Mysteries

As Lord Wilmore is posting about ancient cosmology and temple themes in Alma 12, among other things, my mind goes back to a scripture we have discussed before

9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell. (Alma 12)

I want to focus on the word, mysteries, this time. It is found once in each of these three verses. Considering the temple themes in Alma 12-13, this quote from Hugh Nibley is interesting:

In a recent and rather sensational work, Morton Smith demonstrates at length that the word mystery, as used by the first Christians, usually refers to ordinances. He duly notes that Judaism itself was an ancient “mystery religion” in which the rites of circumcision and passover were “mysteries,” and that such early and orthodox Christian writers as Clement of Alexandria “think of Jesus as a ‘hierophant,’ a teacher of mysteries.” As Smith sums it up, “This was the mystery of the kingdom—the mystery rite by which the kingdom was entered,” i.e., the ordinances of initiation. (Hugh Nibley, “The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri”, 515)

It should be added that Morton Smith's work is disputed and scholars disagree about the possible meaning of "mysteries" in relation to ordinances. But I don't think the point is that "mystery" always refers to an ordinance, but that there is a clear relation and one possible meaning depending on context. At least it makes sense to me that the sacred ordinances anciently were viewed as mysteries of God that were only available for and understood by the faithful. In Greek, mystery (musterion) comes from mueo, which is related to initiatory rites. Of course the Nephites did not speak Greek but this relation might go back to the ancient Israelites as the quote indicates. In this context it makes sense that Alma goes on to talk about ordinances later in his sermon.

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...

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. (Alma 13)

A natural question to ask is then: If those who know the mysteries of God (like Alma) are strictly commanded to impart only a limited portion according to the heed and diligence of the recipient, why would Alma start lecturing the wicked Ammonihahites about these deeper temple themes? I think the answer is given in Matthew 13:

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

The Isaiah quote in verse 15 forms a chiastic pattern with heart, ears and eyes in that order before it is reversed. Even though Alma 12-13 can hardly be called a parable, it is a layered sermon. The plain language is for all to hear and the deeper covenant symbols, presumably only recognized by those among the listeners who were familiar with the temple theology, are reserved to those who had not hardened their hearts but instead opened their eyes and ears. King Benjamin talks about this

And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view. (Mosiah 2:9)

These words are spoken right after the description of the people gathering around the temple and as we know, the sermon ends with the people entering into a covenant and receiving a new name.

Nephi also talks about the mysteries of God. As he starts writing on the small plates, he is a middle-aged man reflecting back on his life. This is the very first verse of his account

I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. (1 Nephi 1:1)

He even tells his readers how he first came to know the mysteries of God.

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, being exceedingly young, nevertheless being large in stature, and also having great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers. (1 Nephi 2:16)

In line with Alma's statement, Nephi had a soft heart and was therefore ready to learn about the mysteries of God ("he that will not harden his heart"). His great desires and crying unto the Lord triggered the process. Nephi later advises his readers to follow the same pattern.

18 For he is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the way is prepared for all men from the foundation of the world, if it so be that they repent and come unto him.

19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round. (1 Nephi 10)

We must seek diligently to have the mysteries of God unfolded unto us. Nephi is talking from experience. Again, this is in line with Alma's statement that the portion of God's mysteries we receive is in accordance with our diligence.

To me, this is related to the "forbidden to write" series. Because of the underlying principles for obtaining knowledge about the mysteries of God, sometimes the prophet can only say this much and then needs to stop. Other times, he will talk with layers of meaning, where only the diligent and initiated with open eyes, ears and hearts can pick up the deeper layers.

Belonging to Yahweh

For a person to belong to another person is a very foreign and perhaps even abhorrent notion today. But it was a normal part of ancient cultures. For instance

Often a man who had taken on debt and could not pay it off was forced to sell himself or one of his family members to the creditor as a debt-slave. No actual “sale” took place, but the person was transferred into the possession of the creditor. The “sale price” was understood to be a loan, which the debtor had already received and was now unable to repay. Redemption occurred when the debtor or one of his family members eventually acquired the means to pay off the debt and thereby retrieve the debt-slave from the creditor. To redeem a person was, in a sense, the act of buying the person back from the creditor, often at the same price (the amount of the loan) at which the person was “sold.” (NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible)

Even though we may be uncomfortable with it, the common scriptural idea of being the Lord's people and belonging to him is best understood in this context. A lot of this can be traced back to the Exodus. 

