Lecture 2 Catechism

Intro | Preface
Lecture 1: 1 |  2-9 | 10-11 | 12-17 | 18-24
Lecture 2: 1-4 | 5-12 | 12-25 | 26-35 | 36-56

Just like last time, I'll post the question-and-answer segment here in its entirety, with any notes or clarifications I may add.

Question 1: Is there a being who has faith in himself independently?
There is.

Question 2: Who is it?
It is God.

Question 3: How do you prove that God has faith in himself independently?
Because he is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient; without beginning of days or end of life, and in him all fulness dwells Eph. 1:23: Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. Col. 1:19: For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell. (2:12)

Question 4: Is he the object in whom the faith of all other rational and accountable beings centers, for life and salvation?
He is.

Question 5: How do you prove it?
Isa. 45:22: Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Romans 11:34-36: For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. Isaiah 40, from the 8th to the 18th: O Zion that bringest good tidings, (Or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion) get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, (Or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem,) lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God! Behold the Lord you God will come with strong hand, (Or, against the strong) and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. (Or, recompense for his work) He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather his lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor, hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering. All nations are before him as nothing; and they are counted to him less that nothing, and vanity! [This is an interresting JST I hadn't seen before, since it's not really in the JST manuscripts we have.] Jeremiah 51:15-16: He (the Lord) hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding. When he uttereth his voice there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; And he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures. 1 Corinthians 8:6: But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (2:12)

Question 6: How did men first come to the knowledge of the existence of a God, so as to exercise faith in him?
In order to answer this question, it will be necessary to go back and examine man at his creation; the circumstances in which he was placed, and the knowledge which he had of God. (2:3-11)
First, When man was created he stood in the presence of God (Genesis 1:27-28.) From this we learn that man, at his creation, stood in the presence of his God, and had most perfect knowledge of his existence.
Secondly, God conversed with him after his transgression. (Genesis 3: from the 8th to the 22nd; 2:13-17) From this we learn, that, though man did transgress, he was not deprived of the previous knowledge which he had of the existence of God. (2:19)
Thirdly, God conversed with man after he cast him out of the garden. (2:22-25)
Fourthly, God also conversed with Cain after he had slain Abel. (Genesis 4: from the 4th to the 6th; 2:26-29)

Question 7: What is the object of the foregoing quotation?
It is that it may be clearly seen how it was that the first thoughts were suggested to the minds of men, of the existence of God, and how extensively this knowledge was spread among the immediate descendants of Adam. (2:30-33)

Question 8: What testimony had the immediate descendants of Adam, in proof of the existence of a God?
The testimony of their father. And after they were made acquainted with his existence, by the testimony of their father, they were dependent upon the exercise of their own faith, for a knowledge of his character, perfections and attributes. (2:23-26)

Question 9: Had any others of the human family, beside Adam, a knowledge of the existence of God, in the first instance, by any other means than human testimony?
They had not. For previous to the time that they could have power to obtain a manifestation for themselves, the all-important fact had been communicated to them by their common father: and so, from father to child, the knowledge was communicated as extensively, as the knowledge of his existence was known; for it was by this means, in the first instance, that men had a knowledge of his existence. (2:35, 36)

Question 10: How do you know that the knowledge of the existence of God was communicated in this manner, throughout the different ages of the world?
By the chronology obtained through the revelations of God.

Question 11: How would you divide that chronology in order convey it to the understanding clearly?
Into two parts: First, by embracing that period of the world from Adam to Noah; and secondly, from Noah to Abraham: from which period the knowledge of the existence of God has been so general, that it is a matter of no dispute in what manner the idea of his existence has been retained in the world.

Question 12: How many noted righteous men lived from Adam to Noah?
Nine; which includes Abel, who was slain by his brother.

Question 13: What are their names?
Abel, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methusalah, and Lamech.

Question 14: How old was Adam when Seth was born?
One hundred and thirty years. (Genesis 5:3.)

Question 15: How many years did Adam live after Seth was born?
Eight hundred. (Genesis 5:4.)

Question 16: How old was Adam when he died?
Nine hundred and thirty years. (Genesis 5:5.)

Question 17: How old was Seth when Enos was born?
One hundred and five years. (Genesis 5:6.)

Question 18: How old was Enos when Cainan was born?
Ninety years. (Genesis 5:9.)

Question 19: How old was Cainan when Mahalaleel was born?
Seventy years. (Genesis 5:12.)

Question 20: How old was Mahalaleel when Jared was born?
Sixty five years. (Genesis 5:15.)

Question 21: How old was Jared when Enoch was born?
One hundred and sixty two years. (Genesis 5:18.)

Question 22: How old was Enoch when Methusaleh was born?
Sixty five. (Genesis 5:21.)

Question 23: How old was Methuselah when Lamech was born?
One hundred and eighty seven years. (Genesis 5:25.)

Question 24: How old was Lamech when Noah was born?
One hundred and eighty two years. (Genesis 5:28.) For this chronology see (2:37).

Question 25: How many years, according to this account, was it from Adam to Noah?
One thousand and fifty six years.

Question 26: How old was Lamech when Adam died?
Lamech, the ninth from Adam, (including Abel,) and father of Noah, was fifty six years old when Adam died.

Question 27: How old was Methuselah?
Two hundred and forty three years.

Question 28: How old was Enoch?
Three hundred and eight years.

Question 29: How old was Jared?
Four hundred and seventy years.

Question 30: How old was Mahalaleel?
Five hundred and thirty five.

Question 31: How old was Cainan?
Six hundred and five years.

Question 32: How old was Enos?
Six hundred and ninety five years.

Question 33: How old was Seth?
Eight hundred. For this item of the account see section second, paragraph 38.

Question 34: How many of these noted men were contemporary with Adam?
Nine.

Question 35: What are their names?
Abel, Seth; Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, and Lamech. (2:39)

Question 36: How long did Seth live after Enos was born?
Eight hundred and seven years. (Genesis 5:7.)

Question 37: What was Seth's age when he died?
Nine hundred and twelve years. (Genesis 5:8.)

Question 38: How long did Enos live after Cainan was born?
Eight hundred and fifteen years. (Genesis 5:10.)

Question 39: What was Enos's age when he died?
Nine hundred and five years. (Genesis 5:11.)

Question 40: How long did Cainan live after Mahalaleel was born?
Eight hundred and forty years. (Genesis 5:13.)

