A Mormon Midrash? LDS Creation Narratives Reconsidered
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
The Garment of Adam in Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Tradition
24 The Garmentof Adam in Jewish, Muslim, and ChristianTradition Stephen D. Ricks Although rarely occurring in any detail, the motif of Adam's garment appears with surprising frequency in ancient Jewish and Christian literature. (I am using the term "Adam's garment" as a cover term to include any garment bestowed by a divine being to one of the patri archs that is preserved and passed on, in many instances, from one generation to another. I will thus also consider garments divinely granted to other patriarchal figures, including Noah, Abraham, and Joseph.) Although attested less often than in the Jewish and Christian sources, the motif also occurs in the literature of early Islam, espe cially in the Isra'iliyyiit literature in the Muslim authors al ThaclabI and al-Kisa'I as well as in the Rasii'il Ikhwiin al ~afa (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity). Particularly when discussing the garment of Adam in the Jewish tradition, I will shatter chronological boundaries, ranging from the biblical, pseudepigraphic, and midrashic references to the garment of Adam to its medieval attestations. 1 In what fol lows, I wish to consider (1) the garment of Adam as a pri mordial creation; (2) the garment as a locus of power, a symbol of authority, and a high priestly garb; and (3) the garment of Adam and heavenly robes. 2 705 706 STEPHEN D. RICKS 1. The Garment of Adam as a Primordial Creation The traditions of Adam's garment in the Hebrew Bible begin quite sparely, with a single verse in Genesis 3:21, where we are informed that "God made garments of skins for Adam and for his wife and clothed them." Probably the oldest rabbinic traditions include the view that God gave garments to Adam and Eve before the Fall but that these were not garments of skin (Hebrew 'or) but instead gar ments of light (Hebrew 'or). -
Eve: Influential Glimpses from Her Story
Scriptura 90 (2005), pp. 765-778 EVE: INFLUENTIAL GLIMPSES FROM HER STORY Maretha M Jacobs University of South Africa Abstract Having inherited Christianity and its institutional manifestations from their male ancestors, whose voices were for many centuries, and are still, inextricably linked to that of God, women only recently started to ask the all important why-questions about the Christian religion, its origin and its effects on their lives. In this article a look is taken at some glimpses from the mostly male story about Eve, by which women’s lives were deeply influenced. By detecting the contexts, history, moti- vations and interests behind aspects of this story, it is exposed for what it is: A male construct or constructs and not “how it really was and is” about Eve and her female descendants. Keywords: Eve, History of Interpretation, Feminist Criticism Introduction Take a narrative of human origins which originated in a patriarchal culture in which a woman plays a prominent role, though she is – supposedly – also the biggest culprit, include this narrative, and character, in the genre Holy Scriptures, situate it at a strategic position within these Scriptures where it becomes not merely a, but the story of human origins, and later on especially that of sin, leave – for many centuries – its interpretation mainly to the “other” sex within ever changing contexts, though predominantly those unfriendly to women, make it an essential building block of a belief system. And you are left with the kind of interpretation history and impact of the story of Eve, which has for a long time been the dominant one. -
Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, and the Reported Incident on the Stairs
Hales: Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, and the Stairs Incident 63 Emma Smith, Eliza R. Snow, and the Reported Incident on the Stairs Brian C. Hales Several authors have written that during the Nauvoo period Emma Smith may have had a violent altercation with Eliza R. Snow, one of Joseph’s plural wives.1 Different narratives of varying credibility are sometimes amalgam- ated and inflated to create a flowing storyline of questionable accuracy. For example, Samuel W. Taylor penned this dramatic account in Nightfall at Nau- voo: Eliza got out of bed, feeling queasy. It was early, the house quiet. Perhaps she’d be sick this morning again. Better go out back to the privy, in case. She stepped from her room just as Joseph’s door opened. He paused a moment looking at her with affection—big, handsome, vital, her husband for time and eternity!—then they came together. She whispered, had he decided what to do? He nodded. They could meet at Sarah Cleveland’s this afternoon to talk it over. Two-thirty. A wild cry, then Emma was upon them with a broom-stick. Joseph staggered back. Emma flailed at Eliza with the heavy stick, calling her names, screaming. Eliza, trying to shield her head with her arms, dashed for the stairs, stumbled, fell headlong, and went head over heels down the steep steps as everything went black. She awakened in bed. Emma was there, and Joseph, together with Dr. Bern- hisel. “Eliza,” Emma said, “I’m sorry. .” “I understand,” Eliza said. Her voice came as a weak whisper. -