The LORD said to Moses: Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the Israelites, of human beings and animals, is mine...When in the future your child asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall answer, ‘By strength of hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human firstborn to the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the LORD every male that first opens the womb, but every firstborn of my sons I redeem. (Exodus 13:1-2, 14-15)

Apparently, the Israelites were indebted to Yahweh for sparing their firstborn right before they left Egypt. We remember that they were spared as long as the blood of the lamb was stricken on the door posts. But as stated in Exodus 13, they would now belong to the Lord. The firstborn animals were therefore sacrificed to him, but the firstborn human male would be "redeemed", that is, an animal could be sacrificed in his place, just like a redeemer could pay the debt of someone else according to ancient practice. Later on, the firstborn are replaced or "redeemed" by the Levites.

I hereby accept the Levites from among the Israelites as substitutes for all the firstborn that open the womb among the Israelites. The Levites shall be mine, for all the firstborn are mine; when I killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated for my own all the firstborn in Israel, both human and animal; they shall be mine. I am the LORD. (Numbers 3:12-13)

In Numbers 8, there is a formal consecration of the Levites as substitutes for all the firstborn belonging to the Lord. In verses 6-12, the Levites are commanded to wash themselves, offer a sin offering, go to the tabernacle to be brought before the Lord, and have Israel lay their hands on their heads. Then the Levites are to be offered as an offering to the Lord!

13Then you shall have the Levites stand before Aaron and his sons, and you shall present them as an elevation offering to the LORD. Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the other Israelites, and the Levites shall be mine. (Numbers 8:13-14)

Fortunately, unlike many other cultures at the time, human sacrifice was strictly forbidden under Mosaic law. Instead of the Levites being slain and burned on the altar, animals again "redeem" them or are sacrificed in their place. But the "elevation offering" is interesting. It has different translations in different Bible versions, but here is an explanation

The Hebrew word translated “elevation offering” denotes a type of offering that is lifted up toward the heavens in presentation and dedication to God and then lowered into the hands of the priest. This practice is evidenced in Egyptian and Mesopotamian ritual offerings pictured on monuments, steles and plaques. Often the breast or right thigh of the animal was uplifted as an elevation offering. In Israel, the elevation offering was associated with the well-being offering (here; v. 34; 23.20), the consecration of the priests (8.29; Ex 29.27), the dedication of the Levites (Num 8.11– 13, 21), and the purification ritual for Nazirites (Num 6.19– 20). In Lev 10.15, the “thigh that is raised” (that is, moved upward) and the “breast that is elevated” (in Hebrew, moved from side to side) were ordained as gifts for the Aaronic priesthood. Grain and oil offerings were also presented in such fashion, as with the consecration of the priests (8.27; Ex 29.23– 24), cleansing ritual for lepers (Lev 14.12, 21, 24) and the sheaf of grain and two loaves for the festival of weeks (23.15,17). The transference ritual of up and down, forward and backward movement signified that the offering was moving from its temporary owner to its ultimate owner, God. (emphasis added)

I don't know what that would have looked like for the Levites who were presented as an elevation offering to the Lord in the tabernacle, but I can imagine them waving or making some gesture towards heaven to indicate that they now belong to Yahweh as his property. After this they are ready to officiate in the tabernacle.

Levites also served as guardians of the sanctuary and constituted the first level of human presence in proximity to the tabernacle according to detailed encampment instructions for Israel in a "concentric circles of holiness" arrangement. I will not go into details here as Lord Wilmore soon will write more about that. But in their function they provided a constant visible presence among the 12 tribes to remind them of the need for holiness and righteousness as God's people. This was also the case when Israel finally obtained the promised land and each tribe has a designated inheritance. The Levites had no such designated portion of the land but lived among the other tribes serving as priests and facilitated the rendering of the tithes by Israel, among other things. Instead of land, the Levites inherited the Lord!