Question 41: What was Cainan's age when he died?
Nine hundred and ten years. (Genesis 5:14.)

Question 42: How long did Mahalaleel live after Jared was born?
Eight hundred and thirty years. (Genesis 5:16.)

Question 43: What was Mahalaleel's age when he died?
Eight hundred and ninety five years. (Genesis 5:17.)

Question 44: How long did Jared live after Enoch was born?
Eight hundred years. (Genesis 5:19.)

Question 45: What was Jared's age when he died?
Nine hundred and sixty two years. (Genesis 5:20.)

Question 46: How long did Enoch walk with God after Methuselah was born?
Three hundred years. (Genesis 5:22.)

Question 47: What was Enoch's age when he was translated?
Three hundred and sixty five years. (Genesis 5:23.)

Question 48: How long did Methuselah live after Lamech was born?
Seven hundred and eighty two years. (Genesis 5:26.)

Question 49: What was Methuselah's age when he died?
Nine hundred and sixty nine years. (Genesis 5:27.)

Question 50: How long did Lamech live after Noah was born?
Five hundred and ninety five years. (Genesis 5:30.)

Question 51: What was Lamech's age when he died?
Seven hundred and seventy seven years. (Genesis 5:31.) For the account of the last item see (11:40).

Question 52: In what year of the world did Adam die?
In the nine hundred and thirtieth.

Question 53: In what year was Enoch translated?
In the nine hundred and eighty seventh.

Question 54: In what year did Seth die?
In the one thousand and forty second.

Question 55: In what year did Enos die?
In the eleven hundred and fortieth.

Question 56: In what year did Cainan die?
In the twelve hundred and thirty fifth.

Question 57: In what year did Mahalaleel die?
In the twelve hundred and ninetieth.

Question 58: In what year did Jared die?
In the fourteen hundred and twenty second.

Question 59: In what year did Lamech die?
In the sixteen hundred and fifty first.

Question 60: In what year did Methuselah die?
In the sixteen hundred and fifty sixth. For this account see (2:41)

Question 61: How old was Noah when Enos died?
Eighty four years.

Question 62: How old when Cainan died?
One hundred and seventy nine years.

Question 63: How old when Mahalaleel died?
Two hundred and thirty four years.

Question 64: How old when Jared died?
Three hundred and sixty six years.

Question 65: How old when Lamech died?
Five hundred and ninety five years.

Question 66: How old when Methuselah died?
Six hundred years. See (2:42) for the last item.

Question 67: How many of those men lived in the days of Noah?
Six.

Question 68: What are their names?
Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech. (2:43)

Question 69: How many of those men were contemporary with Adam and Noah both?
Six.

Question 70: What are their names?
Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech. (2:43)

Question 71: According to the foregoing account, how was the knowledge of the existence of God first suggested to the minds of men?
By the manifestation made to our father Adam, when he was in the presence of God, both before and while he was in Eden. (2:44)

Question 72: How was the knowledge of the existence of God disseminated among the inhabitants of the world?
By tradition from father to son. (2:44)

Question 73: How old was Noah when Shem was born?
Five hundred and two years. (Genesis 5:32.)

Question 74: What was the term of years from the birth of Shem to the flood?
Ninety eight.

Question 75: What was the term of years that Noah lived after the flood?
Three hundred and fifty. (Genesis 9:28.)

Question 76: What was Noah's age when he died?
Nine hundred and fifty years. (Genesis 9:29; 2:45)

Question 77: What was Shem's age when Arphaxed was born?
One hundred years. (Genesis 11:10.)

Question 78: What was Arphaxed's age when Salah was born?
Thirty five years. (Genesis 11:12.)

Question 79: What was Salah's age when Eber was born?
Thirty. (Genesis 11:14.)

Question 80: What was Eber's age when Peleg was born?
Thirty four years. (Genesis 11:16.)

Question 81: What was Peleg's age when Reu was born?
Thirty years. (Genesis 11:18.)

Question 82: What was Reu's age when Serug was born?
Thirty two years. (Genesis 11:20.)

Question 83: What was Serug's age when Nahor was born?
Thirty years. (Genesis 11:22.)

Question 84: What was Nahor's age when Terah was born?
Twenty nine years. (Genesis 11:24.)

Question 85: What was Terah's age, when Nahor (the [brother] of Abraham) was born?
Seventy years. (Genesis 11:26.)

Question 86: What was Terah's age when Abraham was born?
Some suppose one hundred and thirty years, and others seventy. (Genesis 12:4; 2:46)

Question 87: What was the number of years from the flood to the birth of Abraham?
Supposing Abraham to have been born when Terah was one hundred and thirty years old, it was three hundred and fifty two years: but if he were born when Terah was seventy years old, it was two hundred and ninety two years. (2:47)

Question 88: How long did Shem live after Arphaxed was born?
Five hundred years. (Genesis 11:11.)

Question 89: What was Shem's age when he died?
Six hundred years. (Genesis 11:11.)

Question 90: What number of years did Arphaxed live after Salah was born?
Four hundred and three years. (Genesis 21:13.)

Question 91: What was Arphaxed's age when he died?
Four hundred and thirty eight years.

Question 92: What number of years did Salah live after Eber was born?
Four hundred and three years. (Genesis 11:15.)

Question 93: What was Salah's age when he died?
Four hundred and thirty three years.

Question 94: What number of years did Eber live after Peleg was born?
Four hundred and thirty years. (Genesis 11:17.)

Question 95: What was Eber's age when he died?
Four hundred and sixty four years.

Question 96: What number of years did Peleg live after Reu was born?
Two hundred and nine years. (Genesis 11:19.)

Question 97: What was Peleg's age when he died?
Two hundred and thirty nine years.

Question 98: What number of years did Reu live after Serug was born?
Two hundred and seven years. (Genesis 11:21.)

Question 99: What was Reu's age when he died?
Two hundred and thirty nine years.

Question 100: What number of years did Serug live after Nahor was born?
Two hundred years. (Genesis 11:23.)

Question 101: What was Serug's age when he died?
Two hundred and thirty years.

Question 102: What number of years did Nahor live after Terah was born?
One hundred and nineteen years. (Genesis 11:25.)

Question 103: What was Nahor's age when he died?
One hundred and forty eight years.

Question 104: What number of years did Terah live after Abraham was born?
Supposing Terah to have been one hundred and thirty years old when Abraham was born, he lived seventy five years; but if Abraham was born when Terah was seventy years old, he lived one hundred and thirty five.

