270.1: Of God and Humans (OT Gospel Doctrine Lesson 1, Updated)
“This Is My Work and My Glory”
Go over the three (yes, THREE) episodes there will be for each Lesson
0.1: Productive Sunday School
0.2: Reissued Core Episode (covers the reading, focuses on faith and Sunday School approach)
0.3: Reissued Study Notes (covers the reading and lesson material from an academic perspective and covers any nuanced or challenging issues)
Book of Abraham and the cycle of scriptural disappointment
1)Scripture comes together in complex ways
2)A community adopts scripture as sacred and authoritative texts
3)The community develops a simpler conception of scripture (because it is sacred and authoritative, thus comes from God directly)
4)Believers are disappointed when they learn about stages 1 and 2.
The goal: Help believers appreciate and gain value from scripture in a way that allows for both sacredness and complexity.
We defend ideas not because they are true or even effective, but because they are familiar. The new and different is scary (and sometimes thrilling, but all of us seek security and stability to differing degrees). My interpretation of the Book of Abraham is that it is inspired revision of the Genesis narratives catalyzed by the Egyptian papyri and informed by Joseph’s study of Hebrew. Egyptologists have confirmed that the papyri we have access to come from the Book of Breathings. The facsimiles describe Egyptian religion rather than the interpretations that Joseph gave.
Talk about agency, predestination, foreordination (I am quite comfortable with this. This is one of the radical messages of the gospel—ALL of us have a dizzying range of potential for good, evil, or just plain disappointing behavior. It is up to us how we respond and allow life to shape and transform us. Interestingly, even Calvinist Predestination worked on our psychology in a motivating way! You’d think people would give up, but they actually felt motivated to prove they were among the saved ones)
Framing: This is a “big questions” lesson. In just 39 verses we cover some of the most important topics in the gospel. I appreciate that this reading is so brief, because it illustrates the powerful point that scripture can be sipped and savored, and pondering just a few verses can change our lives. Biblical commentaries illustrate the mining potential for scripture—thousands of pages are written on books that are only about 20 pages or less!
Productive Sunday School: Lessons from Moses 1
Reading the Pearl of Great Price (This is scripture that was catalyzed by Joseph’s studying, prayer, seeking inspiration. Joseph Smith History tells Joseph’s story of course, and the rest of the books stem from Joseph’s revision of the Bible. Moses and JST-Matthew are included in the JST, and the Book of Abraham returns to Genesis and draws from Joseph’s study of Hebrew and the Egyptian papyri. All this is interesting, but I feel that what is most urgent and interesting is how we engage with this scripture, and how it changes our lives.
Questions to consider before reading (and in general):
Who are we?
5: limited (no one can behold my works/glory and remain in the flesh)
6: We are in the image/pattern of the Savior
10: “we are nothing” and generally unaware of the fact
(Humans are high potential paradox: We are “nothing”, prone to selfishness and laziness, but we are also children of God, able to become like our Heavenly Parents, able to love and create and be inspired and inspire and change the world as we seek to understand and care for each other)
Who is God?(
2: God condescends to communicate with us
3: God is all powerful and endless
4: God’s works and words never cease
5: God is beyond our ability to experience, perceive, endure
24: Holy Ghost testifies of the Father and Son
27: Spirit of God increases our abilities and perception
33: God has created worlds without number, and will without end (38)
39: God’s glory is our growth and transformation and salvation
What is our relationship to God? We are God’s children. God condescended and talked to Moses “face to face”
What does God want for us?
2: God wants to connect with us
4: God wants to teach us
6: God protects us as has prepared a way to save us
17: God gives us guidance about how to live well
39: God wants us to exist eternally and be saved, to become as they are
What is Salvation?(39, alluded to) We learn that Eternal Life is the life that God lives and to become like our Heavenly Parents. I think of Salvation as the maximization of Love, Joy, Peace, Freedom, and Growth.
Character, taught by Moses (12-21) (I love the story of Moses rejecting Satan, who then has a temper tantrum. Moses “had more things to learn” and recognized the difference between a being he needed to stretch and transform to experience, and a being who appealed to his baser desires. (Talk about how Bree makes me stretch, match for my best self. It’s hard!) I also value that we learn Moses was genuinely afraid, but called upon the strength of God and remembered past spiritual experiences to gain strength.
270.2: Of God and Humans (OT Gospel Doctrine Lesson 1, Sunday School)
“This Is My Work and My Glory”
- What is the Book of Moses? (historical background)
- Overview of content
- Close Reading (focusing on 1:39)
- Comments on approaching the OT
270.3: Of God and Humans (OT Gospel Doctrine Lesson 1, Study Notes)
“This Is My Work and My Glory”
- Value of the Book of Moses
- What is the Joseph Smith translation?
- Relationship of Moses to history
- Comments on Satan
- Nature of the Old Testament