Doctrine and Covenants
88:1 - VERILY, thus saith the Lord unto you who have assembled yourselves together to receive his will concerning you:
88:2 - Behold, this is pleasing unto your Lord, and the angels rejoice over you; the alms of your prayers have come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and are recorded in the book of the names of the sanctified, even them of the celestial world.
88:3 - Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter, even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the Holy Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised unto my disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
88:4 - This Comforter is the promise which I give unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom;
88:5 - Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son--
88:6 - He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
88:7 - Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ. As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.
88:8 - As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;
88:9 - As also the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which they were made;
88:10 - And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.
88:11 - And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;
88:12 - Which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space--
88:13 - The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things.
88:14 - Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead.
88:15 - And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.
88:16 - And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.
88:17 - And the redemption of the soul is through him that quickeneth all things, in whose bosom it is decreed that the poor and the meek of the earth shall inherit it.
88:18 - Therefore, it must needs be sanctified from all unrighteousness, that it may be prepared for the celestial glory;
88:19 - For after it hath filled the measure of its creation, it shall be crowned with glory, even with the presence of God the Father;
88:20 - That bodies who are of the celestial kingdom may possess it forever and ever; for, for this intent was it made and created, and for this intent are they sanctified.
88:21 - And they who are not sanctified through the law which I have given unto you, even the law of Christ, must inherit another kingdom, even that of a terrestrial kingdom, or that of a telestial kingdom.
88:22 - For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.
88:23 - And he who cannot abide the law of a terrestrial kingdom cannot abide a terrestrial glory.
88:24 - And he who cannot abide the law of a telestial kingdom cannot abide a telestial glory; therefore he is not meet for a kingdom of glory. Therefore he must abide a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory.
88:25 - And again, verily I say unto you, the earth abideth the law of a celestial kingdom, for it filleth the measure of its creation, and transgresseth not the law--
88:26 - Wherefore, it shall be sanctified; yea, notwithstanding it shall die, it shall be quickened again, and shall abide the power by which it is quickened, and the righteous shall inherit it.
88:27 - For notwithstanding they die, they also shall rise again, a spiritual body.
88:28 - They who are of a celestial spirit shall receive the same body which was a natural body; even ye shall receive your bodies, and your glory shall be that glory by which your bodies are quickened.
88:29 - Ye who are quickened by a portion of the celestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
88:30 - And they who are quickened by a portion of the terrestrial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
88:31 - And also they who are quickened by a portion of the telestial glory shall then receive of the same, even a fulness.
88:32 - And they who remain shall also be quickened; nevertheless, they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received.
88:33 - For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift.
88:34 - And again, verily I say unto you, that which is governed by law is also preserved by law and perfected and sanctified by the same.
88:35 - That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither by mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still.
88:36 - All kingdoms have a law given;
88:37 - And there are many kingdoms; for there is no space in the which there is no kingdom; and there is no kingdom in which there is no space, either a greater or a lesser kingdom.
88:38 - And unto every kingdom is given a law; and unto every law there are certain bounds also and conditions.
88:39 - All beings who abide not in those conditions are not justified.
88:40 - For intelligence cleaveth unto intelligence; wisdom receiveth wisdom; truth embraceth truth; virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own; justice continueth its course and claimeth its own; judgment goeth before the face of him who sitteth upon the throne and governeth and executeth all things.
88:41 - He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever.
88:42 - And again, verily I say unto you, he hath given a law unto all things, by which they move in their times and their seasons;
88:43 - And their courses are fixed, even the courses of the heavens and the earth, which comprehend the earth and all the planets.
88:44 - And they give light to each other in their times and in their seasons, in their minutes, in their hours, in their days, in their weeks, in their months, in their years--all these are one year with God, but not with man.
88:45 - The earth rolls upon her wings, and the sun giveth his light by day, and the moon giveth her light by night, and the stars also give their light, as they roll upon their wings in their glory, in the midst of the power of God.
88:46 - Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand?
88:47 - Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.
88:48 - I say unto you, he hath seen him; nevertheless, he who came unto his own was not comprehended.
88:49 - The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him.
88:50 - Then shall ye know that ye have seen me, that I am, and that I am the true light that is in you, and that you are in me; otherwise ye could not abound.