Question 105: What was Terah's age when he died?
Two hundred and five years. (Genesis 11:32.) For this account from the birth of Arphaxed, to the death of Terah, see (2:48)

Question 106: In what year of the world did Peleg die?
Agreeably to the foregoing chronology, he died in the nineteen hundred and ninety sixth year of the world.

Question 107: In what year of the world did Nahor die?
In the nineteen hundred and ninety seventh.

Question 108: In what year of the world did Noah die?
In the two thousand and sixth.

Question 109: In what year of the world did Reu die?
In the two thousand and twenty sixth.

Question 110: In what year of the world did Serug die?
In the two thousand and forty ninth.

Question 111: In what year of the world did Terah die?
In the two thousand and eighty third.

Question 112: In what year of the world did Arphaxed die?
In the two thousand and ninety sixth.

Question 113: In what year of the world did Salah die?
In the twenty one hundred and twenty sixth.

Question 114: In what year of the world did Abraham die?
In the twenty one hundred and eighty third.

Question 115: In what year of the world did Eber die?
In the twenty one hundred and eighty seventh.
For this account of the year of the world in which those men died, see (2:49-50)

Question 116: How old was Nahor, Abraham's brother, when Noah died?
Fifty eight years.

Question 117: How old was Terah?
One hundred and twenty eight.

Question 118: How old was Serug?
One hundred and eighty seven.

Question 119: How old was Reu?
Two hundred and nineteen.

Question 120: How old was Eber?
Two hundred and eighty three.

Question 121: How old was Salah?
Three hundred and thirteen.

Question 122: How old was Arphaxed?
Three hundred and forty eight.

Question 123: How old was Shem?
Four hundred and forty eight.
For the last account see (2:51)

Question 124: How old was Abraham when Reu died?
Eighteen years, if he were born when Terah was one hundred and thirty years old.

Question 125: What was his age when Serug, and Nahor, Abraham's brother died?
Forty one years.

Question 126: What was his age when Terah died?
Seventy five years.

Question 127: What was his age when Arphaxed died?
Eighty eight.

Question 128: What was his age when Salah died?
One hundred and eighteen years.

Question 129: What was his age when Shem died?
One hundred and fifty years. For this see (2:52)

Question 130: How many noted characters lived from Noah to Abraham?
Ten.

Question 131: What are their names?
Shem, Arphaxed, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu; Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Nahor, Abraham's brother. (2:52)

Question 132: How many of these were contemporary with Noah?
The whole.

Question 133: How many with Abraham?
Eight.

Question 134: What are their names?
Nahor, Abraham's brother, Terah, Serug, Reu, Eber, Salah, Arphaxed, and Shem. (2:52)

Question 135: How many were contemporary with both Noah and Abraham?
Eight.

Question 136: What are their names?
Shem, Arphaxed, Salah, Eber, Reu, Serug, Terah, and Nahor, Abraham's brother. (2:52)

Question 137: Did any of these men die before Noah?
They did.

Question 138: Who were they?
Peleg, in whose days the earth was divided, and Nahor Abraham's grand-father. (2:49)

Question 139: Did any one of them live longer than Abraham?
There was one. (2:50)

Question 140: Who was it?
Eber, the fourth from Noah. (2:50)

Question 141: In whose days was the earth divided?
In the days of Peleg.

Question 142: Where have we the account given that the earth was divided in the days of Peleg?
Genesis 10:25.

Question 143: Can you repeat the sentence?
Unto Eber were born two sons; the name on one was Peleg; for in his days the earth was divided.

Question 144: What testimony have men, in the first instance, that there is a God?
Human testimony, and human testimony only. (2:56)

Question 145: What excited the ancient saints to seek diligently after a knowledge of the glory of God, his perfections and attributes?
The credence they gave to the testimony of their fathers. (2:56)

Question 146: How do men obtain a knowledge of the glory of God, his perfections and attributes?
By devoting themselves to his service, through prayer and supplication incessantly, strengthening their faith in him, until like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they obtain a manifestation of God to themselves. (2:55)

Question 147: Is the knowledge of the existence of God a matter of mere tradition, founded upon human testimony alone, until a person receives a manifestation of God to themselves?
It is.


Question 148: How do you prove it?
From the whole of the first lecture of the second section.

Lecture 2: 36-56 (summarized)

Intro | Preface
Lecture 1: 1 |  2-9 | 10-11 | 12-17 | 18-24
Lecture 2: 1-4 | 5-12 | 12-25 | 26-35

I had intended to continue discussing Lecture 2 in the same manner as the previous posts--pasting the paragraphs one by one, interspersing with clarifications and questions as I went. But looking at the verses, I don't think that will work. Just pasting the verses themselves makes this post enormous, because the rest of the Lecture deals with the genealogy of the first fathers. (Basically, a lot of "he begat" and "he died in the year" repetition.)

Thankfully, though, the owner of the site I've been using created a really handy chart of the genealogy of the fathers, from Adam down to Abraham:

(If the picture doesn't expand enough, follow this link to the original website; the picture is after the Lecture but before the questions.)

So, instead of dissecting every paragraph, I'll paste the summarizing paragraphs and discuss those. To read the full versions, you can read paragraphs 36-56 here, and the data the Lecture pulls from is in Genesis chapters 5, 9, and 11.

First, according to paragraphs 36-37, "Lamech, the father of Noah; Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalaleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, and Adam, were all living at the same time, and beyond all controversy, were all preachers of righteousness." (p. 38)

Just some questions here:
What does it mean to be a "preacher of righteousness?"
If Righteousness is one of Christ's names (Jeremiah 23), does this affect what a "preacher of Righteousness" means?
If these first fathers were all preachers of Righteousness, what does it take for us to become preachers of Righteousness?

Then, from 39-42, "Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah, Lamach, and Noah all lived on the earth at the same time, And that Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Methuselah, and Lamech, were all acquainted with both Adam and Noah." (p. 43)

It fascinated me to realize how many of the fathers had lived together at the same time. Adam was able to directly teach his children in an unbroken line down to the ninth generation, and six of those children were then able to directly teach Noah before the flood. I can only imagine what that was like, to learn straight from Adam.

(This often leads me to wonder: I've heard among the church the theory that the restoration of the gospel to the earth was the catalyst behind all the technological innovations we see today, like jet engines, computers, and other advanced technology. If that's the case--that gospel enlightenment coincides with technological advancement--how far could technology advance among humans who spend 900-some years contemplating the same issues and living in a greater concentration of light and truth? It's an interesting thought exercise, at the very least.)

