D&C 136 and the Exodus Story: Parallels

D&C 136 is revelation given to Brigham Young at Winter Quarters during the pioneer trek west on January 14, 1847. The journey for these first Mormon pioneers was seen by Latter-Day Saints as a parallel to the Exodus for the Children of Israel from Egypt. It was a trying time for the Saints, since difficulties on the road had prevented them from making it to their desired destination before winter. As a result, the Saints set up camp here for the long winter of 1846-47.

There are some interesting similarities between this trek West, as emphasized in D&C 136, and the escape of the children of Israel from Egypt.

1) Covenants and Statutes
The Lord promises the Saints in verses 2 and 11 that if they keep His covenants and commandments on the trek, they will be blessed: "you shall be blessed in your fields, and in your herds, and in your fields, and in your houses, and in your families." There are many parallels to this word usage in Exodus and in Deuteronomy (esp. Deut. 1:15), where we learn that the Children of Israel receive similar promises.

2) Companies and Captains
In verse 3, we learn that the pioneer trek will be led by captains and sub-captains. This organization is similar to the children of Israel, who were organized into camps (Exodus 18:21). Specifically, the Latter-Day Saint groups were divided into "captains of fifties, and captains of tens." This essentially mirrors the Old Testament. The only element missing from Latter-Day Saint organization is division into the 12 tribes, although that is paralleled by the leadership of the church: the 12 Apostles, who led various companies, "(with) the president and two counselors at their head."

3) The Lord's People
The Lord tells the Saints in verse 1 and also in verse 22 that He is the God of ancient Israel, and that He is also the God of the pioneers. The Saints are referred to as the "Camp of Israel." He tells the Saints not to fear their enemies in verse 30, because he will make sure that His people are preserved. He also lets them know that, just as the ancient prophets received revelation at His hand, so too do His modern leaders fill that role.

4) The Promised Land
The Children of Israel were going to travel to a land of milk and honey. The Saints were also headed toward a land of metaphorical milk and honey, where they could live their religion freely and without fear of persecution.

I know that the pioneers of the 19th century were under the Lord's care in the Latter-Days, and that they, like the Children of Israel, were able to prosper as they were righteous and willing to do what the Lord would have them do.

An Evening at the Crandall Printing Museum

When I worked at the Enfield Shaker Museum, people always used to come into our 6-story main building and say, “wow! I’ve lived near here all my life and I didn’t even know this place existed!” And every time, I would look at them and think, “how is that even possible? I’m from two states away and I knew this place existed.”
Well, I think I finally understand what those guys were talking about. This semester, Dr. Holzapfel told us that we had an assignment to visit a place called the “Crandall Printing Museum” in Provo. “Provo?” I thought. “There is no such place in Provo.”

Well, apparently the Crandall Printing Museum does exist. It’s a cute little building hidden in the southern suburbs of Provo. It’s, unfortunately, 19 blocks from my apartment near the MTC, which was not a fun walk after a long day of school, but I do have to say that I’m glad I went.

The Crandall Printing Museum is a relatively new (only about 15 years old) establishment run by three elderly and cute-funny tour guides. For two hours, they regale you with stories about the art and evolution of printing, from Gutenberg, printer of the Bible, to E.B. Grandin, printer of the Book of Mormon. Along the way, they hit Founding Father Benjamin Franklin and discuss the Revolutionary War, and they add in a few other tidbits about the printing press for the Deseret News.
I will say one thing: I have a huge, huge appreciation for printing now that I’ve been to this museum. I can’t tell you how painstaking the process of printing must have been for the men who did it back in the day. I mean, imagine: first, you have to create letter models out of metal. Then, you have to place them side by side, upside down, on a template for printing. You need to space them correctly. After this process is accomplished, you have to place the whole thing on a press, ink up your letters just right, which takes awhile, and then press it out onto paper…and that’s just for the first few pages.

