In an
attempted critique of the Joseph Smith Translation (AKA “Inspired Version”),
Christina Darlington wrote:
. . . in the thousands of manuscripts of the
Bible that have been uncovered, some dating as far back at the 2nd
Century B.C., not a single manuscript supports the changes that Joseph Smith
made to the text of his Bible. (Christina R. Darlington, Misguided by Mormonism But Redeemed by God’s Grace: Leaving the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for Biblical Christianity [2d ed.;
2019], 212)
Darlington's
comments here and elsewhere in her book are ignorant about the nature and function
of the Joseph Smith Translation. The late Robert J. Matthews who revolutionised
studies into the JST noted, the JST is many things, not a textual restoration
of the Bible. As he notes in his essay "What is the New Translation of the
Bible," the changes in the JST represent many things, including:
1.
Restoration of original text
2.
Restoration of what was once said or done but which was never in the Bible.
3. Editing
to make the Bible more understandable for modern readers.
4. Edits to
the KJV to bring biblical wording into harmony with truth found in other
revelations or elsewhere in the Bible.
5. Changes
to provide modern readers teachings that were not written by original authors.
See my post
"The
nature of the Joseph Smith Translation" where I reproduce Matthew's
discussions of these five types of changes (cf. Did
Joseph Smith finish his revision of the Bible in 1833? As Darlington seems
confused on this point [pp. 208-10]).
Notwithstanding,
there are instances where the JST rendition of verses are superior to the KJV,
and in some instances, where the JST finds ancient textual support.
James 2:19
Jas 2:19 in
the KJV reads:
Thou believest that there is one God; thou
doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
The 1867
Inspired Version (published by the then-RLDS Church) reads:
Thou believest there is one God; thou doest
well; the devils also believe, and tremble; thou hast made thyself like unto
them, not being justified.
As one LDS
apologist noted:
This passage, as found in most printed texts,
can be translated "You believe that there is one God"? or "You
believe that God is one?" However, the underlying tone of the passage is
not that of "doing well" by believing that God is one, or that there
is one God, but rather it is the lack of value of belief alone. Even the demons
also believe and tremble! Mere belief in God will do no better for those who
claim faith than it would be for the demons! That is James' real point . .
. D. Charles Pyle, I
Have Said Ye are Gods: Concepts Conducive to the Early Christian Doctrine of
Deification in Patristic Literature and the Underlying Strata of the Greek New
Testament (Revised and
Supplemented) [CreateSpace, 2018], 160, italics in original)
The JST adds
the nuance that is part of the Greek that is missing in the KJV and many other
translations. Consider the following from non-LDS sources:
But
James insists that correct doctrine by itself is insufficient. With biting
sarcasm he praises the objector’s theology: “You do well” (καλῶς ποιεῖς). Unlike the earlier use of this expression in 2:8, where it may have
been genuinely positive or at worst mild irony, here he bitterly mocks the
hollowness of their faith. “Such belief is indeed necessary, but not enough for
salvation.”
To
show that correct doctrine is not enough, James appeals to demonic “faith.”
Satan and all his evil hordes are monotheists; even they know there is only one God and that his loyalties remain
undivided. The demons do something
about their belief: they tremble violently when faced with the one true God of
the universe. The word “tremble” (φρίσσουσιν) means more than just slight shuddering; it refers
to uncontainable, uncontrollable, violent shaking from extreme fear. James
asserts that the demons can match the original challenger’s theology point for
point, and they are overwhelmed by the truth of these doctrines, but they
remain condemned. Thus one cannot have “workless” doctrine, because that leaves
one salvifically in the same position as the demons! The comparison, however,
should not be pressed to say that the objector is actually demonized. Rather,
James uses an extreme example to make his point that the demons are so certain
of the existence of the one God that they are horrified, but even that does not
bring them to salvation (because their knowledge does not change their
behavior?). (Craig L.