88:51 - Behold, I will liken these kingdoms unto a man having a field, and he sent forth his servants into the field to dig in the field.
88:52 - And he said unto the first: Go ye and labor in the field, and in the first hour I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance.
88:53 - And he said unto the second: Go ye also into the field, and in the second hour I will visit you with the joy of my countenance.
88:54 - And also unto the third, saying: I will visit you;
88:55 - And unto the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
88:56 - And the lord of the field went unto the first in the first hour, and tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord.
88:57 - And then he withdrew from the first that he might visit the second also, and the third, and the fourth, and so on unto the twelfth.
88:58 - And thus they all received the light of the countenance of their lord, every man in his hour, and in his time, and in his season--
88:59 - Beginning at the first, and so on unto the last, and from the last unto the first, and from the first unto the last;
88:60 - Every man in his own order, until his hour was finished, even according as his lord had commanded him, that his lord might be glorified in him, and he in his lord, that they all might be glorified.
88:61 - Therefore, unto this parable I will liken all these kingdoms, and the inhabitants thereof--every kingdom in its hour, and in its time, and in its season, even according to the decree which God hath made.
88:62 - And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near--
88:63 - Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
88:64 - Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;
88:65 - And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.
88:66 - Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness--in the wilderness, because you cannot see him--my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
88:67 - And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
88:68 - Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will.
88:69 - Remember the great and last promise which I have made unto you; cast away your idle thoughts and your excess of laughter far from you.
88:70 - Tarry ye, tarry ye in this place, and call a solemn assembly, even of those who are the first laborers in this last kingdom.
88:71 - And let those whom they have warned in their traveling call on the Lord, and ponder the warning in their hearts which they have received, for a little season.
88:72 - Behold, and lo, I will take care of your flocks, and will raise up elders and send unto them.
88:73 - Behold, I will hasten my work in its time.
88:74 - And I give unto you, who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you assemble yourselves together, and organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean;
88:75 - That I may testify unto your Father, and your God, and my God, that you are clean from the blood of this wicked generation; that I may fulfil this promise, this great and last promise, which I have made unto you, when I will.
88:76 - Also, I give unto you a commandment that ye shall continue in prayer and fasting from this time forth.
88:77 - And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.
88:78 - Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;
88:79 - Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms--
88:80 - That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you.
88:81 - Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.
88:82 - Therefore, they are left without excuse, and their sins are upon their own heads.
88:83 - He that seeketh me early shall find me, and shall not be forsaken.
88:84 - Therefore, tarry ye, and labor diligently, that you may be perfected in your ministry to go forth among the Gentiles for the last time, as many as the mouth of the Lord shall name, to bind up the law and seal up the testimony, and to prepare the saints for the hour of judgment which is to come;
88:85 - That their souls may escape the wrath of God, the desolation of abomination which awaits the wicked, both in this world and in the world to come. Verily, I say unto you, let those who are not the first elders continue in the vineyard until the mouth of the Lord shall call them, for their time is not yet come; their garments are not clean from the blood of this generation.
88:86 - Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes.
88:87 - For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.
88:88 - And after your testimony cometh wrath and indignation upon the people.
88:89 - For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand.
88:90 - And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds.
88:91 - And all things shall be in commotion; and surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall come upon all people.
88:92 - And angels shall fly through the midst of heaven, crying with a loud voice, sounding the trump of God, saying: Prepare ye, prepare ye, O inhabitants of the earth; for the judgment of our God is come. Behold, and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.
88:93 - And immediately there shall appear a great sign in heaven, and all people shall see it together.
88:94 - And another angel shall sound his trump, saying: That great church, the mother of abominations, that made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, that persecuteth the saints of God, that shed their blood--she who sitteth upon many waters, and upon the islands of the sea--behold, she is the tares of the earth; she is bound in bundles; her bands are made strong, no man can loose them; therefore, she is ready to be burned. And he shall sound his trump both long and loud, and all nations shall hear it.
88:95 - And there shall be silence in heaven for the space of half an hour; and immediately after shall the curtain of heaven be unfolded, as a scroll is unfolded after it is rolled up, and the face of the Lord shall be unveiled;
88:96 - And the saints that are upon the earth, who are alive, shall be quickened and be caught up to meet him.