Joseph Smith Ill's 1844 Blessing Ana the Mormons of Utah
Q). MicAael' J2umw Joseph Smith Ill's 1844 Blessing Ana The Mormons of Utah JVlembers of the Mormon Church headquartered in Salt Lake City may have reacted anywhere along the spectrum from sublime indifference to temporary discomfiture to cold terror at the recently discovered blessing by Joseph Smith, Jr., to young Joseph on 17 January 1844, to "be my successor to the Presidency of the High Priesthood: a Seer, and a Revelator, and a Prophet, unto the Church; which appointment belongeth to him by blessing, and also by right."1 The Mormon Church follows a line of succession from Joseph Smith, Jr., completely different from that provided in this document. To understand the significance of the 1844 document in relation to the LDS Church and Mormon claims of presidential succession from Joseph Smith, Jr., one must recognize the authenticity and provenance of the document itself, the statements and actions by Joseph Smith about succession before 1844, the succession de- velopments at Nauvoo after January 1844, and the nature of apostolic succes- sion begun by Brigham Young and continued in the LDS Church today. All internal evidences concerning the manuscript blessing of Joseph Smith III, dated 17 January 1844, give conclusive support to its authenticity. Anyone at all familiar with the thousands of official manuscript documents of early Mormonism will immediately recognize that the document is written on paper contemporary with the 1840s, that the text of the blessing is in the extraordinar- ily distinctive handwriting of Joseph Smith's personal clerk, Thomas Bullock, that the words on the back of the document ("Joseph Smith 3 blessing") bear striking similarity to the handwriting of Joseph Smith, Jr., and that the docu- ment was folded and labeled in precisely the manner all one-page documents were filed by the church historian's office in the 1844 period. -
Eve's Answer to the Serpent: an Alternative Paradigm for Sin and Some Implications in Theology
Calvin Theological Journal 33 (1998) : 399-420 Copyright © 1980 by Calvin Theological Seminary. Cited with permission. Scholia et Homiletica Eve's Answer to the Serpent: An Alternative Paradigm for Sin and Some Implications in Theology P. Wayne Townsend The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. "' (Gen. 3:2-3) Can we take these italicized words seriously, or must we dismiss them as the hasty additions of Eve's overactive imagination? Did God say or mean this when he instructed Adam in Genesis 2:16-17? I suggest that, not only did Eve speak accu- rately and insightfully in responding to the serpent but that her words hold a key to reevaluating the doctrine of original sin and especially the puzzles of alien guilt and the imputation of sin. In this article, I seek to reignite discussion on these top- ics by suggesting an alternative paradigm for discussing the doctrine of original sin and by applying that paradigm in a preliminary manner to various themes in the- ology, biblical interpretation, and Christian living. I seek not so much to answer questions as to evoke new ones that will jar us into a more productive path of the- ological explanation. I suggest that Eve's words indicate that the Bible structures the ideas that we recognize as original sin around the concept of uncleanness. -
The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922
University of Nevada, Reno THE SECRET MORMON MEETINGS OF 1922 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in History By Shannon Caldwell Montez C. Elizabeth Raymond, Ph.D. / Thesis Advisor December 2019 Copyright by Shannon Caldwell Montez 2019 All Rights Reserved UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by SHANNON CALDWELL MONTEZ entitled The Secret Mormon Meetings of 1922 be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS C. Elizabeth Raymond, Ph.D., Advisor Cameron B. Strang, Ph.D., Committee Member Greta E. de Jong, Ph.D., Committee Member Erin E. Stiles, Ph.D., Graduate School Representative David W. Zeh, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School December 2019 i Abstract B. H. Roberts presented information to the leadership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in January of 1922 that fundamentally challenged the entire premise of their religious beliefs. New research shows that in addition to church leadership, this information was also presented during the neXt few months to a select group of highly educated Mormon men and women outside of church hierarchy. This group represented many aspects of Mormon belief, different areas of eXpertise, and varying approaches to dealing with challenging information. Their stories create a beautiful tapestry of Mormon life in the transition years from polygamy, frontier life, and resistance to statehood, assimilation, and respectability. A study of the people involved illuminates an important, overlooked, underappreciated, and eXciting period of Mormon history. -
