"Divided hither and thither" -- a sermon in a phrase, part 2

Please read part 1 of this series before reading on.

We left off with a brief discussion of several unique elements had in common among Nephi-2, Elijah, and Moses. These are the three prophets mentioned in connection with "divid[ing] hither and thither." Other details at least two of them share in common are these:

• Sealing power (Nephi-2 and Elijah)
• Power over the elements (All three)
• Dividing and crossing over water on dry ground (Moses and Elijah)
• Taken up to heaven rather than dying (All three)
• Important post-mortal responsibilities including bestowal of priesthood keys (Moses and Elijah)

Since posting the first part, I've thought more about what these three prophets have in common as well as what we're supposed to learn from all of this. The Venn diagram has expanded a little:

I'll probably dive deeper into these new additions in future posts, especially shining faces, but for now I'll just give a brief summary below.

Shining faces

A shining face is a symbol of God's favor and communion with heavenly beings. Nephi-2 is seen to have a shining face while communing with angels:

36 And it came to pass that he turned him about, and behold, he saw through the cloud of darkness the faces of Nephi and Lehi; and behold, they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels. And he beheld that they did lift their eyes to heaven; and they were in the attitude as if talking or lifting their voices to some being whom they beheld.
37 And it came to pass that this man did cry unto the multitude, that they might turn and look. And behold, there was power given unto them that they did turn and look; and they did behold the faces of Nephi and Lehi.
38 And they said unto the man: Behold, what do all these things mean, and who is it with whom these men do converse?
39 Now the man’s name was Aminadab. And Aminadab said unto them: They do converse with the angels of God. (Helaman 5)

Of course Moses' face shone after he came down from speaking with Jehovah face to face.

This symbol also points our mind to Christ, whose face shone on the Mount of Transfiguration, at which time He also spake with Moses and Elias (Elijah).

1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. (Matthew 17)

Dividing the waters and Priesthood Keys

Dividing the waters is a creation reference.  At the creation, God set the bounds of the sea (a symbol of death and chaos). This comes up several times in the Old Testament.

• Job 38:10-11
• Proverbs 8:29
• Psalm 104:9
• Jeremiah 5:22

The power to divide the water and pass through on dry ground is an act of creation of sorts. 

In the case of Elijah and Nephi-2, a special sealing power is given to them by God which allows them to cause a famine in the land. This done by declaring there shall be no rain in the land. (See 1 Kings 17:1; Helaman 11:17.)  Stisa pointed out to me that this is a variation on separating water and land (and creating dry ground in a bad way).

Creation by division

Another facet of this creation symbolism embedded within dividing the waters is that in the ancient Hebrew understanding, creation happens as an act of "forming or fashioning by cutting" or "shaping." (source)  You could compare it to the process of transforming a stick into an arrow. 

Covenants are also "cut" in Hebrew. Symbolism involving cutting a covenant include circumcision, purity laws, and actual cutting of animals in half (see Genesis 15). This is completely foreign to our modern culture, but it is noteworthy that cutting plays a central role in the ancient understanding of both divine creation and covenant-making. This does not seem coincidental.

This symbol also points our minds to Christ.  Just as Nephi-2 was left alone standing in the midst of a people divided in their opinion of him, Christ's invitation to mankind creates a division between those who will humble themselves and repent/follow Him and those who will harden themselves against the word.

It seems this is the message that Mormon is uncertain we'll get, so just after the account of Nephi-2 causing and then ending the famine, Mormon inserts a long aside about human wickedness, found in Helaman 12. In this passage, Mormon directly connects covenant and creation as he compares man to dust:

6 Behold, they do not desire that the Lord their God, who hath created them, should rule and reign over them; notwithstanding his great goodness and his mercy towards them, they do set at naught his counsels, and they will not that he should be their guide.
7 O how great is the nothingness of the children of men; yea, even they are less than the dust of the earth.
8 For behold, the dust of the earth moveth hither and thither, to the dividing asunder, at the command of our great and everlasting God. (Helaman 12)

In the verses that follow, Mormon repeatedly states that various elements of the creation will obey the word of God (unlike man). It's a powerful connection between creation and covenant.

