The covenant of salt and "none righteous"

Salt is mentioned in reference to covenants twice in the Old Testament, first here:

13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt. (Leviticus 2)

Then again here:

19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee. (Numbers 18)

Like so many other covenant symbols, salt has both positive and negative connotations.  On the one hand, salt is an important preservative. On the other, in excess it can bring agricultural barrenness and desolation. Leviticus 2 contains some interesting concepts which will be the subject of this post:

Because salt was employed as a preservative, its use in a covenantal context also emphasized the expectation that the covenant would last for a long time... Because salt inhibits the leavening action of yeast, which represented rebellion, salt could additionally stand for that which prevented rebellion. An additional explanation for the appropriateness of salt in connection with the covenant is found in its association with agricultural infertility: In a Hittite treaty, the testator pronounces a curse: if the treaty is broken, “may he and his family and his lands, like salt that has no seed, likewise have no progeny.” (Zondervan,. NRSV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, p. 832).

This adds context to Christ's famous saying:

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I give unto you to be the salt of the earth; but if the salt shall lose its savor wherewith shall the earth be salted? The salt shall be thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. (3 Nephi 12; see also Matthew 5)

Let's take this just a little bit deeper. In what way do the covenant people of the Lord preserve the broader population? We actually have examples of this.  A classic example is found in the story of Abraham:

23 ¶ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. (Genesis 18)

Ten righteous people can save an entire city from destruction.  The principle here is that the righteous can serve as salt -- a preservative.

This also serves to highlight the significance of covenant rebellion. When none are found to be righteous, the people are in a truly terrible position. Paul gives us a somber summary of this state by pulling together verses from Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Isaiah:

10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

13 Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15 Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16 Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17 And the way of peace have they not known:

18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. (Romans 3)

The highlighted passage above paraphrases Ecclesiastes 7:20.

The Book of Mormon makes use of this phrase twice to underscore the degree of wickedness preceding eras of destruction among the Nephites.  The first example is here:

11 And because they did cast them all out, that there were none righteous among them, I did send down fire and destroy them, that their wickedness and abominations might be hid from before my face, that the blood of the prophets and the saints whom I sent among them might not cry unto me from the ground against them. (3 Nephi 9)

The other example is found at the end of the period of righteousness following the visitation of Christ:

46 And it came to pass that the robbers of Gadianton did spread over all the face of the land; and there were none that were righteous save it were the disciples of Jesus. And gold and silver did they lay up in store in abundance, and did traffic in all manner of traffic. (4 Nephi 1)

(Side note: "no, not one" from Romans 3:10 is also found twice in the Book of Mormon, both times in an interesting but unrelated context to the purpose of this post.  See Moroni 7:17 and Moroni 10:25.)

The fancy word for this dual meaning is "bivalence" -- the covenant of salt highlights the fact that the same covenant which can bring about everlasting life also leads to severe consequences if rebellion sets in.

Apocryphal supplement -- The deep sleep of Adam and Abram

This might turn into a series of posts demonstrating how some of the doctrines and symbols previously discussed on this blog are found in the apocrypha. I am well aware that they are not included in our standard works for a reason. Origins are often unknown or questionable. But at least they reflect religious thinking at the time they were written, and if not directly inspired, they may be based on other inspired writings or teachings that have later become lost. 

I know little about apocryphal literature myself, but fortunately I have Hugh Nibley to help. I am currently reading "Temple and Cosmos", a collection of works where he demonstrates how our doctrine and temple worship is a restoration of partly lost ancient religious ideas. Several of the topics that Hugh Nibley brings up have also been brought up on this blog before. 

In this post, I will focus on the topic discussed in this previous post on the deep sleep of Adam and Abram. This is not even one of the main topics that Hugh Nibley focuses on, but it comes up several times in his quotes from the apocrypha. I have marked the paragraphs that mention this to see how they fit with the thoughts already shared in that previous post and if they can shed any new light on the topic. I simply don't have the possibility to check all of Nibley's sources. Most of them are not available online for free and I don't have those referenced books. So I'm mostly going to quote Nibley, who in turn is quoting or summarizing apocryphal sources. Normally I like to check sources regardless of who brings them up, but I'm going to have to trust Nibley here, and I don't have any problems with that. 

