all the gods of the "house of Israel"
were depicted on the walls of the temple. Gideon and Micah made ephods, idols.
Nehuštan, the copper serpent, was in the temple of Yahweh until king Hezekiah
terminated his worship. The most well-known idol together with the bulls of
Jeroboam (1 Kgs. 12:28) is probably the bull of Exodus 32, the golden calf that
Aaron, the high-priest, made. Prophetic polemics against the many idols of
Judah testify to their place in the cult. Concerning Ezek. 8:10,12 one may
maintain that the prophet certainly did not invent what he is said to have
seen. Like most visions, his is built on reality and therefore tells us
something about the religion of his time. These pictures on the temple walls
may be representations of the gods of the divine assembly, known in Hebrew as the
qehal/sod qedošim, bene 'elim, or șeba'ot. These terms are
equivalent to the Akkadian puhur ilanī, and to the Ugaritic phr (bn)
'lm.
Like
Yahweh in the north, the southern Yahweh also appears to have been re-
presented as a bull. This is evidenced by a royal palace seal impression found
at Ramat Rachel, south of Jerusalem. It probably dates from the end of the Iron
II period. The stamp features a bull figurine with a sun disc between his
horns. Such symbols usually represent a solar deity. Since Yahweh, like most
Semitic gods, was identified with the bull in various texts, and since this
bull seal is from a royal palace of Judah, one can only conclude that it
represents Yahweh, the main god of the kingdom. The sun disc between the bull's
horns makes identification with the fertility god Baal impossible. (Ibid., 129-30)
The following is taken from:
Roger Cook, “God’s ‘Glory’: More Evidence for the Anthropomorphic
Nature of God in the Bible,” Apologia 1, no. 2 (May 1998): 7-8, 16
God’s ‘Glory’:
More Evidence for the Anthropomorphic Nature of God in the Bible
Roger Cook
One of the most oft criticized doctrines of Mormonism is the
belief that God is a glorified celestial person; a fully material and
anthropomorphic (human- like) being who occupies a specific physical location
and experiences in some manner a passage of time.
Mormons claim that this doctrine is in full agreement with
Biblical belief and evidence continues to mount that supports this position.
One of the more obscure evidences establishing this belief is the Hebrew word kabod,
a noun translated as 'glory' in the Old Testament. The kabod is an
ancient belief which stresses that God's physical form is surrounded by a
brilliant robe of light and (at sundry times) a veil of cloud or smoke, and is
thought to be a "visible manifestation" of the physical presence of
God.[1]
Early Hebrews and Christians believed that before one can
see God they must penetrate the dense veil of smoke and light that surrounds
him. The kabod is most often associated with God, but is also identified
with the appearance of Christ and the angels (cf., Ex 24:19, Luke 2:9, Acts
22:6-8, Rev 10:1). Psalms 18 describes how in the heavenly temple God masks
himself in smoke and fire before descending to the earth to aid David. The
poetical language states that there went a "smoke out of his nostrils, and
fire out of his mouth" (18:6-16).[2] Psalms 97:1-4 speaks of how God is
surrounded by cloud and mist, and fire proceeds before him. Psalms 104:1-4 also
speaks of God covering himself "with light as with a garment," riding
on cloud, and using flames of fire as his servant.
The Old and New Testaments state that when God appears to
men the phenomena of the kabod accompany him. For example, when Israel
gathers to worship at Mt. Sinai fire and smoke cover the sacred mountain as God
"descends" from heaven (Ex 19:18).
Immediately following the dedication of the temple of
Solomon a "cloud filled the house of the LORD," so that the priests
found that they could no longer minister in the temple, due to "the glory
of the LORD" that had filled the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).[3]
Exodus records that when Moses went into the tabernacle to
speak with God that a "cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door, and
the LORD talked with Moses" (33:9).[4]
The prophet Ezekiel describes a cloud in the distance filled
with fire, that speeds toward and descends upon him. In the cloud God is seen
seated on his throne (reminiscent of a chariot with wheels in motion),
surrounded by an encircling radiance compared to a rainbow in the clouds, and
called "the glory of the LORD" (Ez 1:4-28).[5] In like manner John
describes both billowing smoke and a brilliant light like a "rainbow"
encircling God as he sits upon his throne in the heavenly temple (Rev 15:8,
4:3).
One cannot help but compare Paul's vision of the glorified
Christ, when a light from heaven shone down on him (Acts 22:6); or the
"pillar of light" seen just before Joseph Smith's encounter with the Father
and the Son. It is interesting that Joseph was not able to see God and Christ
until he was fully enveloped by the descending kabod of God (Joseph
Smith-History 1:16-17).
