Blood and soul

Israel are commanded time and again not to eat or drink any blood. This strict prohibition is repeated many times in the Torah. For example, in Leviticus 17:

10 And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among his people.

11 For the life (Hebr. nephesh) of the flesh is in the blood (Hebr. dam): and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls (Hebr. nephesh): for it is the blood (Hebr. dam) that maketh an atonement for the soul (Hebr. nephesh).

12 Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul (Hebr. nephesh) of you shall eat blood (Hebr. dam), neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood (Hebr. dam).

13 And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood (Hebr. dam) thereof, and cover it with dust (Hebr. aphar).

14 For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

I have written the original Hebrew for some selected words in verses 11-13. The Hebrew word, nephesh, does not have a clear English equivalent and is translated into soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion. It is the essence of our inner being. I think the idea that nephesh is closely connected to blood is an important part of understanding all the instructions and focus on blood in general in Jewish law. 

For instance, as stated in verse 11 above, "it is the blood (where nephesh is found) that maketh an atonement for the soul (nephesh)". When the Israelites sinned, it came from their nephesh, their desire, passion, appetite, ... To make amends, they had to sacrifice it. But instead of sacrificing their own blood (the physical representation of the more abstract nephesh), an animal representing them could be used instead. Their blood would then represent the nephesh where the sin originated and be dashed against all sides of the altar as a sacrifice to God. This would also represent Christ, who like the animals, took our sins upon him and made atonement. There are many approaches to and layers of symbolism related to the ancient practice of animal sacrifice and this is merely one of them. But this relation between nephesh and dam perhaps reflects Jacob's worldview, adding context to his statement in 2 Nephi 9:44

O, my beloved brethren, remember my words. Behold, I take off my garments, and I shake them before you; I pray the God of my salvation that he view me with his all-searching eye; wherefore, ye shall know at the last day, when all men shall be judged of their works, that the God of Israel did witness that I shook your iniquities from my soul (nephesh), and that I stand with brightness before him, and am rid of your blood (dam).

Jacob didn't write in Hebrew, but I assume that the words translated into "soul" and "dam" here are Nephite equivalents of nephesh and dam. It was important to Jacob that his nephesh was not mingled with and contaminated by the nephesh in the blood of the wicked. Removing his garments marked a separation.

The prohibition to eat blood did not originate in the Law of Moses, though. It was given for the first time in Genesis 9

3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

4 But flesh with the life (nephesh) thereof, which is the blood (dam) thereof, shall ye not eat.

This is right after the flood when the earth "re-starts" with multiple references back to the creation account. This leads to another verse in Genesis:

And the Lord God formed man of the dust (Hebr. aphar) of the ground (Hebr. adamah), and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Hebr. nephesh). (Genesis 2:8)

According to instructions in Leviticus 17 and other parts of the Torah, blood should be poured on the ground and covered with dust. It is a reversal of the creation of man who was formed from the dust of the ground and became a living soul. Indeed, "for dust (aphar) thou art and unto dust thou shalt return" (Genesis 3:19). The soul simply returning to the dust from which it was formed does not really sound like the plan of salvation as we know it. But here is the twist:

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. (John 6)

This image may be grotesque enough for a modern reader, but imagine how horrific it sounds to a faithful and strictly Torah-abiding Jew, who would never even think the thought of eating anything with blood in it. When we partake of the blood of other unholy beings, we contaminate ourselves with their impure nephesh instead of becoming holy like God wants us to. But when we partake of the blood of Christ we dwell in him and he in us as stated in verse 56. His nephesh is pure and holy and this is why we can make an exception to the rule. Instead of staying in the dust that we return to at death we are raised up to eternal life at the last day, according to verse 54.

Consider the words of Christ to the Nephites:

And he said unto them: He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled. (3 Nephi 20:8)

The nephesh in the blood of Christ fills up our nephesh and purifies it.  

The everlasting covenant and gospel dispensations -- Part 3 (Noah)

Part 1 introduces the everlasting covenant in the context of gospel dispensations. At every new dispensation, there is a righteous priesthood holder who seeks to re-establish the everlasting covenant. We saw how Enoch did this in part 2. He managed to gather the righteous, becoming a new creation in a city that was taken up to heaven. The wicked were left behind and therefore a new gospel dispensation or re-establishment of the everlasting covenant was needed. This dispensation was headed by Noah and it was quite dramatic. Lord Wilmore has written extensively on Noah and related symbolism of "rest" (the Hebrew meaning of his name), which stands in stark contrast to the unrest that the wicked experienced at the flood.

