John Gee on Mormon Miscellaneous with Van Hale and Martin Tanner

Van Hale posted an interview he did with Martin Tanner and Dr. John Gee about Gee's new book, An Introduction to the Book of Abraham:

Book of Abraham: Guest/author, John Gee, Egyptologist

Support this blog:

Paypal

Gofundme

The Logical Conclusions of Sola Scriptura and whether one should pray to be Led by God into Truth

I have written a bit against the doctrine/practice of Sola Scriptura, including a book-length treatment on the topic, Not by Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura addressing and refuting the doctrine using the historical-grammatical method of exegesis against all the popular “proof-texts” (e.g., 2 Tim 3:16-17; 1 Cor 4:6).

A logical conclusion of this doctrine is that, ultimately, the Holy Spirit can only “properly” inspire people through the reading of the Bible only. That is, one should only request God to be led to know His divine will by reading the Bible and should not pray for the Holy Spirit to guide them into the truth outside of reading (or hearing) the words of the Bible alone as many are wont to do.

One group that follows this logical conclusion to Sola Scriptura is that of the Christadelphians. I am one of the rare few Latter-day Saints who have studied this movement (click here to access articles I have written, mainly responding to their perspectives on Christology and Satan & Demons).

One leading author for the movement, Harry Tennant (1917-2003), wrote the following on the function of the Spiritual Gifts, from a cessationist perspective:

The spoken words and the signs following provided a firm foundation for faith. Thousands believed and, because the visitors to Jerusalem carried the message away with them, the Gospel spread outwards to distant lands.

Groups of believers in widely separated places needed constant help in order to preserve the faith they had espoused, and to “grown in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). It was physically impossible for the apostles to spend long periods in each place, although they clearly travelled ceaselessly in their labours for Christ. There was as yet no New Testament from which the whole of the apostle’s message might be read and related to the Old Testament, which was already in wide circulation. The inspired written accounts of the Gospels writers and the special letters to individual congregations and individuals came into existence in the first century, for the most part before AD 70, and these—or copies of them—would quickly be known over a wide area. Moreover, these writings were themselves a part of Scripture given by the Holy Spirit. (Harry Tennant, The Christadelphians: What They Believe and Preach [Birmingham: The Christadelphian, 1998], 126)

Under the heading of “special powers,” Tennant wrote:

But how the time-gap between the spoken message of the apostles and the divinely given account in writing to be bridged? The Holy Spirit was the means used by the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition to the apostles, certain other person were given special power which were designed to support the believers in the various congregations These persons were prophets, evangelists, pastors and teaches (Ephesians 4:11) . . . By the end of the first century the New Testament had been completed and became available for all to read as the circulation and collation of the twenty-seven individual books gradually took place. In this way all of the ecclesias would have available to them the full accounts of the life of Christ together with the ministry and letters after the end of the first century. By this time, therefore, the gifts may have commenced to fade. From non-Biblical sources we learn that during the second century men arose who merely simulated possession of the gifts, evidence in itself that the true gifts were no longer widespread. (Ibid., 125-27)

This begs the question: how/where does the Holy Spirit lead God’s people? For Tennant and other Christadelphians, only from reading the Bible:

Guidance by the Holy Spirit

The foregoing considerations lead us to examine another feature of those who claim possession of the Holy Spirit, namely, claims to special guidance by the Spirit. Decision making is said to be determined by the Spirit. Answers are said to be provided by the Spirit in one way or another. It is not simply claimed that everything is put to the Lord in prayer (a practice with which we would have no cavil), but rather that explicit replies are given. All kinds of coincidences and “evidences” are adduced in support of this way of decision making.

We believe that this approach arises from a mistaken understanding of Bible teaching. The root of the problem lies in an attitude to the authority of scripture. The Bible is a book filled with guidance. Most of the questions of daily life are already fully answered within the pages of the Bible which is meant to be “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Book of Proverbs declares: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life” (6:23). Prayerful and regular Bible reading ensures that our feet are shown the path in which we should walk. The Bible is the Holy Spirit’s book of guidance.

It is sometimes said, by those who claim that the Spirit gives them guidance, that such guidance is sought only where scripture is silent. The writer’s experience of several such claimants is that they seek guidance in areas where the Bible is quite clear in its teaching, and claim to be guided even when what they do is contrary to the direct teaching of the word of God. In other words, “the Spirit” was made to override the word of God, and this conflict of authority lies at the base of the error in approach to spiritual decision making.