"From the foregoing it is easily to be seen, not only how the knowledge of God came into the world, but upon what principle it was preserved: that from the time it was first communicated, it was retained in the minds of righteous men, who taught, not only their own posterity, but the world; so that there was no need of a new revelation to man, after Adam's creation, to Noah, to give them the first idea, or notion of the existence of a God: and not only of a God, but of the true and living God." (p. 44)

This is an interesting line to me: "no need of a new revelation . . . to Noah, to give them the first idea . . . of the true and living God." The testimony was already available to man, so God didn't need to "reinvent the wheel," as it were; He didn't need to re-reveal something already available, and so He didn't.

I've heard this called by others "the economy of Heaven:" the tendency of God and Angels to allow us to do what we are honestly able to do before directly intervening, or to learn what we are able to learn before directly teaching us more. This doesn't count out the blessings of service offered by our fellow men, or the service we offer to others, however, but rather includes these acts within the range of "all we can do," as Nephi put it (2 Nephi 25-23). This seems to have been the case with God since the beginning, since the Angel only came to Adam after Adam had been doing "all he could do:" laboring, surviving the harsh world, and sacrificing in obedience to God. Even though it took a long time (perhaps a century or close) before he got an answer, he still received it.

Turning that to our time, how much do we have available to study? How many of our questions can be answered by the scriptures we have, and the wisdom and revelations others have had?

How often to we ask for a new revelation over something God has already revealed?

How ungrateful are we when we expect a new answer without effort, when others have labored diligently over the same questions, received the answers we seek, and provided them for any who struggle with the same question?

How long must we search, study, and labor before we receive the answer we seek?

Continuing, Joseph now traces the genealogy from Noah to Abraham. After explaining that people hold different opinions on how old Terah (Abraham's father) was, he explains that even accepting the oldest age (130 years) falls within the proposed pattern. From this assumption, he writes "Nahor, brother of Abraham, Terah, Nahor (the great-grandfather of Abraham) Serug, Reu, Peleg, Eber, Salah, Arphaxed, Shem, and Noah, all lived on the earth at the same time." And among these fathers, all but Peleg and Nahor the Elder were acquainted with both Noah and Abraham. (p. 52)

Even with this direct connection, though, some of Abraham's closer grandfathers had fallen into apostasy, and his own father had even given Abraham up for sacrifice. Abraham, then, was the first to reconnect to the First Fathers, to Restore what had been lost through apostasy, and a "greater follower of Righteousness" in his own right (Abraham 1: 2). This is probably worth its own article, so this comment will suffice for now.

"We have now traced the chronology of the world, agreeably to the account given in our present bible, from Adam to Abraham, and have clearly determined, beyond the power of controversy, that there was no difficulty in preserving the knowledge of God in the world, from the creation of Adam, and the manifestation made to his immediate descendants, as set forth in the former part of this lecture, so that the students in this class need not have any dubiety (meaning doubt or uncertainty) resting on their minds, on this subject; for they can easily see, that it is impossible for it to be otherwise; but that the knowledge of the existence of a God, must have continued from father to son, as a matter of tradition, at least. For we cannot suppose, that a knowledge of this important fact, could have existed in the mind of any of the before mentioned individuals, without their having made it known to their posterity." (p. 53) This was so important, apparently, that the Fathers could not have possibly left their children without the understanding that God lives.

"We have now shown how it was that the first thought ever existed in the mind of any individual, that there was such a being as a God, who had created and did uphold all things: that it was by reason of the manifestation which he first made to our father Adam, when he stood in his presence, and conversed with him face to face, at the time of his creation.

"Let us here observe, that after any portion of the human family are made acquainted with the important fact that there is a God who has created and does uphold all things, the extent of their knowledge, respecting his character and glory, will depend upon their diligence and faithfulness in seeking after him, until like Enoch, the brother of Jared, and Moses, they shall obtain faith in God, and power with him to behold him face to face." (p. 54-55)

And here's why it's so important: Once we know God exists, the foundation is set. It is then up to us to learn of and experience (in other words, to Know) "his character and glory." As we do so, it is only a matter of time, diligence, and faithfulness before we "shall obtain Faith in God, and power with Him to behold Him face to face."

This is not something reserved for some select, random few which God arbitrarily selects by His own will and pleasure. This is preserved in a Lecture Joseph Smith intended to prepare for the entire body of believers, intended to "unfold to the understanding the doctrine of Jesus Christ," which is "the important doctrine of salvation." This is meant for everyone. It's literally meant for you and me, if we will receive it.

We have the foundation, that God exists. We have a plethora of revelations and scriptures in our church, and there are other texts of wisdom held sacred by other peoples, written by the Lost Tribes of Israel, if we would only seek them out and read them by the Spirit of God (2 Nephi 3). It is up to us to put our own house (our hearts and minds) in order, for the Lord whom ye (diligently) seek will come suddenly to His temple, which temple ye are (Malachi 3: 1, 1 Corinthians 3: 17).

"We have now clearly set forth how it is, and how it was, that God became an object of faith for rational beings; and also, upon what foundation the testimony was based, which excited the inquiry and diligent search of the ancient saints, to seek after and obtain a knowledge of the glory of God (p. 56):" In these examples, it is the testimony of those who Knew which became the foundation of Faith; it begs the question, if one only believes and says he Knows, can that testimony serve as a solid foundation for Faith?

"And we have seen that it was human testimony, and human testimony only, that excited this inquiry, in the first instance in their minds—it was the credence they gave to the testimony of their fathers—this testimony having aroused their minds to inquire after the knowledge of God, the inquiry frequently terminated, indeed, always terminated, when rightly pursued, in the most glorious discoveries, and eternal certainty." (p. 56, emphasis added)

Plain as can be. Will we receive it?

Interlude: The Two Fruit Trees and the Harvesters

One summer evening, just past twilight, the wind picked up outside a small suburban house with two fruit trees, some distance from each other, both producing the same fruit. The Younger tree, fatigued from her first year of producing fruit, appreciated the cooling effect of the wind. This was a pleasant diversion from the ever-present sun which usually accompanied the summer days. Why can't every day be like this? she asked herself.

The Older tree, on the other hand, recognized what this meant. She wished to tell the Younger, but the wind was now too strong for her voice to carry. She would have to tell the Younger afterward.