Then the LORD said to Aaron: You shall have no allotment in their land, nor shall you have any share among them; I am your share and your possession among the Israelites. (Numbers 18:20)

Levites, who have been dedicated to Yahweh as his possession now inherit him in return in a reciprocal relationship. The idea of God being our possession is not as usual in the scriptures as the other way around, but the closely related idea of inheriting everything our Father has, is very important in Latter-day Saint theology. The promised land is obviously a symbol of the heavenly destination that we all seek. What I also like about this, is how the Levites were first consecrated to God and served among Israel to bring them to God for his possession too, so they eventually could inherit him by "entering into his rest". This is a type and example for priesthood holders today.

In order to avoid turning this into an Old Testament blog, I will close by sharing a Book of Mormon scripture beautifully conveying these ideas.

17 And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people.

18 Yea, blessed is this people who are willing to bear my name; for in my name shall they be called; and they are mine.

19 And because thou hast inquired of me concerning the transgressor, thou art blessed.

20 Thou art my servant; and I covenant with thee that thou shalt have eternal life; and thou shalt serve me and go forth in my name, and shalt gather together my sheep.

There are the Lord's words to Alma-1. It is not stated here, but we know that his people were in bondage and God redeemed them. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the Lord now claiming them as his. Belonging to God as his possession is not a bad thing though, even if it can sound like it to modern ears. When Alma in this capacity serves in His name and gathers His sheep, he gets eternal life in return. 

The cavity of a rock

Twice in the Book of Mormon, someone hides in "the cavity of a rock". This is a strange expression. Why not just use the word "cave" since most caves are in a rock anyway? I will first share two different aspects of this expression and then take a closer look at the context of its use in the Book of Mormon.

According to a Jewish rabbi, a cave or cavity in ancient Hebrew would be a euphemism for frustration and a feeling of inability. The rock on the other hand symbolizes assurance and protection and is commonly associated with God. God is the rock of our salvation (Ps. 89:26, 95:1, 2 Nephi 9:45, Jacob 7:25, etc.). The cavity of a rock is therefore a place where you turn to God for assurance in your distress.  

A very different aspect is the historical Mesoamerican setting for this expression. I don't know where the Book of Mormon actually took place, I just find Mesoamerica the most likely alternative. In this article, Jerry Grover explains that many Mesoamerican beliefs are represented by caves and ceremonies related to or taking place in caves. Anthropologists and archaeologists have linked findings in Mesoamerican caves to both kingship and scribes. These are two out of several similarities between the two "cavity of a rock" stories in the Book of Mormon.

The first one is in 1 Nephi 3, where Nephi and his brothers hide from Laban's servants

And it came to pass that we fled into the wilderness, and the servants of Laban did not overtake us, and we hid ourselves in the cavity of a rock. (1 Nephi 3:27)

The other is found in Ether 13

13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night.

Turning to God for assurance in great distress

This symbolism is certainly present in both these stories. Nephi and his brothers had been "thrust out" (v.25) from Laban's house. They had all their riches stolen from them, had still not obtained the plates and a small army was after them to kill them. Ether had been "cast out" from among the people after they had all rejected him and his prophecies. Being encompassed by rock in that cave gave them the kind of protection that God can offer (even though Laman and Lemuel probably saw it differently, but this was the record of Nephi).