Mormon Studies Review Volume 4 Mormon Studies Review
Mormon Studies Review Volume 4 | Number 1 Article 25 1-1-2017 Mormon Studies Review Volume 4 Mormon Studies Review Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr2 Part of the Mormon Studies Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Review, Mormon Studies (2017) "Mormon Studies Review Volume 4," Mormon Studies Review: Vol. 4 : No. 1 , Article 25. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr2/vol4/iss1/25 This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mormon Studies Review by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Review: <em>Mormon Studies Review</em> Volume 4 2017 MORMON Volume 4 STUDIES Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship REVIEW Brigham Young University Editor-in-chief J. Spencer Fluhman, Brigham Young University MANAGING EDITOR D. Morgan Davis, Brigham Young University ASSOCIATE EDITORS Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye, University of Auckland Benjamin E. Park, Sam Houston State University EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Michael Austin, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of Evansville Philip L. Barlow, Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, Utah State University Eric A. Eliason, Professor of English, Brigham Young University Kathleen Flake, Richard L. Bushman Chair of Mormon Studies, University of Virginia Terryl L. Givens, James A. Bostwick Chair of English and Professor of Literature and Religion, University of Richmond Matthew J. Grow, Director of Publications, Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Grant Hardy, Professor of History and Religious Studies, University of North Carolina–Asheville David F. -
Egypt and Mormonism: Oriental Traits of the Latter-Day Saints
Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Arrington Student Writing Award Winners Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lectures 12-7-2011 Egypt and Mormonism: Oriental Traits of the Latter-Day Saints Alexander Fronk Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/arrington_stwriting Part of the History of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Fronk, Alexander, "Egypt and Mormonism: Oriental Traits of the Latter-Day Saints" (2011). Arrington Student Writing Award Winners. Paper 7. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/arrington_stwriting/7 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Leonard J. Arrington Mormon History Lectures at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arrington Student Writing Award Winners by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Egypt and Mormonism: Oriental Traits of the Latter-Day Saints Introduction In his lecture, Dr. Francaviglia presents a fascinating framework in which to understand American history and culture, as well as Mormons specifically. Orientalism was defined for the lecture as the assimilation or imitation of that which is oriental in religious or philosophical thought, or in art. Through various mediums, including architectural examples, quotes from Mormons and their detractors, and travel literature, Dr. Francaviglia demonstrates that not only Mormons were compared to Oriental peoples and assigned Oriental traits, but they also actively attributed such traits -
Of the Bible, 1830-1833: Doctrinal Development During the Kirtland Era
BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 11 Issue 4 Article 6 10-1-1971 The “New Translation” of the Bible, 1830-1833: Doctrinal Development During the Kirtland Era Robert J. Matthews Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Recommended Citation Matthews, Robert J. (1971) "The “New Translation” of the Bible, 1830-1833: Doctrinal Development During the Kirtland Era," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 11 : Iss. 4 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol11/iss4/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Matthews: The “New Translation” of the Bible, 1830-1833: Doctrinal Develop the new translation of the bible 183018331830 1833 doctrinal development during the kirtland era ROBERT j MATTHEWS before one can recognize the role of the new transla- tion 1 of the bible in the development of doctrine during the kirtland era of church history it is necessary that he first have a historical perspective of the beliefs and practices of the church at various times since its organization in 1830 in addi- tion it is necessary that one know what the new translation of the bible is why the prophet joseph smith made the transla- tion when it was made and how it was made in pursuit of these items this article will attempt to look at the church in the early 1830s and -