As outlined in the linked post, both Adam and Abram (before becoming Abraham) experience a deep sleep. These events seem to be related as they both wake up to a covenant in a sense. Otherwise there are few details in the scriptural accounts, but the apocryphal literature adds more and verifies this connection. 

“After the physical Adam was created”, says the new apocryphal Book of John, “a messenger was sent to the head of all creations, Adam, and at his call Adam awoke"

According to the Apocalypse of Adam, Adam was awakened from a deep sleep by three men from on high, who said to him, “Adam arise and hear the teachings of the Savior.” (Apocalypse of Adam 65:26-66:8 in NHLE 257)

These two sources repeat most of what we know from the Bible already, except that there are messengers waking him up. But here is one more detail:

When Adam was created, he was found in a deep sleep, from which he was awakened by a helper, who forthwith began to instruct him. (From the Ginza) 

The helper is not to be confused with the help meet for him, Eve. This is a messenger who woke Adam up, after which he gave him instructions. Here we also see the link to Abraham:

The “Adam incident” is repeated in the case of Abraham, who took a trip to heaven, to the stars, end when his spirit came back to his body, he awoke as if from sleep or a daze. After he had first spoken with the Lord, he fell to earth, for his spirit had left his body, which “became as a stone”. “Then the angel who had been sent to me took me by the right hand and said, ‘Abraham, awake and arise! I have been sent to you to strengthen you and bless you in the name of the Creator.’ “ Then the angel instructed him. (Apocalypse of Abraham 10:2-6 in OTP 6:693-94)

In both cases, there is an awakening by a messenger and then instruction. Nibley comments:

And in the Apocalypse of Abraham, Abraham is awakened by the Sent Ones, and their instructions to him and the ordinances exactly parallel those of Adam.

What did these instructions consist of? Here is another paragraph that also mentions the sleep and awakening. It gives us more about the sleep and less about the subsequent events but mentions ordinances after the awakening

Adam, you recall, had lost memory of his former existence. “I have caused a sleep to come over Adam,” says the Abbaton (a significant early writing of the apostles), “and a forgetting. Adam’s sleep was the putting of a veil between him and his former knowledge. It enveloped him like a garment, and , while his memory was shut off by it, his epinoia (intelligence) retained its force. He remained smart, but he forgot everything. In fact, during the episode of the creation, Eve was made (not from a literal rib, according to this source) while Adam was in sort of a drugged stupor, his mind separated by a veil from what was really going on. He is aroused, then, and taught ordinances.

In my previous post that I linked, I speculate about the awakening relating to covenants and more specifically the marriage covenant. Marriage is not mentioned here but Nibley's sources place Adam and Eve together in a set of ordinances. This is very interesting:

The Berlin Papyrus says that at their new birth, Adam and Eve received the seals and the tokens. As Adam stood praying and supplicating, God sent someone who came and gave him a greeting of peace (shalom), embraced him, and preached the gospel to him. The helper came and awakened the Lord of Mysteries, who is Adam. For Adam went though all the ordinances, including baptism, washings, and anointings, says the Mandaean Prayerbook. According to the Ginza, the Lord and two companions taught Adam and Eve all the ordinances and blessed them.

So what does this all mean? In the Old Testament, both Adam and Abraham fall into a deep sleep. Several apocryphal texts describe similar events for both Adam and Abraham, where they sleep, are awakened by one or more messengers, followed by instructions and ordinances. We can only speculate, but at least it should be considered a possibility that these apocryphal texts are describing ancient traditions that contain a fuller account of these events. They imply that the gospel and priesthood ordinances represent an awakening or spiritual rebirth. 

I close with a more general comment about sleep from one of Nibley's sources, the Gospel of Truth, a Gnostic work found in the Nag Hammadi codices.

Joy to the man who has discovered himself, awakened, and has helped others to wake up (Gospel of Truth 22:2-12)

In light of the instructions and ordinances after the awakening, I find it interesting that it is connected to the concept of discovering oneself. To be awakened and then to wake up others ties to other previous themes on this blog and is a segue into my next post.

The fringe on the vestment and the corners of the field.

This is a short note tying a few Old Testament ideas together.  Credit to Jonathan Pageau for pointing out that two important commandments deal with edges/fringes/corners. 

