Thought: “People
who walk in darkness may not be able to discern the fundamental meaning and the
basic principles contained in the Old Testament. But as Latter-day Saints, we
have no excuse. Therefore, it is very important that we do not hide the true
teachings in the Old Testament from our children or from those we are called to
teach by getting lost in things of lesser importance. . . . The Old Testament
provides many examples of the importance of heeding and following the Lord’s warnings
concerning impending distress or disaster. . . . We today have been given the
responsibility to warn the inhabitants of the earth. We must remember this
solemn responsibility and ponder it in our minds and hearts” (Marion G. Romney,
Liahona, Dec. 1985).
Books of the Week: Institute Old
Testament Student Manual-Genesis-1 Samuel.
"A
Train to Potevka" Mike Ramsdell.
Church History by the Decade 1840's
|
1840
|
Church Membership
|
16,865
|
|
1840-41
|
12 great success in
|
Great Britain- 34.000 converts -
1840's - about 1/4 emigrated
|
|
1840-Sept. 14
|
Joseph Smith Sr. died
|
69 years old from a disease contracted
during Mo. exodus
|
|
1840-Jan. 24
|
Hyrum Smith called as
|
Patriarch to the Church &
Assistant President of Church
|
|
1840-Aug. 15
|
Funeral of Seymour
|
Brunson. Doctrine of Baptism for dead
announced.
|
|
1841-Jan. 19
|
Revelation to build new
|
Temple. (D&C 124)
|
|
1841-Feb. 1
|
John C. Bennett elected
|
1st mayor of Nauvoo
|
|
1841-Apr.
|
Conference in Manchester
|
England. 7,500 converts, 5,000 Book of
Mormons, 3,000 Hymn Books, 50,000 tracts, 1,000 emigrants to America
|
|
1841-Apr. 6
|
Cornerstone of Nauvoo
|
Temple laid. Term "ward"
began to be used.
|
|
1841-June
|
Anti-Mormon Party
|
Organized in Hancock County
|
|
1841-Aug. 16
|
New responsibilities for
|
12 announced- To take their place next
to 1st Presidency
|
|
1841-Oct. 24
|
Dedication of Palestine
|
Orson Hyde
|
|
1841-Nov. 8
|
Nauvoo Temple
|
Baptismal font dedicated
|
|
1842-March 1
|
Wentworth letter
|
Contained Articles of Faith
|
|
1842-March 17
|
Relief Society founded
|
|
|
1842-May 4
|
Endowment given
|
Upper room of Joseph's Red Brick Store
|
|
1842-May
|
John C. Bennett
|
Exposed for his wickedness.
|
|
1842-May
|
Attempted assassination
|
Of former Governor Boggs of Mo.
|
|
1842
|
A gelatin
dessert,
|
which later
evolved into Jell–O, is patented in, New York.
|
|
1842
|
John Taylor editor
|
Times and Seasons, a Church
newspaper |
|
1842-Aug.-Dec.
|
Joseph in hiding
|
Received D&C 127 & 128
|
|
1843-Feb. 24
|
Joseph Smith dictated
|
a 78-stanza poem written for W. W.
Phelps based on D&C 76
|
|
1843-July 12
|
Eternal Marriage
|
announced
|
|
1843-Sept. 17
|
Joseph instructs people
|
it is wrong to have "men among
women, and women among men," and segregates the congregation by gender.
|
|
1843-Fall
|
William Law and other
|
Church leaders apostatized.
|
|
1843-Nov.
|
Joseph sent letters
|
To US Presidential candidates asking
course for LDS
|
|
1844-Jan. 29
|
Joseph for President
|
Decision made by Church
leaders-Announced in Feb.
|
|
1844-April 7
|
King Follett sermon
|
|
|
1844-Spring
|
Warsaw Signal begins
|
Anti-Mormon articles
|
|
1844
|
New edition of D&C
|
With 8 additional sections
|
|
1844-June 7
|
Nauvoo Expositor
|
Published. Destroyed at order of city council on June
10.
|
|
1844-June 22
|
Gov. Ford insisted that
|
Joseph and Hyrum go to Carthage to
answer charges
|
|
1844-June 24
|
Joseph and Hyrum
|
Go to Carthage
|
|
1844-June 27
|
Joseph & Hyrum
|
Martyred at Carthage
|
|
1844-June 29
|
Viewing of Joseph & Hyrum
|
8500 mourners passed by their bodies
in the Mansion House.
