Who was the Teacher of Righteousness?

The Essene sect kept a lot of documents, many of which talk about a mysterious figure referred to as the "Teacher of Righteousness."  As I studied about this figure, I came across a few interesting quotes.

I wrote about the Essenes in this post, and every time I think about Enoch, I can't help but think about the Essenes, who are described as "Enochian" by some scholars.  I see the existence of the Essenes as partial validation of the existence of the Nephites.  I believe both groups exiled themselves from Jerusalem within a few hundred years of each other, and maintained a relatively similar theology, informed by the High Priestly tradition of the first temple.

One of the big questions debated by scholars is this: who was the Teacher of Righteousness?

Many theories have been put forth -- an unnamed high priest at the Temple in Jerusalem between 159 and 152 BC, the entire lineage of Zadokite High Priests, and Jesus all make the list of potential candidates, among many others. One comment I read about this question put it this way:

...some of the other Qumran scrolls treat [the Teacher of Righteousness] as a figure from their past, and others treat as a figure in their present, and others still as a figure of the future. (source)

I enjoyed the past/present/future theme here.

The Jewish Virtual Library has an article about the Teacher of Righteousness (Heb. מוֹרֶה צֶדֶק moreh ẓedek). Some scholars suggest this name derives as a wordplay from a similar phrase in Hosea 10:12, "it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and cause righteousness to rain [yoreh ẓedek] upon you." In Joel 2:23, there is another wordplay using the Hebrew root מוֹרֶה "mowreh" which can mean both "rain" or "teacher."  Thus, the verse is typically translated like this:

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. (Joel 2)

The phrase "former rain moderately" comes from  the Hebrew "ham-mō-w-reh liṣ-ḏā-qāh" which is very similar to "teacher of righteousness" (moreh zedek).

Rain = Righteous Teaching?

This connection between an Enochian group, the Teacher of Righteousness, and the symbol of rain takes on deeper meaning in light of this verse from the Book of Moses:

28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains? (Moses 7)

(What a "lucky guess" for Joseph Smith to connect Enoch with the concept of "preaching righteousness" in verse 19 and being "high and lifted up" in the "bosom of the father," and less than 10 verses later have Enoch see a vision of the tears of the God of heaven falling as rain!)

God's response to Enoch's question comes a few verses later:

32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood; (Moses 7)

The symbolism and double-meaning here is poignant:  As the wicked people reject the "teacher of righteousness" they bring about a flood caused by overwhelming rain.  There is also an added layer of depth (pun intended) when you consider the notion that Noah's Ark is a symbol of the temple. (See this page for more details.) The covenant is the means of salvation from otherwise certain spiritual destruction.

What does this have to do with being "carried away by the Spirit"?

If you recall, I started this journey of learning with the goal of connecting the concept of Zion with the concept of being "carried away by the spirit."  We're almost there.  Let's take a look at what we've learned so far, and then I'll close this post with an intriguing detail that ties everything together nicely (I hope).

1) We began with the idea that the "exceedingly high mountain" to which Nephi was "caught away in the spirit of the Lord" is the same "high and lifted up" place to which the followers of Enoch were "caught up by the powers of heaven," also known as Zion. The central purpose of mortality is to learn how to reverse the effects of the fall of Adam by ascending to the mountain of the Lord's house.

2) The name Enoch means "initiated one." The verb used to describe the dedication of Solomon's temple is the same root in Enoch's name.

3) Enoch, the righteous leader of this group of people, "preach[ed] righteousness" and led a people who were unified in charity and obedience to God's commandments. There they were "blessed upon the mountains and upon the high places, and did flourish."

4) There is a direct connection between making covenants and teaching others about the importance of these covenants.  This is a pattern we see throughout the scriptures. Divine messengers descend to fallen man and publish glad tidings of good, teach repentance, and perform ordinances to create covenants. See an angel, be an angel.  We looked at Alma-2 as an archetypal example of one who was "snatched" from the depths of hell (one type of water portrayed in Lehi's dream) and brought to feel the love of God (the other type of water in Lehi's dream). In this sense, every missionary can be a Teacher of Righteousness.

5) There is a connection between receiving hidden knowledge and zealously engaging in the work of salvation. We looked at the Three Nephites as an example of this.

6) The righteous look to a "Teacher of Righteousness" to lead them along the right path.  There can be many correct answers to the question "Who is the Teacher of Righteousness?"

The Essenes and others considered the Holy Spirit to be the Teacher of Righteousness

From Wikipedia:

The Essenes, the Gnostics and early Christians taught that the Teacher of Righteousness was the indwelling Holy Spirit who teaches all things to those who have been anointed from above. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth and Righteousness. Salvation comes only to those who have been anointed from above then they become Teachers of Righteousness.

We'll explore this further in the next post.

The Angel Moroni uses the Bible to summarize the purposes of the Restoration -- Part 2

In part 1, we reviewed quotations from Malachi and Isaiah used by Moroni to teach Joseph Smith about the purposes of the restoration.  In this post, we'll look at the rest of what he said.

We begin in the New Testament.

Acts 3:22-23

22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.
23 And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

Moroni offered some explanation for these verses:

He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when “they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,” but soon would come.

The phrases "destroyed from among the people" and "cut off from among the people" seem to refer to the Way of Death, or rejecting the covenant/Gospel of Christ. Thus, in contrast, it seems to me that the saying "him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you" refers to the Way of Life, or accepting the covenant/Gospel of Christ.

Joel 2

Next, Moroni quotes the end of Joel chapter 2, with some obvious references to covenants (see verse 32) and also some obvious references to spiritual gifts (see verses 28-29):

28 ¶ And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

Verse 31 clearly references a coming day of judgment -- the "great and terrible day of the Lord." The purpose of the restoration is to give us what we need in order to withstand that day. We find deliverance through calling upon the name of the Lord in Mount Zion. In other words, the Priesthood, together with its ordinances (including temple ordinances) prepare us to stand clean before God on the day of judgment.

Joseph says the angel mentioned that this prophecy of Joel is "not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be."

Then Joseph says this:

And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here.

We're left to wonder what was quoted and what was said.

We also learn that this divine message was repeated four times over the next few hours.

Conclusion

What I take away from reviewing these scriptures is that the purposes of the restoration have been clear and consistent from the very beginning.  The plan laid out by the voice of the angel echoes the same things we hear President Nelson emphasizing today: Faith, repentance, saving ordinances, Priesthood, and temples. Moroni makes it clear that all of this is designed to offer us a way to withstand the day of judgment and stand clean before God.

In these visits to Joseph Smith, Moroni summarizes the purposes of the restoration using the Bible.  At the very end of the Book of Mormon, he summarizes the purpose of the Book of Mormon (the instrument of the gathering of Israel) using his own words.  Notice the references to judgment, prophecies being fulfilled, spiritual gifts, covenants, the atonement of Jesus Christ, and standing clean before God.

27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?
28 I declare these things unto the fulfilling of the prophecies. And behold, they shall proceed forth out of the mouth of the everlasting God; and his word shall hiss forth from generation to generation.
29 And God shall show unto you, that that which I have written is true.
30 And again I would exhort you that ye would come unto Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.
31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.
32 Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.
33 And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.
34 And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen. (Moroni 10)