Sunday, May 29, 2022

Orson Hyde's Mission to Jerusalem

 In a letter to the editor of the Times and Seasons, June 15, 1841, Orson Hyde wrote the following:

 

"Since I have arrived to years of more mature reflection, and become religiously inclined, the writings of the Jewish prophets have won my affections; and the scattered and oppressed condition of that people, has enlisted the finest sympathies of my heart. Believing therefore, that the words of Hosea the prophet 2. 23, connected with your magnanimity, will prohibit the indulgence of any prejudice in your feelings against the author of this production, in consequence of his not being able, by any existing document or record, to identify himself with your nation."

 

"About nine years ago, a young man with whom I had had a short acquaintance, and one, too, in whom dwelt much wisdom and knowledge in whose bosom the Almighty had deposited many secrets, laid his hands upon my head, and pronounced these remarkable words: 'In due time, thou shalt go to Jerusalem, the land of thy fathers, and be a watchman unto the house of Israel; and by thy hands, shall the Most High do a good work, which shall prepare the way, and greatly facilitate the gathering together of that people.' Many other particulars were told me by him, at that time, which I do not write in this letter: But sufficient is written to show that divine appointment is claimed as the main-spring that has sent me forth from the embraces of an affectionate family, and kind friends as well as from the land that gave me birth." (Times and Seasons 2, no. 23 [October 1, 1841]: 552-53, emphasis added)

 

According to critic Dick Bear

 

This was a prophecy given to Orson Hyde, one of the twelve apostles that Joseph Smith had chosen.

 

History records that Orson Hyde did go to Jerusalem.  However, for those Mormons that feel that he did a great work and greatly facilitated the gathering of the Jews they are sadly mistaken.  Orson Hyde dedicated Jerusalem on October 24, 1841.  It took 107 years for the Jews to return.  I believe I can safely say that when the Jews returned in 1948 there was not one single Jew who had ever heard of Orson Hyde.  Only by performing mental gymnastics can you accept this as a true prophecy. (Dick Baer, Letter to Family & Friends)

 

In reality, however, this is an example of a fulfilled prophecy. As John A. Tvedtnes wrote in response to Baer:

 

It doesn't take "mental gymnastics" to accept this as a fulfilled prophecy, only a better knowledge of history than Mr. Baer displays. The Jews did not return in 1948, as he states, but were already there in large numbers prior to that time. A brief summary of the history of the return is given here:

 

1800 There were about 10,000 Jews in Palestine, by estimates of the time.

 

1823 During his visit to Joseph Smith, on the night of September 21, Moroni indicated that the time for the gathering of Israel was near.

 

1836 On April 3, Moses restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery the keys of the gathering of Israel.

 

1839 Sir Moses Montefiore, in meetings held in London, mooted the idea of an autonomous Jewish state. There was support from some prominent British statesmen. Montefiore entered into negotiations with Muhammad Ali, ruler of Egypt and Palestine, to gain a charter for Jewish settlement in Palestine. The attempt failed when Muhammad Ali fell from power in 1841, deposed by the Turks.

 

1840 The first Hebrew printing press, which had been set up in Safed in 1831, was moved to Jerusalem. In this year, there were several proposals for Jewish immigration to Palestine. Rev. Wilson Filson Marsh published an article in Der Orient, proposing that a Jewish state be set up as a buffer between Egypt and Turkey. Abraham Benisch (who became editor of the London Jewish Chronicle) sent a memorandum to the Foreign Office, detailing plans for Jewish settlement in Palestine. The idea received public approval from several British notables.

 

1841 On October 24, Orson Hyde dedicated the land of Palestine for the return of the Jews, from atop the Mount of Olives.

 

1852 Judah Alkali wrote and distributed pamphlets in London, encouraging Jewish return to Palestine.

 

1854 Sir Moses Montefiore and others established the Jewish Hospital in Jerusalem.

 

1861 The Jewish population of Jerusalem had grown too large for the Old City. As a consequence, the first Jewish quarter (Mishkenot Shaananim) outside the city walls was built, under sponsorship of Sir Moses Montefiore. The first land expressly sought for agricultural purposes was purchased by Jews at Moza, where settlement began in 1873.

 

1863 The first Hebrew journal began publication in Jerusalem.

 

1869 With continued expansion of the Jewish population of Jerusalem, the suburb of Nahalot Shiva was established.

 

1870 The Jewish Mikveh Israel Agricultural School was opened near Jaffa, to teach immigrating Jews how to be farmers.

 

1872 Continued growth in the Jewish population of Jerusalem necessitated the establishment of another suburb, Mea Shearim.

