Adam and Eve in the scriptures, part 2

In the last post, I focused on the number of times Adam and Eve are mentioned in each book of scripture.  I learned a few surprising things from that part of the study.  The next step was to take a qualitative look at each reference and compare how doctrine in connected to Adam and Eve.  In this regard, the Book of Mormon really stands out. First we'll look at references to Adam and Eve in each of the other books. This part will include the Bible and the Doctrine & Covenants and part three will include the Book of Abraham, Book of Moses, and Book of Mormon. I'll highlight the references which connect to doctrine, light yellow if it touches a little on core gospel doctrine, and a deeper yellow if it connects deeply with core doctrine.

The Old Testament

As discussed in part 1, 18 of the 21 references to Adam and Eve in the entire Old Testament happen in Genesis 1-5.  These occur as part of the narrative account -- there is no real discussion of doctrine, just a telling of the events that transpired.

The rest of the OT only contains 3 other references to Adam the person (there is one reference to a city called Adam in Joshua 3 which I excluded from this study):

1. Deuteronomy 32:8 -- "When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." (This is an oblique reference to Adam as the father of the human family.)
2. 1 Chronicles 1:1 -- "Adam, Sheth, Enosh," (This is the beginning of a genealogy.)
3. Job 31:33 -- "If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:" (This is a reference to an event in the Garden of Eden.)

That's it for the entire Old Testament.  I don't see much, if any, deeper doctrine connected with these references.

New Testament

The New Testament contains a few references to Adam and Eve and includes some doctrine:

1. Luke 3:38 -- "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God." (Part of a genealogy.)
2. Romans 5:14 -- "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (These two mentions of Adam come in a doctrinal discussion about sin and death.)
3. 1 Corinthians 15:22 -- "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (This is a well-known verse in a doctrinal treatise on sin and atonement.)
4. 1 Timothy 2:13-14 -- "For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." (This set of references includes references to events in the Garden as well as some doctrinal discussion about the roles of men and women.)
5. Jude 1:14 -- "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints," (This reference to Adam is only in passing.)

Doctrine & Covenants

For the sake of post length, I'm going to summarize the 31 references found in the Doctrine & Covenants a little more generally:

• Section 27: Connects Adam/Michael/Ancient of days.
• Section 29: "all things unto me are spiritual" / Satan rebelled before Adam and sought God's honor / Adam became subject to the will of the devil by partaking of the fruit / God gave Adam the gospel of repentance
• Section 78: Adam-ondi-Ahman
• Section 84: Abel received the priesthood "by the hand of his father Adam"
• Section 107: The history of the order of the priesthood / a description of the great priesthood meeting held prior to Adam's death
• Section 116: Identifying Adam-ondi-Ahman
• Section 117: Adam-ondi-Ahman
• Section 128: Keys of the priesthood
• Section 136: A promise that we shall behold God's glory if we are faithful in keeping all His words.
• Section 137: A vision of Adam in the celestial kingdom
• Section 138: Adam and Eve standing in the "vast congregation of the righteous" in the post-mortal spirit world

Conclusion

We're building to something here.  Notice how the Old Testament is essentially devoid of deeper doctrine connected to Adam and Eve.  The New Testament fares a little better. The Doctrine and Covenants does quite well in this regard.  In the next post, we'll see how the last three Books included in this investigation compare.

"Word", "thing" and Christ -- Part 4: The priesthood

I was not planning a fourth part of this series. But when I study a topic, I occasionally come across things that add a new dimension. This happened again. To recap briefly, the previous posts were based on the Hebrew root, 'dbr'. It is both a verb and a noun and is associated with speaking or word. But as a noun it can also be translated into "thing" or "matter". It is even the name of the inner sanctuary in the temple.

In another recent post, I shared some reflections on the priesthood. As mentioned in that post, the term "priesthood" is not common in the Bible and Book of Mormon. Rather, it is referred to as "the order of God" or the "order of Mechizedek". In D&C 107:1-4

1 There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.

2 Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest.

3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.

4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Even though Lehi left Jerusalem long after the days of Melchizedek, it seems that the Nephites kept the older tradition of referring to the priesthood as the "order of the Son of God". As I tried to understand the original meaning of the word that has been translated into "order" in this context in English, I found something interesting. This is a rare word in the Old Testament, but the "order of Melchizedek" is found in Psalm 110:4. The Hebrew word for "order" in this case is "dibrah". It is based on the triliteral root, 'dbr' and derived from "dabar" ("word").

In English, you would not usually connect "order" and "word". But that is the case in Hebrew. Consequently, "the order of God" is derived from and associated with "the word of God". Considering all that I have studied and found about this topic recently, I find that profound. For instance, as touched upon in a few blog posts, there is a relation between the word and power in the scriptures. See here and here, for instance. This makes a lot of sense when I connect that power to his "order"/priesthood. Also, the importance of "the word" in the creation account makes sense when it is linked to the priesthood. Further, this realization humbles me when I exercise the priesthood to speak the words of an ordinance, like blessing the sacrament at home church. I feel that I borrow God's power of the word, to bind in heaven and on earth, the same power that was used to create heaven and earth.