What is the nature of "the everlasting covenant"? In part 1, we defined it as "the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, including all ordinances and covenants necessary for the salvation of mankind". This may seem confusing because the covenants with Enoch and Noah that are sometimes referred to as "the everlasting covenant" are quite specific for them and may differ from the ordinances and covenants we have today. But I believe that the core of the covenant always is to offer the ordinances, conditions and promises necessary for salvation. The practical details of that may vary from one dispensation to another but on an overall level it is about restoring man, and by extension the whole creation, back to God's presence.

In the JST of Genesis 9:15, we read

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I will establish my covenant with you, which I made unto your father Enoch, concerning your seed after you.

This marks a new dispensation and a new establishment of the covenant. God specifically refers to the covenant he made with Enoch. Later, in JST 9:21-25, we get more details

21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself.

22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy;

23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch.

24 And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth.

25 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth.

In Enoch's time, the covenant was about gathering the righteous in a city and lifting them up to heaven. In Noah's time, it was about having posterity that could "embrace the truth" and long for the same city but not attain it until the onset of the millennium when heaven and earth would reunite. This covenant, as all covenants at the time, was to be taken very seriously. This is indicated by the token of the covenant. In Hebrew, there is no word for rainbow, there is only the "bow". This is pointing upward towards heaven as if God is saying: "May I be shot if I break this covenant".

With the re-establishment of the covenant with Noah, we see the recurring elements listed before:

• References to the creation
• References to eternity or "before the foundation of the world"
• Hearkening to the word of God and receiving instruction
• Being called after His order
• Preaching and exemplifying redemption, becoming a new creation

Especially the creation is alluded to repeatedly. The whole story of Noah is both an anti-creation account and a re-creation account. Both before the flood, describing the destruction, and after the flood, describing the new beginning, we find multiple allusions to the creation account, as Lord Wilmore also has mentioned previously.

And the Lord said: I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Noah that I have created them (Moses 8:26)

Beast, creeping things and fowls of the air are all creation language from Genesis 1. So is "breath of life", which is only found in the creation account in addition to the story about Noah:

And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. (Genesis 6:17)

Then God brings the earth to a pre-creation state of watery chaos by flooding the earth. When the flood recedes, the narrative describes a re-creation with continued references to the first creation account.

• In Genesis 5:29, there is a wordplay on the name, Noah (Hebr. "rest"), who will "comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed". The cursed ground alludes to Genesis 3:17 after Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit. In Genesis 8:21 God promises not to curse the ground again.
• In Genesis 9:1, Noah and his sons are commanded to "be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth", just like Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28
• In Genesis 9:2-3, Noah is commanded to rule over the creatures, just like Adam in Genesis 1:28-29
• Genesis 9:6 repeats that God made man in his image

This is all part of a re-creation and beautifully symbolizes the two creations necessary for salvation. The dual destruction/anti-creation and re-creation narratives also remind us that we need to destroy the parts of our lives that are not in line with our covenants and preserve or re-create the parts that are. 

These references to the creation and Adam also follow the pattern of referring one head of a dispensation to other dispensations. In addition to Adam, Noah connects to Enoch in Genesis 6:9. "Noah walked with God" just like "Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:24).

Moses 8 displays further typical characteristics of a gospel dispensation.

13 And Noah and his sons hearkened unto the Lord, and gave heed, and they were called the sons of God...

16 And it came to pass that Noah prophesied, and taught the things of God, even as it was in the beginning...

19 And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order, and commanded him that he should go forth and declare his Gospel unto the children of men, even as it was given unto Enoch.

I didn't think that I would spend the entire post on Noah, but it turned out to be even more than I thought once I started digging deep. The next post will continue with the gospel dispensation of Abraham and its relation to the everlasting covenant. 

 

 

Melchizedek -- Part 2 ("when thy posterity shall...look upward, then shall Zion look downward")

This post is a continuation of part 1, where we discussed the nature of the everlasting covenant and the order of the Son of God. 

The creation-covenant connection

We have frequently written about the creation-covenant connection on this blog. A linguistic Hebrew relation between the two indicates a conceptual relation. All creation was initially bound through covenant. Wickedness and iniquity disrupts this harmony whereas righteousness restores and preserves it. This righteousness is the essence of the order of the Son of God or the priesthood of Melchizedek, the king of righteousness. It ultimately leads back to the Garden of Eden or Zion where harmony and peace of the whole creation abound. 