Blomberg and Mariam J. Kamell, James [Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the
New Testament vol. 16; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 135])
The confession is in accordance with true belief, so James adds a
semi-ironic καλῶς ποιεῖς (the author certainly believed this truth with all his heart, following
the tradition of Jesus, Mk. 12:29). Such belief is indeed necessary, but not
enough for salvation. The demons themselves are quite orthodox, but they
tremble in fear of judgment. That all things, including demons, shudder (φρίσσω)
before God is clear in Jewish literature (Test. Abr. recension A, 9; Jos. War 5:378; Hermas Man. 4), but the special fear of demons before God is attested at
least soon after the NT period and probably existed within it, as magical
papyri, which use God’s name against demons, and Christian literature show
(Leiden Magical Papyrus J 384, 239–240; Justin Dial. 49.8; Eth. Enoch 13:3; 69:1, 14; Heb. Enoch 14:2; Clem. Alex.
Strom. 5.5; cf. Dibelius, 190; BAG,
873–874; Windisch, 18; Peterson, 295–299; Deissmann, 260). More importantly,
the NT knows of the monotheism of demons (1:24; 5:7; Acts 16:17; 19:15) and
their fear before Christ, whom they recognize (Mk. 1:23, 24; 5:7). The point is
that the knowledge of who God is does not save them; in fact, it is this very
knowledge which makes them shudder (and that very name which was used by
exorcists to drive them out)! A faith which cannot go beyond this level is
worse than useless
(Peter H.
Davids, The Epistle of James: A
Commentary on the Greek Text [New International Greek Testament Commentary;
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1982], 126)
2 Nephi 3:17 in the Book of Mormon records a prophecy of Joseph of Egypt
not found in the Bible:
And the Lord hath
said I will raise up a Moses; and I will give power unto him in a rod; and I
will give judgment unto him in writing. Yet I will not loose his tongue, that
he shall speak much: for I will not make him mighty in speaking. But I will
write unto him my law, by the finger of mine own hand; and I will make a
spokesman for him.
This prophecy is also found in Genesis 50:29, 34–35 of the JST, adding
that the name of the spokesman would be Aaron:
And I will make him
great in mine eyes, for he shall do my work; and he shall be great like unto
him whom I have said I would raise up unto you, to deliver my people, O house
of Israel, out of the land of Egypt; for a seer will I raise up to deliver my
people out of the land of Egypt; and he shall be called Moses. And by this name
he shall know that he is of thy house; for he shall be nursed by the king's
daughter, and shall be called her son . . . And the Lord sware unto Joseph,
that he would preserve his seed for ever, saying, I will raise up Moses, and a
rod shall be in his hand, and he shall gather together my people, and he shall
lead them as a flock, and he shall smite the waters of the Red Sea with his
rod. And he shall have judgment, and shall write the word of the Lord. And he
shall not speak many words, for I will write unto him my law by the finger of
mine own hand. And I will make a spokesman for him, and his name shall be
called Aaron.
In his article Joseph's Prophecy of Moses and Aaron, John A. Tvedtnes, in an attempt to support 2 Nephi 3:17, appeals to Targum Neofiti of Gen 40:12 and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan of Gen 50:24-25. To make these sources more accessible, I will reproduce (1) the Aramaic and (2) a translation of these sources.
Gen 40:12 of Targum Neofiti:
ואמר ליה יוסף דין פתרוניה תלתי שרביטיה תלתי אבהת עלמא אנון אברהם יצחק ויעקב דמן בני בניהון עתידין למשתעבדא בשעבודא דארעא דמצרים ועתידין למתפרקא על ידי תלתא פרנסין מהמנין משה ואהרן ומרים דמתילין בסגוליא ודי אמרת נסבית ענביה ועצרת יתהון בכסא דפרעה )ושוית( כסא בידוי דפרעה היא כסא דפורענתא דפרעה עתיד למשתי בסופא ואת רב מזוגיא לא מובדין אגרין דחלמת חלמא טבא הדין ברם פתרוניה דחלמא לא הוה יוסף אמר ופתר ליה יוסף היך מה דהוה שפר באפוי ואמר ליה יוסף דין פתרוניה תלתא שרביטא תלתא יומין אנון
Source: Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, Targum Neofiti to the Pentateuch (Hebrew Union College, 2005), Ge 40:12.
Source: Martin McNamara, Targum Neofiti 1: Genesis, The Aramaic Bible, vol. 1A (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 1992), 182.