The disciple is assured that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28). The lives of true believers are in the Lord’s hands, and we are to seek Him constantly in prayer for His blessings on our journey through life. He has not promised to reveal to us openly what we should do. Provided that we are following the instruction of the word of God and prayerfully seek the Lord’s blessing and help in fulfilling His commands, we know that His oversight will ensure that life’s path will lead us in the steps of the Master, and bring us safely, if we continue in faith, to everlasting life at the return of Christ.

Choice is one of the key functions of the life of a disciple. He must constantly decide between the alternatives which present themselves in everyday living. His decisions should be based on the word of the Bible. It is not a scripturally acceptable method to shrink from making spiritual choices by handing everything over to the Lord or by asking God for answers. Revelation in this way is not promised in the Bible. We are expected to exercise our minds on the problems of life in the light of Bible teaching and in prayerful submission to God.

The Bible abounds in clear teaching which urges the believer to make the right choice based upon the principles set out in scripture. For example:

“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

“Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

“Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies … What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.” (Psalm 25:8-10,12)

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17)

The Bible—Divine Instructor

The word of God is the divine instructor of the mind and provides us with ample guidance on the everyday affairs of life. Therein is set forth clear teaching on the choices to be made in almost every aspect of Christian living. We neglect it at our peril. Moreover the word of God is food for the mind and strengthens us in making the Christlike choice. In other words, the word of God tells us why as well as what we are to choose.

If we humbly accept the teaching of the word and resolve to follow it, we can rightly seek the blessing of God in prayer. He has promised never to leave us or to forsake us. When our choice is difficult to resolve even with the Bible in hand and on the heart, our course is to commit our way to the Lord in prayer and, without expecting direct revelation from Him, proceed to do in faith that which we believe to be wise before Him.

These simple guidelines are sufficient for the needs of life. Paul gave detailed tuition to disciples in his own time, many of whom had Spirit gifts, and concluded by saying:

“And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.” (Acts 20:32) (Ibid., 129-31)

That such is the view of other informed Christadelphian authors can be seen in the popular apologetics volume, Wrested Scriptures by the Canadian Christadelphian apologist, Ron Abel. In a section answering Pentecostalism, he wrote:

The Holy Spirit is no longer needed to “guide into all the truth.” “The gospel,” recorded in the pages of the Spirit-given Scriptures, “is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth” (Rom. 1:16). Belief (or faith) comes from reading (or hearing preached), understanding and willingly accepting this gospel into “a good and honest heart” (Rom. 10:10, 17; Luke 8:15). (Ron Abel, Wrested Scriptures: A Christadelphian Handbook of Suggested Explanations to Difficult Bible Passages [ed. John Allfree; rev ed.; Birmingham: The Christadelphian, 2011], 83)

He also wrote that:

The statement of Jesus that the Comforter would “abide with you for ever” (John 14:16) is often combined with Matt. 28:20 (“Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the word”) to argue that the gift of the Holy Spirit was for all time. Both of these statements were made to the immediate disciples of the Lord. The word “ever” in John 14:16 is the same as “world” in Matt. 28:20. Matt. 28:20 is correctly rendered in the RSV, “I am with you always to the close of the age”. The age of Israel under the Law Covenant expired in AD 70 with the destruction of the Temple. This coincided with the death of the apostles (who alone were able to pass on the gifts) and the maturity of the ecclesia and the completion of the New Testament (the reason why the gifts were given). (Ibid., 83, emphasis added)

While many Protestants, especially those who are cessationists, will balk at such, it is the logical conclusion of holding to the formal sufficiency of the Bible and that the spiritual gifts ceased at the end of the first century. After all, if the Bible is formally sufficient and the sole infallible rule of faith for the Christian, why should one pray to be lead into the truth? Instead, one should pray to be lead to a proper interpretation of the Bible only. At least Christadelphians are consistent on this position. And yes, I know, many will point out in a desperate attempt to evade this that the personality of the Holy Spirit is rejected in Christadelphian theology (No. 6 of “Doctrines to be Rejected” in the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith states: “That the Holy Spirit is a distinct person from the Father”)—however, whether or not the Spirit is a person or the spiritual operation of God the Father is immaterial to the arguments raised here--one could accept the personality of the Spirit and still be forced into this position if one were consistent.