God is considered to be physically present when the kabod
appears.[6] When traveling through the wilderness Israel was led by a
pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire at night (Ex 13:21-22). These pillars
are the kabod of God, and a close reading of the passage indicates that
they contain God's physical person.[7] Moses tells Israel that God is among
this people," even appearing "face to face," and goes before
them in the pillar as they journey to Canaan (Num 14:14). It is also clear from
Exodus 14:24 that God views the camp of the Egyptian army while physically
within the pillar of fire.[8] God also announces that he will deliver the ten commandments
to Moses and the people of Israel from the cloud on Mount Sinai, and Moses is
said to approach the dark cloud "where God was" (Exodus 19:9, 20:21).
At the Mount of Transfiguration Christ shines with his own kabod
as a "bright" cloud containing the presence of the Father moves
and hovers over the place where Christ and the disciples stand (Mat 17:1-8).
An understanding of the kabod can explain why it is
said that no one can see or come into the presence of God. John declares
"no man has seen God at any time" (1:18); but he also writes:
"he which is of God, he hath seen the Father" (6:46). Paul in like
manner describes God and Christ as "dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see" (1 Tim 6:16). Paul and
John make it understood that normally no mortal man can see God, as he resides
invisibly within the brilliant kabod. God chooses a select few to have
the privilege of penetrating the kabod and seeing him face to face. Paul
also declares that no man can approach the kabod of God.
It seems that men who are unprepared to see God will face
danger or death if they stand in his presence. Such are the warnings given to
Moses before Israel is presented to him at Mount Sinai. God instructs that the
people be warned not to rush forward into the cloud to gaze upon his majesty or
they will perish (Ex 19:21).
At an authorized time, and after intense preparation, Moses
and seventy of the elders of Israel are allowed within the kabod and see
God without perishing (Ex 24:9-11). One may not simply request to be allowed to
see within the kabod, but must merit the privilege.
In Exodus 33 Moses is allowed to see God face to face, but
Moses's request to see God's glory is later denied, with God only allowing
Moses to see his back, but not his face (11, 18-23). A notable exception is the
experience of the Brother of Jared.
Christ, masked by a cloud, appeared to the Brother of Jared
on several occasions (Ether 2:4,14). When the brother of Jared asked the Lord
to illuminate sixteen stones for his people, his faith caused the kabod to
partially part, so that "the veil was taken off the eyes of the brother of
Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord." The kabod
was then completely taken away, revealing the Lord as the pre-mortal Christ
(Ether 3:1-17).
Passages from the Old and New Testament make it clear that
God's physical body is surrounded by a glorious kabod, and that no
ordinary mortal man may approach nor see him because of the kabod's intense
nature. This is not, however, a complete prohibition against seeing the form of
God or Christ for those who are chosen and prepared. Thus, the Mormon doctrine
of an anthropomorphic God is again vindicated.
ENDNOTES:
1. R. Laird Harris, Gleason J. Archer, Jr., Bruce K Waltke,
eds., Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Moody Press, Chicago,
1980, 2 Vols.) Vol. 1, "kabod II, glory," 943e, 427; cf., Gerhard
Kittel and Gerhand Friedrich, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament (Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, 1985 178-181, for more
meanings of kabod and its Greek equivalent doxa.
2. Clyde A. Holbrook, The Iconoclastic Deity (London and
Toronto, Associated University Presses, 1984), 113.
3. Diana Vihander Edelman, ed., The Triumph of Elohim, From
Yahwisms to Judaisms (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 1996), Brian B. Schmidt, The
Aniconic Tradition: On Reading Images and Viewing Texts, p 91; Thomas S.
Mann, Divine Presence and Guidance in Israelite Traditions: The Typology of
Exaltation (John Hopkins, Baltimore, 1977) 217-218.
4. Schmidt, 91; Mann, 144-145; E. Theodore Mullen, Jr., The
Assembly of the Gods; The Divine Council in Canaanite and Early Hebrew
Literature, Harvard Semitic Monographs 24 (Scholars Press, Chico
California, 1980) p 171; Holbrook, 113-114.
5. Luis Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World
(Rome, 1970) 109.
6. Mark Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other
Ancient Deities in Ancient Israel (Harper and Row, San Francisco, 1990),
100.
7. Mann, 131-32.
8. Cross explains that both are manifestations of the kabod
of God, and that the angel of God's presence is also at times present in
the pillar; Frank Moore Cross, Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic, Essays in the
History of the Religion of Israel (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts,
1973) 30, 164.