Again, I cannot help but think that this Hebrew tradition and feature of their language carried over into Nephite tradition. The "order of (the Son of) God" in the Book of Mormon is often closely linked to "word"/"thing" or "speak". In Hebrew or a language similar to Hebrew, the following examples look like wordplays.

Now we shall say no more concerning their preaching, except that they preached the word [dabar], and the truth, according to the spirit of prophecy and revelation; and they preached after the holy order [dibrah] of God by which they were called. (Alma 43:2)

Yea, and there was continual peace among them, and exceedingly great prosperity in the church because of their heed and diligence which they gave unto the word [dabar] of God, which was declared unto them by Helaman, and Shiblon, and Corianton, and Ammon and his brethren, yea, and by all those who had been ordained by the holy order [dibrah] of God, being baptized unto repentance, and sent forth to preach among the people. (Alma 49:30)

For I am called to speak [dabar] after this manner, according to the holy order [dibrah] of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and testify unto this people the things [dabar] which have been spoken by our fathers concerning the things [dabar] which are to come. (Alma 5:44)

There are several other examples but these are sufficient to illustrate my point. This connection to the priesthood adds another layer to this topic. Hopefully, with all these layers, it has not become too muddled at this point, but I will try to summarize:

• The Hebrew root, 'dbr', means "speak" or "word", but can also be translated into "thing" or "matter". Further, it is associated with the temple and the priesthood. Thus, in ancient Hebrew language and tradition, especially in a religious context and when associated with God, the concept of word and speaking is much more than a string of letters or a sound in your ear.
• This link between word and power and matter is particularly evident in the creation account. It is an account of the word materializing and demonstrates God's power.
• When Alma compares the word with a seed, he uses much of the same language and imagery. He seems to invite us to become creators and benefit from the power of the eternal word.
• The plan of salvation is reflected in the movement from the invisible and eternal world associated with "the Word" to the material creation and then back again. The "back again" is symbolized in the ancient temple, which is the creation in reverse.
• All of the above represents the "order" of God. It is manifest in and possible through the priesthood.

 

The Holy Order all the way back to Adam, part 3

In the first 2 posts in this series, we've looked at points 1-4 on this list:

1. The High Priest tradition is far older than Judaism, dating all the way back to Adam.
2. The Judaism we know today is a revised version of an older form of Judaism, formed in reaction to Christianity and also in reaction to the loss of the second temple.
3. Hebrew culture was fragmented even by the time of Lehi, with various groups condemning other groups as apostate from the true, ancient, covenant-and-temple-based religion.
4. The Old Testament as we know it was most likely written and edited by Jews who espoused a tradition which had long since rejected the original purpose of the Law of Moses. They intentionally left out much of the High Priestly tradition.
5. In order to have written the Book of Mormon (which clearly outlines this older, High Priestly tradition), Joseph Smith would have needed to have organized this complex and historically plausible theology by 1829, inserted in subtly into the text, and then stayed pretty quiet about it for a few years until he received revelations outlining the modern day restoration of these ancient practices, including the priesthood, the temple, eternal families, etc.

I've asserted many times on this blog that I don't believe it is reasonable to conclude that Joseph Smith authored the Book of Mormon.  I believe this for a host of reasons, not just the ones I'll be pointing out today.

I also recognize that many critics of the Book of Mormon are convinced that Joseph Smith (and perhaps others) conspired to create the book in order to bolster his plan to found a new American religion.  I believe they haven't studied the book in enough detail to address all the tasks he would need to accomplish in order to pull this off.  This post will attempt to list some of those tasks. I will not address internal consistency, intertextual connections, or any of the cultural and archaeological evidence, which can be found on other posts.