The Bible in Music
The Bible in Music 115_320-Long.indb5_320-Long.indb i 88/3/15/3/15 66:40:40 AAMM 115_320-Long.indb5_320-Long.indb iiii 88/3/15/3/15 66:40:40 AAMM The Bible in Music A Dictionary of Songs, Works, and More Siobhán Dowling Long John F. A. Sawyer ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD Lanham • Boulder • New York • London 115_320-Long.indb5_320-Long.indb iiiiii 88/3/15/3/15 66:40:40 AAMM Published by Rowman & Littlefield A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.rowman.com Unit A, Whitacre Mews, 26-34 Stannary Street, London SE11 4AB Copyright © 2015 by Siobhán Dowling Long and John F. A. Sawyer All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dowling Long, Siobhán. The Bible in music : a dictionary of songs, works, and more / Siobhán Dowling Long, John F. A. Sawyer. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8108-8451-9 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8108-8452-6 (ebook) 1. Bible in music—Dictionaries. 2. Bible—Songs and music–Dictionaries. I. Sawyer, John F. A. II. Title. ML102.C5L66 2015 781.5'9–dc23 2015012867 ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. -
© in This Web Service Cambridge University
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-06499-7 - Schoenberg and Hollywood Modernism Kenneth H. Marcus Index More information Index Abas Quartet, 65, 105, 316 and dissonance, 12, 13, 18, 47, 77, 86, 117, Achron, Joseph, 130, 133 242, 254 Adler, Larry, 217, 229 Schoenberg’s use of, 13, 18, 78, 164 Adorno, Theodor, 96, 125–6, 209, 254, 357 auditoriums. See venues on Chaplin, 69 Austria, 11, 142, 151, 165, 181, 183, 212, 294, and Doctor Faustus, 250–1, 253–4, 255–6 302, 333, 334, 342 in exile community, 2, 3, 245, 250, 255, and the Anschluss, 200, 243 256 arts and culture of, 3, 8, 10, 13, 20, 26, 33, exile writings of, 93, 210, 253 46, 55, 67, 75, 83, 84, 86, 96, 109, 118, return to Germany of, 227, 277, 300–1 125, 135, 136, 148, 154, 155, 157, 165, on twelve-tone music, 90, 125, 253, 255 172, 272, 276 Albuquerque, 178, 284, 285 and Nazi rule, 1, 11, 18, 152–4, 161, 171, Alderman, Pauline, 63–4, 67, 97, 102–3, 105, 178, 190, 273 108, 109, 110, 235, 315 Allen, Leroy W., 114 Bach, Johann Sebastian, 12, 46, 65, 89, 136, American Society of Composers, Authors, and 137, 174, 198, 199, 312, 316, 330, 345 Publishers (ASCAP), 68, 87, 95, 197 Fantasie chromatique and Fugue, BMV 903, Americans 312 African, 14, 49, 195, 208, 215, 306 Prelude and Fugue No. 13 in F-sharp Major, as artists in the U.S., native-born, 1, 2, 7, 18, BMV 858, 312 19, 44, 46, 84, 95, 231, 238, 264, 273 The Art of Fugue,65 as composers in Europe, 43, 47, 61, 75, Bahr, Ehrhard, 3, 62, 226, 273, 301, 355 311 Bakaleinikoff, Constantin, 93, 206 and national anthem, 193–6, 228 Barnsdall, -
“For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House”: the Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple
Alexander L. Baugh: Baptism for the Dead Outside Temples 47 “For This Ordinance Belongeth to My House”: The Practice of Baptism for the Dead Outside the Nauvoo Temple Alexander L. Baugh The Elders’ Journal of July 1838, published in Far West, Missouri, includ- ed a series of twenty questions related to Mormonism. The answers to the questions bear the editorial pen of Joseph Smith. Question number sixteen posed the following query: “If the Mormon doctrine is true, what has become of all those who have died since the days of the apostles?” The Prophet answered, “All those who have not had an opportunity of hearing the gospel, and being administered to by an inspired man in the flesh, must have it hereafter before they can be finally judged.”1 The Prophet’s thought is clear—the dead must have someone in mortality administer the saving ordinances for them to be saved in the kingdom of God. Significantly, the answer given by the Prophet marks his first known statement concerning the doctrine of vicari- ous work for the dead. However, it was not until more than two years later that the principle was put into practice.2 On 15 August 1840, Joseph Smith preached the funeral sermon of Seymour Brunson during which time he declared for the first time the doc- trine of baptism for the dead.3 Unfortunately, there are no contemporary accounts of the Prophet’s discourse. However, Simon Baker was present at the funeral services and later stated that during the meeting the Prophet read extensively from 1 Corinthians 15, then noted a particular widow in the congregation whose son had died without baptism.