 

1873 Because Orson Hyde, in 1841, had not had any witnesses to his dedication of the Holy Land (John E. Page had not kept his promise to accompany him to Jerusalem), Brigham Young had decided to send another group to dedicate the land. In February of 1873, this group, headed by Pres. George A. Smith, rededicated the land for the return of the Jews, in a tent erected atop the Mount of Olives.

 

1878 The first Palestinian Jewish agricultural settlement (Petah Tikvah} was founded.

 

1880 By this year, Jews had become the majority of the population of Palestine's then-largest city, Jerusalem. Ben-Yehudah arrived in Palestine and revived the Hebrew language as the official tongue of the local Jewish population.

 

1882 The Bilu and Hibbat Zion movements were formed in Russia and began promoting settlement in Palestine. This was the year of the "First Aliyah (immigration), when thousands fled Russia and Rumania and settled in Palestine. The first all-Jewish Palestinian town (Rishon le-Zion) was established.

 

1894 The increasing Jewish population of Jerusalem made it necessary to found another settlement (Yemin Moshe) outside the city walls.

 

1897 The first Zionist Congress was convened in Basel, Switzerland, under the leadership of Theodor Herzl. Plans for the resettlement of Jews in Palestine were made.

 

1898 On May 8, 1898, Anthon H. Lund of the Quorum of the Twelve rededicated the Holy Land from atop the Mount of Olives.

 

1902 Francis M. Lyman and others visited the Holy Land and rededicated it. Two prayers were offered on March 4, one atop the Mount of Olives and the other in Elder Lyman's hotel room. On March 16, another prayer was offered atop Mount Carmel in Haifa.

 

1905 The "Second Aliyah" (immigration) brought thousands of Jews from Russia to Palestine, following an abortive Socialist revolution in their homeland.

 

1909 The first kibbutz or collective farm (Deganiah) was established on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee, by the Jewish National Fund. That same year, Tel-Aviv (now the world's largest all-Jewish city) was founded just north of Jaffa.

 

1914 At the outbreak of World War I, there were 85,000 Jews in Palestine.

 

1917 At the instigation of Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann, the British foreign office issued a white paper (the "Balfour Declaration") favoring the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

 

1919 The Emir Feisal, son of Emir Hussein and the chief Arab delegate to the Paris Peace Conference, met on January 3 with the Zionist leader Chaim Weizmann and an agreement was drawn up for the establishment of Palestine as a Jewish state.

 

1919-23           The "Third Aliyah" (immigration) brought many thousands of Jews of the Hehazlutz movement from Russia, Poland and Galicia to Palestine.

 

1920 The Haganah was organized as a Jewish army to protect the Palestinian Jews from Arab attacks: in 1948, it became the Israel Defense Forces. In December of 1920, the Histadrut - the Jewish labor union, still active in Israel - was founded.

 

1921 On November 3, Elders David O. McKay and Hugh J. Cannon, of the Quorum of the Twelve, rededicated the Holy Land. There were widespread Arab riots and attacks on Palestinian Jewish settlements, in protest over Jewish immigration.

 

1922 In response to Arab riots and demands, the British issued a white paper which temporarily halted Jewish immigration to Palestine.

 

1924-28 The "Fourth Aliyah" (immigration) brought thousands of Jews from Poland.

 

1925 Official opening of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, on April 1.

 

1927 On October 18, James E. Talmage, of the Quorum of the Twelve, rededicated the Holy Land from atop Mount Carmel. By this year, the Palestinian Jewish community was large enough to demand - and receive permission from the British mandage government to organize its own National Council.

 

1929 Widespread Arab riots and attacks on Palestinian Jewish settlements took place, in protest over Jewish immigration. There were already 160,000 Jews in the country.

 

1933 In May, Elder John A. Widtsoe, of the Quorum of Twelve, rededicated the Holy Land from atop the Mount of Olives. There were more widespread Arab riots and attacks on Palestinian Jewish settlements, in protest over Jewish immigration.

 

1933-36 The "Fifth Aliyah" (immigration) brought some 164,267 "letal" immigrants from Nazi Germany to Palestine. Many others slipped in illegally.

 

1936 By the spring of this year, there were nearly 400,000 Jews in Palestine, comprising 30% of the total population.

 

1936-38 Widespread Arab riots and attacks on Palestinian Jewish settlements, in protest over Jewish immigration.