88:97 - And they who have slept in their graves shall come forth, for their graves shall be opened; and they also shall be caught up to meet him in the midst of the pillar of heaven--
88:98 - They are Christ's, the first fruits, they who shall descend with him first, and they who are on the earth and in their graves, who are first caught up to meet him; and all this by the voice of the sounding of the trump of the angel of God.
88:99 - And after this another angel shall sound, which is the second trump; and then cometh the redemption of those who are Christ's at his coming; who have received their part in that prison which is prepared for them, that they might receive the gospel, and be judged according to men in the flesh.
88:100 - And again, another trump shall sound, which is the third trump; and then come the spirits of men who are to be judged, and are found under condemnation;
88:101 - And these are the rest of the dead; and they live not again until the thousand years are ended, neither again, until the end of the earth.
88:102 - And another trump shall sound, which is the fourth trump, saying: There are found among those who are to remain until that great and last day, even the end, who shall remain filthy still.
88:103 - And another trump shall sound, which is the fifth trump, which is the fifth angel who committeth the everlasting gospel--flying through the midst of heaven, unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people;
88:104 - And this shall be the sound of his trump, saying to all people, both in heaven and in earth, and that are under the earth--for every ear shall hear it, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, while they hear the sound of the trump, saying: Fear God, and give glory to him who sitteth upon the throne, forever and ever; for the hour of his judgment is come.
88:105 - And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the sixth angel, saying: She is fallen who made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication; she is fallen, is fallen!
88:106 - And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the seventh angel, saying: It is finished; it is finished! The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God.
88:107 - And then shall the angels be crowned with the glory of his might, and the saints shall be filled with his glory, and receive their inheritance and be made equal with him.
88:108 - And then shall the first angel again sound his trump in the ears of all living, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the mighty works of God in the first thousand years.
88:109 - And then shall the second angel sound his trump, and reveal the secret acts of men, and the thoughts and intents of their hearts, and the mighty works of God in the second thousand years--
88:110 - And so on, until the seventh angel shall sound his trump; and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer; and Satan shall be bound, that old serpent, who is called the devil, and shall not be loosed for the space of a thousand years.
88:111 - And then he shall be loosed for a little season, that he may gather together his armies.
88:112 - And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven.
88:113 - And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies.
88:114 - And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all.
88:115 - For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb.
88:116 - This is the glory of God, and the sanctified; and they shall not any more see death.
88:117 - Therefore, verily I say unto you, my friends, call your solemn assembly, as I have commanded you.
88:118 - And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.
88:119 - Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God;
88:120 - That your incomings may be in the name of the Lord; that your outgoings may be in the name of the Lord; that all your salutations may be in the name of the Lord, with uplifted hands unto the Most High.
88:121 - Therefore, cease from all your light speeches, from all laughter, from all your lustful desires, from all your pride and light-mindedness, and from all your wicked doings.
88:122 - Appoint among yourselves a teacher, and let not all be spokesmen at once; but let one speak at a time and let all listen unto his sayings, that when all have spoken that all may be edified of all, and that every man may have an equal privilege.
88:123 - See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
88:124 - Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.
88:125 - And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.
88:126 - Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.
88:127 - And again, the order of the house prepared for the presidency of the school of the prophets, established for their instruction in all things that are expedient for them, even for all the officers of the church, or in other words, those who are called to the ministry in the church, beginning at the high priests, even down to the deacons--
88:128 - And this shall be the order of the house of the presidency of the school: He that is appointed to be president, or teacher, shall be found standing in his place, in the house which shall be prepared for him.
88:129 - Therefore, he shall be first in the house of God, in a place that the congregation in the house may hear his words carefully and distinctly, not with loud speech.
88:130 - And when he cometh into the house of God, for he should be first in the house--behold, this is beautiful, that he may be an example--
88:131 - Let him offer himself in prayer upon his knees before God, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant.
88:132 - And when any shall come in after him, let the teacher arise, and, with uplifted hands to heaven, yea, even directly, salute his brother or brethren with these words:
88:133 - Art thou a brother or brethren? I salute you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in token or remembrance of the everlasting covenant, in which covenant I receive you to fellowship, in a determination that is fixed, immovable, and unchangeable, to be your friend and brother through the grace of God in the bonds of love, to walk in all the commandments of God blameless, in thanksgiving, forever and ever. Amen.