How? The priesthood and its ordinances manifest the power of godliness and cause us to "look upward". To repeat JST Genesis 9:22

And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy

This is such a beautiful verse. The poetic parallelism at the end is certainly typical for ancient Hebrew and not 19th century upstate New York language, by the way. Do you see the creation-covenant theme? In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. When we live in this mortal state on earth and embrace the everlasting covenant, we look upward and heaven and earth are reunited and rejoicing.

Enoch and his posterity

Another aspect of this verse is God speaking to Noah about his posterity. There is an interesting dynamic here that I have pondered. In the last post we saw that the covenant was closely linked to Zion. Enoch and his city were taken and JST Genesis 14:32 states

And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

This implies that anyone with faith coming unto this order of God (the Melchizedek Priesthood) are translated and taken up to heaven like Enoch. This may seem strange, since Enoch and his city are quite unique in history. But reading on, this is explained

33 And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace.

34 And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world

So Melchizedek was after this order and should therefore be translated and taken up to heaven like Enoch. We learn from these verses that Melchizedek "obtained heaven", but not the same way as Enoch. Instead, he established the heavenly order, peace, on earth in Salem (from the Hebrew word, Shalom, meaning peace) and then waited for a day when he would come to the city of Enoch that has been reserved for the latter days. 

And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace. (JST Genesis 14:36)

This idea is expressed in Moses 8:2 as well

And it came to pass that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins.

Enoch and his city were taken to heaven. They sought heaven and obtained it through righteousness by the holy order and everlasting covenant. But part of the covenant was to leave a posterity that would have access to the same order and the same blessings. Except they would have to try to establish this order on earth "looking upward" and have to wait for the latter days for the full realization of Zion, where heaven and earth would meet. One day, Enoch and his city in heaven will meet Zion on earth, consisting of his righteous posterity.

Enoch, Noah and Abraham

Promises concerning posterity is an important ingredient in the Abrahamic covenant. In fact, I think the covenant with Abraham is just a reiteration of the everlasting covenant that God made with Enoch and Noah but with some additional specific promises to him. Interestingly, Melchizedek in the JST is described as "ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch" before he blesses Abraham

And it came to pass, that God blessed Abram, and gave unto him riches, and honor, and lands for an everlasting possession; according to the covenant which he had made, and according to the blessing wherewith Melchizedek had blessed him. (JST Genesis 14:40)

I would not be surprised if the order of the covenant with Enoch had a lot to do with the blessing that Melchizedek gave to Abraham. Melchizedek is also described as a man of faith

26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness...

30 For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

31 To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

32 And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

I know that I am repeating some of these verses over and over, but there is so much in here and I want to highlight the different aspects. In this case, my focus on faith and posterity leads directly to Paul's letter to the Hebrews. Chapters 5-7 discuss Melchizedek and his order and chapter 11 is a lecture on faith. I don't think it's a coincidence that Enoch, Noah and Abraham are mentioned as examples of faith in that order

5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.

6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

It's a long passage but I have to include all these verse since it fits remarkably well with the scriptures quoted already in the context of the everlasting covenant. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dwelling in tabernacles actually also fits the series on tabernacles/shekinah that I recently wrote, especially this part and this part, even though I only reluctantly introduce yet another aspect to an already complex topic.

So let me try to sum this up: From the foundation of the world, there is an everlasting covenant binding all creation together in peace. The fall and the iniquity of man as a result of the fall, disrupts the covenant. But Enoch, being called after the order of the Son of God, managed to restore the covenant of peace and establish Zion. His city was taken to heaven with a promise that one day, the seed after him who similarly enter into this order and covenant, will meet them in a grand reunion of heaven and earth. Consequently, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham and other 'Tsadiks' (Righteous Ones) were not immediately taken up to heaven like Enoch. Rather, they were preserved, received promises concerning their posterity and tried to establish peace in their circumstances while longing for a future "city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God". 

As Abraham's seed, we too can "look upward" aided by the power of the Melchizedek Priesthood in which "the power of godliness" is manifest. "Then shall Zion look downward" and we will also one day become its citizens, no longer being "strangers and pilgrims". 

 

Melchizedek -- Part 1 ("the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch")

Who was Melchizedek? This is a relevant question that Christians have been asking for centuries and even millennia. Even though the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints offers some answers through modern revelation, there are still many unknowns. One thing is for sure: The Old Testament offers very little information and the extensive discussion of Melchizedek in the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament suggests that there was a Melchizedek tradition that goes beyond what is written in our current version of Genesis.