In the distance, a door slammed. The property owner and his son approached, boots pounding against the sidewalk, with plastic bags rustling as they drew near. What is he doing? the young tree wondered. I don't need pruning, and it's definitely not time to harvest yet.

To her great surprise, the older of the two set to work on her under-ripe fruit, rapidly plucking with only a flashlight to work by.

What? Why?! she asked. Is he out of his mind? Is he really so hungry that he can't wait for nature to take its course? My fruit isn't ready yet!

While picking, the father reached for clusters of her fruit, where picking one fruit dislodged the more-ripe fruit, sending it tumbling to the ground. Oh, so not only is he impatient, but he's clumsy as well, she griped. He clearly knows nothing of fruit harvest, since he's wasting so much fruit. He should be ashamed of himself.

The father continued harvesting. In his haste, he pulled some of her leaves off of her limbs, and even broke a few branches. How dare you! she yelled internally. How dare you rob me, not only of my fruit, but of my very limbs! What right do you have in maiming me like this?

While she fumed in this manner, the father finished gathering what he could from her branches. He hadn't taken everything from her limbs, but his treatment still infuriated her. He had never treated her like this before, and she couldn't forgive him for this abuse.

During this time, while the father tended to the Younger, the son was sent to tend to the Older. He worked in the same manner as the father had with the Younger--plucking the unripe fruit rapidly, dropping fruit, and occasionally breaking branches--but the Older took it all in stride. This was merely the harvesters' method before a powerful storm. She had experienced this for decades, and understood the meaning behind the harvesters' erratic methods.

Even though her fruit was not yet ripe, hers was a fruit that could ripen after plucking if needed. The son had asked about this during a previous storm-harvest, and his father had patiently explained. The Older came to appreciate these exchanges between father and son; so much wisdom came from these discussions, which the Older would not have received otherwise.

The fruit that fell did not bother the Older, either. Although it was dark at the moment, she knew from past experience that the harvesters never wasted fruit when they could help it. During storm-harvests with greater sunlight, she could watch the harvesters stoop down to recover the fallen fruit. There is always a use to be found for good fruit, the father once told his son. Bruises do not make the fruit inedible, after all.

Not even the broken limbs and torn leaves irritated the Older any more. In her earlier years, she remembered well how much she resented what appeared to be careless branch-snapping. But one year, when the father had entrusted his property to another during a family trip, a storm had arisen where no fruit was harvested. At first, she had enjoyed the harvesters' absence and the newfound lack of stress. But as the storm grew in strength, the powerful winds had strained and even snapped some of her larger, fruit-heavy branches, and tossed her fruit far and wide. In the morning, most of her fruit lay broken and splattered on the ground. It took the father much work to salvage what limbs he could, though a few of her larger limbs required removal. The storm remained a powerful lesson for the tree in future storms, one she remembered whenever she saw her twisted and deformed (yet healed) limbs. In perspective, these limbs lost from the harvesters' plucking were a small sacrifice to pay for her survival and future fruit-bearing.

The Older knew from her experience the wisdom behind the harvesters' methods, but also recognized from her own past the confusion and pain the Younger was going through. Once the storm passed, after the howling wind and roaring thunder had subsided, the Older called to the Younger to ask how she fared. The Younger ranted against the storm and the harvesters, wishing they had left her alone. The Older simply listened. After the Younger calmed down somewhat, the Older explained her past experiences, her anger and frustration, and the understanding she eventually gained. The Older shared the bigger picture in her wisdom, which answered the Younger's confusion in the moment. The Younger soon thanked the Older for her clarification, and both trees rejoiced together.

What storms have arisen in your lives? What storms are coming?
Are they only personal storms, or are there global storms coming?
What will that coming harvest look like? What will it feel like?
Will you presume it to be chaos, without any intelligence or wisdom behind it?
Will you, instead, look back and find God's hand guiding these events for your benefit?
Will you allow His hand to guide you now for your future benefit?
Are you now?
How is He asking you to prepare? What does He ask you to become? To do?
After you have been converted, and become more able to comprehend God's working in your life, will you then strengthen your brethren?
How?

Lectures on Faith 2: 26-36

Intro | Preface
Lecture 1: 1 |  2-9 | 10-11 | 12-17 | 18-24
Lecture 2: 1-4 | 5-12 | 12-25

Continuing into paragraph 26:

"Moses also gives us an account, in the 4th of Genesis [that's Moses 5 in your Standard Works], of the transgression of Cain, and the righteousness of Abel, and of the revelations of God to them."

Revelations to them. God revealed things to both of them. While Moses didn't directly record the revelations of God to Abel, he did record two of the revelations of God to Cain.

"He [Moses] says: 'In process of time Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, an offering unto the Lord—And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering (this, I imagine, was likely shown through a revelation, so this is the one to Abel which Moses records): but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.'" (p. 26) Why would that be? Why would God accept a sacrifice that perfectly follows His commandments, and not accept a twisted version of His commandments? (Maybe Nadab and Abihu should have looked into this chapter of Genesis before offering "strange fire" in the tabernacle)

"'Now satan knew this [that God didn't respect Cain's offering], and it pleased him. [Why? Was this his plan all along when he commanded Cain to offer a sacrifice to God?]  And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why are you angry? why is your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not well, sin lies at the door, and satan desires to have you; and except you shall hearken unto my commandments, I will deliver you up: and it shall be unto you according to his desire.'" (p. 26)

Did you catch that? Cain, who declared his disdain for God (v. 16), and only sacrificed in obedience to Satan (v. 18-19), was able to hear God's voice. Keep this in mind; it occurs again later, and Joseph Smith comments further on it.

"'And Cain went into the field and talked with his brother Abel. And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and slew him. And Cain gloried in what he had done, saying, I am free! surely the flocks of my brother will now fall into my hands.

'But the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel, your brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said, What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood cries unto me from the ground. And now, you shall be cursed from the earth which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood, from your hand. When you till the ground, she shall not henceforth yield unto you her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond also, you shall be in the earth.

'And Cain said unto the Lord, Satan tempted me because of my brother's flocks. And I was also angry: for his offering was accepted, and mine was not: My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me out this day from the face of men, and from your face shall I be hid also; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, every one that finds me will slay me, because of my oath; for these things are not hid from the Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Therefore, whoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him seven fold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.' " (p. 27-29)

To be honest, I don't quite understand that last paragraph. I know there are a lot of theories about this--from Hugh Nibley suggesting that Cain still walks this earth, to apocryphal accounts that say Cain was killed by Lamech's son--but I personally don't understand what this verse is saying. Maybe I just need to study further into scriptures and revelations as a whole, or maybe this requires direct revelation to understand. Maybe a combination of the two? We'll see (and unless I'm commanded otherwise, I'll share some of what I learn in the blog).