|
|
1844-July 16
|
Brigham hears of the
|
Martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum
|
|
1844-July 30
|
Samuel Smith died
|
As a result of his efforts to escape
the mob on June 27
|
|
1844-Aug. 3
|
Sidney Rigdon arrived
|
In Nauvoo claiming to be the guardian
of the Church
|
|
1844-Aug. 8
|
Council of 12 sustained
|
To lead the Church. (Brigham
transfigured)
|
|
1844-Sept. 8
|
Sidney Rigdon
|
Excommunicated and went back to
Pittsburgh
|
|
1844-Nov. 17
|
Joseph & Emma's son
|
David Hyrum born
|
|
1845
|
Nauvoo the largest city
|
In Illinois. (some say it was
Chicago-but it was close.)
|
|
1845-Jan
|
Nauvoo charter revoked
|
|
|
1845-Oct. 19
|
William Smith Ex'd
|
From Church
|
|
1845-Nov.
|
Attic of temple
|
Dedicated
|
|
1845 Dec. 10
|
Endowments 1st given
|
In temple. - 5,500 endowed in 8 weeks
|
|
1846-Jan-Feb
|
Saints forced to leave
|
Nauvoo- 1st group crosses Mississippi
Feb. 4
|
|
1846-Feb. 4
|
Brooklyn sets sail for
|
San Francisco-Arrives July 31
|
|
1846-Mar. 1
|
Saints leave Sugar Creek
|
|
|
1846-Apr-May
|
Garden Grove and
|
Mount Pisgah founded
|
|
1846-May 1
|
Nauvoo Temple
|
Dedicated- Orson Hyde was overseer in
finishing construction
|
|
1846-July 16
|
Mormon Battalion
|
enlisted
|
|
1846-Sept.
|
Winter Quarters
|
established
|
|
1846-Sept.
|
Battle of Nauvoo and
|
Evacuation of poor Saints.
|
|
1847-Apr. 15
|
Pioneer Camp begins
|
Trek.
|
|
1847-July 21
|
First LDS enter Salt Lake
|
Erastus Snow and Orson Pratt- Brigham
3 days later-soon announces temple site.
|
|
1847-Aug.
|
Brigham & other
|
Apostles left Salt Lake enroute to Winter Quarters
|
|
1847-Sept-Oct.
|
10 companies of wagons
|
Arrived in Salt Lake Valley
|
|
1847-Dec. 23
|
Emma married Lewis
|
Bidamon on Joseph's birthday- Married
32 years.
|
|
1847-Dec. 27
|
Brigham Young
|
Sustained as President
|
|
1848-Jun 6
|
James Brown talked w/ Miles Goodyear,
Indian trader site of Ogden
|
for purchase of all lands, owned by
Goodyear. Brown paid $3,000, and soon after located himself on the Weber.
|
|
1848-May-June
|
Frost, crickets, drought
|
In Salt Lake-Miracle of Seagulls
|
|
1848-Sept.
|
Brigham & other Church
|
Leaders returned to Salt Lake
|
|
1848-Oct. 9
|
Nauvoo Temple burned
|
Arsonist named Joseph Agnew
|
|
1848-Aug.
|
SLC
population is 5,000.
|
|
|
1848-Oct. 29
|
Oliver Cowdery
|
Returned to Church in Council
Bluffs-rebaptized Nov. 12
|
|
1848-49
|
Severe Winter
|
19 wards created
|
|
1849-Feb. 12
|
Charles Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus Snow & Franklin D. Richards
|
Called to 12. 8 months later, Lorenzo
called to open missionary work in Italy.
|
|
1849-Fall
|
Perpetual Emigration
|
Fund established
|
|
1849-Nov.
|
Parley P. Pratt led
|
An exploring party south looking for
places to settle.
|
|
1849-Dec
|
Sunday School
|
organized
|
|
1849-50
|
Gold seekers passing
|
Through the valley provided and
economic windfall for Saints
|
I. Introduction to the Old Testament
A. 2 Timothy 3:15-17
B. 1 Nephi 19:22-23
C. John 5:39
D. "If we had the Old
Testament as it was originally written, mankind would have a most
powerful-infallible-witness that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Christ, that
He gave the Law to Moses, that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and
that His coming into mortality was plainly foretold in a detailed manner, in
holy writ." (Christ and the Old Testament, Church News, 22 Jan. 1966, p. 16)
E. The Book of Mormon and the Old
Testament
F. History of the Old Testament -What
the Christian world calls the "Old Testament," the Jews call the
"Tanakh." Tanakh is an acronym for Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketubim
(Law, Prophets, and Writings). I like the division into 1) The Prologue
(Genesis) 2)Histories (Exodus-Nehemiah) 3)Writings (Job-Song of Solomon
&Lamentations) 4) The Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel-Malachi) It
is thought that the record began to be compiled under King Solomon, and that
the compilation continued until about two hundred years before Christ.