Relations to kingship

In his article, Grover cites anthropologist Healey, who has been researching Mesoamerican caves

About the same time as the Guerrero caves were in use on the Pacific coast of Mexico, several monumental, carved, stone ‘‘altars’’ from Olmec sites on the Gulf Coast depict elite individuals of this precocious society in a cavelike front cavity. These altar ‘‘niche figures,’’ surrounded by maize imagery, have been interpreted as representations of Olmec site rulers seated in the mouth of a cave. David C. Grove (1973:134) theorizes that the ‘‘emergence from the cave’’ was central to Olmec kingship, the ruler’s mythical Underworld origins, and claims to divine status. (Healy 2007)

It may not be obvious what this has to do with the stories of Nephi and Ether. But as we know, Laman and Lemuel started beating Nephi and Sam and an angel appeared

And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

The angel uses a possible wordplay because rod (makel) and ruler (melech) are similar in Hebrew. Even though Laman and Lemuel were the older brothers, it was given to Nephi to rule over them because of his righteousness and their iniquity. Later, he became a ruler over the Nephites, who separated from his brothers.

The relation to kingship in the case of Ether might not be obvious either. But even though Ether was an outcast, he was the rightful heir of the throne. This is clear from the genealogy in Ether 1 and the narrative in Ether 11. Ether's grandfather Moron was king of the people but "wicked before the Lord". His kingdom was overthrown and he ended up in captivity. His son also spent all his days in captivity before Ether was born. 

Relations to scribal traditions

Another quote from anthropologist Healy (2007) in his Mesoamerican cave research

Scribes, a secondary tier of Maya nobility, also are potential candidates to have visited caves. They may have used cave pilgrimages as a ‘‘mechanism...to affirm their ongoing relationship with the supernatural’’ (Stone 2005:136, 144). Perhaps they visited these sacred places, as pilgrims, to acknowledge ‘‘the divine source of their craft, affirming their legitimacy and supporting their (elevated) social positions by doing so.’’ The cave texts at Naj Tunich, for example, include self-references to scribal visits, where they appear to have been trying to connect with the divine source of their offices. Landa (in Tozzer 1941:153) mentions that holy water, which likely came from a cave or cenote, was used in the purification rites for ancient Maya codices.

The authors examine several hieroglyphic texts from cave sites which, using the new translation for ‘‘cave,’’ seem to record ‘‘arrivals’’ of various visitors and refer to caves as ‘‘a pilgrimage or ritual center’’ (Vogt and Stuart 2005:160–162). Stuart’s earlier work with ancient Maya texts enabled him to decipher the Maya expression for ‘‘writing,’’ tz’ihb, and the phrase u-tz’ihb, ‘‘he writes’’ from one of the cave paintings of Naj Tunich (Stone 1995, 2005a:142). He went further to show that the subject of this clause was the name of an ancient Maya scribe, with a special title of itz’at, or ‘‘sage.’’ The hieroglyph suggests that the scribe in question, with two other protagonists, came ‘‘to see’’ Naj Tunich, which phrase might actually be a Maya metaphor for ‘‘pilgrimage’’. All this fits nicely with the themes, discussed earlier, of caves as pilgrimage sites and meeting places, sometimes used by scribes.

Although Nephi doesn't write anything in the cave, he is a scribe and on an important mission to obtain the Brass Plates. Ether spends his time in the cave making "the remainder of this record" (Ether 13:14).

Of course there is much uncertainty about the ancient Mesoamerican traditional uses of caves and the connections to the specific Book of Mormon stories are rather loose. But the connection is definitely there. In any case, we can learn from these stories that obtaining, preaching or preserving the word of God can lead to adversity and hardship. But if we come to the rock of our salvation, we can find refuge and safety, even by angelic visitations.

 

Cast out -- Part 1

In my previous post I mentioned that I have noticed the Book of Mormon occasionally using certain recurring key phrases to teach the reader a lesson. In the final chapters of Helaman about Samuel the Lamanite, I see this happening.

And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land. (Helaman 13:2)

I believe "cast out" to be a key phrase here. Even though Samuel was cast out, the Lord asked him to return because He had an important message for the inhabitants of Zarahemla.