However, that's extraneous, and missing a vital, applicable principle: Even after Cain's deliberate murder of his own brother, he could still hear God speaking to him. It's clearly not what Moses experienced, where he saw God and viewed an enormous vision that left him exhausted, but Cain did hear God's voice, and recognized it as Him.

God wanted to speak with Cain even after this great sin . . .

Why on earth would we think God doesn't want to speak with us?

What if He is speaking, but we, unlike Cain, don't truly recognize His voice?

What if we just aren't listening, or haven't practiced learning how to listen?

If God's words "never cease" (Moses 1: 4), and God appears silent in our lives, what needs to change?

Paragraph 30: "The object of the foregoing quotations is to show to this class the way by which mankind were first made acquainted with the existence of a God: that it was by a manifestation of God to man, and that God continued, after man's transgression to manifest himself to him and his posterity: and notwithstanding they were separated from his immediate presence, that they could not see his face, they continued to hear his voice."

This answers the question at the start of this Lecture: How did mankind receive the idea that God exists? It was through the Knowledge of the first generation of mankind, which they taught to their posterity:

"Adam thus being made acquainted with God, communicated the knowledge which he had unto his posterity; and it was through this means that the thought was first suggested to their minds that there was a God. Which laid the foundation for the exercise of their faith, through which they could obtain a knowledge of his character and also of his glory." (p. 31)

Now, Adam couldn't impart Knowledge to his posterity directly. Knowledge, in these examples throughout the Lectures, refers to directly Knowing something is true. This is more than Faith (believing God lives, and acting as though He is real), and even more than understanding (comprehending the arguments for whether God exists). This is Knowledge through experience (seeing and communicating with God as Moses and Joseph Smith did). Anciently, this was known as Gnosis, which we'll get to later. Adam literally cannot impart this kind of Knowledge to his children, because he cannot control this experience in their lives. He could only allow God into his own life, and thereby receive that Knowledge. For his children, he could testify that he Knew; he could testify that the way was open for them to Know as well; but until his children exercised Faith in his promise and acted accordingly, they could not Know.

"Not only was there a manifestation made unto Adam of the existence of a God, but Moses informs us, as before quoted, that God condescended to talk with Cain after his great transgression, in slaying his brother, and that Cain knew that it was the Lord that was talking with him: so that when he was driven out from the presence of his brethren, he carried with him the knowledge of the existence of a God: and through this means, doubtless his posterity became acquainted with the fact that such a being existed." (p. 32)

Apparently, Cain had exercised his faith enough to Know God lives, and to recognize His voice. Even though he chose to turn away from that path to God, he retained the Knowledge and experience he had obtained previously.

"From this we can see that the whole human family, in the early age of their existence, in all their different branches, had this knowledge disseminated among them; so that the existence of God became an object of faith, in the early age of the world. And the evidences which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of their fathers in the first instance." (p. 33)

From here, we now have at least two main branches of humanity who shared the existence and reality of God to their posterity: Cain to his family of darkness, and Adam to all of his descendants, which was ultimately preserved through his righteous children.

"The reason why we have been thus particular on this part of our subject, is, that this class may see by what means it was that God became an object of faith among men after the fall; and what it was that stirred up the faith of multitudes to feel after him; to search after a knowledge of his character, perfections and attributes, until they became extensively acquainted with him; and not only commune with him, and behold his glory, but be partakers of his power, and stand in his presence." (p. 34)

This is how mankind began to have faith in God: the testimony of those who Knew stirred up the faith of those who didn't yet Know, and stirred them up enough to act on that faith and "feel after him" (as Nephi mentioned in 1 Ne. 17: 45). In time, this act of feeling after Him, searching out His character, perfections, and attributes, they began to commune with Him, behold His glory, and "not only" this, "but be partakers of his power, and stand in his presence."

Is there a difference between beholding God and standing in His presence? Does that require patience and preparation, feeling after Him and searching into His characteristics? Does it require growth "line upon line"?

"Let this class mark particularly that the testimony which these men had of the existence of a God, was the testimony of man." (p. 35) And what is testimony? How do we use it outside of religion? In law, it refers to "evidence given under oath by a witness" (Nolo's Plain English Law Dictionary, Testimony). So then, what is a witness? "A person who testifies under oath at a deposition or trial, providing firsthand or expert evidence" (ibid, Witness).

It's interesting that this definition of testimony--an eyewitness providing firsthand evidence--perfectly fits how Adam taught his posterity: "for previous to the time that any of Adam's posterity had obtained a manifestation of God to themselves, Adam their common father had testified unto them of the existence of God, and of his eternal power and Godhead. For instance, Abel, before he received the assurance from heaven that his offerings were acceptable unto God, had received the important information of his father, that such a being did exist, who had created, and who did uphold all things. (So this is how Adam taught Abel, which led Abel to be accepted of God. An important example of righteous parenthood, I think.) Neither can there be a doubt existing on the mind of any person, that Adam was the first who did communicate the knowledge of the existence of a God, to his posterity; and that the whole faith of the world, from that time down to the present, is in a certain degree, dependent on the knowledge first communicated to them by their common progenitor; and it has been handed down to the day and generation in which we live, as we shall show from the face of the sacred records." (p. 35-36, emphasis added)

This part we'll go into next time. For now, it's enough to say that Adam's eyewitness account which he shared with his descendants inspired great faith, which led some of them to press forward in faith, believing and acting upon what they didn't yet see, until they in fact saw for themselves, and knew for themselves. We'll see how the pattern held in the next paragraphs.

Lectures on Faith 2: 12-25

Intro | Preface
Lecture 1: 1 |  2-9 | 10-11 | 12-17 | 18-24
Lecture 2: 1-4 | 5-12

After discussing the original, paradisaical state of mankind, and the knowledge they had, "We shall next proceed to examine the account given of his fall, and of his being driven out of the garden of Eden, and from the presence of the Lord." (p. 12)

"Moses proceeds: 'And they [Adam and Eve] heard the voice of the Lord God as they were walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where are you going? And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I beheld that I was naked, and I hid myself.'"

