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)
In his defense of complementarianism vs. egalitarianism, Christadelphian apologist Jonathan Burke wrote:
Ian and Averil claim that Adam
did not name Eve twice,2395 but standard commentaries on the Hebrew
by both complementarians and egalitarians agree with Sparks on this point,2396
and agree with the significance of Adam naming Eve.2397 2398
2399 2400 2401 2402 2403
2404 (Jonathan Burke, “A Review of ‘All One’: Revisionism Examined,”
December 2010, p. 392; cf. Jonathan Burke, Rightly Dividing the Word: A Review
of ‘All One’ [Bible Interpretation Series 1; LivelyStones Publishing,
2012], 225-26)
Here are the notes from pp. 392-93:
2395 ‘It is incorrect to say that
Adam “names” Eve in Genesis 2:23 “as he does the animals (2:20)” before the
fall. As we point out, the expressions and circumstances are very different. He
does name her in 3:20, after the fall, though even then it is not reasonable to
suggest that this is intended to expresses authority over her. It is a
statement of fact, not a declaration of authority.’, ‘Reply 2’, p. 81 (April 2009)
2396 The same Hebrew verb is used
in Genesis 2:20 when Adam names the animals, Genesis 2:23 when he names Eve,
and Genesis 3:20 when he names Eve again; it is the verb commonly used
throughout the Old Testament when people are given names by their parents, or
by those in authority over them
2397 ‘Here the first man names
the first woman in a similar fashion. Though they are equal in nature, that
man names woman (cf. 3:20) indicates that she is expected to be subordinate to
him, an important presupposition of the ensuing narrative (3:17).’, ’20-21 Like
the second scene (2:18–25), this, the penultimate scene, has the man’s
naming of his wife and a mention of their clothing.’,
Wenham, ‘Genesis 1-15’, Word
Biblical Commentary, volume 1, pp. 70, 93 (2002) 2398 ‘Now, however, the man
gives out the name: she shall be called Woman because she was taken out of
Man.’, ‘The man called his wife’s name Eve: because the Hebrew for man
contains the article, RSV switches back to The man. However, TEV now calls him “Adam,”
since the woman is named for the first time here also.’, Reyburn &
Fry, ‘A Handbook on Genesis’, UBS Handbook Series, pp. 75, 97 (1997)
2399 ‘Insofar as the power of
naming implies authority, the text voices the social reality of the ancient
Near East. Yet the terminology used here differs from that employed in
verse 20 for naming the animals. Here the man gives her a generic, not a
personal, name, and that designation is understood to be derived from his own, which
means he acknowledges woman to be his equal.’, ‘20. The man named his
wife Previously he had given her a generic name (2:23). Now she acquires a
personal one that expresses her nature and destiny positively and
sympathetically.’, Sarna, ‘Genesis’, JPS Torah Commentary, pp. 23., 29 (1989)
2400 ‘The man has already called
her “woman” (2:23); why a double naming?’, Hamilton (egalitarian), The
Book of Genesis: chapters 1-17’, New International Commentary on the Old
Testament, p. 206 (1990) 2401 ‘Adam gives his wife a name, but she already
has a name (2:23b)’, Coats, ‘Genesis: With an Introduction to Narrative
Literature’, Forms of the Old Testament Literature, volume 1, p. 56 (1983)
2402 ‘Fourthly, the wife is
under the authority of her husband: he names her woman (23) and later Eve
(3:20), just as earlier he had named the animals (19). This concept of
the man’s head-ship is taken for granted elsewhere in the Bible (e.g. 1 Cor.
11:3; 1 Pet. 3:1–6).’, Carson et al, ‘New Bible Commentary: 21st century
edition’ (4th rev. ed. 1994)
2403 ‘Adam earlier had named the
animals, which was a demonstration of his authority over them. Here his
naming of Eve suggests Adam’s position of rule, as referred to in verse 16.’,
Walton, Matthews, & Chavalas, ‘IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament’,
p. (electronic ed. 2000)
2404 ‘The one with authority
to name (2:19), in his climactic act, captures the essence of this newest
creature.’, Ortlund, ‘Man and Woman’, in Alexander & Rosner, ‘New
Dictionary of Biblical Theology’ (electronic ed. 2001)
σωθήσεται δὲ διὰ τῆς τεκνογονίας,
ἐὰν μείνωσιν ἐν πίστει καὶ ἀγάπῃ καὶ ἁγιασμῷ μετὰ σωφροσύνης· (1 Tim 2:15)
But she will be delivered
through childbearing, if she continues in faith and love and holiness with
self-control. (NET)
In the note
for 1 Tim 2:15, we read the following from the NET Bible:
24 tn Or “But she will be preserved
through childbearing,” or “But she will be saved in spite of childbearing.”
