Engaging Gospel Doctrine (Episode 40)

Lesson 13

“This Generation Shall Have My Word through You”

Hook / We usually don’t stop to think about it, but our conceptions of the nature of scripture play a key role in our understanding of spiritual reality. The fundamental question is: Do we use scripture to understand the rest of reality, or do we need to use other evidence first to understand the nature of scripture? Or is there a way where they can inform each other? So for example, do we take the scriptural descriptions of God at face value and try to understand life using that framework, or do we use our personal experiences and other sources to understand God and then use that understanding to engage with the scriptural accounts?
Goal / Class members will appreciate the theological and scriptural contributions of Joseph Smith and gain a greater understanding of the nature of the texts he brought forth.
Overview /
  • Overview of concept of Scripture
  • Joseph Smith’s contributions, examining both nature and significance:
  • Joseph Smith Translation/Inspired Revision /Book of Moses
  • Book of Abraham (note on Kinderhook Plates)
  • Lectures on Faith
Interestingly, the Lectures on Faith, which were part of the D&C from 1835-1921, made up the “Doctrine” of the “Doctrine & Covenants!”
  • King Follett Discourse

Philip Barlow on questions relating to scripture, from his excellent Mormons and the Bible, ix-x:

“To some believers, of course, the nature of scripture appears self-evident: scripture is the word of God. Scholars are doomed to find such issues more complex. In many traditions, the very definition of scripture is difficult, to say nothing of the problematic nature of revelation or inspiration, the relation of inspiration to recorded scripture, the relation of ‘truth’ and culture to either, the various problems of canonicity and textual development, and the diverse perspectives within even single traditions about these matters and their implications. In the case of Mormonism, all this is further complicated by such dimensions as oral scripture, private scripture, noncanonized scripture, temporary scripture, and others. But notwithstanding the difficulty of the task, understanding a people’s conception of and employment of scripture can contribute much toward comprehending their religious essence.”

The substance of scripture is more important than its origins. But a concept of origins illuminates key issues such as the nature of revelation and how God interacts with us, where there is room to rethink issues and where we can have assurance.

Joseph Smith Translation:

Nature:

Notes from EOM:

Philip Barlowobserves that Smith made six basic types of changes from the KJV in the JST:[8]

  • Long revealed additions that have little or no biblical parallel, such as the visions of Moses and Enoch, and the passage on Melchizedek
  • “Common-sense” changes (e.g., Genesis 6:6 “And it repented the Lord that he had made man” is revised in Moses 8:25 to read: “And it repented Noah, and his heart was pained that the Lord had made man”. God, who is perfect, needs no repentance)
  • “Interpretive additions,” often signaled by the phrase “or in other words,” which Smith appended to a passage he wished to clarify
  • “Harmonization”, in which Smith reconciled passages that seemed to conflict with other passages
  • Many changes Smith made are not easily classified; one can observe only that frequently the meaning of a given text has been changed, often idiosyncratically
  • Grammatical improvements, technical clarifications, and modernization of terms, which were by far the most common type of change Smith made in the Bible

Resources

Joseph Smith Translation /Book of Moses

  • Encyclopedia of Mormonism article on the Joseph Smith Translation:
  • Excellent References in EoM article:
  • Jackson, Joseph Smith’s Cooperstown Bible:
  • Jackson and Jasinki, Two JST passages translated twice:
  • LDS Creation narratives as “Mormon Midrash”:
  • Wayment and Lambert, Nature of pen and pencil markings in NT of Joseph’s translation:

Book of Abraham

  • Michael T. Walton, “Professor Seixas the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Abraham, Sunstone, 6, No. 2 (1981): 41-43.
  • Response to Walton by Milan Smith:
  • Egyptian Grammar available through the Church History Dept

Lectures on Faith

  • An entire book available online on the Lectures on Faith in Historical Perspective:
  • Van Wagoner, Richard S.; Steven C. Walker; and Allen D. Roberts. "The "Lectures on Faith': A Case Study in Decanonization."Dialogue20 (Fall 1987):71-77.
  • Gentry, Leland H. "What of the Lectures on Faith?"BYU Studies19 (Fall 1978):5-19.

King Follett

  • Larson, A Newly Amalgamated Text:
  • Cannon, Donald Q. "The King Follett Discourse: Joseph Smith's Greatest Sermon in Historical Perspective." BYU Studies 18 (Winter 1978):179-92.
  • Hale, Van. "The Doctrinal Impact of the King Follett Discourse." BYU Studies 18 (Winter 1978):209-225.

Kinderhook plates

  • Ensign article: (See Rough Stone Rolling)

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