This passage of Isaiah can have multiple
meanings:
1.
The Salt Lake Temple in the Rocky Mountains. President
Wilford Woodruff mentioned this Isaiah passage in the Salt Lake Temple
dedicatory prayer (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, 337)
2.
The New Jerusalem Temple in Independence,
Missouri (D&C 57:1-3 and headnote)
3.
The Old Jerusalem Temple (D&C 133:12-13) (D.
Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, The Old Testament Verse By Verse, 2
vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013], 2:183)
Here is the excerpt from the dedicatory prayer for the Salt
Lake temple:
O Lord, we regard with intense
and indescribable feelings the completion of this sacred house. Deign to accept
this the fourth Temple, which Thy Covenant Children have been assisted by Thee
in erecting in these mountains. In past ages Thou didst inspire with Thy Holy
Spirit Thy servants, the prophets to speak of the time in the latter days when
the mountain of the Lord’s house should be established in the tops of the
mountains, and should be exalted above the hills. We thank Thee that we have
had the glorious opportunity of contributing to the fulfillment of these
visions of Thine ancient Seers, and that Thou hast condescended to permit us to
take part in the great work. And as this portion of Thy servants’ words has
thus so marvelously been brought to pass, we pray Thee, with increased faith
and renewed hope, that all their words with regard to thy great work in
gathering Thine Israel and building up Thy kingdom on earth in the last days
may be as amply fulfilled, and that, O Lord, speedily. (Wilford Woodruff, “Great
Salt Lake City Utah Temple Dedicatory Prayer,” April 6, 1893, repr. Selected
Manifestations, comp. Davi M. Reay and Vonda S. Reay [Oakland, Calif.:
Self-Published, 1985], 133)
Isaiah 51:19-20 (2 Nephi
8:19-20)
Isaiah 51:19 has “these two
things”; the Hebrew simply says “these two.” On the other hand, 2 Nephi 8:19
has “these two sons,” who have the priesthood. These are the two witnesses, the
two prophets in Jerusalem at the end of days, the time of Armageddon. John the
Revelator also saw these two prophets. (D. Kelly Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, The
Old Testament Verse By Verse, 2 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013],
2:284)
The name Michael must be a
mistake for Merah, for it was Merab who married Adriel (v. 8; 1 Samuel
18:19). If it is indeed Michal, David’s wife and Saul’s daughter, who is meant,
this is a very bitter ending to their relationship as man and wife. (D. Kelly
Ogden and Andrew C. Skinner, The Old Testament Verse By Verse, 2 vols. [Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 2013], 2:456)
2 Samuel 21:8
מִיכַ֣ל
The king took the two sons of
Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and
the five sons of Merab daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of
Barzillai the Meholathite;
The Syr., Tg., two Hebrew
manuscripts, and several LXX manuscripts have “Merab” instead of “Michal” (cf.
1 Sam 18:19). (Rick Brennan and Israel Loken, The Lexham Textual
Notes on the Bible [Lexham Bible Reference Series; Bellingham, Wash.:
Lexham Press, 2014], Logos Bible Software edition)
8 a mlt Mss מפיבשת || b 2 Mss
מ(י)רב cf 𝔊Mss, 𝔖
ndb, 𝔗 mjrb drbjʾt mjkl ex 1 S 18,19 || c pc Mss cit לעזר׳ cf 𝔊Mss𝔖. (Gérard E. Weil, K.
Elliger, and W. Rudolph, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 5. Aufl., rev. [Stuttgart: Deutsche
Bibelgesellschaft, 1997], 546.
Merob MT has mykl,
“Michal,” but we know that Michal was childless (6:23) and that Adri(el) was
Merob’s husband (1 Sam 18:19). LXXL (merob) and MTMSS, therefore, are correct in reading mrb, “Merob” (cf. LXXM, Syr.,
Targ.). LXXB agrees with MT, but the fact that it renders mykl as michal instead of the usual LXX melchol
(3:13, etc.) shows that it is recensional and suggests (pace Barthélemy 1980:18–19) that merob was in fact the OG rendering. Thus merob cannot have been derived from 1 Sam 18:19, which was lacking
in OG (cf. I Samuel, pp. 299–309).
For the pronunciation of the name, see I
Samuel, the Textual Note at
14:49. A defense of MT’s reading (“Michal”) may be found in Glück 1965. For the
rabbinical explanations of the contradiction in MT between 6:23 and 21:8, see
Sanhedrin 21a. (P. Kyle McCarter Jr., II Samuel : A New
Translation with Introduction, Notes, and Commentary [AYB 9; New Haven:
Yale University Press, 2008], 439)