This verse is notoriously difficult to interpret, though there is general
agreement about one point: Verse 15 is intended to lessen the impact of vv.
13–14. There are several interpretive possibilities here, though the first
three can be readily dismissed (cf. D. Moo,”1 Timothy 2:11–15: Meaning and
Significance,” TJ 1 [1980]: 70–73).
(1) Christian women will be saved, but only if they bear children. This view is
entirely unlikely for it lays a condition on Christian women that goes beyond
grace, is unsupported elsewhere in scripture, and is explicitly against Paul’s
and Jesus’ teaching on both marriage and salvation (cf. Matt 19:12; 1 Cor
7:8–9, 26–27, 34–35; 1 Tim 5:3–10). (2) Despite the curse, Christian women will
be kept safe when bearing children. This view also is unlikely, both because it
has little to do with the context and because it is not true to life
(especially life in the ancient world with its high infant mortality rate). (3)
Despite the sin of Eve and the results to her progeny, she would be saved
through the childbirth—that is,
through the birth of the Messiah, as promised in the protevangelium (Gen 3:15). This view sees the singular “she” as
referring first to Eve and then to all women (note the change from singular to
plural in this verse). Further, it works well in the context. However, there
are several problems with it: [a] The future tense (σωθήσηται, sōthēsētai) is unnatural if referring to the protevangelium or even to the historical fact of the Messiah’s
birth; [b] that only women are singled out as recipients of salvation seems odd
since the birth of the Messiah was necessary for the salvation of both women and men; [c] as ingenious as this view
is, its very ingenuity is its downfall, for it is overly subtle; and [d] the
term τεκνογονία (teknogonia) refers to the process of childbirth rather than the product. And since it is the person of
the Messiah (the product of the birth) that saves us, the term is unlikely to
be used in the sense given it by those who hold this view. There are three
other views that have greater plausibility: (4) This may be a somewhat veiled
reference to the curse of Gen 3:16 in order to clarify that though the woman
led the man into transgression (v. 14b), she will be saved spiritually despite
this physical reminder of her sin. The phrase is literally “through
childbearing,” but this does not necessarily denote means or instrument here.
Instead it may show attendant circumstance (probably with a concessive force):
“with, though accompanied by” (cf. BDAG 224 s.v. δία A.3.c; Rom 2:27; 2 Cor 2:4; 1 Tim
4:14). (5) “It is not through active teaching and ruling activities that
Christian women will be saved, but through faithfulness to their proper role,
exemplified in motherhood” (Moo, 71). In this view τεκνογονία is seen as a synecdoche in which
child-rearing and other activities of
motherhood are involved. Thus, one evidence
(though clearly not an essential
evidence) of a woman’s salvation may be seen in her decision to function in
this role. (6) The verse may point to some sort of proverbial expression now
lost, in which “saved” means “delivered” and in which this deliverance was from
some of the devastating effects of the role reversal that took place in Eden.
The idea of childbearing, then, is a metonymy of part for the whole that
encompasses the woman’s submission again to the leadership of the man, though
it has no specific soteriological import (but it certainly would have to do
with the outworking of redemption). (The NET Bible First Edition
Notes [Biblical Studies Press, 2006], Logos Bible Software edition)
Meaning
The first commandment (thus
consisting of Ex 20:3, 5-6a / Dt 5:7, 9-10a) is plainly and explicitly
intolerant of other gods: One may not have other gods. Although one could suggest
that the על-פני in the first part of the command (Ex 20:3 / Dt 5:7) limits the
prohibition in some way, the second part of the command (Ex 20:5 / Dt 5:9)
reveals the intention of the first part as well: לא־תשתחוה and לא־תעבד
explicitly and generally prohibit the worship of other gods. Accordingly, the
first part should be understood as a general prohibition against having any
gods in one's life. Moreover, the jealousy or zeal of Yahwe (אל קנא) is best
understood in relation to other gods: One of His characteristics is that He is
The use of this word not only implies the existence of 10 intolerant or zealous
towards them. other gods but also that Yahwe does not accept them in the lives
of the Israelites. (Juha Pakkala, Intolerant
Monolatry in the Deuteronomistic History [Publications of the Finnish
Exegetical Society 76; Helsinki/Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1999], 62-63)
While looking up 19th-century Latter-day Saint discussions of John 6 for a lesson I will be teaching this Sunday, I came across the following from Brigham Young:
It is an easy matter for me to
understand the information the Lord has imparted to me, and then communicate
the same to you. Will the bread administered in this ordinance add life to you?