But behold, the time cometh, saith the Lord, that when ye shall cast out the righteous from among you, then shall ye be ripe for destruction (Helaman 13:14)

Yea, wo unto this people, because of this time which has arrived, that ye do cast out the prophets (Helaman 13:24)

Behold ye are worse than they; for as the Lord liveth, if a prophet come among you and declareth unto you the word of the Lord, which testifieth of your sins and iniquities, ye are angry with him, and cast him out and seek all manner of ways to destroy him (Helaman 13:26)

And in the days of your poverty ye shall cry unto the Lord; and in vain shall ye cry, for your desolation is already come upon you, and your destruction is made sure; and then shall ye weep and howl in that day, saith the Lord of Hosts. And then shall ye lament, and say: O that I had repented, and had not killed the prophets, and stoned them, and cast them out. (Helaman 13:32-33)

The fact that they cast him out to begin with should count as a great warning to them. It is a sign of a people ripe for destruction. This was a message that all the inhabitants needed to hear and the reason why Samuel was commanded to go back and climb on the city wall. Obviously, it was also to teach them about the coming of Christ.

10 And now, because I am a Lamanite, and have spoken unto you the words which the Lord hath commanded me, and because it was hard against you, ye are angry with me and do seek to destroy me, and have cast me out from among you.
11 And ye shall hear my words, for, for this intent have I come up upon the walls of this city, that ye might hear and know of the judgments of God which do await you because of your iniquities, and also that ye might know the conditions of repentance (Helaman 14)

I will get back to the purple part. Notice the similarity to Helaman 13:14: "Cast...out...from among you". The people are in a state where they cast out the righteous and the prophets, as evidenced by the casting out of Samuel initially. This is a dangerous state to be in and the reason why Samuel has been assigned by God to warn them.

Studying this phrase in the Book of Mormon in general, it becomes clear that this was not just a unique case for the people of Zarahemla in the end of Helaman. As far as I have been able to find, every time people cast out the prophets, righteous or any messenger with the word of God, they are destroyed. The inhabitants of Zarahemla were warned by Samuel, but they didn't listen and were burned (see 3 Nephi 8:8,24). 

We see the same trend over and over. Alma-II was "cast out" of Ammonihah (Alma 8:13). Like Samuel, he was asked to return, and his missionary companion, Amulek, gave the people a similar warning.

But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. (Alma 10:23)

The people in Ammonihah didn't heed the warning. They cast out the righteous in Alma 14 and the whole city was destroyed in Alma 16.

Here is what happened to Alma-II's father, Alma-I

3 But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.
4 But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken. (Mosiah 17)

This is on a smaller scale, but we notice the same pattern. Abinadi preached to the wicked King Noah and his priests. They executed Abinadi but the also cast out Alma, the only one among them who believed and repented. When there were no more righteous among them, King Noah was killed and the other priests were hunted and later slain by the Lamanites (Alma 25:8).

Another example is found in the Book of Ether.

13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether; but they esteemed him as naught, and cast him out; and he hid himself in the cavity of a rock by day, and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people.
14 And as he dwelt in the cavity of a rock he made the remainder of this record, viewing the destructions which came upon the people, by night. (Ether 13)

Like Alma, Ether was cast out, and wrote the word of God while in hiding. What happened to the Jaredites who cast him out? They were all destroyed.

As a final example, these are the words of Zenos, quoted by Alma in Alma 33:10

Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been cast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst visit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.

There is a pattern where a group of wicked people are given the word of God by a messenger. The wicked group of people cast out the messenger and reject the word. By so doing, they risk having none righteous among them and suffer destruction. The word, however, is preserved.

"Cast out" is a very common expression in the Book of Mormon, used in different contexts. I will spend two more posts diving in. In the next parts, we will look at an interesting exception to the pattern demonstrated in this post: When "The Word" himself, Jesus Christ, is the outcast, he is also the one dying. But his death and resurrection brings life to the righteous and a second death to the wicked, who are ultimately cast out from his presence. In the third part, we will see how "cast out" applies on a personal level. 

Fallen -- Part 2 (The Brother of Jared)

In part 1 I described the plan of salvation in terms of down and up movements. The fall and exaltation are key parts of the plan. But even though the fall was part of the plan and it is also normal to slip during the ascension on the covenant path, we must be careful not to become fallen again by abandoning the covenant completely as exemplified in certain Book of Mormon passages.