After
the Babylonian exile, those Jews who did not return to Jerusalem spread abroad.
A great Jewish population assembled in Alexandria, Egypt, then a Greek city.
These Jews soon lost their ability to speak or read Hebrew, and they petitioned
for a Greek translation of the scriptures. Seventy Jewish scholars assembled in
Alexandria and created a Greek translation now known as the septuagint.
The Greek and Eastern Orthodox churches use this ancient translation, while
other churches use further translations or translations from Hebrew texts.
Disagreements have arisen over the years as to which books of the Old Testament
deserve to be canonized. The Jewish canon is the most compact—it doesn't
include the apocrypha. The Catholic Old Testament includes Tobias, Judith, the
Book of Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch, and first and second Maccabees.
The
King James Version used by the Mormon Church does not include these books. The
King James Version (in the United Kingdom it is called the Authorized
Version) is an English translation of the Bible begun in 1604 and first
published in 1611 under the authority of King James. The edition was published
by the Church of England. The Old Testament of the KJV was translated from the
Masoretic Hebrew text. The translation was commissioned because of glaring
errors of translation in the bibles commonly used in England. King James'
instructions made it clear that he wanted the resulting translation to contain
a minimum of controversial notes."
The
Authorized Version was the result of the translating efforts of 47 scholars
working in groups centered in universities. They often worked separately and
then compared their translations. Because of the numerous translations
performed anciently and the orientation of the King James scholars, who made
translation decisions by majority vote, the Bible includes many errors in
translation. Thus, Latter-day Saints are Bible-believing Christians—as long as
the Bible is translated correctly. Revelation directly from the Lord makes up
for errors in translation. Thus, the other scriptures
canonized by the Church clarify many obscure passages and omissions in the
Bible.
G. The JST
H. 7 Keys for Understanding the
Old Testament- 1)Study, 2)Prayer, 3)Other Scripture 4)They had the Gospel!
5)Understand nature of God. 6)Covenants are a key 7)Liken
I. The Book of Genesis -The first
word in the Hebrew Bible is bereshith
which means in the beginning. The
English word Genesis derives from the Greek geneseos, from the Septuagint and
can mean birth, genealogy or history of origin. The Book tells us who we are
and who we belong to. It records the creation and the covenants that our first
fathers made with God. The first 151 verses of the Old Testament, down to
Genesis 6:13 are published as the Book of Moses. As restored by Joseph the true
rendition contains about 400 verses and a wealth of new doctrinal knowledge and
historical data.
II. A
Prologue to Genesis Moses 1 in Light of Jewish
Traditions E.
Douglas Clark (BYU Studies 5, no. 1 2006)
“When I first set out to show
the interesting parallels between Moses 1 and Jubilees 1,” says E. Douglas
Clark,
it was “only as an afterthought
that I began to look at other sources for additional possible parallels, and I
was
struck by the specificity and
number of what I discovered.” As with many distinguished scholars who have done
careful comparative evaluations of ancient writings and Joseph Smith texts,
Clark is impressed that “one cannot examine these without ending up with a
profound appreciation for the authenticity and value of ancient scripture
restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.” Clark sees Moses 1 and Jubilees 1
as prologues to Genesis. Significantly, Moses 1 appeared before the Jubilees
prologue was known to exist. The evidence is compelling enough that a burden of
proof would now rest on those who would argue against the prophetic calling of
both Moses and Joseph Smith.” (For the full text of Jubilees 1, go to byustudies.byu.edu.)
The famous opening words of
Genesis, “In the beginning,” launch the reader immediately into the creation
account without any hint of authorship. Not so in the Book of Moses, whose
first chapter serves as a kind of
prologue to the creation
account, which is a revelation to Moses when he was “caught up into an
exceedingly high mountain” (Moses 1:1)
The prevailing academic theory
of the origin of the book of Genesis denies Mosaic authorship, claiming instead
that Genesis is a synthesis of several different source documents that were
redacted or edited into the
Pentateuch long after the time
of Moses. Curiously, however, as pointed out in the Encyclopaedia Judaica, “Genesis itself contains no
information about its authorship, nor can any biblical passage be cited in
support of a tradition concerning it.” The Book of Moses prologue asserting
Mosaic authorship has no counterpart in any of the extant ancient Bible
translations of Genesis such as the Septuagint. But the most ancient Jewish
retelling of Genesis, a work called the Book of Jubilees which was unknown in
Joseph Smith’s day, does in fact begin with a prologue that has remarkable
parallels to Moses 1. Both of these introductory texts act as prologues to writings
of Moses.