 

1939 At the outbreak of World War II, the Jewish population of Palestine had reached half a million.

 

As can be readily seen from the list, "Zionist" activity increased significantly after the restoration of the keys of the gathering in 1836. In his 1841 prayer, Orson Hyde asked the Lord to inspire the Jews to return home and to inspire the heads of nations to assist them in this. This is exactly what happened. In 1950, Orson Hyde was honored by the World Zionist Organization for his work in preparing for the return of the Jews and in 1979, a park in his honor was dedicated outside Jerusalem, at the instigation of the Israeli government and the municipality of Jerusalem. Inside the park is a large plaque containing his prayer in both Hebrew and English. The present author translated that prayer into Hebrew and it was originally hand-printed on parchment for presentation to President Harold B. Lee, when he came to Israel in September, 1972. At 3:00 AM (Jerusalem time) on the day before President Lee's departure, Mayor Teddy Kolleck of Jerusalem received a call from David Kennedy, who reminded him of a conversation they had had a few years previous concerning Orson Hyde. Kolleck had suggested, at that time, that there should be a monument to Orson Hyde in Jerusalem. Now was the time to discuss it. The mayor presented the idea to President Lee and the Orson Hyde Park was under way. In December of 1972, David Galbraith and I called on Mayor Kolleck to give him a copy of the English/Hebrew prayer on imitation parchment (a photocopy of the original, which also formed the basis for the monument). When Mr. Kolleck unrolled the scroll, he began reading the Hebrew side, then switched to the English. After just a moment, he stopped and said, "Why, this is the Orson Hyde Prophecy. I don't need to read it; I've memorized it. Do you want to hear me repeat it?" So much for the Jews not acknowledging Orson Hyde! (John A. Tvedntes, A Reply to Dick Baer)

 

The following is the prayer Orson Hyde offered on the Mount of Olives, Sunday morning, October 24,1841:

 

O Thou! who art from everlasting to everlasting, eternally and unchangeably the same, even the God who rules in the heavens above, and controls the destinies of men on the earth, wilt Thou not condescend, through thine infinite goodness and royal favor, to listen to the prayer of Thy servant which he this day offers up unto Thee in the name of Thy holy child Jesus, upon this land, where the Son of Righteousness set in blood, and thine Anointed One expired.

Be pleased, O Lord, to forgive all the follies, weaknesses, vanities, and sins of Thy servant, and strengthen him to resist all future temptations. Give him prudence and discernment that he may avoid the evil, and a heart to choose the good; give him fortitude to bear up under trying and adverse circumstances, and grace to endure all things for Thy name's sake, until the end shall come, when all the Saints shall rest in peace.

 

<>Now, O Lord! Thy servant has been obedient to the heavenly vision which Thou gavest him in his native land; and under the shadow of Thine outstretched arm, he has safely arrived in this place to dedicate and consecrate this land unto Thee, for the gathering together of Judah's scattered remnants, according to the predictions of the holy Prophets--for the building up of Jerusalem again after it has been trodden down by the Gentiles so long, and for rearing a Temple in honor of Thy name. Everlasting thanks be ascribed unto Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast preserved Thy servant from the dangers of the seas, and from the plague and pestilence which have caused the land to mourn. The violence of man has also been restrained, and Thy providential care by night and by day has been exercised over Thine unworthy servant. Accept, therefore, O Lord, the tribute of a grateful heart for all past favors, and be pleased to continue Thy kindness and mercy towards a needy worm of the dust.

 

O Thou, Who didst covenant with Abraham, Thy friend, and who didst renew that covenant with Isaac, and confirm the same with Jacob with an oath, that Thou wouldst not only give them this land for an everlasting inheritance, but that Thou wouldst also remember their seed forever. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have long since closed their eyes in death, and made the grave their mansion. Their children are scattered and dispersed abroad among the nations of the Gentiles like sheep that have no shepherd, and are still looking forward for the fulfillment of those promises which Thou didst make concerning them; and even this land, which once poured forth nature's richest bounty, and flowed, as it were, with milk and honey, has, to a certain extent, been smitten with barrenness and sterility since it drank from murderous hands the blood of Him who never sinned.