Support this blog:

Paypal

Gofundme

Miriam Caravella on Prophecy Not Ceasing After Malachi

After reviewing intertestamental literature (e.g., 1 Enoch 14:8-25; 24; 25; 39:3-8; 48; 82:1-3; 91:1-4; Song of Sabbath Sacrifice) on pp. 123-47 of her book, The Mystic Heart of Judaism, Miriam Bokser Caravella offers this postscript on God speaking authoritatively to people after Malachi as well as later Jewish understandings thereof within mysticism:

By looking at some of these documents written in priestly circles in the last few centuries before the Common Era, we have seen that although the sages had declared that prophecy had ended with the prophet Malachi in the fifth century, there is enough evidence to show that it continued. Indeed, it would appear that to the people living at Qumran, the concept of an “end to prophecy” was alien or irrelevant at best.

Historically, the idea that there would be no more prophecy, no more direct communion between the divine and the humanity, seems to have arisen from a struggle between those who sought to establish the authority of human interpretation of past revelation as presented in texts and those for whom revelation was a continuing process.

There were however, some differences between the prophetic experiences of the classical prophets and those of the last few centuries BCE—the exilic and post-exilic periods. As we have seen, in these later periods, prophecy was focused on the material future—on a hope for a messiah who would end the suffering of exile and subjugation, as well as who would bring spiritual liberation.

Another significant difference is that in the later prophecies, the identities of the mystics is kept hidden by their anonymity. They were no longer linked with a particular “named” individual and his unique personality, like Jeremiah, Amos, Ezekiel, or Zechariah, but rather with someone from a lineage or school—like Third Isaiah or Malachi (whose name simply means “my messenger”)—or with a great biblical figure of the past, under whose name the work was written, like Enoch, Ezra, or the scribe Baruch. Another change is that now the prophecies are intended only for a select few—the “wise,” the elect, the qualified. The mystic experience has become esoteric, secret no longer for public consumption.

And because the prophetic teaching were no longer recognized as a valid form of communion with God, it is probable that people began to lose the capacity to understand or accept them. The scholar Elliot Wolfson comments that the vision of the enthroned from of God, recounted first in 1 Enoch and later in other texts, created a dilemma for traditional heirs to the faith. From the time of Moses, who sensed that he could not see “the face of God” and live, it was considered beyond human capacity to see God in his glory. Yet some of the prophets as well as these later anonymous mystics did have such visions. Thus there was a “clash between the vision of the enthroned form . . . and the overwhelming sense that such a vision is impossible.”

The mystic experience threatened the very assumptions of the religion concerning the accessibility of God, and – by extension – the possibility of unio mystica (mystic union). These experiences were considered dangerous, likely to confuse the ordinary person. Those who engaged in the practices that led to such experiences felt that only their small coterie of fellow-mystics and disciples were ready for them. So the mystics knew that they had to keep their experiences secret and teach them only to their select disciples.

In later times, however, there were numerous philosophers and religious luminaries who attested to the continuance of prophecy as the means for the divine to enter and guide people’s lives. Moses Maimonides, the highly venerated twelfth-century philosopher, wrote that the level of prophecy could be achieved by anyone at any period, not only the biblical prophets. He believed it described a state of consciousness that could be attained through inner, mystic experience. He wrote explicitly of the limitations of intellect and of the potential for superior spiritual knowledge through prophecy, which he described as “the vital energizing condition that established the channel linking man with God.” Maimonides aw a link between the level of prophecy of the Bible and the spiritual state that can be achieved by people at all times through mystic practice. “In the thought of Maimonides, prophecy ceased to be a singular phenomenon of God’s revelation vouchsafed to chosen individuals, and became instead an episode in a larger category of man’s encounter of the divine; it became a phase of mystical experience.

It is true that in the later period, the intense, raw relationship with God which the classical prophets had enjoyed and which prompted them to minister to their flocks with such dedication and selflessness, was mostly portrayed as a relationship with the divine realm through a hierarchy of angels and other intermediate forms. The earlier prophets received God’s word in a revelation direct from God himself, not through intermediaries, and they transmitted that “word” boldly and publicly.

