Sunday, August 29, 2010

Preface to the 1830 ed. of the Book of Mormon

Preface to the Book of Mormon 1830 Ed.

PREFACE.
TO THE READER—
    As many false reports have been circulated respecting the following work, and also many unlawful measures taken by the evil designing persons to destroy me, and also the work, I would inform you that I translated, by the gift and power of God, and caused to be written, one hundred and sixteen pages, the which I took from the Book of Lehi, which was an account abridged from the plates of Lehi, by the hand of Mormon; which said account, some person or persons have stolen and kept from me, notwithstanding my utmost exertions to recover it again—and being commanded of the Lord that I should not translate the same over again, for Satan had put it into their hearts to tempt the Lord their God, by altering the words, that they did read contrary from that which I translated and caused to be written; and if I should bring forth the same words again, or, in other words, if I should translate the same over again, they would publish that which they had stolen, and Satan would stir up the hearts of this generation, that they might not receive this work: but behold, the Lord said unto me, I will not suffer that Satan shall accomplish his evil design in this thing: therefore thou shalt translate from the plates of Nephi, until ye come to that which ye have translated, which ye have retained; and behold ye shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words. I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work; yea, I will shew unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the Devil. Wherefore, to be obedient unto the commandments of God, I have, through his grace and mercy, accomplished that which he hath commanded me respecting this thing. I would also inform you that the plates of which hath been spoken, were found in the township of Manchester, Ontario county, New-York.

Book of Mormon Challenge

Adapted from the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.8, Ch.11, Pg.221 - Pg.222: 

Since Joseph Smith about your age not nearly so experienced or well-educated as any of you at the time he copyrighted the Book of Mormon, it should not be too much to ask you to hand in by the end of the semester (which will give you more time than he had) a paper of, say, five to six hundred pages in length. Call it a sacred book if you will, and give it the form of a history. Tell of a community of wandering Jews in ancient times; have all sorts of characters in your story, and involve them in all sorts of public and private vicissitudes; give them names--hundreds of them--pretending that they are real Hebrew and Egyptian names of circa 600 b.c.; be lavish with cultural and technical details--manners and customs, arts and industries, political and religious institutions, rites, and traditions, include long and complicated military and economic histories; have your narrative cover a thousand years without any large gaps; keep a number of interrelated local histories going at once; feel free to introduce religious controversy and philosophical discussion, but always in a plausible setting; observe the appropriate literary conventions and explain the derivation and transmission of your varied historical materials. 

Above all, do not ever contradict yourself! For now we come to the really hard part of this little assignment. You and I know that you are making this all up--we have our little joke--but just the same you are going to be required to have your paper published when you finish it, not as fiction or romance, but as a true history! After you have handed it in you may make no changes in it (in this class we always use the first edition of the Book of Mormon); what is more, you are to invite any and all scholars to read and criticize your work freely, explaining to them that it is a sacred book on a par with the Bible. If they seem over-skeptical, you might tell them that you translated the book from original records by the aid of the Urim and Thummim--they will love that! Further to allay their misgivings, you might tell them that the original manuscript was on golden plates, and that you got the plates from an angel. Now go to work and good luck! 