Understanding this process in the making of the Bible and the Book of Mormon gives me a great appreciation for the hard work and dedication of their printers. It took over 7 months to even get the first few copies of the Book of Mormon completed. I’m so grateful for these printing pioneers who made words and books more readily available for those who needed to read them.

To learn more about the Crandall Museum, visit http://crandallmuseum.org.

From Joseph Smith to Revelation: D&C 127-131

When we flip through D&C 127-131, we find that, unlike earlier sections that contain revelations, we're reading about epistles or items of instruction given by Joseph Smith to others in the church. These don't contain those key words that we find in other sections of the D&C, such as "thus saith the Lord." The real question we have to ask ourselves when we read these is this: "why are these included in the Doctrine and Covenants? How did they become canonized, or made into Latter-Day Saint scripture? What is their purpose?"

Joseph Smith wrote a number of letters and revelations in the course of his life, and it's true that only a handful of them have been canonized. Mostly, this is because a good chunk of the letters Joseph wrote are a lot like our own letters. They're contemporary documents meant for a specific audience in a specific time and place. There's no point in canonizing one of Joseph's random letters to Emma or to one of his friends, now is there?

This being said, Latter-Day Saints do believe that their prophets, Joseph Smith being one of them, do receive the word of God. In our D&C, we read that "where by my voice or the voice of my servants, it is the same." Now, before the Winter of 1838-39, Joseph Smith really only spoke as the Lord's metaphorical mouthpiece by using the phrase "thus saith the Lord." These are those revelation chapters we find in the D&C. However, spending the Winter of 38-39 in Liberty Jail on trumped-up charges, Joseph Smith had a real change. Coming out of Liberty and arriving in the newly established city of Nauvoo, Joseph was able step into a new role as a speaker and a teacher in the Lord's kingdom. No longer was he afraid to speak as a prophet. Joseph began speaking more frequently in meetings, and he also spoke with other members of the church more frequently. This is where these revelations -- 127-131 -- all come from. 127 and 128 are epistles, or letters from Joseph Smith to members of the church in sermon form. In 129-131 we have instructions from Joseph Smith to members of the branch at Ramus.

Now, the question remains, "why are these letters scripture?" Well, knowing what we know now, the answer is simple. Like the Pauline epistles of the Bible, so too did Joseph's words have value for members of the church. Future LDS prophets saw Joseph Smiths' letters and sermons and recognized that they contained information that was valuable for church members. These letters contain doctrines on eternal marriage and temples. As the Lord's mouthpiece, Joseph Smith had the capacity to speak the word of the Lord for the benefit of others.

I'll Answer, Dear Lord: Reflections on JS Manuscript

The section of the Doctrine and Covenants now known as Section 102 was originally recorded as meeting minutes on February 17, 1834, and it concerned the formation of the High Council of the church. It was on this day in February that 24 high priests gathered in Kirtland to organize and establish rules for the Council, which originally consisted of 12 high priests and one or two presidents. The purpose of the High Council was originally to "settle important differences which might arise in the church which could not be settled by the church or the Bishop's council to the satisfaction of the parties."

The presidents of this group were then called: Joseph Smith Jr., Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams. By unanimous vote, 12 other men, including Joseph Smith Sr. and Oliver Cowdery, were chosen to be a part of the first High Council of the church. Upon being nominated for the position, each of the twelve men were called to 1) accept their appointments and 2) act in them according to the laws of heaven.

I would like to address the two-fold required response of men called to the High Council at this first meeting. Why were these men, who had already proven that they were faithful to the church, supposed to promise that they would accept their calling and act in it according to the laws of heaven?

The popular hymn, “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” (no. 270 LDS Hymnbook) illustrates this principle well:

It may not be on the mountain height
Or over the stormy sea,
It may not be at the battle’s front
My Lord will have need of me.
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I’ll go where you want me to go.