I may have given the impression in that last post that the downward movement is always negative and the upward movement is always positive. It's a bit more complicated than that. For instance, we can be lifted up in pride. This is a type of false ascension and is not sustainable. We also read that King Benjamin's people had fallen to the earth and begged for mercy through the atoning blood of Christ in Mosiah 4:1-2. Obviously a good thing.

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted (Luke 14:11)

The point is not any ascension but the right kind of ascension. The right kind comes by first humbling yourself (which can somewhat ironically be considered a downward movement) and then covenant with a being that exist on a higher level than yourself with the power to lift you up. Sometimes that even entails beings on a higher level descending to get you and pick you up. This is the ministry of angels. They need to descend to reach us with their ministry (see Mosiah 27:11 and 3 Nephi 17:24, for instance). When the high priest in the ancient temple had been in the Holy of Holies symbolizing the celestial realm, he went out again to serve the people and symbolically atone for their sins again the next year. Similarly, Nephi, the Brother of Jared, Moses and others went down from those mountains to fulfill their mission on a telestion earth and teach others. Christ has been seen descending out of heaven too on several occasions, see 1 Nephi 1:9, 1 Nephi 11:7 and 3 Nephi 11:8. He even descended below all things (D&C 88:6).

With this as backdrop, we will take a closer look at the Brother of Jared, because there is a lot of play on this theme in his story.

First of all, and this is something I have posted about before, the name, "Jared", in Hebrew means "descend" or "go down". As we often see in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, there are puns on his name in the text. In the Book of Ether, the story of the Brother of Jared figuratively starts with him symbolically coming down from the Tower of Babel (Ether 1:33). Then he goes down into the valley (1:42, 2:1, 2:4), falls down before the Lord (3:6), goes down out of the mount (4:1, 6:2), bows down in the promised land (6:12) and goes down to the grave (6:19, 6:21). The interesting part is that the Brother of Jared obviously has his own name, it's through the use of his brother's name that the word-play is working.

Keeping in mind that Christ descended below all things and other similarities, it makes sense to view the Brother of Jared as a type of Christ. But in addition to the puns on his name (or rather his brother's name), there is an intricate play on this theme in the story of the Brother of Jared on the mount.

We know the story. He is on the mountain with the stones and offers a humble prayer.

...we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee... (Ether 3:2)

Again, in verse 6

And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.

This is one of those puns. If you translate "Jared", you read that "go down fell down". The Brother of Jared humbles himself as advised in that verse in Luke. After this, the Lord tells him to arise (verse 7) and brings him back into his presence (verse 13). "he that humbleth himself shall be exalted". But as mentioned, he doesn't stay on that mountain but goes down again. He has a mission to fulfill, just like Christ went down to fulfill his mission. This is specified in Ether 4:1

And the Lord commanded the brother of Jared to go down out of the mount from the presence of the Lord, and write the things which he had seen; and they were forbidden to come unto the children of men until after that he should be lifted up upon the cross

So there is another pun when the Lord commands the brother of "Go down" to go down. But the theme continues. He is commanded to write what he saw. But it is "forbidden to come unto the children of men" until after Christ is "lifted up" on the cross. We are not told why, but the Brother of Jared undoubtedly saw wonderful things pertaining to exaltation on that mountain, which is only made possible through Christ being "lifted up".

 

Come Follow Me: October 12–18. 3 Nephi 20–26: “Ye Are the Children of the Covenant”

 This past week's Come Follow Me lesson is a great one.  Here are additional links to supplement your study.

3 Nephi 20 -- Abinadi and the first and second Moses, The tree of life and the living waters, "Cast" and "hard heart"

3 Nephi 21 -- What the Book of Mormon teaches about the relationship between the Eternal Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (and each of us), part 1, Preparing the way for the gathering of Israel, The scattering and gathering

3 Nephi 22 -- "Prolonging" and "lengthening cords", Redeemer/kinsman, God's covenant with Israel in the latter days

3 Nephi 23 -- Internal Consistency about Isaiah, What made it onto the plates

3 Nephi 24 -- Preparing a way

3 Nephi 25 -- The Sun/Son of Righteousness

3 Nephi 26 -- Mercy is associated with..., Forbidden to write, Mormon's inclusio in 3 Nephi

Forbidden to write -- Part 2

In part 1, we started looking at examples in the Book of Mormon where the author is forbidden to write certain things. We saw two examples from Nephi and one from Mormon. In this part we will look at one more example from Mormon and two from Moroni. That gives two examples each for the three main Book of Mormon authors.