And Joseph said to him: “This is its interpretation: The three branches are the three fathers of the world:' namely; Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the sons of whose sons are to be enslaved in the slavery of the land of Egypt and are to be delivered by the hands of three faithful leaders: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, who are to be likened to the clusters of grapes. And as regards what you said: took the grapes" and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and I placed the cup in the hands of Pharaoh,’ this is the cup of retribution " which Pharaoh is to drink in the end. And you, chief cupbearer, (your) reward shall not be lost, because you have dreamed this good dream.” But Joseph did not say the interpretation of the dream. And Joseph interpreted as seemed good in his sight. And Joseph said to him: “This is its interpretation; the three branches are three days.
Source: Martin McNamara, Targum Neofiti 1: Genesis, The Aramaic Bible, vol. 1A (Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 1992), 182.
Gen 50:24-25 of Targum Pseudo-Jonathan:
ואמר יוסף לאחוי הא אנא מיית וייי מידכר ידכר יתכון ויסק יתכון מן ארעא הדא לארעא דקיים לאברהם ליצחק וליעקב
ואומי יוסף ית בני ישראל למימר לבנהון הא אתון משתעבדין במצרים
Source: Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan to the Pentateuch (Hebrew Union College, 2005), Ge 50:24–25.
And Joseph said to his Brethren Behold, I die the Lord remembering will remember you and will bring you up from this land, into the land Which He sware to Abraham, to Izhak, and to Jakob. And Joseph adjured the sons of Israel to say to their sons Behold, you will be brought into servitude in Mizraim ; but you shall not presume to go up out of Mizraim until the time that two Deliverers shall come, and say to you, Remembering, remember ye the Lord. And at the time when ye go up ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
Two Sets of Tablets at Sinai
On this
topic, Matthew B. Brown wrote:
The biblical story of the stone tablets made
by Moses at Mt. Sinai indicates that there was no difference between what was
written on the first set and the second set (see Exodus 32:15-16, 19; 34:1).
But the Joseph Smith Translation of the episode indicates that there was a
major difference between the two sets of tablets.
And the Lord said unto Moses, “Hew thee two
other tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also,
the words of the law, according as they were written at the first on the tables
which thou brakest; but it shall not be according to the first, for I will take
away the priesthood out of their midst; therefore my holy order, and the
ordinances thereof, shall not go before them; for my presence shall not go up
in their midst, lest I destroy them.
But I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment; for I have sworn in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my presence, into my rest, in the days of their pilgrimage. Therefore do as I have commanded thee, and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai” (JST Exodus 34:1-2; see also JST Deuteronomy 10:2).
But I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment; for I have sworn in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my presence, into my rest, in the days of their pilgrimage. Therefore do as I have commanded thee, and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai” (JST Exodus 34:1-2; see also JST Deuteronomy 10:2).
The ancient Jews preserved traditions that
closely correspond to the knowledge provided by Joseph Smith. In the Zohar, for instance, we read that the
first set of tablets “emanated from the tree of life” while the second set “came
from the side of the tree of good and evil.” And according to Jewish
kabbalistic lore, the first set of tablets “were the light and doctrine of the
Messiah, the outpouring of universal deliverance, the source of eternal life on
earth” while the second set “represented the indirect or ‘fragmented’
manifestation of this light” (Leo Schaya, The
Universal Meaning of the Kabbalah [London: George Allen and Unwin, 1971],
15-16). (Matthew B. Brown, All Things
Restored: Evidence and Witnesses of the Restoration [American Fork, Utah:
Covenant Communications Inc., 2000, 2006], 166)
For more,
see:
John A.
Tvedtnes, The
Higher and Lesser Laws
1 Corinthians 4:4
1 Cor 4:4 in the KJV reads:
For I know nothing by
myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
The JST renders this verse differently:
For though I know
nothing against myself; yet I am not hereby justified; but he
who judgeth me is the Lord.
The word "against" instead of "by" is used by a
number of modern scholarly translations (e.g., NRSV; NASB; Lexham; ESV) as do
many commentators (e.g., R.C.H. Lenski). As the Expositor's Greek Testament
notes:
The negative clauses,
οὐδὲν γὰρ … ἀλλʼ οὐκ, together explain, parenthetically, Paul’s meaning in 1Co
4:3: “For I am conscious of nothing against myself” (in my conduct as Christ’s
minister to you: cf. 10, 18; 2Co 1:12-17)—nothing that calls for judicial
inquiry on your part or misgiving on my own—“but not on this ground (οὐκ ἐν
τούτῳ) have I been justified”.