The key word in this hymn is not “I’ll go where you want me to go.” It is “I’ll answer.” When we are called to an assignment, we always need to affirm our commitment to the work we are assigned. Vocal confirmation of the right helps us to remember our commitments and also allows us to make a covenant with the Lord that will allow us to receive blessings if we are righteous. We are called to do the work. Our duty is to say “yes” and to acknowledge that we will do our part. Committing and then following through are marks of dutiful people and faithful Latter-Day Saints.

The Mother in the MOA

This week in class, we were able to visit BYU’s Museum of Art (MOA). I visited the “Intimations of Divinity” exhibit once before with Blair, one of my good friends. I have to say that visiting the museum for the second time with my D&C class was an incredibly different experience than viewing it the first time. Each experience had its pros and cons. However, I'd like to highlight just one contrast between these two visits that really impacted me as a student:

Blair Williams is an art lover. She just came back from a Study Abroad in Paris, where she frequently took pictures of the art, people and culture that impressed her. As such, visiting the MOA with Blair was like having a personal tour guide through the museum. I should point out that Blair is also a liberal, like myself. I remember distinctly stopping at one of the paintings, entitled “Daily Bread,” and looking at Blair’s quizzical reaction there. The painting was a vibrant depiction of a middle-aged woman facing the viewer with a loaf of bread in her apron. “I do not like this piece,” she said, “because this woman is too depressed. This bread represents sacrifice to God and the home, but women don’t have to be martyrs in their own household!” I definitely agreed with Blair. If this bread represents a sacrifice to the Lord and this woman is a mother, I thought, what does this say about womanhood? That we sacrifice unwillingly? That we labor too hard for our devotion to God and family? Indeed, throughout the day after that visit, I kept thinking back to that woman, and I was disturbed. I think this was because that woman reminded me of so many over-stressed and overwhelmed mothers who were trying to keep their own families running. I believed that the role of these mothers was unjust, and that they placed too much burden on their own shoulders. I wanted to see their children and husbands help them, and I wanted them to realize that they could simplify their own lives.

Visiting the museum for the second time, I was just as disturbed during our group discussion about the mother. That is, until I heard a comment from one member of the class, who simply said that the woman reminded him of Christ. And, although that comment did not entirely take away my dislike of the painting, I was able to suddenly see the whole piece in a new light. That woman was Christ, offering her bread, or body, as a sacrifice to save us from sin. The blue background reminds us of the water in the sacrament, or the blood of Christ. And, while I still believed that this metaphor of Christ should not extend to a mother who believes it is her duty to work without help in the home, I could suddenly see the painter’s point that we are all striving to become like Christ. His ultimate service for us was something that we could not do ourselves, just as mothers are caretakers for their young, helpless children.

I will not soon forget my visit to the MOA with my D&C class, if even just for that one painting. Visiting that museum taught me that what I perceive or understand about the world can change in an instant with the right inspiration, and that, in order to continually progress in this life, I need to value my educational opportunities in the academic world, at home, and in religious terms.

The Joseph Smith Papers: D&C 88 Manuscript

D&C 88 is known by modern scholars as the "Olive Leaf Revelation," a message of peace from the Lord to his Elders on the Earth. D&C 88 is also one of the longest revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants, although it is surprisingly mostly unedited from its original transcription. John Whitmer, the man who first wrote down the revelation, also made a majority of the corrections to the original vision, and these changes" are mainly grammatical in nature. An "&" is added between words in one section, for example, and "ye" is changed to "you."

I remember learning last semester from Dr. Underwood that the revelatory process in Latter-Day Saint tradition is often not a perfect verbal translation from the Lord to His servants. Rather, Joseph Smith often prayed, received impressions in his mind, and then tried to articulate them to scribes who could then write those thoughts down. Joseph Smith was not well-educated, so many of the original transcribed revelations had to be checked for grammatical errors, and occasionally, greater revisions would be made to what was written. Here, for example, we see occasional punctuation marks, verse number additions, and spelling changes from John Whitmer, Joseph Smith, and W.W. Phelps, although, interestingly enough, the second part of this revelation is only corrected by Joseph Smith.