Sunday, August 15, 2010

From our study of The Great Apostasy

Deaths of the 12 Apostles... from Foxe's Book of Martyrs


I. St. Stephen
St. Stephen suffered the next in order. His death was occasioned by the faithful manner in which he preached the Gospel to the betrayers and murderers of Christ. To such a degree of madness were they excited, that they cast him out of the city and stoned him to death. The time when he suffered is generally supposed to have been at the passover which succeeded to that of our Lord's crucifixion, and to the era of his ascension, in the following spring.
Upon this a great persecution was raised against all who professed their belief in Christ as the Messiah, or as a prophet. We are immediately told by St. Luke, that "there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem;" and that "they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles."
About two thousand Christians, with Nicanor, one of the seven deacons, suffered martyrdom during the "persecution that arose about Stephen."
II. James the Great
The next martyr we meet with, according to St. Luke, in the History of the Apsotles' Acts, was James the son of Zebedee, the elder brother of John, and a relative of our Lord; for his mother Salome was cousin-german to the Virgin Mary. It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agrippa been appointed governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at their leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinus, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle's extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time. Thus did the first apostolic martyr cheerfully and resolutely receive that cup, which he had told our Savior he was ready to drink. Timon and Parmenas suffered martyrdom about the same time; the one at Philippi, and the other in Macedonia. These events took place A.D. 44.
III. Philip
Was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee and was first called by the name of "disciple." He labored diligently in Upper Asia, and suffered martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was scourged, thrown into prison, and afterwards crucified, A.D. 54.
IV. Matthew
Whose occupation was that of a toll-gatherer, was born at Nazareth. He wrote his gospel in Hebrew, which was afterwards translated into Greek by James the Less. The scene of his labors was Parthia, and Ethiopia, in which latter country he suffered martyrdom, being slain with a halberd in the city of Nadabah, A.D. 60.
V. James the Less
Is supposed by some to have been the brother of our Lord, by a former wife of Joseph. This is very doubtful, and accords too much with the Catholic superstition, that Mary never had any other children except our Savior. He was elected to the oversight of the churches of Jerusalem; and was the author of the Epistle ascribed to James in the sacred canon. At the age of ninety-four he was beat and stoned by the Jews; and finally had his brains dashed out with a fuller's club.
VI. Matthias
Of whom less is known than of most of the other disciples, was elected to fill the vacant place of Judas. He was stoned at Jerusalem and then beheaded.
VII. Andrew
Was the brother of Peter. He preached the gospel to many Asiatic nations; but on his arrival at Edessa he was taken and crucified on a cross, the two ends of which were fixed transversely in the ground. Hence the derivation of the term, St. Andrew's Cross.
VIII. St. Mark
Was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi. He is supposed to have been converted to Christianity by Peter, whom he served as an amanuensis, and under whose inspection he wrote his Gospel in the Greek language. Mark was dragged to pieces by the people of Alexandria, at the great solemnity of Serapis their idol, ending his life under their merciless hands.
IX. Peter
Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived, they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping, said, "Lord, whither dost Thou go?" To whom He answered and said, "I am come again to be crucified." By this, Peter, perceiving his suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring, because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and manner as the Lord was.
X. Paul
Paul, the apostle, who before was called Saul, after his great travail and unspeakable labors in promoting the Gospel of Christ, suffered also in this first persecution under Nero. Abdias, declareth that under his execution Nero sent two of his esquires, Ferega and Parthemius, to bring him word of his death. They, coming to Paul instructing the people, desired him to pray for them, that they might believe; who told them that shortly after they should believe and be baptised at His sepulcher. This done, the soldiers came and led him out of the city to the place of execution, where he, after his prayers made, gave his neck to the sword.
XI. Jude
The brother of James, was commonly called Thaddeus. He was crucified at Edessa, A.D. 72.
XII. Bartholomew
Preached in several countries, and having translated the Gospel of Matthew into the language of India, he propagated it in that country. He was at length cruelly beaten and then crucified by the impatient idolaters.
XIII. Thomas
Called Didymus, preached the Gospel in Parthia and India, where exciting the rage of the pagan priests, he was martyred by being thrust through with a spear.
XIV. Luke
The evangelist, was the author of the Gospel which goes under his name. He travelled with Paul through various countries, and is supposed to have been hanged on an olive tree, by the idolatrous priests of Greece.
XV. Simon
Surnamed Zelotes, preached the Gospel in Mauritania, Africa, and even in Britain, in which latter country he was crucified, A.D. 74.
XVI. John
The "beloved disciple," was brother to James the Great. The churches of Smyrna, Pergamos, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea, and Thyatira, were founded by him. From Ephesus he was ordered to be sent to Rome, where it is affirmed he was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil. He escaped by miracle, without injury. Domitian afterwards banished him to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. Nerva, the successor of Domitian, recalled him. He was the only apostle who escaped a violent death.
XVII. Barnabas
Was of Cyprus, but of Jewish descent, his death is supposed to have taken place about A.D. 73.
And yet, notwithstanding all these continual persecutions and horrible punishments, the Church daily increased, deeply rooted in the doctrine of the apostles and of men apostolical, and watered plentously with the blood of saints.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Robert Mason and Azmon Woodruff