Conclusion -- The Deeper Message

I included "a sermon in a phrase" in the title of this series for a reason.  Identifying the connecting phrase "divided hither and thither" has opened my mind to a deeper understanding of priesthood authority and the purpose of mortality. I've also gained a deeper appreciation of Jesus Christ's role as the Creator of heaven and earth as well as the Father of our salvation.

In only four words, a connection is made between Nephi-2, Moses, and Elijah.  Connections can then be made between these three and Christ, with additional connections to shining faces, communicating directly with heavenly Beings, and priesthood power offering power over the chaos just as these prophets had power to divide the waters.

I'm grateful for so much beautiful doctrine tucked away in just a passing phrase.

Mormon's references to Alma 5

Alma 6 is a short transitional chapter between sermons in Alma 5 and 7, where Mormon moves from quoting Alma's words on the plates of Nephi directly back to his narrative style. Having learned in recent years to pay close attention to words and phrases in the Book of Mormon, I discover things I never would see before. This is not a big thing and perhaps not interesting to everybody, but what I found in Alma 6 are just small signs of Mormon's work of abridgment shining through. I just like to envision the people in the Book of Mormon as individuals with distinct personalities, talents and writing styles. I see Mormon as a careful historian, with an eye for detail and concern for his future readers to learn important lessons from the Book of Mormon. Analyzing his words directly and reading between the lines, can not only help learn these lessons, but also get to know Mormon as a person. 

In a post about Mosiah 5, written more than a year ago, we see that after King Benjamin's talk, several key words and phrases are quoted in the aftermath. The same thing is going on in the first three verses of Alma 6.

1 And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church.

2 And it came to pass that whosoever did not belong to the church who repented of their sins were baptized unto repentance, and were received into the church.

3 And it also came to pass that whosoever did belong to the church that did not repent of their wickedness and humble themselves before God—I mean those who were lifted up in the pride of their hearts—the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous.

Consider how Mormon's narration refers back to Alma's talk in Alma 5.

For I am called to speak after this manner, according to the holy order of God (Alma 5:44. Note: this is only one of several examples, including the chapter ingress which is part of the original text on the plates)

For what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over them (Alma 5:59)

I speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation, saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance (Alma 5:62)

And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches? Yea, will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God (Alma 5:53-54)

And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the good shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be blotted out, that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of the righteous (Alma 5:57)

What does this say about Mormon? First of all, it is a strong indicator, evidence if you will, that there was a person called Mormon who was engaged in the abridgment of the Nephite records. The alternative explanation of Joseph Smith just making it up as he dictated it to a scribe with his face in a hat is problematic, because it implies that Joseph had to remember specific phrases to later bring them up. Doing so at this level of detail when you don't sit with notes or a manuscript is very difficult. It is easier for me to see a historian here, who has just spent time carefully engraving characters from one set of plates to another, who has the words of Alma before his eyes as he goes on to explain the proceedings of the church in Zarahemla. 

This is where we see the careful historian. He has studied the words of Alma well as he has engraved them. He wants to demonstrate to his readers that Alma was not just giving a great sermon. He spoke the truth and he meant what he said. What he said actually had consequences and was implemented among the people that he had spoken to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Metalepsis in the Book of Mormon, an introduction

The Book of Mormon was carefully written and deserves our careful attention.

Regular readers of this blog know that this is a principle Stisa and I feel strongly about. I'm in the early stages on creating a whole series of content on this specific topic.  Recognizing this fact has completely transformed my scripture study and my spirituality over the past few years. 

I owe the recent surge in my interest in the Book of Mormon to Stisa, who several years ago demonstrated to me the high degree of internal consistency found in the Book of Mormon text.  Both of us have posted at length on that topic. It's a very interesting topic, one that supplies a very intriguing line of evidence supporting the divine origin of the Book of Mormon. It has largely been untouched by the critics.