Maimonides tended to evaluate the level of prophecy of the earlier and later prophets according to how they received their message; whether directly, through an angel, in a night vision, in the daytime, while asleep, while conscious and so forth. There were some teachers, however, at different periods, who understood the phenomenon of encounters and revelation through angels as metaphorical a literary device used by these later prophets in a world culturally very different from that of the classical prophets, to convey the concept of a graduated revelation or series of revelations. The philosopher Philo of Alexandria in the first century wrote that angels were not “beings” but rather devices or metaphors to express the extension of God’s power to humanity. Even Saadia Gaon, the tenth-century philosopher and grammarian, referred to the divine power, the “glory of God” which reveals itself to man, as an angel. Similarly, in later periods, the kabbalist mystics expressed the nature of revelation and the creative activity of God through the symbol of the sefirot (gradations of the divine power), which were sometimes also called angels. So the differences may be attributed to historical and cultural conditions, or to differences in the symbolism and language being used to express the awesome, supernatural phenomenon the mystics were experiencing. (Miriam Bokser Caravella, The Mystic Heart of Judaism [Science of the Soul Research Centre, 2011], 148-50)

Support this blog:

Paypal

Gofundme

Jeff Lindsay, Common Features in Written Languages and the Anthon Transcript

Fellow LDS apologist Jeff Lindsay has posted an interesting article on the Anthon Transcript which I think readers of this blog will also find a worthwhile read:

Common Features in Written Languages and the Anthon Transcript



Support this blog:

Paypal

Gofundme

For those who wish to support this blog

As some may already know, I have been out of work due to (1) health reasons and (2) taking some time to get further qualifications in accountancy. As many who know me already know, I suffer from near-constant migraines, and while I have been a migraine sufferer since age 11 (as of writing [Nov 2017], I am 30), for the past three years I have been suffering from violent migraines on a near-daily basis (though they have been dying down for the past three months now).

I know many like my blog and I would like to dedicate as much time as possible (reasonably speaking of course [I have a calling in Church and other duties]), so if one feels inclined to help support my blogging endeavours (as well as helping with the cost of medication, etc), I have set up a new Go Fund Me page (I am hoping this one does not have a “time limit”):

https://www.gofundme.com/scripturalmormonism

Also, for those who use Paypal:

https://www.paypal.me/irishlds/

Research-wise, one can hit me up with Amazon vouchers (email: IrishLDS87ATgmailDOTcom)

Does Jude 3 prove the cessation of public revelation?

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. (Jude 3)

I have addressed Jude 3 a few occasions on my blog, including Refuting Jeff Durbin on "Mormonism" and pp. 120-22 of my book, Not by Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura. In a recent Catholic apologetics work, this verse was addressed in a rather cogent way, and similar to how LDS use it (I am not suggesting that the author holds to post-biblical revelation or a theory of "Great Apostasy" [he rejects both!] but that the idea that this verse supports Sola Scriptura and/or precludes doctrinal development is fallacious):

Catholics also believe [public revelation ceased at the death of the last apostle], but not on the basis of what Scripture alone says. For Protestants who derive their doctrines from Scripture alone, the closure of public revelation becomes a difficult doctrine to prove. Some have argued that this truth is described in Jude 3, which speaks of “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints”, but this verse on its own cannot support the claim that public revelation has ceased. Many scholars think Jude was a source for Second Peter, which means Second Peter would not be a part of divine revelation, since it was written after the faith was “once for all delivered to the saints.”

Even if Jude were the last book of the Bible to be written, that wouldn’t prove public revelation ceased with the death of the last apostle. Protestant apologist John MacArthur says that the Greek word translated “delivered” in this verse refers to an act completed in the past with no continuing element”. He also says that the phrase “once for all” (Greek, hapax) means “nothing needs to be added to the faith that has been delivered ‘once for all’.” This would mean that the “faith” had been delivered before Jude was written, which means Jude and its teaching about the cessation of public revelation would not have been a part of the original Deposit of Faith. MacArthur even says this verse, “penned by Jude before the NT was complete, nevertheless looked forward to the completion of the entire canon.”

This shows that using Jude 3 to prove public revelation has ceased doesn’t work because it confuses “giving the faith” to the saints with public revelation. Jesus gave “the faith” once and for all to the apostles, but the public revelation of the faith continued for decades after his interactions with them during the writing of the New Testament. There isn’t any explicit biblical evidence that this revelation ceased after the death of the last apostle (or that it didn’t continue for centuries rather than decades). There is also no evidence that there were no more living apostles who would give such revelations. (Trent Horn, The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections [San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2017], 51-52, comment in square bracket added for clarification).

Stanford Carmack responds to Philip Barlow on Book of Mormon Language

Stanford Carmack has responded to some comments by another LDS scholar, Philip Barlow (author of the book, Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion [Oxford], which I highly recommend) on the topic of the language of the Book of Mormon as part of an article for vol. 27 of Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture:

Barlow on Book of Mormon Language: An Examination of Some Strained Grammar (PDF)