This revelation, given by the Lord to the Elders of the church in two parts (December 27 and 28, 1832 and later on Jan 3 1833 in Kirtland to the priesthood from High Elders to Deacons), is an interesting section because of its length and also because of the minor corrections contained therein. With the exception of the occasional addition of the word "and," and William W. Phelps' addition of verse markers, this revelation appears to have come straight from the Lord to the mind of Joseph Smith and then to the scribe without difficulty. This, indeed, must be one of the rarer revelations where the Lord spoke to Joseph in such a way that he was simply able to retell the Lord's words to John Whitmer. I've never really realized that D&C 88 was such an important revelation that the Lord found it necessary to almost dictate his words to Joseph.

I understand the reasoning behind this now. This is an important two-part revelation because the Lord is addressing not only the Elders here but the whole of the Latter-Day church. He discusses the importance of missionary work, the signs of the Second Coming, and instructions on greetings for members of the School of the Prophets. A lot of things in this revelation correlate to the Book of Revelation in the New Testament, which means that the Lord is preparing His people for the Second Coming, and He wants us to be clear about what is eventually going to happen to the world: it will be judged, the Resurrection will take place, and the righteous will rest with Him in the Celestial Kingdom.

I'm grateful for this revelation, and I know that it came from the Lord.

My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee: Joseph Smith and D&C 121-123

In class on Wednesday, we talked about Sections 121-123 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which were pieces of revelation that Joseph Smith received while in Liberty Jail in 1839. I’ve had the privilege of visiting the Liberty Jail historical site, and I remember being surprised when I heard about the conditions that prisoners endured there. Constructed in 1833, what could only be seen as a shack was the prophet’s dwelling place for five months from December 1838-April 1839. With low ceiling space, no lighting and no heat, Joseph, Sidney Rigdon, his brother Hyrum, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin spent this time worrying about the Saints abroad. The men had been brought to this jail unjustly for supposed crimes against the state of Missouri and their people had faced a simultaneous extermination order. With a long, cold winter ahead, these church leaders were doomed to remain anxious in an old ice house. Joseph Smith had been a mover and a shaker in the religious world for years, and now he was stuck with a few square feet of space and no word from or about the people he loved, who were now homeless and scattered.

This kind of pressure either makes or breaks a person, and Joseph Smith found himself almost broken in March of 1839. Grieving for his people's losses, Joseph prayed to God for vengeance against his people’s enemies and for answers to their prayers, and he consequently received the rest of Doctrine and Covenants Section 121 and subsequent sections.

Here, the Lord gives Joseph a sobering lesson about trial. He reminds Joseph that both Job and Jesus Christ suffered far more than Joseph, and that Joseph’s friends were still with him. Encouraging Joseph to stay faithful and true to the end, the Lord reminded him that He was always with His children and would take care of Joseph.

The Lord’s counsel during this time is said to have changed Joseph. When Joseph and the others were released in April, they traveled to meet the Saints, and from then on, Joseph became the official spokesman for the church. Until this point, Joseph had been unconfident with his own speaking and writing abilities, and had often utilized Sidney Rigdon and Parley Pratt as spokesmen for the church. However, it was after Joseph’s time in prison that he was able to understand his calling as prophet and become a speaker in the church. The Lord’s words gave Joseph confidence and courage to continue his Earthly journey.

For more information about Liberty Jail, feel free to check out this article by Lawrence R. Flake, a BYU professor: http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/Liberty_Jail

You can also check out this Youtube video segment called “My Kindness Shall Not Depart from Thee.” It’s from the LDS concert “Joseph Smith the Prophet.” The song sung at the 3:00 minute mark is one of my favorite songs…ever. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irX0E4-mc9U&feature=related