• The fringe on the vestment (see Numbers 15:38-39)
• The corners of the fields are to be left unharvested (see Leviticus 19:9 and 23:22)

'Fringe' comes from the Hebrew 'kanaph' which is the subject of a multi-part series by Stisa beginning here. 'Corners' comes from the Hebrew 'peah' which comes from a related word ('paah') meaning to cut in pieces.

Notice how beautifully these two concepts are brought together in the story of Ruth. Ruth is a Moabite -- a foreigner -- who desires to stay with her mother in law Naomi following the death of her husband.  They are destitute. Ruth gleans the fields of Boaz and gains favor in his eyes (see Ruth 2:2-3). She later seeks his direct protection by making a reference to his skirt:

9 And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman. (Ruth 3)

I've noticed how carefully the Old Testament establishes a way to care for the poor and foreigners. Ruth marries Boaz and through her we get King David. One lesson we can take from this is that God cares about the edges, the margins (including the marginalized), and He can bring about great and important things from the humble seekers, even if they begin their journey outside the bounds of His protection.

The Old Testament is filled with symbolic language showing how God will gather His people and lead them from wilderness to garden.  The gleaning at the edges of the field is a symbol of the gathering, and the crossing of a boundary (between profane and holy) is a symbol of the fringe of the garment.  It turns out these two seemingly disparate symbols fit together quite nicely. 

I'll close this post with a few verses which capture the beauty of this covenant symbol:

7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. (Psalm 36)

 

2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy.

4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. (Psalm 61)

 

10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

11 As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: (Deuteronomy 32)

Wings of healing and protection -- Part 3

Previous parts of this series:

• Part 1
• Part 2

In part 1, we saw that Israel were commanded to make fringes on the borders (Hebr. kanaph) of their garments with blue ribband. This would be established as a common practice among faithful Israelites. These served as reminders of the protection that comes with remembering the commandments of God. But it also meant that they were to partake of the rights and blessings that were usually reserved for the priests. As Lord Wilmore discusses here, the blue ribband emulates the lace used to attach the headplate of the high priest, with the inscription, "Holiness to the Lord". Every Israelite was reminded that they had some measure of priesthood, some holiness in them. They were to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). They were all asked to "be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy" (Leviticus 19:2).

It is reasonable to believe that Jesus also followed this commandment and wore fringes on the borders of his garments, whatever form that had at his time. (This has been modified several times and become the prayer shawls that orthodox Jews use today). The God of Israel who gave these commandments and asked them to be holy, came to them as a mortal man and wore a garment with fringes on the kanaph himself. He was one of them, a mortal man, but also the great high priest. 

This background adds significance and context to a well-known story in the Gospel of Matthew

20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. (Matthew 9)

I used to think that the power of Jesus was so strong that only the hem would do. Learning of this context, it is clear that it was specifically the hem she was after. The Greek language in which the Gospels are written do not contain the same wing/border duality that the Hebrew language has. The Greek translated into hem in this verse can also mean fringe, edge, corner or tassel. It is likely the kind of fringe that Israelites had been commanded to make and the Jews certainly knew the symbolic significance of that. This was the kanaph with healing power, a physical sign of the spiritual healing in the wings of the risen Lord. Another example in Matthew:

35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. (Matthew 14)

An interesting twist is found in Jeremiah 2:34

34 Also in thy skirts (Hebr. kanaph) is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.

These skirts or fringes were supposed to protect Israel and remind them of their holiness. Instead, in this case, they were stained with the blood of the innocents. Healing had been replaced by murder, the royal and heavenly blue had become red and filthy.

This reminds me of the story in Helaman 9, where Nephi-II by inspiration told the Nephites about the death of their chief judge. He later told them, again by inspiration, who the murderer was

29 And ye shall say unto him: Have ye murdered your brother?

30 And he shall stand with fear, and wist not what to say. And behold, he shall deny unto you; and he shall make as if he were astonished; nevertheless, he shall declare unto you that he is innocent.

31 But behold, ye shall examine him, and ye shall find blood upon the skirts of his cloak.

32 And when ye have seen this, ye shall say: From whence cometh this blood? Do we not know that it is the blood of your brother?