Joseph Smith's "to do" list

1. Accessing the sources. In order to weave this "Holy Order all the way back to Adam" theology into the Book of Mormon, Joseph would have needed access to resources. It's difficult to definitively conclude what kind of documents Joseph Smith could have had access to as he drafted the Book of Mormon. An early translation of the Book of Enoch existed in England (and maybe part of the US) by 1828/9, but there is no evidence it could be found in Palmyra, nor is there any evidence that Joseph was secretly ditching his duties as a day laborer in favor of studying at the library. Furthermore, talking to rabbis of his day would not have helped him.  Rabbis are trained in the rabbinical tradition, whose predecessor had actively suppressed the High Priest tradition thousands of years earlier.
2. Writing in secret. There is no evidence to support the idea that he was writing early drafts of the book in secret, or that he even had easy access to paper. There is strong evidence supporting the account that the book was dictated in a single draft in about 3 months, for the most part while he sat with his head buried in a hat for hours at a time surrounded by other people. In order to weave this theology into the Book of Mormon, he would have needed to compose it in secret, then commit it to memory.
3. Revisit the doctrine in later revelations. The text of the first draft of the Book of Mormon was finalized in 1829, but clear references to the "Holy Order" can be found in the Book of Moses, which was worked on in late 1830, revelations on the priesthood received in 1832 (see D&C 84:18-19 and D&C 107:40-41 for example), and in JST Bible passages such as this one. These passages connect to each other in big ways and in subtle ways. For example, the Book of Mormon teaches about "the first resurrection," which is also connected to baptism and sanctification -- this will be a topic of a future post.
4. Include concepts unknown to the world at the time but later confirmed/supported by new discoveries. Joseph's theology boldly proclaims:
• That the Bible had been corrupted around the time of Jesus. 
• That Adam was a great high priest. 
• That Enoch was the founder of a great city which was taken up to heaven and will play a part in the end of days.
• That Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek was only a tiny part of a much more important story about the Priesthood. 
• That the temple of old must be restored in order to unite the human family and teach us how to walk back to the Garden of Eden and the presence of God. 

He turns out to have been really good at this.

Here we have an additional layer of evidence supporting Joseph Smith as the prophet of the restoration. It would be a remarkable feat to develop this theology over the course of decades of study, trial and error, and feedback from scholars, but Joseph seems to have accomplished an even more impressive set of tasks in a burst from the start.

I'm going to end this post with a passage from Alma-2's sermon in Ammonihah, where he outlines the character of "the Holy Order" to which he has been called. I believe this would have been the very earliest detailing of this order in modern-day revelation. I will include this part of the sermon in full to demonstrate that all the way back in 1829, this theology appeared in a very full form. To me this is remarkable, but it took me a long time to realize just how remarkable this is.

1 And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.
2 And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.
3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
4 And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
5 Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—
6 And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest—
7 This high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things—
8 Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end—
9 Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen.
10 Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
11 Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.
12 Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
13 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest.
14 Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priesthood forever.
15 And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed.
16 Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.
17 Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness;
18 But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father.
19 Now, there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention. (Alma 13)

The Holy Order all the way back to Adam, part 1

I'm diving deep into the concept of the Holy Order of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and it is drawing me back to the Garden of Eden. I can already tell this is going to be a multi-post series, but I'd like to outline up front the highlights of what I am studying/learning:

1. The High Priest tradition is far older than Judaism, dating all the way back to Adam.
2. The Judaism we know today is a revised version of an older form of Judaism, formed in reaction to Christianity and also in reaction to the loss of the temple.
3. Hebrew culture was fragmented even by the time of Lehi, with various groups condemning other groups as apostate from the true, ancient, covenant-and-temple-based religion.
4. The Old Testament as we know it was most likely written and edited by Jews who espoused a tradition which had long since rejected the original purpose of the Law of Moses. They intentionally left out much of the High Priestly tradition.
5. In order to have written the Book of Mormon (which clearly outlines this older, High Priestly tradition), Joseph Smith would have needed to have organized this complex and historically plausible theology by 1829, inserted in subtly into the text, and then stayed pretty quiet about it for a few years until he received revelations outlining the modern day restoration of these ancient practices, including the priesthood, the temple, eternal families, etc.

"...not only we had a hope of his glory...but also all the holy prophets which were before us."

Writing on the small plates, Jacob laments that "whatsoever things we write upon anything save it be upon plates must perish and vanish away; but we can write a few words upon plates..." (Jacob 4:2).

Knowing he could only write a few things down, he follows up with these words:

3 Now in this thing we do rejoice; and we labor diligently to engraven these words upon plates, hoping that our beloved brethren and our children will receive them with thankful hearts, and look upon them that they may learn with joy and not with sorrow, neither with contempt, concerning their first parents.
4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. (Jacob 4)

A relatively unique feature of Latter-day Saint theology is that prophets long before Jesus preached of Jesus, all the way back to Adam.  We believe that Adam was baptized, preached repentance, and prophesied of Christ. (See Moses 6:48-Moses 7:1).

40 The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made.
41 This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage... (D&C 107)

In the context of upstate New York circa 1820, it seems that the prevailing opinion of Adam and Eve was negative -- had they not been duped by the serpent, we'd all be in a much better place. The Book of Mormon teaches something very different:

22 And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
23 And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. (2 Nephi 2)

One of the points made by Margaret Barker in Temple Theology is that "Adam was remembered as the first high priest." The context in which she makes this claim is really important. I'll get into that context in the next post, when I outline my second and third points above.

For now, I think it is important and foundational to appreciate that as early as 1829, Joseph's Smith's restored theology very clearly taught that Adam's transgression was a necessary part of the plan of salvation.