Engaging Gospel Doctrine (Episode 187)

ENGAGING GOSPEL DOCTRINE (EPISODE 187)

LESSON 14 “ For a Wise Purpose” This reading covers eight main characters and eight centuries. Buckle up and Hook try to keep track. Manual Goal To emphasize that the scriptures have been prepared and preserved to guide and direct us. EGD Goal To help class members appreciate what these passages teach us about prayer, divine intervention, and the purpose of the scriptures.

*Really* hit hard the “scriptures teach the methods rather than outcomes

I. Sunday School a. Framing (reading seems like a grab bag of prophetic comments but there are real treasures here, especially the story of Enos) b. Two minute take home i. Lessons from Enos ii. What are the scriptures for? c. Reading Commentary d. Lesson i. Enos and his life lessons (worth going through carefully) 1. How Enos prepares for his prayer 2. The work of prayer 3. Expansion of soul 4. Trust in God 5. Living your prayer ii. “For a wise purpose” What these passages teach us about God’s intervention 1. God’s answer to Enos’ prayer 2. God and the lost 116 pages 3. Summary: God works on a large scale to help things work out better than they otherwise would have and transform/save us in the process iii. What are the scriptures for? iv. Conclusion II. Scripture Study a. The composition of the Book of Mormon (according to itself) b. Connecting the prophets (explain relationships in this reading including speculative ones) c. OSC’s argument regarding the Mulekites (http://www.nauvoo.com/library/card- bookofmormon.html) 1 III. Study Notes a. The lost 116 pages: Two perspectives i. Don Bradley b. Motivation and development http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Manuscript,_Lost_116_Pages http://www.religion.ucsb.edu/wp-content/uploads/B-6-Golden-Plates-Numen.pdf http://signaturebookslibrary.org/joseph-smith-08/

Dan Vogel, Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet

[p. 130]The theft of the “Book of Lehi” was a permanent loss for Joseph Smith. His method of impromptu dictation made it impossible for him to duplicate his performance and, afraid that the stolen manuscript might be retained by some individual and compared against a re-translation, which would be devastating to his claims as an inspired translator of ancient texts, he chose not to redo the lost portion. His eventual solution demonstrated ingenuity, but it also compounded the complexity of his book.

He decided to continue translating where he had left off in what is now the eighth book of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mosiah, and to delay as long as possible how best to deal with the opening part of the story in the event that Martin Harris might recover the lost portion. As he was finishing his dictation of what would be the end of the Book of Mormon in May 1829 and as his thoughts were turning toward the lost opening portion, Smith dictated a revelation (Doctrine and Covenants 10) that gave a solution to his dilemma. The revelation excused him from re-- translating the lost portion, warning him that his enemies were conspiring to destroy God’s work by altering the manuscript so that it would read differently from what had been translated. In order to thwart the devil, he should translate another record that coincidentally covered the same historical period though from a more religious perspective.

The lost manuscript was said to have contained Mormon’s abridgment of more than 400 years of Nephite history—roughly 600 B.C. to 130 B.C.—as taken from the records of Lehi and various New World kings from Nephi to Benjamin. Joseph’s replacement text—comprising what is now 1 Nephi through the Words of Mormon—covers the same time period but with less historical detail, according to his explanation. The new opening books present first-person narratives of Nephi, Jacob, Enos, [p. 131]Jarom, Omni, and others. Rather than being the record of the kings, the new account follows the lineage of the religious leaders, including some who were wicked.

Nephi’s book begins with an eight-chapter abridgment of Lehi’s record, which indicates that much of this introductory material follows Mormon’s abridgment in the lost manuscript (1 Ne. 1:17; 6:1).1 Of course, Emma, Martin, and perhaps others were already familiar with the contents of the lost manuscript, so the major elements of the story undoubtedly remained unchanged. Emma’s comments about Sariah and the walls of Jerusalem hint that Joseph’s original dictation

2 touched on Lehi’s family and Nephi’s encounter with Laban (1 Ne. 1-5). The historical portions of the new version were probably elements that Joseph felt confident he could replicate.

Book of Mormon Plates and Records: http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Book_of_Mormon_Plates_and_Records