The similarities to the prologue
in the Book of Moses are striking, beginning with the fact that each of the two
prologues constitutes an entire prefatory chapter providing the setting for the
subsequent divine revelation to Moses about the creation and early history of
the world. In addition, in both versions Moses is atop a mountain when the
Lord’s glory is made manifest to him (Moses 1:1–2; Jubilees 1:1–3). Both tell
that Moses learned not only about what had gone before but also about things
yet to come (Moses 1:41; Jubilees 1:4). In both versions Moses is instructed to
write what he sees in a book for the benefit of those who would live in a
future time (Moses 1:40–42; Jubilees 1:5–6). And both mention a future age of
divine revelation to those who would believe (Moses 1:41–42; Jubilees 1:22–25).
There are also important
differences between the two accounts, as when, for example, Moses 1 recounts
that Moses was taught about the Only Begotten—a feature understandably absent
from Jubilees, which came down to us through Jewish hands. Nor does Jubilees
tell of Moses’ encounter with Satan or of the Lord’s grand purpose in his vast
creations, all as chronicled in Moses 1.
Other parallels to Moses 1
absent in Jubilees are found in yet other ancient Jewish traditions, including
those preserved in pseudepigraphical texts, rabbinic commentary, medieval
Kabbalistic texts, and other traditions
handed down. These additional
parallels are remarkably specific and cumulatively impressive.
Confrontation of Satan.
The
Joseph Smith version also recounts Moses’ encounter with Satan, who, upon being
spurned by Moses, began to rant and rave, causing Moses “to fear exceedingly;
and as he began to
fear, he saw the bitterness of
hell” (Moses 1:20). Similarly, in rabbinic texts, after Moses receives the
Torah he is confronted by Satan. Another tradition remembers that at the
burning bush, Moses was granted a vision of hell and the horrific suffering of
the wicked, who, as Moses saw, “cried bitterly.”
Vision of All Things.
After
Satan’s departure in the Joseph Smith prologue, as divine glory once again
rested on Moses, he “cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it;
and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by
the spirit of God” (Moses 1:27). Similarly, in a pseudepigraphical source named
Ezekiel the Tragedian, Moses recounts that while on Mount Sinai in the presence
of the Almighty,
“I gazed upon the whole earth
round about; things under it, and high above the skies.” Likewise in the Zohar,
when God spoke to Moses before the Exodus, Moses beheld properties of matter
“which were concealed from
all others but revealed to him,”
things which “are hidden, and Moses alone perceived them.” From ancient times
and continuing through the Middle Ages there was a persistent tradition holding
that Moses was “the greatest universal genius and master of”—as well as
“founder of”—“all the arts and sciences.”
Sir Isaac Newton traced the idea of atomism—of matter as composed of
atoms—to none other than the Hebrew prophet Moses.
Worlds without
Number. As
Moses’ vision in the restored prologue continues to unfold, he sees “many
lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face
thereof” (Moses 1:29). The Lord
had already told Moses that “I
will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are
without end” (Moses 1:4). Now as the creations multiply before Moses’ eyes, he
hears the Lord say: “For my
own purpose have I made these
things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. . . . And worlds without number
have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I
created them, which is mine Only Begotten” (Moses 1:31, 33). An intriguing echo
of this event appears to have survived in the Zohar, which, in commenting on
God’s revelations to Moses before the Exodus, tells of “a hidden region, so
transcendent that it passes all understanding, the very source whence the
worlds were designed and came into being.” Indeed, the very name by which God
revealed himself to Moses implies “fashioning of worlds.” What makes these
statements in the Zohar so remarkable is that the doctrine of multiple worlds
disappeared from orthodox Judaism, to be revealed anew in the dispensation of
the early Christians (who spoke much of it), only to be lost again in the
apostasy that soon followed. It was Sir Isaac Newton who, near the end of his
lifetime of assiduous study of the structure of the universe and the wisdom of
the ancients, stated that this earth “is but a sort of picture of the
Universe,” for “God always created new worlds, always creates new worlds, new
systems to multiply the infinitude of his beneficiaries, and extend all
happiness beyond all compass and imagination.” Since Newton’s death in 1727, the
remarkable advancements in astronomy for which he opened the way have led a
number of leading astronomers to conclude that there must indeed be numerous
other worlds supporting intelligent life.