Will the wine add life to you? Yes; if you are hungry and faint, it will
sustain the natural strength of the body. But suppose you have just eaten and
drunk till you are full, so as not to require another particle of food to
sustain the natural body; you have eaten all your nature requires; do you then
receive any benefit from. the bread and wine as mere articles of food? As far
as the emblems are concerned, you receive strength naturally, when the body
requires it, precisely as you would by eating bread, and drinking wine, at any
other time, or on any other occasion.
In what consists the benefit we
derive from this ordinance? It is in obeying the commands of the Lord. When we
obey the commandments of our heavenly Father, if we have a correct
understanding of the ordinances of the house of God, we receive all the promises
attached to the obedience rendered to His commandments. Jesus said—Verily,
verily I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of God, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you. Again, "He that eateth me,"
"shall live by me." Again, "Whose eateth my flesh, and drinketh,
my blood, hath eternal life." "For my flesh is meat indeed, and my
blood is drink indeed."
Can you understand these sayings
of the Saviour? These sayings are but isolated portions of the vast amount of
instructions given by him to his followers in his day. Had a thousandth part of
his teachings to them been handed down to us, and all his doings been
faithfully recorded and transmitted to us, we should not have known what to do
with such a vast amount of information. The Apostle says, "And there are
also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written
every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books
that should be written."
Allow me to explain this text.
The Apostle could not possibly mean what the language of the quotation implies
—that the whole earth would have been covered with books to a certain depth;
no, but he meant, by that saying, there would have been more written than the
world of mankind would receive, or credit. The people then were as they are in
this day—they are continually reaching after something that is not revealed,
when there is more written already than they can comprehend. Instead of saying
the world could not contain the books, we will say there would have been more
written than the people would carry out in their lives.
I will now tell you what the
Saviour meant by those wonderful expressions touching his body and blood. It is
simply this—"If you do not keep the commandments of God, you will have no
life of the Son of God in you." Jesus, as they were eating, took the
bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said,
"Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and gave
it to them; saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New
Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." What were they
required to drink it for? What are we partaking of these emblems for? In token
of our fellowship with him, and in token that we desire to be one with each
other, that we may all be one with the Father. His administering these symbols
to his ancient disciples, and which he commanded should be done until he came,
was for the express purpose that they should witness unto the Father that they
did believe in him. But on the other hand, if they did not obey this
commandment, they should not be blessed with his spirit.
It is the same in this, as it is
in the ordinance of baptism for the remission of sins. Has water, in itself,
any virtue to wash away sin? Certainly not; but the Lord says, "If the
sinner will repent of his sins, and go down into the waters of baptism, and
there be buried in the likeness of being put into the earth and buried, and
again be delivered from the water, in the likeness of being born—if in the
sincerity of his heart he will do this, his sins shall be washed away. Will the
water of itself wash them away? No; but keeping the commandments of God will
cleanse away the stain of sin.
When we eat of this bread, and
drink of this water, do we eat the literal flesh of the Son of God? Were I a
priest of the Roman Catholic church, and had been trained from my youth in that
faith, I might believe fully, with my whole heart, that my prayers would
transform the bread of the eucharist into the literal flesh, and the wine into
the literal blood, of the Son of God. But notwithstanding my faith on that
matter, the bread and wine would be just the same in their component parts, and
would administer to the mortal systems of men, or of beasts, the same amount
and kind of nutriment that the same quantity of unblessed bread and wine would.
