Could Joseph Smith actually have been telling the truth?
A recent internet article shows photographs of 2,000 year old metal books discovered five years ago in a cave in eastern Jordan. Some experts claim this might be the biggest discovery since the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947.
These books (about the size of a credit card) are made of thin lead sheets and are bound by metal rings. Interestingly, some of the codices are sealed. Experts believe the books may contain information about early Christianity, perhaps even some secret doctrines passed from Jesus to his disciples. Of course, these are just speculations. The truth of their contents can only be known once they have been successfully translated, which will likely take years.
What is of interest to me is simply the fact that they exist. That the Hebrew people at one time DID make books of this sort further validates Joseph Smith's story of finding ancient texts written on gold plates. Below is the story with photos. Read it and tell me what you think.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110330/ts_yblog_thelookout/could-lead-codices-prove-the-major-discovery-of-christian-history
Here is a link to an earlier article: http://www.templestudy.com/2011/03/22/a ... ddle-east/
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Revelation of the Magi, Part I
I just finished reading a remarkable book called Revelation of the Magi. Translated into English for the first time by Brent Landau, this document remained hidden in the Vatican archives for hundreds of years - a long forgotten narrative of the Magi's journey to Bethlehem.
One reason this apocryphal document had been forgotten was that it was written in Syriac, an ancient language used in Syria. Few modern scholars have bothered to learn this language, preferring instead to study Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic. Mr. Landau studied Syriac at Harvard University. He noticed references to a Magi narration in a number of other ancient texts and decided to go in search of the missing document. Apparently, Revelation of the Magi was, at one time, widely read and accepted as scripture by many early Christians. References to it appear in texts dating as late at the middle ages. Through an impressive trail of detective work, Mr. Landau has traced the Revelation's beginnings as far back as the 2nd century A.D., making it one of the oldest Christian writings in existence.
As far as the story itself goes, it is unlike most of our modern Wise Men stories, which are based on only a very brief narrative from the Gospel of Matthew. The Magi from Revelation are from a distant eastern land and are a group of twelve who have protected the prophesies and gifts handed down from father to son since the time of Seth (son of Noah.) The prophesies speak of the appearance of a star which would herald the arrival of God on earth. When the star appears, it is, in actuality, God himself who comes to lead them to where he will be born in human form. What follows is a beautiful story of the Magi's two year trek to Jerusalem, their meeting with Herod, their return journey, and their later conversion to Christianity by the apostle Thomas.
Whether or not the story is true is impossible to know via traditional scholarly methods, nor is it really the point. What is particularly fascinating is that some Christians during the first millennium of the Church's existence did believe it.
There are several things within the text that are of particular interest in that they seem to support LDS doctrine and scripture. I will mention the first two in this blog, and address the others next time. In the meantime, here is a link to an article published about it in January: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13909007&autostart=y
THE PRE-EXISTENCE & FOREORDINATION
On page 70 is the following statement made by the Christ child to the Magi: "And again, you have been deemed worthy to be witnesses for me in the East with my disciples, who were chosen by me before the world came to be." This strongly suggests a belief in a pre-mortal existence and in pre-earthly foreordination. Two Biblical verses that speak of pre-mortal existence include a verse from the Old Testament: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest fort out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) And one from the New Testament: "[God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:9)
UNIVERSALITY OF CHRIST
As Latter-day Saints, we claim that Christ visited the Americas following his resurrection, suggesting the possibility that Christ can and perhaps has visited other lands as well. At the very least, we believe that prophets other than those among the Children of Israel prophesied of Christ's coming. Mr. Landau mentions two historical examples in the Revelation's conclusion where this seems to have been the case: Antonio de la Calancha's observation of the similarities between 17th century Incan religion and Christianity, and the Aztec's believing Cortez to be their long-awaited God, Quetzalcoatl. In Revelation, Christ tells the Magi "And I am everywhere, because I am a ray of light whose light has shone in this world from the majesty of my Father, who has sent me to fulfill everything that was spoken about me in the entire world and in every land..." (p. 55) The Magi also state that "he has worshippers in every country." (p. 64) Remember that this document may have been written less than two hundred years after Christ's death and resurrection, a period of time when Christianity was still considered a sect of Judaism, and had only moderate success among the pagans. It was still a hundred years away from Constantine and Christianity being named the state religion of Rome. Yet here in Revelation, belief in the coming of God's son to earth is proclaimed to be universal, in all lands the world over.
One reason this apocryphal document had been forgotten was that it was written in Syriac, an ancient language used in Syria. Few modern scholars have bothered to learn this language, preferring instead to study Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic. Mr. Landau studied Syriac at Harvard University. He noticed references to a Magi narration in a number of other ancient texts and decided to go in search of the missing document. Apparently, Revelation of the Magi was, at one time, widely read and accepted as scripture by many early Christians. References to it appear in texts dating as late at the middle ages. Through an impressive trail of detective work, Mr. Landau has traced the Revelation's beginnings as far back as the 2nd century A.D., making it one of the oldest Christian writings in existence.
As far as the story itself goes, it is unlike most of our modern Wise Men stories, which are based on only a very brief narrative from the Gospel of Matthew. The Magi from Revelation are from a distant eastern land and are a group of twelve who have protected the prophesies and gifts handed down from father to son since the time of Seth (son of Noah.) The prophesies speak of the appearance of a star which would herald the arrival of God on earth. When the star appears, it is, in actuality, God himself who comes to lead them to where he will be born in human form. What follows is a beautiful story of the Magi's two year trek to Jerusalem, their meeting with Herod, their return journey, and their later conversion to Christianity by the apostle Thomas.
Whether or not the story is true is impossible to know via traditional scholarly methods, nor is it really the point. What is particularly fascinating is that some Christians during the first millennium of the Church's existence did believe it.
There are several things within the text that are of particular interest in that they seem to support LDS doctrine and scripture. I will mention the first two in this blog, and address the others next time. In the meantime, here is a link to an article published about it in January: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=13909007&autostart=y
THE PRE-EXISTENCE & FOREORDINATION
On page 70 is the following statement made by the Christ child to the Magi: "And again, you have been deemed worthy to be witnesses for me in the East with my disciples, who were chosen by me before the world came to be." This strongly suggests a belief in a pre-mortal existence and in pre-earthly foreordination. Two Biblical verses that speak of pre-mortal existence include a verse from the Old Testament: "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest fort out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) And one from the New Testament: "[God] hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." (2 Timothy 1:9)
UNIVERSALITY OF CHRIST
As Latter-day Saints, we claim that Christ visited the Americas following his resurrection, suggesting the possibility that Christ can and perhaps has visited other lands as well. At the very least, we believe that prophets other than those among the Children of Israel prophesied of Christ's coming. Mr. Landau mentions two historical examples in the Revelation's conclusion where this seems to have been the case: Antonio de la Calancha's observation of the similarities between 17th century Incan religion and Christianity, and the Aztec's believing Cortez to be their long-awaited God, Quetzalcoatl. In Revelation, Christ tells the Magi "And I am everywhere, because I am a ray of light whose light has shone in this world from the majesty of my Father, who has sent me to fulfill everything that was spoken about me in the entire world and in every land..." (p. 55) The Magi also state that "he has worshippers in every country." (p. 64) Remember that this document may have been written less than two hundred years after Christ's death and resurrection, a period of time when Christianity was still considered a sect of Judaism, and had only moderate success among the pagans. It was still a hundred years away from Constantine and Christianity being named the state religion of Rome. Yet here in Revelation, belief in the coming of God's son to earth is proclaimed to be universal, in all lands the world over.
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