3 Nephi 28:13-14, 25

13 And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things.

14 And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard...

25 Behold, I was about to write the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world.

I can understand the one in verse 14. We are not going to get a full description of what they saw in heaven. It wasn't possible for them to express in words anyway. But it makes me think. How many times do we speculate about the afterlife, try to describe or imagine conditions there, the nature of the Godhead, etc. When we learn that power from God is required to enable us to utter those things, we should be humble and realize that a detailed knowledge of the heavens is beyond our comprehension at the moment.

Regarding verse 25, Mormon was forbidden to write the names of the "3 Nephites". They were to be "hid from the world". I don't know why knowing their names would make much of a difference. We already know the names of the 12 disciples from 3 Nephi 19:4, so it would have to be 3 of them I would suppose? But the Lord forbade it for a reason. Perhaps it is just to avoid needless speculations like this? I really don't know.

Ether 4:4-7

4 Behold, I have written upon these plates the very things which the brother of Jared saw; and there never were greater things made manifest than those which were made manifest unto the brother of Jared.

5 Wherefore the Lord hath commanded me to write them; and I have written them. And he commanded me that I should seal them up; and he also hath commanded that I should seal up the interpretation thereof; wherefore I have sealed up the interpreters, according to the commandment of the Lord.

6 For the Lord said unto me: They shall not go forth unto the Gentiles until the day that they shall repent of their iniquity, and become clean before the Lord.

7 And in that day that they shall exercise faith in me, saith the Lord, even as the brother of Jared did, that they may become sanctified in me, then will I manifest unto them the things which the brother of Jared saw, even to the unfolding unto them all my revelations, saith Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of the heavens and of the earth, and all things that in them are.

The brother of Jared is one of a few people in the scriptures that are described as seeing everything. In the case of the brother of Jared

25 And when the Lord had said these words, he showed unto the brother of Jared all the inhabitants of the earth which had been, and also all that would be; and he withheld them not from his sight, even unto the ends of the earth.

26 For he had said unto him in times before, that if he would believe in him that he could show unto him all things—it should be shown unto him; therefore the Lord could not withhold anything from him, for he knew that the Lord could show him all things. (Ether 3)

The brother of Jared was commanded to write it down and Moroni was commanded to seal the translation of it. We learn that we will not get it until we repent and show the same kind of faith that the brother of Jared had. My guess is that we will have to wait for the millennium. We learn from Ether 4:2 that the people had access to it after Christ had visited them and they lived in a righteous Zion-like society for many years. When wickedness started prevailing again, we read

yea, there were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner of wickedness, and did administer that which was sacred unto him to whom it had been forbidden because of unworthiness. (4 Nephi 1:27)

I wonder if at least part of "that which was sacred" could be the record of Jared's brother?

Ether 13:13

And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; but great and marvelous were the prophecies of Ether

Another case of Moroni being forbidden to write while abridging the Book of Ether. Right before Moroni gets this message, he writes about Ether's prophecies concerning the gathering of Israel, the New Jerusalem and related end-time events. Why is he not allowed to write more? Here is my theory: Remember the first example in part 1, where Nephi is not allowed to continue because that is John the revelator's domain? The last thing Nephi wrote before that was the wrath of God poured out upon the "mother of harlots" (1 Nephi 14:17). This is something we read about in Revelation 17-18 too. In the remaining chapters of Revelation, we read about the gathering of the Lord's elect, his second coming, the millenium and the New Jerusalem, just what Ether was talking about. But because that is John's territory, Moroni gets the same commandment as Nephi to not write it down.