If bread and wine are blessed, dedicated, and sanctified, through the sincerity
and faith of the people of God, then the Spirit of the Lord, through the
promise, rests upon the individuals who thus keep His commandments, and are
diligent in obeying the ordinances of the house of God. So I understand all the
ordinances of the house of the Lord. You know we used to get down upon our
knees and pray for the remission of sins; and we would pray until we got peace
of mind, and then we thought our sins were forgiven. I have no fault to find
with this, it is all right. Many in this way have been made to rejoice in the
hope of eternal life, to rejoice in the gift of the Spirit of the Lord, and in
the light of His countenance. Many received heavenly visions, revelations, the
ministering of holy angels, and the manifestations of the power of God, until
they were satisfied; and all this before the ordinances of the house of God
were preached to the people. They obtained those blessings through their faith,
and the sincerity of their hearts. It was this that called down heavenly
blessings upon them. It was their fervency of spirit, and not their obedience
to the celestial law, through which they received such blessings; and it was
all right. What is required of us when the law comes? We must obey it, as old
Paul did. He was a servant of God in all good conscience, when he took care of
the clothes of those who stoned Stephen to death; but when the law came, sin
revived in his, and he said, "I died." That is, his former notions of
serving God, his former incorrect traditions, all appeared to him in their true
light, and that upon which he had trusted for salvation as baseless as a dream,
when the law of the Lord came by Jesus Christ; and in it he found the promises
and the gifts and the blessings of the holy Gospel, through obedience to the
ordinances. That is the only legal way to obtain salvation, and an exaltation
in the presence of God. (Brigham Young, “The Gospel—Growing in Knowledge—the
Lord's Supper—Blessings of Faithfulness—Utility of Persecution—Creation of
Adam—Experience,” October 23, 1853, JOD 2:3-5)
It is also striking that Brigham understands that water
baptism is the instrumental means of remission of sins; getting immersed in
water merely does not bring about remission of sins and regeneration.
Here
is the transcription from the Pitman version from LaJean Carruth:
it would be an easy matter for me
to understand what the Lord has given me and then to tell you what I understand
will the bread add life to you will the wine add life to you yes if you are
hungry and fainting it sustains the body but suppose you have just eat drunk
and you are full you need not another mouthful not another particle no crumb to
sustain your natural body you have all your nature requires is there any
benefit do we receive strength as far as these emblems are concerned you
receive strength naturally precisely as you would from eating bread and
drinking wine at any other place or on any other occasion but where is the
benefit this is the question it is in obeying the commandment of the Lord when
we obey the commandment of Lord our Father if we have a correct understanding
of ordinances of house of God we receive precisely according to promises given
through that commandment Jesus says if you eat not you drink not you have no life
in you again he that eateth of this bread eats of my body how can you
understand that he that drinks of this cup drinks my blood how can you
understand that I can tell you in a word not the hundredth thousand millionth
part of instructions he gave to his disciples was handed to us no if acts words
and saying and doing of Savior had been written there would have been more than
they known what done with it apostle says world would not receive it you may
understand it so. Or say more books that covered the earth to the depth of
[illegible] done the people no good I will tell you what the apostle meant by
that saying I will take this New Testament and now then suppose I am one of his
apostle [sic] I am preaching to the people explaining as fast as I can possibly
faster than they can understand the people were then as they are now why not
tell us something more I will say there is more written than you can understand
though that is the way I explain it instead of saying the world could not
contain there is more written than you carry out in your lives that will
explain it now I will tell what the Savior meant and what I mean if you don't
keep the commandments of God you will have no life of the Son of God in you
Jesus says take this bread and eat of it take this cup and drink of it what for
I want you should do it in token of your fellowship with me that your desire to
be one with each other with me as I and Father are one I want you should take
this as proof testimony if you do this in all sincerity you shall have my Holy
Spirit to attend the ordinances but if you don't you shall not have my spirit
just as it is in the case of baptism has water any way to wash away sin no
certainly not the efficacy of water can't wash away your sins but the Lord says
if you will repent of your sins go down in water baptized and there be buried
in likeness of being put into earth and being born again and when you are
brought forth if you do this in all sincerity your sins shall be washed away
will the water wash them away how many times this question asked elders no but
keeping the commandments of God will wash them away and cleanse us from all the
sin when we eat of this bread and drink of water do we eat the flesh of Son of
God do we drink his blood perhaps if I was a Catholic priest I would pray over
it and turn it into blood and bread into flesh in my own estimation but it would
be just as good for chickens mice or person to eat as it was before or any of
the creatures of God to eat but if it was dedicated sanctified and blessed
through the sincerity faith of people to before/bear/br/bfr[?] themselves the
Spirit of Lord there the promise rests upon the individual who keeps the
commandments and ordinances of house of God so I understand all the ordinances
of the house of the Lord one the same as another we used to get down you know
and pray for remission of sins how long would we pray until we got peace of
mind then we thought our sins were forgiven all right many have been made to
rejoice in the hope of eternal life to rejoice in the gifting of the Spirit of
the Lord in the light of his countenance many have received vision and visions
and revelations and ministering of angles the manifestations of power of God
until they are satisfied and were satisfied before the ordinances of house of
God was preached to the people that is through their sincerity their faith that
called down the blessings it was their fervency of spirit to yield obedience to
all the requirements of law when they that received the blessing of light what
will we do when the law comes we will have to do the whole of it as Paul did a
servant of God in all good conscience when he held clothes of those stoned
Stephen but when he the law came then sin revived in him and he said I died that
is to his former notions of serving God it was all gone when the law came he
found the law promises the covenants and blessings of holy gospel through the
ordinances of his house and that is the legal way to preserve them to
themselves and be saved by them well simply in a few words that is the way I
understand all the ordinances of house of God there is no [perform?]