A tangent: Moses uses the name "The Lord God" three times in this paragraph alone, and multiple times in the verses ahead. Could this mean "The Head God," or similar to "Lord of Lords?" And does it mean that, when the verses don't use the phrase "The Lord God," it means another of the Eloheim? (Check the last post for clarification of the "Eloheim" which Joseph taught)

"'And the Lord God said unto Adam, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree whereof I told you that you should not eat? If so, you should surely die? And the man said, The woman whom you gave me, and commanded that she should remain with me, gave me of the fruit of the tree, and I did eat.

"'And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this which you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

"'And again, the Lord said unto the woman, I will greatly multiply your sorrow, and your conception: in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.'"

Again, a tangent: We Gentiles read the phrase "rule over you" and immediately think of the "phenomenal cosmic power" we get to wield against others; we think we get to put ourselves over others. And because this "ruling" must by definition be despotic and cruel, God must be saying women are inferior to men. Therefore, this must not be from God, since men and women are equally able to connect with God directly (2 Nephi 26: 33, with many examples throughout the scriptures).

Think about this, though: Who is prescribing man to "rule" over the woman? How does the One prescribing the "rule," rule His subjects? Does the Sermon on the Mount, or D&C 121's direction of persuasion through gentleness and meekness, or King Benjamin's "rule" over his subjects, reflect how He who commanded this "rule" would desire that men rule?

How does the King of Kings wish for his Kings and Queens to rule over others?

How easy is it for us to "set up stakes for the Almighty," to say what God must and must not do? (TPJS, pg. 320-321, 327)

Continuing, "'And the Lord God said unto Adam, because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife [rather than God's; this isn't saying men should never listen to their wives, but rather saying that God should be at the head], and have eaten of the fruit of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it! cursed shall be the ground for your sake: in sorrow you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to you: and you shall eat the herb of the field. By the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you shall return unto the ground—for you shall surely die—for out of it you were taken; for dust you were, and unto dust you shall return.' This was immediately followed by the fulfillment of what we previously said: Man was driven, or sent out of Eden.

"Two important items are shown from the former quotations: First, After man was created, he was not left without intelligence, or understanding, to wander in darkness, and spend an existence in ignorance and doubt—on the great and important point which effected his happiness—as to the real fact by whom he was created, or unto whom he was amenable for his conduct. God conversed with him face to face: in his presence he was permitted to stand, and from his own mouth he was permitted to receive instruction—he heard his voice, walked before him, and gazed upon his glory—while intelligence burst upon his understanding, and enabled him to give names to the vast assemblage of his Maker's works."

I got ahead of myself in the last post, talking about the Knowledge which Adam had received from God. That's what Joseph is saying here. Adam did not need to doubt or wander in ignorance about whether God truly existed; he Knew. He Knew who created him, whom he was accountable to, whom he had talked to, and whom he had learned from.

"Secondly, we have seen, that though man did transgress, his transgression did not deprive him of the previous knowledge with which he was endowed, relative to the existence and glory of his Creator; for no sooner did he hear his voice, than he sought to hide himself from his presence."

Here's where that Knowledge comes into play: what Adam and Eve had learned and experienced, they still knew, and they knew that even after partaking of the fruit they weren't supposed to take.

"Having shown, then, in the first instance, that God began to converse with man, immediately after he "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life," and that he did not cease to manifest himself to him, even after his fall, we shall next proceed to show, that, though he was cast out from the garden of Eden, his knowledge of the existence of God was not lost, neither did God cease to manifest his will unto him.

"We next proceed to present the account of the direct revelation which man received, after he was cast out of Eden, and further copy from the new translation:

"'After Adam had been driven out of the garden, he began to till the earth, and to have dominion over all the beasts of the field, and to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow, as I, the Lord had commanded him: and he called upon the name of the Lord, and so did Eve his wife also. And they heard the voice of the Lord from the way toward the garden of Eden, speaking unto them; and they saw him not, for they were shut out from his presence: but he gave unto them commandments that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandment.

"'And after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying, why do you offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him, I know not; but the Lord commanded me to offer sacrifices.

"'And the angel said unto him, This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, who is full of grace and truth. And you shall do all that you do in the name of the Son: and you shall repent and call upon God in his name forever. In that day the Holy Spirit fell upon Adam, and bore record of the Father and the Son.'"

Again, temple-goers ought to recognize this. These verses from Moses, beginning at "and after many days," were put into the Endowment ceremony word-for-word. Not only was Joseph's Biblical corrections important enough to use in the Lectures on Faith, they were also important enough to be used in the temple Endowment itself. So again, we're dealing with important stuff here.

Continuing to Joseph's explanation, "This last quotation, or summary, shows this important fact, that though our first parents were driven out of the garden of Eden, and were even separated from the presence of God, by a vail, they still retained a knowledge of his existence, and that sufficiently to move them to call upon him. And further, that no sooner was the plan of redemption revealed to man, and he began to call upon God, than the Holy Spirit was given, bearing record of the Father and Son."

So even being driven out of the Garden of Eden, with a vail separating their view of God's presence, didn't cover up their memory and knowledge. They remembered God and called out to Him. And it says the angel came to teach Adam and Eve "after many days." This isn't a specific time period. However, given the context in the next verses of Moses 5, this would be decades, if not a century, of dutiful and obedient sacrifices, without the complete knowledge of why they were doing this sacrifice. Really puts into perspective our "trials" of waiting for months or a couple years before receiving answers, doesn't it?

(And, third tangent: it's true that the verses only directly name Adam as the one conversing with the angel. But if you look at Moses 5: 11, Eve "heard all these things" and spoke with great Wisdom immediately after Adam had finished prophesying. So, is it impossible to claim that Adam and Eve were both there offering sacrifice? Could this have been a decade-long effort for both parties, where both received this Gift of the Holy Ghost? Is it possible that, in many cases when Adam is named, Eve is also there since they were "one flesh," and it is not good for Adam to be alone (Moses 3: 18 & 24)? Could Moses have only named Adam "to be short in writing"?)

This has been looking into Adam and Eve's experience thus far. In the next post, Joseph gets into what happens when they pass their knowledge on to their posterity.