88:134 - And he that is found unworthy of this salutation shall not have place among you; for ye shall not suffer that mine house shall be polluted by him.
88:135 - And he that cometh in and is faithful before me, and is a brother, or if they be brethren, they shall salute the president or teacher with uplifted hands to heaven, with this same prayer and covenant, or by saying Amen, in token of the same.
88:136 - Behold, verily, I say unto you, this is an ensample unto you for a salutation to one another in the house of God, in the school of the prophets.
88:137 - And ye are called to do this by prayer and thanksgiving, as the Spirit shall give utterance in all your doings in the house of the Lord, in the school of the prophets, that it may become a sanctuary, a tabernacle of the Holy Spirit to your edification.
88:138 - And ye shall not receive any among you into this school save he is clean from the blood of this generation;
88:139 - And he shall be received by the ordinance of the washing of feet, for unto this end was the ordinance of the washing of feet instituted.
88:140 - And again, the ordinance of washing feet is to be administered by the president, or presiding elder of the church.
88:141 - It is to be commenced with prayer; and after partaking of bread and wine, he is to gird himself according to the pattern given in the thirteenth chapter of John's testimony concerning me. Amen.
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In regards to the first part of your post, it is interesting seeing the two sides of scholars adjust their views of early Christianity. Especially entertaining are atheists that believe this proves their point that the disciples used this tradition to steal Jesus’ body and claim that he was resurrected. Not that I always put full faith in these apocryphal discoveries, but this would definitely fit well for any LDS that the Messiah was going to resurrect. So much for the claims that Christianity began with Jesus.
A second point I want to make is the sign of Ephraim that Knohl seems to think is the blood or atonement of the Messiah. After reading this, it reminded me of the Savior’s teachings to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 21, especially the beginning verses:
In other words, the Book of Mormon is the sign to the House of Israel that the restoration is occurring. The Son of David [Jesus] asks Ephraim [the modern church], as per Hazon Gabriel, to deliver the sign [BoM] to the rest of the world.
News release from Dr. Paul L. Maier…
July, 2008
THE "GABRIEL REVELATION" STONE
This past week, a flurry of press reports dealt with a three-foot oblong stone
tablet originally found on the east shore of the Dead Sea and presently owned by
David Jeselsohn, an Israeli-Swiss collector from Zurich. The stone was not found in
the course of an archaeological dig, nor was it engraved, but contained lettering
in ink, much of it faded. Lettering styles placed the script in the first century
B.C., according to specialists. Some claim that lines 80 to 87 refer to a
suffering Messiah who died and would rise again in three days.
As a result, sensationalist headlines on the discovery screamed: "WILL STONE
TABLET SHAKE CHRISTIANITY?" and "STONE TABLET CASTS DOUBT ON THE RESURRECTION."
This is rubbish for many reasons, but two in particular: First, the text itself is
by no means clear or agreed upon by scholars. It is rather pock-marked by
questionable renderings and many elisions where no readings are possible,
especially crucial line 86. And yet Israel Knohl, professor at Hebrew University
in Jerusalem, is bold to translate the critical passage regarding a suffering
Messiah: "In three days you will rise….I, Gabriel, command you." One doubts
that this will be the official rendering.
Secondly, even if this reading were accepted, what's the point? Some commentators
have suggested that this is where the idea of a suffering Messiah first arose,
which is ridiculous. The Old Testament is rife with passages regarding the Messiah
who will suffer, such as Gen. 3:15, Psalm 22, Isaiah 52 and 53, and more. Nor is
this where a resurrection concept was first devised. If that were the case, how
could the Pharisees before Jesus' day believe in a resurrection? Accordingly, the
Gabriel stone actually supports rather than subverts the biblical record.
What is unconscionable is Professor Knohl's conclusion that the Christian Gospels
adapted the existing concept of a suffering Messiah who would rise in three days as
a pattern for their own stories about Jesus. Since he had come to this conclusion
long before the Gabriel stone appeared, his translation and response are highly
suspect and not shared by other scholars in Israel. Other translations will
doubtless be attempted, none of which will pose any threat to Christianity.
PAUL L. MAIER, Ph.D., Litt.D.