 

Grant, therefore, O Lord, in the name of Thy well-beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to remove the barrenness and sterility of this land, and let springs of living water break forth to water its thirsty soil. Let the vine and olive produce in their strength, and the fig-tree bloom and flourish. Let the land become abundantly fruitful when possessed by its rightful heirs; let it again flow with plenty to feed the returning prodigals who come home with a spirit of grace and supplication; upon it let the clouds distil virtue and richness, and let the fields smile with plenty. Let the flocks and the herds greatly increase and multiply upon the mountains and the hills; and let Thy great kindness conquer and subdue the unbelief of Thy people. Do Thou take from them their stony heart, and give them a heart of flesh; and may the Sun of Thy favor dispel the cold mists of darkness which have beclouded their atmosphere. Incline them to gather in upon this land according to Thy word. Let them come like clouds and like doves to their windows. Let the large ships of the nations bring them from the distant isles; and let kings become their nursing fathers, and queens with motherly fondness wipe the tear of sorrow from their eye.

 

Thou, O Lord, did once move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto Jerusalem and her children. Do Thou now also be pleased to inspire the hearts of kings and the powers of the earth to look with a friendly eye towards this place, and with a desire to see Thy righteous purposes executed in relation thereto. Let them know that it is Thy good pleasure to restore the kingdom unto Israel--raise up Jerusalem as its capital, and constitute her people a distinct nation and government, with David Thy servant, even a descendant from the loins of ancient David to be their king.

 

Let that nation or that people who shall take an active part in behalf of Abraham's children, and in the raising up of Jerusalem, find favor in Thy sight. Let not their enemies prevail against them, neither let pestilence or famine overcome them, but let the glory of Israel overshadow them, and the power of the Highest protect them; while that nation or kingdom that will not serve Thee in this glorious work must perish, according to Thy word --- "Yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted."

 

Though Thy servant is now far from his home, and from the land bedewed with his earliest tear, yet he remembers, O Lord, his friend: who are there, and family, whom for Thy sake he has left. Though poverty and privation be our earthly lot, yet ah! do Thou richly endow us with an inheritance where moth and rust do not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal.

 

The hands that have fed, clothed, or shown favor unto the family of Thy servant in his absence, or that shall hereafter do so, let them not lose their reward, but let a special blessing rest upon them, and in Thy kingdom let them have an inheritance when Thou shalt come to be glorified in this society.

 

Do Thou also look with favor upon all those through whose liberality I have been enabled to come to this land; and in the day when Thou shalt reward all people according to their works, let these also not be passed by or forgotten, but in time let them be in readiness to enjoy the glory of those mansions which Jesus has gone to prepare. Particularly do Thou bless the stranger in Philadelphia, whom I never saw, but who sent me gold, with a request that I should pray for him in Jerusalem. Now, O Lord, let blessings come upon him from an unexpected quarter, and let his basket be filled, and his storehouse abound with plenty, and let not the good things of the earth be his only portion, but let him be found among those to whom it shall be said, `Thou hast been faithful over a few things, and I will make thee ruler over many.'

 

O my Father in heaven! I now ask Thee in the name of Jesus to remember Zion, with all her Stakes, and with all her assemblies. She has been grievously afflicted and smitten; she has mourned; she has wept; her enemies have triumphed, and have said, `Ah, where is thy God?' Her Priests and Prophets have groaned in chains and fetters within the gloomy walls of prisons, while many were slain, and now sleep in the arms of death. How long, O Lord, shall iniquity triumph, and sin go unpunished?

 

Do Thou arise in the majesty of Thy strength, and make bare Thine arm in behalf of Thy people. Redress their wrongs, and turn their sorrow into joy. Pour the spirit of light and knowledge, grace and wisdom, into the hearts of her Prophets, and clothe her Priests with salvation. Let light and knowledge march forth through the empire of darkness, and may the honest in heart flow to their standard, and join in the march to go forth to meet the Bridegroom.

 

Let a peculiar blessing rest upon the Presidency of Thy Church, for at them are the arrows of the enemy directed. Be Thou to them a sun and a shield, their strong tower and hiding place; and in the time of distress or danger be Thou near to deliver. Also the quorum of the Twelve, do Thou be pleased to stand by them for Thou knowest the obstacles which they have to encounter, the temptations to which they are exposed, and the privations which they must suffer. Give us, [the Twelve] therefore, strength according to our day, and help us to bear a faithful testimony of Jesus and His Gospel, to finish with fidelity and honor the work which Thou hast given us to do, and then give us a place in Thy glorious kingdom. And let this blessing rest upon every faithful officer and member in Thy Church. And all the glory and honor will we ascribe unto God and the Lamb forever and ever. Amen.

 

Commenting on Orson's prayer and the establishment of Israel in 1948, Vern Grosvenor Swanson wrote that:

 

What is never considered to any degree in Latter-day Saint peculiar literature is what happened after the first half of the prayer on the Mount of Olives; which the author suggests was oriented perpendicular to the north door of the Gate of Mercy (Eastern, Susa) of the eastern wall of the Temple Mount. Hyde climbed down Olivet, then in clockwise fashion circumambulated around the Harem al Sharif, to the southwest entrance. There, he was denied access so he continued to circle until he passed the pilgrim monastery he was staying. He then walked on until he accessed an unguarded entrance on the north side of the Temple Mount.