Contemplating the
Divine Creator and His Grand Purpose. The Joseph Smith prologue further tells
that as Moses sees the creations stretch out beyond what he could ever have
imagined, he asks God: “Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by
what thou madest them.” God responds, “For mine own purpose have I made these
things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me” (Moses 1:30–31), and that “only
an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you” (Moses
1:35). Why? Because, as the Lord had explained earlier, “no man can behold all
my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory,
and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth” (Moses 1:5). Similarly the
Zohar, in speaking of God’s revelation to Moses and “the worlds [that] were
designed and came into being,” explains that up to a certain “point only is it
permissible to contemplate the Godhead, but not beyond, for it is wholly
recondite.” According to one Talmudic passage, upon receiving the Torah from
God, Moses asked “that He should show him the ways of the Holy One.”49 God’s
answer is the same as in the Joseph Smith version; says the Talmud: “God would
not grant Moses’ wish to behold all his glory.”50 Even if some of the answers
were reserved for later, Moses learns, as recounted in the Joseph Smith
prologue, the great secret behind all of God’s expansive and eternal creative
activity—that his work and glory is “to bring to pass the immortality and
eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39).
Value of Moses 1
for Latter-day Saints Moses 1, as revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith, offers a
unique
contribution to the vast canon
of revealed scripture. The entire absence of Moses 1 from the version of
Genesis that has come down to us, along with continuing debates about the
authorship of the Pentateuch, certainly bear
out God’s revelation to Moses
that “the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them
from the book which thou shalt write” (Moses 1:41). Of course, as Nibley noted,
“those who wish to credit Joseph Smith with a comprehension of comparative
literature and ritual far beyond his time and training are free to do so. They
may even insist . . .that this is the way any uneducated rustic would tell the
story.” But today “we have several very ancient and significant parallels to
Moses 1, which lie far beyond the reach of coincidence or daydreaming. The
number of details and the order in which they occur make it perfectly clear
that we are dealing with specific works of great antiquity that come from a
common source.”
As a prologue to the creation account
in Genesis, the restored words in Moses 1 serve as an essential introduction to
the full book of Genesis, and, indeed, to the entire Bible. This prologue
reveals the setting, background, and context for all the words, deeds, and
purposes of God. It provides crucial understanding of the nature of God—that
human beings were created in the image and likeness of God and that Moses could
see God “face to face” and talk with him (Moses 1:2). It discloses the origin
of man and God’s love for his children: “Behold, thou art my son” (Moses 1:4).
It exposes the reality of Satan and his role in God’s plan (Moses 1:20–22). It
also establishes the need for a Savior and Redeemer, who, as Moses learned, is
called the “Only Begotten” (Moses 1:6), and introduces the functions of the
Holy Ghost (Moses 1:24). All of this leads to an understanding of the work and
the glory of God and his grand plan for his children (Moses 1:39), providing
eternal purpose and meaning to life. Without these plain and precious truths
revealed in Moses 1, we are hard pressed to understand the drama that begins in
Genesis and continues to our day. For as we enter mortality, as Nibley
observes, we find ourselves in the position of someone who arrives late to a
play and must leave early, and so never sees the beginning or the end, but
while there is actually ushered onto the stage to play a brief part. The restored prologue in Moses 1 tells us
what the drama is all about and points the way for us to prepare for that
immortality and eternal life which God has prepared for his children.
III. The Creation
A.
Three creation accounts-a 4th in the temple- but still...
I don't know how
God created the earth.
I don't know when
God created the earth
I don't know how
long it took him.
I do know why.- Moses 1:39
B. Some principles about creation
1. It was not the
beginning-Moses 1
2. It was done by
the Savior as directed by the Father-John 1:1-3, 14; Hebrews 1:1-2; Helaman
12:8-14; Jacob 4:6-9
3. More than Christ
were involved - Abraham 4:1
4. It was
organized-Not made from nothing - D&C 93:29, 33; Words of Joseph Smith
By
Ehat and Cook, p. 60
5. We were made in
the image of God - Genesis 1:26-27
6. Man did not
evolve from a lower life form.
7. We'll find out
more later. D&C 101:33-34; 121:26-32
8. We have no
account of the Spiritual Creation-we have only interpolations in the 3 accounts
(vs. 4-5 in all 3 accounts)
9. We should be
impressed with what happened, but not discouraged with what we don't
yet know. (Mormon 9:16-17)
10. This is not
God's only creation. Moses 1:35; 7:29-36; Genesis 1:16
11. "All men
and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are
literally the sons and daughters of Deity" (Messages of the First
Presidency, 4:203; Abraham 4:27.
12. The privilege
of living on this earth brings blessings and responsibilities. Gen. 1:28- 31;
Moses 2:28-31; Abraham 4:28-31; D&C 59:18
13. When you are a
God you get a waver on time; John 2:1-11; Acts 3