Department of History, Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008
Bryce:
As always, you provide a most fascinating analysis. It will take time for scholars to nail all the pieces together, so to speak. In my own analysis posted at Mormon Insights, I stated the following:
*****
Although these findings [from the stone] are exciting, several caveats are in order: 1) The essential aspects of the provenance of the stone are unknown. However, Knohl states, “The authenticity of the inscription was recently checked and confirmed by Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University.” The Goren report, however, has yet to be published. 2) The stone is in bad condition, and the ink on the stone is highly faded and indecipherable in places. The Knohl translation involves some educated conjecture. 3) Knohl is known for his book, The Messiah before Jesus: The Suffering Servant of the Dead Sea Scrolls (translated in English, 2000, University of California Press), which describes the early historical context of the Jewish concept of a slain Messiah. His natural biases to the “pre-Jesus Messiah” thesis possibly could have predisposed his interpretations of the Hazon Gabriel text. 4) Knohl makes it clear that the “prince of princes” in the text is NOT identified as Jesus. However, portions of the text do appear to have a prophetic tone. 5) Scholarly analysis of the stone and its text is at the beginning stages, and there will be much debate over the Knohl translation.
Interesting comments everyone. Please note that I did not focus on the debate over the resurrecting messiah figure of line 80, but rather turned to the temple motifs that appear scattered throughout the text. This was the thesis of the post. Almost any apocalyptic apocryphal text is bound to have allusions to temple theology, which is precisely what we find here. This is plain to see, even without all of Knohl’s questioned interpretations.
Thank you Hans for recognizing a possible connection with the “sign” of the Book of Mormon. As with any symbol, there are are a multitude of possible interpretations and each may find some truth. I believe a symbol is largely what one believes it to be, and finds meaning in one’s own experience and intellect.
That was an interesting twist to take in looking at it, and a well thought out one.
Bryce,
This is some really interesting analysis. I have a few comments.
1. “This is not news to Latter-day Saints, who already firmly believe that Christianity has been known and practiced since Adam.” I know that this isn’t the main part of your post, but I want to suggest that this may be a misreading of the significance of the stone according to Knoll. He argues that there is another messianic figure besides Jesus who was resurrected after 3 days. You comment seems to assume that the stone is evidence of pre-Christian Christianity, but it is not Christianity at all.
2. I am not sure that I see the connection between apocalyptic and the expectation that we would find temple imagery. This seems to be an assumption that requires investigation and demonstration, not just stated. This is further complicated because the text doesn’t label itself as “apocalyptic,” this is a modern scholarly category.
3. I think that we always need to ask “which temple?” when we are looking at “Temple imagery.” The first and second temples are very different, as is Ezekiel’s visionary temple, as is the Qumran view, as is the Enochic view, the Rabbinic view, and especially the LDS temple which is quite different from all of these. There is no unmediated “Temple imagery.” Rather, this is a highly charged and contested subject in ancient Judaism, and was at least in the first and second centuries BCE the major cause for factionalism and even war.
4. Some of the specific things that you mention I find to be awfully generic. Pretty much all of them have extensive non-temple associations. For this same reason, I object to Knoll’s messianic readings of David and Ephraim. He basically just sees what he wants to see without any definitive evidence from within the text. It would be nice if this text mentioned the temple somehow, or even the temple priesthood or some other definitive reference, but it does not.
5. I have some reservations about some specific aspects of your reading. For instance, I don’t find any evidence that this text promises a general resurrection to its readers (even assuming Knoll’s reconstruction is correct, which I find doubtful). Further, the reference to “gardens” doesn’t seem to have any creation connotations here. Finally, the “sign” doesn’t seem to have any ritualistic overtones whatsoever, no more than the apocalyptic “signs” in Revelation or the Synoptics.
6. There doesn’t seem to be any reason that I can tell to read this text ritualistically, or even to be interpreting specific rituals.
Anyway, I’d love to get your thoughts on any of these items.
TT,
Here are my thoughts on your points.
1. According to all the major news reports that I have read, the discovery of this stone sheds light on pre-Christian Christian themes, particularly a 3-day resurrection, which existed in Judaism prior to Christianity, which has not been assumed before by some. My point was that this 3-day resurrection motif may exist not only in first century BCE Judaism but in many other cultures as well, even in the Old Testament, and I believe they all point to very early Christian beliefs among the antediluvian patriarchs which is not incompatible with the restored gospel.