Lectures on Faith 2: 5-12

Intro | Preface
Lecture 1: 1 |  2-9 | 10-11 | 12-17 | 18-24
Lecture 2: 1-4

Looking at "the evidences by which the first thoughts were suggested to the minds of men that there was a God who created all things" (p. 4), we'll continue into where Joseph Smith suggested we look:

"We shall now proceed to examine the situation of man at his first creation. Moses, the historian, has given us the following account of him in the first chapter of the book of Genesis, beginning with the 20th verse, and closing with the 30th. We copy from the new translation:"

Note: If you try to go to Genesis 1: 20-30 in the King James Version, you won't find what Joseph's talking about. By "new translation," he means the Joseph Smith Translation, or Inspired Version of the Bible. I want to take a moment to interrupt and discuss this Version, which we don't currently have in our LDS Standard Works. At least, not completely.

After the Book of Mormon's translation, Joseph was able to turn his attention to the Bible. After all, near the end of his translation1, Joseph found evidence that the Bible had been tampered with: both directly by Nephi's angelic guide (1 Nephi 13) and indirectly by Nephi quoting Isaiah differently than normal (1 Nephi 20-21, 2 Nephi 12-24). In fact, even the angelic visitor directing Joseph to the golden plates quoted Malachi "with a little variation from the way it reads in our Bibles" (JS-H 1: 36), so the idea that the Bible was "infallible" and unchangeable had already been rubbed out of Joseph's paradigm.

--------
1) That is, if he translated Mormon's abridgment first, from the Book of Lehi (now lost) down to Moroni, then the Words of Mormon, then 1 Nephi through Omni. There's some debate as to what order Joseph actually translated them all, but if you look at the questions he asked and the answers he received (just as in later D&C sections during Biblical study), the above order of translation would bring up the questions he asked in roughly the same order he asked them. That's beyond this post, though, so this is just in passing.
----------

As he continued, and after receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism (which baptism was after seeing the Father, the Son, various angels and visions, and translating the majority of the Book of Mormon, by the way), he then reports that, "Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of" (ibid, p. 74). So, he began to have the meaning of the scriptures revealed to him through Intelligence beyond his own. This would give him an ideal vantage point to correct the Bible where clerical error or worse had tampered with it.

Joseph did a lot of correcting. All the footnotes and appendices we have in our Standard Works, and even the version published by the Community of Christ (formerly the RLDS church) don't technically contain them all, because Joseph continued making adjustments, corrections, and clarifications in his speeches and lectures. Many of these can be found in the Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Joseph Smith Papers. And they do make a lot of sense when you use them with the Bible.

This leads some people to wonder "Well, why don't we just have the Inspired Version as the version we publish in our Standard Works?" Personally, I don't know. That would be really nice to have available right in the text, rather than being required to read the tiny footnotes and/or flip to somewhere in the index to find the corrections. Maybe the LDS church will get on that one of these days. I know others are.

Either way, this seemed to be an important topic for Joseph: that people correctly understand what the scriptures are saying. And the Lectures on Faith were expressly given (as the preface outlined) for discussing and unfolding "the important doctrine of salvation" (p. 2). This also seems like an important goal. Therefore, if understanding the doctrine of salvation is so important to get right, using the best source material to teach about this doctrine must be equally important. And Joseph here uses the New Translation (the Inspired Version) throughout all these Lectures; this is just the first time he points it out. Must be important, then. Certainly important enough that Joseph warned "except the church receive the fulness of the scriptures, that they would yet fail" (Far West Report, p. 16; also TPJS, p. 9).

Having said that, we continue now with the new translation--in this case, the Book of Moses:

"And the Lord God said unto the Only Begotten, who was with him from the beginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and it was done.

"And the Lord God said, Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of the Only Begotten created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." (p. 6-8)

At first glance, this seems really repetitive: They say they'll do something, they do something, then they say they did the thing. However, those who've been through the temple (at any time; they haven't changed this) will recognize the same cadence and pattern appears in all Divine actions throughout the Endowment presentation. Something is directed to be done; those who are directed go and do the thing directed; after it's done, they return and essentially say "it is finished." Apparently, it's the same pattern as God gave originally to Moses. It's always interesting to see the temple ceremonies leak through the scriptures, hidden in plain sight for those who recognize the Hand of God. I wonder what else is hidden in there . . .

Actually, here's something: "In the image of the Only Begotten created he him; male and female created he them." What does this mean? How can one being create two very different beings in the image of His own singular being?

Technically speaking, the word used for God in the Bible is "Eloheim," another word temple-goers will recognize. Eloheim, Joseph taught, should be a plural noun in Hebrew, while Eloi would be the singular (as Christ is said to have called during the crucifixion). In fact, Eloheim is the only word in the Hebrew language where the prefix -heim doesn't refer to something in the plural; all other words with -heim are plural in Hebrew. (See TPJS 369-376 for Joseph's original discourse on this topic). Another thing about the Hebrew language is its nouns are either masculine or feminine, and there are no gender-neutral nouns (or if there are, they're a relatively modern innovation, as this article on gender studies points out). A group of people, for example, is described with a feminine noun if it is all women, or with a masculine noun if there is at least one man in it. I don't know why that is, but that's the way it is. Therefore, the Eloheim/the Gods have at least one Male among them, perhaps more, but that doesn't mean the Gods are solely Male. Technically, if the Gods are able to make both men and women in Their own image, there must be at least one Female among them, perhaps more. There's a lot of details hidden here, perhaps more we don't recognize yet; but a few are poking through the haze, just vague enough to get us hardheaded humans to pray and ask God about them. Maybe that's their purpose . . .

Continuing with the Lecture, "And the Lord God said unto man, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat." (p. 9) This isn't just referring to the Garden of Eden, notice; this is all seed-bearing herbs, and every fruit-bearing tree, to be used for sustenance. We can tell it's not solely for the Garden of Eden, because that's introduced in Moses' next chapter:

"Again, [Moses 3]:15-17,19-20: And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it; nevertheless, you may choose for yourself, for it is given unto you; but remember that I forbid it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.

"And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and commanded that they should be brought unto Adam, to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field.

"From the foregoing we learn man's situation at his first creation; the knowledge with which he was endowed, and the high and exalted station in which he was placed—lord, or governor of all things on earth, and at the same time enjoying communion and intercourse with his Maker, without a vail to separate between." (p. 10-12)

So mankind, through Adam, didn't start off with Faith (believing something that couldn't be seen, and acting in conformity with that belief). It began with Knowledge, which "implies more than faith." (Lecture 7: 18) He spoke with God, he talked with God, received the Knowledge necessary to name every living thing on the planet, and knew whom he was responsible to, or who was giving him directions and commandments. It wasn't on Faith for him like it is for us. He Knew. And we'll get into why that's important in the next posts.