33 And then shall he tremble, and shall look pale, even as if death had come upon him.

I am not sure if the Nephites would have any writings of Jeremiah, since he was a contemporary with Lehi. I also don't know if the Nephites would keep the tradition of fringes on the skirts/kanaph of their garments. But at least there is the same pattern to be seen both in Helaman 9 and Jeremiah 2. The ultimate sign of covenant infidelity is blood-stains from murder on the very reminder of God's commandments.

Wings of healing and protection -- Part 2

This is simply a continuation from where I left off in part 1. It is just too much to cover in one post. So it's better to read part 1 if you have not done so but I will still give a very brief recap: The Hebrew word, kanaph, is translated into words as diverse as wing, skirt, border and edge in English Bibles. It is associated with protection and healing. In the last example from part 1, it was used by Ruth as an idiom for marriage ("spread your kanaph over your servant"). This was a request to Boaz, her kinsman-redeemer. The Book of Ruth is a beautiful story of an outsider who finds her place among the covenant people and is covered by the kanaph of God (Ruth 2:12) and her redeemer (Ruth 3:9). In this post, we will expand on this covenant relation.

Kanaph, gathering and covenants

The story of Ruth is only one of many examples of kanaph being used to gather and protect a covenant people. 

4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings (Hebr. kanaph), and brought you unto myself.

5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: (Exodus 19)

The same pattern shows up time and again. This is from Isaiah:

And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners (Hebr. kanaph) of the earth. (Isaiah 11:12)

And this is the voice of the Lord just after the great destruction in America before his appearance to the Nephites: 

4 O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, who are descendants of Jacob, yea, who are of the house of Israel, how oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you.

5 And again, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, who have fallen; yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen; yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not.

6 O ye house of Israel whom I have spared, how oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto me with full purpose of heart.

7 But if not, O house of Israel, the places of your dwellings shall become desolate until the time of the fulfilling of the covenant to your fathers. (3 Nephi 10)

What to make of this pattern? When we enter into the covenant and gather together as Israel, the covenant people, we are under divine protection. The Savior is at the center. He is the redeemer that Boaz typified. He is the shepherd gathering his sheep. He is the hen gathering her chickens. We return to the "Christ and covenants" theme once again. No surprises there, really. But this divine protection is represented by kanaph that refers to His wings or garments covering us. I think God wants us to view covenants this way, as a place of refuge and healing, not a hassle with burdensome obligations. 

Temple connections

The relation of the protective kanaph to garments is interesting from a modern temple perspective too. They cover us and keep us safe. But the symbolism is ancient

8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt (Hebr. kanaph) over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.

9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I throughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk. (Ezekiel 16)

Here, the Lord is covering the nakedness of his bride, Israel, washing, anointing and dressing her. We see the theme from Ruth played out where the husband covers the bride and offers protection and redemption, but there are also clear temple connotations. The garment covering our nakedness is Yahweh's kanaph. In fact, kanaph is found in the most holy place in the ancient temple. 

And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings (Hebr. kanaph) on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings (Hebr. kanaph), and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. (Exodus 25:20)

The kanaph in the holy of holies in the ancient temple covers the "mercy seat" (Hebr. kapporet). There is some uncertainty about the exact meaning of kapporet and what it refers to, for instance if it is the cover of the ark of the covenant or a distinct piece of furniture. This article makes a good case for kapporet being separate from the ark of the covenant and representing God's footstool. Regardless, the kapporet is placed on top of the ark of the covenant so the kanaph are protecting that too. 

It is perhaps obvious why the kanaph would protect the ark of the covenant and less obvious why they would cover and protect God's footstool? My interpretation is that the temple and especially the holy of holies is where heaven and earth meet. The cherubim with its wings represent heaven and the throne of God and the footstool is the earth. This ties into the concepts that Lord Wilmore outlines in this post. One thing we know is that the word, kapporet, is derived from the Hebrew word for atonement (kaphar) and is the place where the high priest would sprinkle the sacrificial blood on the day of atonement.

So let's try to get this straight. The kanaph are spread over the kapporet representing the earth as the place where the atonement is made. Underneath it is the covenant. "Christ and covenants" again. This is what the divine kanaph is protecting. Those who enter into the covenant are finding refuge and redemption, like Ruth the foreigner, like Israel in Exodus 19 and like the remnant and outcasts of Israel in Isaiah 11. Basically everyone who is willing to enter in.