2. Many of the apocalyptic texts that I have studied in the apocrypha have all had temple motifs scattered throughout them, just as John’s Revelation does in the Bible. I believe this is a common element among many, if not all, apocalyptic texts, and is further evidence that Hazon Gabriel is an apocalypse, besides the fact that scholars have labeled it as such.
3. Asking “which temple” is a good question to ask. Although I was just reading again today the words of Joseph Smith when he says “We all admit that the Gospel has ordinances, and if so, had it not always ordinances, and were not its ordinances alwas (sic) the same?” (HC 2:16). Even I have admitted on this blog that the ordinances in the scriptures do not appear the same as they do today, but I am increasingly being convinced that it is because of the filters that the Bible has had to pass through to get to us today that it appears this way. I think the ordinances have generally been very similar since Adam. Nibley saw modern LDS temple imagery in many ancient documents, and rightly so, for it is the same eternal pattern repeated consistently throughout antiquity, or as Nibley puts it, “the same sort of thing has been going on for a very long time and in virtually all parts of the world” (MJSP, 2nd ed., xxvii).
4. Generic, yes, and that is intentional. The details of temple ritual change from era to era, but the general framework stays the same. Nibley consistently pointed out the same general motifs of primordial existence, purification, creation, garden, travel, and ascension. These he says, “are basic to the mysteries everywhere” (MJSP, 2nd ed., xxvi). While they may have extensive non-temple associations, looking at them through a temple lens can also be beneficial. Many texts lend themselves to analysis on more levels than direct correlation and meaning. Symbolism often runs deep and can lend itself to an understanding of contemporaneous belief systems.
5. My reading didn’t treat a “general” resurrection, so I’m unsure of that critique. While reference to “gardens” several times in this text may not seem to have direct Eden connotations, when combined with the corpus of apocalyptic literature that deals with trees, ritual-meals, flowers, gardens, lush environments, waters, fruits, transformations, serpents, etc., you begin to get strong garden of Eden imagery. As for the “signs,” is there a difference between ritualistic signs and apocalyptic signs? I’m not sure there is. They may be one in the same on a much deeper level.
6. While you may not read the text ritualistically, I see no reason why not to. Everything I read these days is with a temple lens, which opens up some very interesting readings, particularly in scriptures such as the Book of Mormon. I believe these things permeate our surroundings, even to something as mundane as blowing out birthday candles.
Thanks for your comments.
Thanks Bryce,
You’re answers were very insightful. They reveal for me that we are coming at these issues from very different methodological perspectives. Given your citations of Nibley, at your predisposition to see the temple in a variety of places, I believe that you are practicing a form of comparative religious studies that thrived for the first 3/4 of the 20th century. This model sought to find commonalities and comparisons, between diverse time periods and peoples. Some scholars, such as Margaret Barker and many LDS apologists, still use this model.
More recently, with the rise of historicism, deconstruction, and other critical methodologies, scholars began to realize that the kinds of comparisons that they made often obscured significant differences, and frequently distorted what they were studying. The rise of this school of thought in religious studies emphasized differences and particularity over broad similarities. J.Z. Smith, for instance, demonstrates forcefully how Eliade completely misunderstands and distorts some of the evidence he uses for his theories.
I tend to come at things from this latter methodological perspective which requires me to check my presuppositions and have more rigorous standards of evidence, which is why I am skeptical of your readings.
Very interesting TT. I was not aware of these different comparative study models. Thank you for bringing them to my attention. For me, it is not the diverse differences that intrigue me among civilization’s traditions, but the thread of similarities that I find fascinating, even if they are very broad. Might this hinder or obscure interpretation? Perhaps. But comparative religion by definition must analyze similarities as well as differences. But your point is well taken that we can arrive at a better understanding of the commonalities by better understanding the particularities. I have a hard time believing that Nibley or Eliade didn’t understand the detailed differences, but Nibley has been called out for being too liberal in pointing out parallels. He did succeed in getting people thinking in a new light, however.
Thank you, Bryce, for picking up on this topic. I really enjoyed your post. I had read a couple of small articles on this discovery, but nothing made me really take interest until I read your commentary. This is a lot more interesting material there than I had initially imagined! I will certainly look into it in more depth now. Thank you for your insightful and exciting post!
David