This is also confirmed by extra-Biblical sources that mention Melchizedek. For instance, there is a Melchizedek scroll (although quite fragmented) among the dead sea scrolls. Various other text from the early Christian era show that there was considerable debate about him at the time. This all indicates that there had been more information at one point having become lost. Tradition lived on but with little specific original sources it may be difficult to know what is based on authentic texts and what is pure speculation.

Unfortunately, the Book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price stops at Noah, not extending far enough to cover Melchizedek. The same can be said about the Book of Abraham. It ends with Abraham in Egypt, which is described in Genesis 12, while the encounter with Melchizedek is found in Genesis 14, after Abraham had left Egypt. Evidence suggests that the Book of Abraham was originally longer but the rest was never published and no manuscripts have been found. This is a shame because personally I would have loved to have an account from Abraham himself about his encounter with Melchizedek.

What we do have, however, is Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible. I will look more into his additions to Genesis 14 in this post. There is a lengthy addition to the Melchizedek story in Genesis 14 in the JST.

25 And Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram.

26 Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.

27 And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

28 It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God

There is more but I am making a pause here. The bolded phrase is quite unusual. The follow up in the 28th verse is more familiar. Melchizedek was a high priest after the order of the Son of God. And as we learn in D&C 107:2-4, this order was eventually called the Melchizedek priesthood. But what does it mean to be a high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch? What covenant did God make with Enoch anyway? This is actually found in the JST of Genesis 9. Here God speaks to Noah and reminds him of the covenant he made with Enoch. It is a reversal of sorts of Moses 7 in the Pearl of Great Price where Enoch sees in vision the covenant which God makes with Noah.

21 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant, which I made unto thy father Enoch; that, when men should keep all my commandments, Zion should again come on the earth, the city of Enoch which I have caught up unto myself.

22 And this is mine everlasting covenant, that when thy posterity shall embrace the truth, and look upward, then shall Zion look downward, and all the heavens shall shake with gladness, and the earth shall tremble with joy;

23 And the general assembly of the church of the firstborn shall come down out of heaven, and possess the earth, and shall have place until the end come. And this is mine everlasting covenant, which I made with thy father Enoch.

24 And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will establish my covenant unto thee, which I have made between me and thee, for every living creature of all flesh that shall be upon the earth.

25 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and thee; for all flesh that shall be upon the earth.

The text between the bolded parts (that make up some sort of inclusio) sums up the Enochic covenant. We recognize these themes from Moses 7. Even though it is not framed directly there as a covenant with Enoch, the chapter is all about the city of Enoch (Zion) with the heaven and earth theme prevalent throughout. Apparently, Melchizedek was ordained a high priest after that order. Reading on in JST of Genesis 14, we see the same theme.

32 And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

33 And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace.

34 And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world;

35 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.

36 And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.

What are we to make of all this? The Enochic covenant is the establishment of Zion, where heaven and earth meet. It is the promise that through righteousness and peace, Zion will be established, which will eventually lead to being translated and meeting the heavenly Zion. Melchizedek was a priest of this order and therefore followed this pattern. This is not just Enoch's covenant. It is described in JST Genesis 9 as the everlasting covenant. It is given to Enoch, Noah and Melchizedek but it is the everlasting covenant of peace established and maintained through righteousness. There is a lot to be said about that but I have already written extensively on the subject in a series on righteousness. Especially this post is relevant in this context.

Despite what I have written before, these passages from JST add new insight into this covenant and the priesthood. When this covenant is established, maintained or restored, there is peace and harmony that naturally leads to Zion where heaven and earth come together. This is done after the order of the Son of God. A priest after this order is a Tsadik, a 'Righteous One', who seeks to establish, maintain or restore the covenant of peace leading to Zion like Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek and others. This order is nothing but what we call the Melchizedek Priesthood today.  That should give us something to ponder with respect to our ultimate priesthood responsibilities. As a reminder, Melchizedek means king of righteousness in Hebrew. Of course, I don't claim to have special knowledge or that the priesthood has other purposes than those we learn about in church. But what I take from this is that exercising the priesthood in righteousness like we are taught leads to the establishment of Zion in fulfillment of an ancient and everlasting covenant. 

There is much more to say on this topic but I will save that for later posts.