Internal consistency is very interesting and important. However, focusing solely on that might cause us to miss something much bigger, something more doctrinally relevant.  

Looking for internal consistency helped me develop a careful eye and that careful eye has allowed me to find other examples of the multi-layered richness of the text. As I trained my mind to search the Book of Mormon for subtle details, I began to find doctrinal lessons which had eluded my detection for decades. As readers of this blog will already know, I find great joy in finding and pondering these subtle lessons.

Mormon 8:8 -- four sermons in a single verse!

Here is one such example -- a series of posts on Mormon 8:8 (This link will take you to one post which links to the other posts in the series.). I spent a big part of a month studying that verse alone (along with all of the other verses those phrases are meant to point us to).  It was a very exciting discovery. Moroni wasn't just playing MadLibs with his father's writings, he was combining short phrases in a way to point careful readers to other parts of the records and drink deeply from his father's masterpiece. The lessons range from the everlasting covenant to the creation account to the resurrection.  

Since making that discovery, I've tried to really maintain a humble attitude when studying the scriptures. Whereas, I used to dismiss certain awkward phrasings as nothing more than antiquated English, I now ask myself why those precise words were used, and whether that wording might be a clue to look at other verses.

My study of Mormon 8:8 made it clear to me that important truths were waiting to be found but identifying them requires patience, humility, and a deep commitment to studying the scriptures. Nevertheless, two facts make this effort worth the investment:

1. The process of discovery is very exciting and satisfying.
2. The more one studies and becomes familiar with the scriptures, the easier these connections are to find.

A few months later, I learned (again from Stisa, thanks buddy) that this technique is recognized by scholars as a powerful literary device used by ancient Hebrew scribes.

It even has a fancy name! Metalepsis.

Metalepsis

As Stisa recently posted (here), ancient Hebrew scribes used a technique scholars refer to as metalepsis, defined by Richard Hays as:

"a literary technique of citing or echoing a small bit of a precursor text in such a way that the reader can grasp the significance of the echo only by recalling or recovering the original context from which the fragmentary echo came and then reading the two texts in dialogical juxtaposition" (quoted here)

Bible scholars have noted that the New Testament is best understood when studied in the context of the Old Testament. To ignore the OT influence on the NT is to misinterpret the NT.

My not-so-technical term for this is "a sermon in a phrase." By invoking a certain phrase from a well-known story, the author can draw out new meaning from that old story and teach a deeper lesson in the new story at the same time. It makes perfect sense that this kind of technique would be used widely at a time when writing materials were harder to come by, when oral tradition played a huge role in religious tradition, and when cultures saw time as circular rather than linear. This technique allows the author to highlight an echo from the past on demand to add depth and richness to an account. I recently discovered an example that demonstrates this so perfectly, which will be the subject of my next post.

"Hidden wisdom"

This type of study is greatly helped when a reader is intimately acquainted with the source text. In other words, my relative unfamiliarity with the Old Testament puts me at a disadvantage when it come to identifying metalepsis involving the Old Testament.

This is also a great way to bless the hard work and diligence it takes to uncover these lessons. (Imagine if every possible lesson contained in the scriptures could be fully recognized in a single reading!)

Perhaps this is also part of a divine pattern, where certain aspects of the Gospel are metaphorically shouted from the rooftops, while others lay in wait to be discovered by those who earnestly seek in patience and faith.

Whatever the case, I'm hooked. My scripture study will never be the same, and I'm very glad for that!

The upcoming series of posts on Helaman 8-10 will attempt to outline some of the "sermons in a phrase" hiding in those verses.

I'll end this post with the little detail that opened up my understanding in what will follow, found in Helaman 10:

1 And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them.

I think I've found a whole sermon tucked away in the words "divided hither and thither," which I'll discuss in the next posts.