Regarding our seminary video on Friday 8/13:

The old man, Robert Mason, was known as father Mason or even prophet Mason for the spirit of the Lord was upon him, and his prophecies were fulfilled. Many regarded him as a prophet-though he never claimed to have the authority to administer the ordinances of the gospel. (If you are confused about why he was considered a prophet without priesthood authority remember the word “prophet” is used differently here. Joseph Smith referring to the Book of Revelations taught that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy… in this sense, we can all be prophets.) Robert Morris seems to be great man who possessed the spirit of the Lord.
It appears that Asmon was Wilford Woodruff's older brother. They both received the testimonies of Elders Pulsipher and Cheney in the school house as depicted in the video. Wilford prayed to receive a witness about whether the elders were sent from God and their message was true, “On my way I prayed most sincerely that the Lord would give me his spirit, and that if these men were the servants of God I might know it, and that my heart might be prepared to receive the divine message they had to deliver.
Wilford he further wrote, "Elder Pulsipher opened with prayer... The spirit of the Lord rested upon me and bore witness that he was a servant of God. After singing, he preached to the people for an hour and a half. The spirit of God rested mightily upon him and he bore a strong testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon and of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I believed all that he said. The spirit bore witness of its truth. Elder Cheney then arose and added his testimony to the truth of the words of Elder Pulsipher.”
“Liberty was then given by the elders to any one in the congregation to arise and speak for or against what they had heard as they might choose. Almost instantly I found myself upon my feet. The spirit of the Lord urged me to bear testimony to the truth of the message delivered by these elders. I exhorted my neighbors and friends not to oppose these men; for they were the true servants of God. They had preached to us that night the pure gospel of Jesus Christ.”
 Wilford’s words about his baptism are pretty cool: “The snow was about three feet deep, the day was cold, and the water was mixed with ice and snow, yet I did not feel the cold." That evening at a special meeting they were confirmed members of the Church and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by the elders so ordained. The Holy Ghost fell upon us and we had a time of great rejoicing.”
Asmon was ordained an elder and Wilford was ordained a teacher.

Love you guys!
Have a great weekend!

For the full video:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf56IErSx8M&feature=related


See below for more detailed information:


Some Excerpts from the Early Life of Wilford Woodruff
David W. Allan

Wilford Woodruff was born in 1807 in Connecticut. He learned at a very early age to struggle for life's necessities. He had several life threatening accidents, but was preserved. He learned that the material things of this world counted but dross as compared with having his life right with God. He was a very giving man, and lost much of what he had because some did not pay back their debts.
One of the most important events in his life was getting acquainted with the Bible. He learned that it contained more of history and more of light than any book he had every found. Though he frequently attended, he could not find the same light from the various churches of the day. His study of the Bible caused him to say, "I believed every gift, office and blessing to be just as necessary now to constitute the true Church of Christ and Kingdom of God as in any age of the world." In contrast, his minister acquaintances told him that the Apostles, revelations and healings had "been done away" and "were no longer needed."
He believed this because of the Bible, but also because of a very dear old friend, Robert Mason, who had had an experience very much like Simeon of old. He was a man of great faith, and through his faith was able heal the sick and cast out devils--though he claimed no authority to officiate in the ordinances of the gospel.
Father Mason, as he came to be called, was given a vision, and when he asked the Lord for the interpretation, the voice of the Lord came to him saying, "Son of man, thou hast sought me diligently to know the truth concerning my Church and Kingdom among men,...my Church is not organized...but in the days of your children the Church and Kingdom of God shall be made manifest with all the gifts and blessing enjoyed by the Saints in past ages. You shall live to be made acquainted with it, but shall not partake of its blessing before you depart this life. You will be blest of the Lord after death because you have followed the dictation of my Spirit in this life." He was given this vision in 1800. He felt impressed to share it with Wilford in 1830.
At this same time, Wilford was now 23, and had found a new level of spirituality with the Lord. From his study of the Bible he became "convinced that no man could enjoy true happiness and obtain that which would feed the immortal soul, except God was his friend and Jesus Christ his advocate. I was convinced that man became their friend by doing the will of the Father, and by keeping His commandments. I made a firm resolution that from then I would seek the Lord to know His will, to keep His commandments, and to follow the dictates of His Holy spirit. Upon this ground I was determined to stand and to spend my future life in the maintenance of these convictions."
He was then working at a flour mill, and yet took every occasion to know the mind and will of the Lord. He said, "I prayed night and day, and the Lord blest me with much of His spirit. These began to be the happiest days of my life. I felt that the sun, moon , and stars; the mountains, hills, and valleys; and that all creation were united in the praise of the Lord." He further said, "I passed much of my time in reading, in meditation, and in prayer. I read the Bible and it was like a new book to me. I received much light in perusing its sacred pages. If I was cast down, tried, or tempted, I found in it relief in connection with the Spirit of God... The Lord blest me with joy and happiness such as I had never before enjoyed, doubtless because I was living up to the best light I had. I had no apostle or prophet to teach me the right way; so I had to do the best I could.
"I could plainly see by reading the Bible that baptism by immersion was a sacred ordinance." Two years later (1832) he saw for the first time an account of the "Mormons." They were described in a newspaper article in which the editor ridiculed them because they claimed to have new revelations and to be built upon the foundation of prophets and apostles the same as the ancient Saints. From that time Wilford desired to see these new people.
On Dec. 29th, 1833, two Elders came to their home. Wilford was then living with his brother Azmon. They were both out working when the elders came, but Azmon's wife knew enough of their conversations that she welcomed them and told them that her husband and his brother were anxious to hear them preach. As was the custom, a meeting was appointed at the schoolhouse and notices were circulated.
Wilford recounts, "Upon my arrival home my sister-in-law informed me of the meeting. I immediately turned out my horses and started for the schoolhouse without waiting for supper. On my way I prayed most sincerely that the Lord would give me his spirit, and that if these men were the servants of God I might know it, and that my heart might be prepared to receive the divine message they had to deliver.
"When I reached the place of meeting, I found the house already packed. My brother Azmon was there before I arrived...
"Elder Pulsipher opened with prayer... The spirit of the Lord rested upon me and bore witness that he was a servant of God. After singing, he preached to the people for an hour and a half. The spirit of God rested mightily upon him and he bore a strong testimony of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon and of the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I believed all that he said. The spirit bore witness of its truth. Elder Cheney then arose and added his testimony to the truth of the words of Elder Pulsipher.
"Liberty was then given by the elders to any one in the congregation to arise and speak for or against what they had heard as they might choose. Almost instantly I found myself upon my feet. The spirit of the Lord urged me to bear testimony to the truth of the message delivered by these elders. I exhorted my neighbors and friends not to oppose these men; for they were the true servants of God. They had preached to us that night the pure gospel of Jesus Christ."
As Azmon and Wilford were anxious to know more, they took the elders to their home and stayed up late that night conversing upon the principles of the gospel. Wilford began at once to read the Book of Mormon. "As I did so, the spirit bore witness that the record which it contained was true. I opened my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to understand."
Azmon and Wilford asked for baptism, and two days later Wilford records the event, "The snow was about three feet deep, the day was cold, and the water was mixed with ice and snow, yet I did not feel the cold." That evening at a special meeting they were confirmed members of the Church and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands by the elders so ordained. The Holy Ghost fell upon us and we had a time of great rejoicing."
His old friend Father Mason had prophesied, "Wilford, I shall never partake of this fruit in the flesh, but you will and you will become a conspicuous actor in the new kingdom." Wilford relates, "...when I was baptized...almost the first person I thought of was this prophet, Robert Mason... I wrote him a long letter in which I informed him that I had found the true gospel with all its blessings; that the authority of the Church of Christ had been restored to the earth as he had told me it would be; that I had received the ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands; that I knew for myself that God had established through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Church of Christ upon the earth.
"He received my letter with great joy and had it read over to him many times... He was very aged and soon died without having the privilege of receiving the ordinances...
"The first opportunity I had after the truth of baptism for the dead was revealed, I went forth and was baptized for him in the temple font at Nauvoo."