Commenting on the use of “wild beasts of the islands” in the KJV of Isa 13:22 (cf. 2 Nephi 23:22), David P. Wright wrote:
Isa. 13:22//2 Ne. 23:22: “Wild
beasts of the islands.” The Hebrew would is not connected with “coast, region”;
it should be rendered simply “wild/desert beasts” or specifically “jackals” or “hyenas.”
(David P. Wright, “Isaiah in the Book of Mormon: Or, Joseph Smith in Isaiah,”
in American Apocrypha: Essays on the Book of Mormon, ed. Dan Vogel and
Brent Lee Metcalfe [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002], 172)
This may be
another case (common throughout the essay) of Wright imposing modern meanings of words/phrases back into the 1830 Book of Mormon and the 1611 KJV. As Albert Banes, a
19th-century commentator, wrote:
22. And the wild beasts of the islands (אִיִּים);
see Notes, ch. 11:11; 41:1, on the word rendered ‘islands.’ The word denotes
islands, or coasts, and as those coasts and islands were unknown and
unexplored, the word seems to have denoted unknown and uninhabited regions
in general. Bochart supposes that by the word here used is denoted a
species of wolves, the jackal, or the thoes.
It is known as a wild animal, exceedingly fierce, and is also distinguished by
alternate howlings in the night (see
Bochart’s Hieroz. i. 3. 12). The word
wolf probably will not express an erroneous idea here. The Chaldee renders it,
‘Cats.’ (Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Isaiah, 2
vols. [London: Blackie & Sons, 1851], 1:261, emphasis in bold added)
Note on 11:11:
And from the islands of the sea. This expression probably denotes
the islands situated in the Mediterranean, a part of which were known to the
Hebrews. But, as geography was imperfectly known, the phrase came to denote the
regions lying west of the land of Canaan; the unknown countries which were
situated in that sea, or west of it, and thus included the countries lying
around the Mediterranean. The word translated ‘islands’ here (אִיִים)
means properly habitable dry land, in
opposition to water; Isa. 42:13: ‘I will make the rivers dry land;’ where to translate it islands would make nonsense. Hence, it means also land adjacent to
water, either washed by it, or surrounded by it, that is, a maritime country,
coast, or island. Thus it means coast
when applied to Ashdod (Isa. 20:6); to Tyre (Isa. 22:2, 6); to Peloponnesus or
Greece (called Chittim, Ezek. 27:6). It means an island when applied to Caphtor or Crete (Jer. 47:4; Amos 9:7). The
word was commonly used by the Hebrews to denote distant regions beyond the sea, whether coasts or islands, and
especially the maritime countries of the West, to them imperfectly known
through the voyages of the Phenicians; see Note on ch. 41:1; comp. Isa. 24:15;
40:15; 42:4, 10, 12; 51:5. (Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old
Testament: Isaiah, 2 vols. [London: Blackie & Sons, 1851], 1:236)
Note on 41:11:
O islands (אִיִּים). This word properly
means islands, and is so translated
here by the Vulgate, the LXX., the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the Arabic. But the
word also is used to denote maritime countries; countries that were situated on
sea-coasts, or the regions beyond sea (see Note on ch. 20:6). The word is
applied, therefore, to the islands of the Mediterranean; to the maritime
coasts; and then, also, it comes to be used in the sense of any lands or coasts far remote, or
beyond sea (see Ps. 72:10; Isa. 24:15; Notes on ch. 40:15; 41:5; 42:4, 10, 12;
49:1; Jer. 25:22; Dan. 11:18). Here it is evidently used in the sense of
distant nations or lands; the people who were remote from Palestine, and who
were the worshippers of idols. The argument is represented as being with them, and they are invited to
prepare their minds by suitable reverence for God for the argument which was to
be presented. (Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Isaiah, 2
vols. [London: Blackie & Sons, 1851], 2:79)