 

Once inside and upon the platform of the Temple Mount, he quickly and quietly used the divining rod he brought from Nauvoo. It helped him locate where he should built another stone altar. Unfortunately, Hyde’s records are not so precise; however, we gather that the second altar was on the platform but located north of the Dome of the Rock because he undoubtedly did not want to be discovered for his own safety. He oriented an alignment between the first stone altar he had built earlier and the second altar he just completed. He knelt and repeated his earlier prayer. It is the author’s opinion that the first stone altar was where Christ’s Ascension took place and his Second Coming will split the mountain asunder; the second stone altar marked the Holy of Holies o the location of the Ephraimatic-Jewish fourth temple. Since the northern end of the Harem is not well guarded he was able to safely retreat.

 

Pre-Aliyahs (immigrant) Zionist Movements began just before and after Hyde’s dedication of the Land of Israel. This prompted a reaction by Reformed Jew who rejected the idea of a return to Zion. A conference of Reformed Rabbis at Frankfurt-am-Main (15-28 July 1845) deleted from their ritual all prayers pertaining to a return (David Einhorn, one of 31 rabbis at the conference, argues this point. “Reform Rabbitical Conference Ends in Frankfurt,” Center for Israel Education Post). A newfound desire to return by Diaspora Jews to their ancestral homeland was a response against anti-Semitism and the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightment) movement to preserve identity and not assimilate.

 

By the end of the century (1897) with the likes of Theodor Herzl who wrote that year Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State) and the First Zionist Congress in Basel also in 1897 formalized Jewish apirations of a Palestinian state were born. While it might be chauvinistic to say that the Zionist national movement began with Orson Hyde and later rededications of Palestine by Latter-day Saint general authorities, the author believes that it was an undergirding force. As Silas Marner said, “It takes many cycles of the sap before the bloom is seen” (The third novel by George Eliot, Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe [1861]).

 

Then, British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour issued the Balfour Declaration on the 2nd of November 1917, in a letter to Lord Walter Rothschild promising the Jews of the world a homeland. It reads, “His Majesty’s Government views with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national homeland for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of his object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine” (Letter form Lord Balfour to Jewish leader Lord Rothschild, as quoted in John Hagee [1988], p. 27). With the wresting of this area from Ottoman Turkish rule by General Edmund Allenby in 1920, Palestine was made a British Mandate by the League of Nations in June of 1922. . . . The United Nations vote declared the state of Israel on the 15th of May 1948. It was a “theological earthquake” of the first magnitude. The chemist, Chaim Weizmann was named its first president of reborn Israel that same year after its wandering for 2,000 years. Israel was born in a single day, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children” (Isaiah 66:8)

 

Thought it seemed like tiny Israel had no chance of survival, it did and would prevail. The enemies of the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are the children of Ishmael and Esau through the ages. The Amalekites which attacked Moses and the children of Israel when they were in the desert, may be just these same peoples. “Because the Lord has sworn: The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16)

 

However, the archangel Michael-Adam has a special assignment to guard Israel (see Daniel 10;13, 21; 12:1; Rev. 12:7). The psalmist wrote that “he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalms 121:4). The enemies of Israel will fail and her friends succeed, for the Lord said, “I will bless those who bless thee, and curse him who curseth thee; and in you all families of the earth be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). And how was it blessed? For instance, Haym Salomon, a Jewish banker in Philadelphian helped finance the Revolutionary War. Founding father John Adams, respected the Jews. He wrote:

 

In spite of . . . Voltaire [an ardent anti-Semite], I will insist that the Hebrews have done more to civilize men that any other nation. If I were an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations. . . . I should believe that chance had ordered the Jews to preserve and to propagate to all mankind the doctrine of a supreme, intelligent, wise, almighty sovereign of the universe, which I believe to be that great essential principle of all morality, and consequently of all civilization (David Allen Lewis, Israel and the USA [Springfield, MO: Menorah Press, 1993[ pp. 3-10). (Vern Grosvenor Swanson, Hour of God’s Judgment: Joseph Smith’s Paradigm of the Last Days [Springville, Utah: CFI, 2022], 42-43, 44)

 


Further Reading:

 

Resources on Joseph Smith's Prophecies

 

Blog Archive