For an interesting presentation on First Corinthians and the JST, see
Kevin L. Barney, "The
Joseph Smith Translation of 1 Corinthians: Toward an Eclectic Approach"
The Writing on the
Wall
This is an interesting one. Dan 5:25-28 in the KJV reads:
And this is the writing
that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of
the thing: MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. TEKEL; Thou
art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. PERES; Thy kingdom is
divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
There is a slight change in the JST:
And this is the
writing that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the
interpretation of the thing; MENE; God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished
it. TEKEL; Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. UPHARSIN;
Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
In the KJV, the terms “MENE,” “TEKEL,”
and “PERES” (the latter not appearing in the original list in v. 25) but in the
JST, as v. 28 interprets UPHARSIN instead of PERES, the JST has an
interpretation of all the terms that appear in v. 25.
The reason for the difference is that PERES is the singular form while
UPHARSIN is the plural (the 'u' representing the conjunction 'w,' but many
scholarly translations keep the 'U' and render it UPHARSIN [e.g., 1985 JPS
Tanakh; NASB]).
Interestingly, the New English Bible, a modern scholarly translation, strongly mirrors the JST:
And these are the
words of the writing which was inscribed: Mene mene tekel u-pharsin. Here is
the interpretation: mene: God has numbered the days of your kingdom and brought
it to an end; tekel: you have been weighed in the balance and found wanting;
upharsin: and your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and
Persians.
John 20:17: “Hold” or “Touch” me not?
John 20:17 in the KJV reads:
Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
The JST changes "touch" to "hold," suggesting that
Mary Magdalene was touching/clinging to Jesus at that moment:
Jesus saith unto her, Hold me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Modern
translations of this verse capture the nuance one finds in the JST. Consider
the following:
"Do not
hold on to me" (NRSV)
"Stop
clinging to Me" (NASB)
"Stop
holding onto me" (Complete Jewish Bible)
"Do not
cling to me" (NEB)
"Do not
cling to me" (ESV)
"Stop
holding on to me" (NAB)
"Don't hold on to me" (International Standard Version)
"Do not
cling to me" (David Bentley Hart)
In Greek,
Jesus' words to Mary are μη μου απτου. Commenting on the grammar of this
command not to touch/cling (απτου being the second person imperative present
middle singular of απτω), one Greek grammarian wrote:
απτου impv. Απτομαι τινος grasp; touch sth; durative, hold on
to, μη μου απτου stop clinging to me! (Max Zerick, A Grammatical
Analysis of the New Testament [trans. Mary Grosvenor; Rome: Biblical
Institute Press, 1981, 1984], 345)
It is clear
that JST John 20:17 has firm support.
JST Gen 14:35: Melchizedek and "the sons of God"
JST Gen 14:25-40 is a large addition to Genesis ch. 14 containing material about the person of Melchizedek. In v. 35, there is mention of "the sons of God" in reference to Melchizedek ("And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire). In the Melchizedek Scroll (11Q13 [alt. 11QMelch]) from Qumran, we read the following in Column II line 14:
Conclusion
JST Gen 14:35: Melchizedek and "the sons of God"
JST Gen 14:25-40 is a large addition to Genesis ch. 14 containing material about the person of Melchizedek. In v. 35, there is mention of "the sons of God" in reference to Melchizedek ("And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire). In the Melchizedek Scroll (11Q13 [alt. 11QMelch]) from Qumran, we read the following in Column II line 14:
To his aid (shall come) all « the gods of [justice»; and h]e is the one w[ho …] all the sons of God, and … […](The Dead Sea Scrolls Study Edition, eds. Florentino García Martínez and Eibert J.C. Tigchelaar [Leiden: Brill, 1997], 1209)
Here is the Hebrew (note the use of בני אל beni el "sons of God/El" in bold):
14 ובעזרו כול אלי [הצדק
וה]ואה א[שר …]כול בני אל והפ[…]
It should be
clear that Darlington has not done any research into the JST; furthermore,
while the JST should not naively be understood as a pure textual restoration (see
above), it does have a number of changes to the KJV that find support in light
of Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic grammar, modern scholarly translations, and other
sources.
For a listing of previous articles refuting Darlington’s book, Misguided by Mormonism, see:
