To download past handouts, go to: highlandvalleysundayschoolnotes2012.blogspot.

com

#1 From the Encyclopedia Judaica Jr. we read: ...According to the Talmud, the Messiah will be a descendant of the house of David and will be preceded by a secondary Messiah from the house of Joseph. When the Chief Rabbi, Avraham Hakohen Kook, was appointed in Palestine in the 1920s, he was asked if the Jews could now build the temple (destroyed since year 70 A.D.). His response was that the priestly rights were gone and referred to the great 12th century Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Maimonides said, in effect, we are waiting for a Messiah Ben Joseph, to him will be given the keys to the gathering of Israel, He will restore temple worship. (http://www.nephiproject.com/library.htm ) #2 Speaking about Joseph Smith, Elder LeGrand Richards of the Quorum of the Twelve said, As far as our records show, he has given us more revealed truth than any prophet who has ever lived upon the face of the earth (CR, April 1981) #3 Joseph [Smith] has been instrumental in bringing us more holy writ than Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Matthew, John, Paul, Nephi, Mormon, and Moroni put together.
(George A Horton, Jr., Ensign, Jan. 1993)

communed with heavenly objects and heavenly principles, connecting the heavenly and the earthly togetherin one blending flood of heavenly intelligence. When the mind is thus lit up with the spirit of revelation, it is clearly discerned that the heavens and the earth are in close proximitythat time and eternity are one. (Journal of Discourses, 9:310) #5 Because of space limitations, the Scriptures Publications Committee used the following guidelines to determine what to include: 1. Selections must be doctrinally significant 2. Selections must contribute something not readily apparent in the other standard works 3. Priority should be given to passages that clarify the mission of Jesus Christ, the nature of God, the nature of man, the Abrahamic covenant, the priesthood, the antiquity of the gospel, and the latter-day restoration. Excerpts 8 lines or shorter were placed in footnotes. Longer sections were printed in the Appendix. And the two large sections that were already included in the Pearl of Great Price were left there (Moses 2-8 and JS-M).
(Robert J. Matthews, Ensign, 6/92, p. 29).

#4 Brigham Young: Joseph Smith, the Prophet of the last days, had a happy faculty of reducing the things of heaven to the capacity of persons of common understanding, often in a single sentence throwing a flood of light into the gloom of ages. He had power to draw the spirits of the people who listened to him to his standard, where they

#6 Robert J. Matthews: Most of the revelations dealing with doctrinal subjects [found in the Doctrine and Covenants] were revealed to Joseph Smithfrom June 1830 to July 1833, which was exactly the time he

was working on the Bible translation. While the Prophet was engaged in such a concentrated study of the scriptures, it was natural for him to ask questions and ponder on various subjects, inquire of the Lord, and receive divine revelation in answer to his inquiry. (A Plainer Translation, BYU
Press, quoted in Ensign, 1/86, p. 42)

Church.

(Robert J. Matthews in The Capstone of our Religion: Insights into the Doctrine and Covenants, p. 64, quoted in manual, p. 73)

The Joseph Smith Translation is not just a better Bible; it was a channel, or the means, of doctrinal restoration in the infancy of this

#8 The Influence and circulation of newspapers is great beyond anything known in Europe. In truth, nine-tenths of the population read nothing else. Every village, nay almost every hamlet, had its press. Newspapers penetrate to every crevice of the nation. (Tocqueville, Democracy
in America, p. 168, quoted in LDH p. 72)

Other thoughts too great not to include:

A writer in the New York Sun of 4 September 1843 stated: This Joe Smith must be set down as an extraordinary character, a prophet hero, as Carlyle might call him. He is one of the great men of this age, and in future history will rank with those who, in one way or another, have stamped their impress strongly on society (History of the Church,6:3). In a book entitled Joseph Smith, An American Prophet, we read the following, written by John Henry Evans: This man became mayor of the biggest town in Illinois and the states most prominent citizen, the commander of the largest body of trained soldiers in the nation outside the Federal army, the founder of cities and of a university. He wrote a book [the Book of Mormon] which has baffled the literary critics for a hundred years and which is today more wide ly read than any other volume save the Bible. On the threshold of an organizing age he established the most nearly perfect social mechanism in the modern world, and developed a religious philosophy that challenges anything of the kind in history, for completeness and cohesion. And he set up the machinery for an economic system that would take the brood of Fears out of the heart of man the fear of want through sickness, old age, unemployment, and poverty (New York: MacMillan, 1946, p. 4) "It is by no means improbable that some future textbook, for the use of generations yet unborn, will contain a question something like this: What historical American of the nineteenth century has exerted the most powerful influence upon the destiny of his countrymen? And it is by no means impossible that the answer to that interrogatory may be thus written: Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet. And the reply, absurd as it doubtless seems to most men now living, may be an obvious commonplace to their descendants."
From Figures of the Past, by Josiah Quincy, former mayor of Boston (1926 ed., p 317)

"Let anyone, even a literary genius, after forty years of life, try to write a companion volume to the Book of Mormon, and then almost daily for a number of years give out `revelations' that internally harmonize one with another at the same time formulate a system of doctrine for a Church, introduce many new principles, resuscitate extinct priesthoods, and formulate a system of Church government which has no superior upon earth... to deny such a man a wonderful power over the human heart and intellect is absurd. Only fanatical prejudice can ignore it. However he may be accounted for by the reasoning mind, Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, was one of the wonders of his time."
George Wharton James, quoted by Alvin R. Dyer, in Conference Report, October 1959, p 21

"The Mormon people teach the American religion; their principles teach the people not only of Heaven and its attendant glories, but how to live so that their social and economic relations with each other are placed on a sound basis. If the people follow the teachings of this Church, nothing can stop their progress--it will be limitless. There have been great movements started in the past but they have died or been modified before they reached maturity. If Mormonism is able to endure, unmodified, until it reaches the third and fourth generations, it is destined to become the greatest power the world has ever known."
Count Leo Tolstoi, quoted in A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, p 43536

"Whatever his lapses, Smith was an authentic religious genius, unique in our national history...I also do not find it possible to doubt that Joseph Smith was an authentic prophet. Where in all of American history can we find his match? . . . In proportion to his importance and his complexity, [Joseph Smith] remains the least-studied personage, of an undiminished vitality, in our entire national saga.""
Harold Bloom, The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation, (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992), p 82, 95

"Joseph's teachings provide solutions for most, if not all, of the genuine problems and contradictions of the Bible with which scholars have wrestled for generations."
Heikki Raisanen, Finnish theologian, quoted in Edwin O. Haroldsen, Good and Evil Spoken Of, unpublished article (quoted in Powerful Truths).

[After calculating that church membership would be 265 million by the year 2080:] "We are observing an extraordinarily rare event. After a hiatus [or break] of fourteen hundred years, in our time a new world faith seems to be stirring."
Rodney Stark, "Modernization and Mormon Growth: The Secularization Thesis Revisited," Contemporary Mormonism: Social Science Perspectives, eds. Marie Cornwall, Tim B. Heaton, and Lawrence A. Young [Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois, 1994], pp 13, 22

R. Merle Fowler http://www.nephiproject.com/library.htm

Newsletter 38

The Messiah Ben Joseph: A Comparison to the Latter-Day Prophet

The Old Testament, Apocryphal Jewish/Christian Documents and the Messiah Ben Joseph From ancient to modern Judaism comes the story of a coming prophet that has penetrated Jewish culture as it relates to the legendary history of this future leader set apart by God. Many of these legends and beliefs provide insight into what is expected as it recounts events that many Jews anticipate before the coming of their Messiah. From the Encyclopedia Judaica we read: According to the Talmud, the Messiah will be a descendant of the house of David and will be preceded by a secondary Messiah from the house of Joseph. When the Chief Rabbi, Avraham Hakohen Kook, was appointed in Palestine in the 1920s, he was asked if the Jews could now build the temple (destroyed since year 70 A.D.). His response was that the priestly rights were gone and referred to the great 12th century Rabbi Moses Maimonides. Maimonides said, in effect, we are waiting for a Messiah Ben Joseph, to him will be given the keys to the gathering of Israel, He will restore temple worship.2 The legend of the Messiah Ben Joseph didnt stop there. We can site many examples that indicate numerous Jewish and other sources that believe there will be this famous forerunner of the Messiah Ben David. Consider the following: Both Jews and Christians used a sacred book of scripture that is no longer contained in our latter-day Bible. The apocryphal Hebrew Book of Enoch, also known as Third Enoch, mentions a last days prophet who is to be involved with events mentioned by Enoch in our own Book of Moses (Moses 7:67). In the apocryphal writings, which are of very early Christian origin but were used widely by earlier Jewish scribes; Enoch mentions this future prophet by name. He calls him the Messiah Ben Joseph, Messiah means anointed one3 and Ben is defined as son of. In this book, once used as scripture by the ancients, Enoch sees a vision of the end times where he describes the following: I saw Messiah, son of Joseph, and his generation and their works and their doing that they will do against the nations of the world4 Biblical scholar Hugo Odeberg was the person who translated this work. He wrote about this future prophet where he said that: ...the end of the course of the present world is marked by the appearance of Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David, in whose times there will be wars between Israel and Gog and Magog; the final consummation will then, so it seems, be brought about by the Holy One Himself.5 In our present day Old Testament, we read in Deut. 33:17 the story of the unicorn or ox which uses its horns to gather in the elect. The Hebrew Book of Enoch describes this ox as a symbol of a future man who would be used as an instrument in the hands of God who would gather his other cattle. Enoch narrates a vision he had this way: And I saw that a white bull was born, with large horns, and all the beasts of the field and birds of the air feared him and made petition to him continually. And I saw till all their kinds were transformed, and they all became white cattle. And the foremost among them was the buffalo, and that buffalo was a great animal, and had great black horns on its head. And the Lord of the sheep rejoiced over them, and over all of the cattle.6

The Symbolism of the Oxen/Bull and the Messiah Ben Joseph All interpreters agree on the translation of the rich symbolism. The white bull represents the David Messiah. The buffalo (wild ox) relates to Deut. 33:13-17. The great horns are symbolic of the bullock used to push Israel together. This is the emblem of Messiah ben Joseph according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.7 One of the great Jewish professors of the Old Testament, Dr. Charles Torrey, wrote concerning this future prophet as it relates to the before mentioned apocryphal Book of Enoch and the scripture out of the Old Testament. He says: It thus seems assured, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the great animal of Enoch 90:38, destined to appear in the very last days, is the Messiah ben Joseph. It is not by accident that the words with which he is introduced, and the foremost among them (the cattle) was the buffalo, repeat the beginning of Deut.33: 17: The firstling of the herd . . . his horns are the horns of the wild-ox. The author of Enoch, who knew the Jewish tradition, intended by his buffalo the divine-human scion of Josephs house. With the buffalo, yet above him, stood the white bull, the Anointed One of Davids line; and the Lord of the sheep rejoiced over them both.8 The Rich Imagery of the Name Joseph from Jewish and Samaritan Traditions It is important to note that the ancient Jewish tradition attached importance to names. Names had more than just a single meaning. They tell a story. The narrative of Joseph of Old is rich in symbolism as it related to his time and the future Messiah who was to atone for the sins of the world. But, as we learn from the Book of Mormon, the writings of the Old Testament Prophet Joseph, handed down to the later Nephites, foretells the story of a future Joseph whose life would be patterned after Joseph of old.9 Why did the ancient prophet name this future prophet after himself? Ancient Jewish tradition helps answer that. The etymology of the name Joseph is usually defined as the Lord addeth or increaser. When Rachel named her son Joseph, it was translated in the Hebrew as Asaph which means, he who gathers, he who causes to return or God gathereth. The idea of a future Messiah ben Joseph was also known among other ancient Old Testament prophets. Like Enoch, Jewish scholars have concluded that Jeremiah was talking about this future prophet in his writings. In Jeremiah 30:21 we read: And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord. Edward G. King, the professor who translated The Yalkut on Zechariah wrote concerning this passage Certainly we could not blame any Jew who should see in these words a Messiah ben Joseph.10 Dr. King reminds us that this passage is to be fulfilled in the last days. How do we understand this in light of the Jewish tradition of a Messiah ben Joseph? Jewish Interpretation of the Deep Meanings of Jeremiahs Prophecies If you read Jeremiah 30 and 31, you will discover that the ancient prophet was speaking about the latter-day restoration of Israel. These chapters were written to be read together. Jews consider these sections the Book of Consolation because of the comfort they give to Israel when, at that time, the prospects of Israel as it related to their nation and culture were at the lowest. These chapters tell of the future Israel that would return to their land and former greatness - with prophets guiding them as the nation renders their Kingdom to God. Many thought this would happen around 605 B.C., after the Babylonian captivity and later the emancipation of the Jews by Cyrus (538 B.C). But the earlier scriptures make it clear that Ephraim, who was given the birthright, would do this and would be the moving force behind this future gathering. Ephraim is described as the watchmen upon the mount, the tribe designated to lift a warning voice to gather Israel where they would declare the word of the Lord. After Ephraims fall (around 605 B.C.), they would be given the opportunity to repent where they are given the principles of salvation.11 The latter-day Ephraimites would be fulfilling the promise of restoring the ancient truths and a new covenant with the Lord.12 This prophecy manifests the work of Joseph Smith as it relates to the restored gospel and the covenants that involve part of the restoration process. Indeed, Joseph Smith was an Ephraimite.13

We should remind you that it was a common practice for the Jews to write about the coming Messiah as it related to his early ministry and the Messiah Ben Joseph. These scriptures are known as the suffering servant passages. These deal with the triumphant king who would free them from bondage. But the scriptures that brought them consternation were those that dealt with the Saviors rejection: his being despised, bruised and afflicted. The future liberator would be brought as a lamb to the slaughter.14 These scriptural references were difficult to deny because they obviously talk about a future personage who would atone for the sins of Israel - a Messiah. The Jews were in a scriptural quagmire. How did they get around this? They got around it by reading into the passage that there were two Messiahs - one suffering and one that is the triumphant king.15 Jewish Tradition of the Two Messiahs as it relates to a Future Joseph and the Gathering of Israel Jewish scholar Solomon Zeitlin puts it bluntly: According to a Talmudic statement the Jews believed in two Messiahs, one of the tribe of Joseph, or rather who was an Ephraimite, and the other a scion of David.16 They simply created two Messiahs! One who would atone for the sins of the world, the other who would be the coming Elias17 - a title often given to a forerunner who was to open the new dispensation before the returning Messiah ben David. The Elias of modern times was not to be the one who would atone for sins, but rather open the way for the receiving of the Savior. It was this conviction, gleaned from the ancient Jewish writings, that the future Messiah ben Joseph was to come at the same time of the returning of Elijah. One tradition centers around Elijah restoring Messiah ben Josephs life where he would join the flight of others into the desert. He would be there until he joins the Messiah, who will begin His redemptive work.18 Josephs role would be in bringing the destruction of the kingdoms of wickedness. This goes back to the original blessings given by Jacob to his sons. In fact, Ginzberg reminds us that Jacob is contrasting his sons to animals, going back to the archetype of relating them to certain characteristics as they associated with their future calling. Jacob called Benjamin a wolf, Judah a lion, and Joseph a bull. The purpose of this was to: ...point to the three kingdoms known as wolf, lion and bull, and the doom of which was and will be sealed by the descendants of his three sons: Babylon, the kingdom of the lion, fell through the hands of Daniel of the tribe of Judah: Media, the wolf, found its master in Benjamite Mordecai; and the bull Joseph will subdue the horned beast, the kingdom of wickedness, before the Messianic time. 19 We should remind you that the ancient Jewish tradition of the Messiah ben Josephs role centers around one major focal point: the latter-day gathering of Israel. He is to be the one that is set apart to restore true temple worship, return Judah to Palestine, rebuild the city of Jerusalem as it relates to building that temple in that city and bring to pass the return of the lost 10 tribes. All of this is destined to happen before the coming of Messiah Ben David.20 The Jews believe that the Messiah Ben Joseph is always linked to the latter-day work of Elijah - who is also a forerunner of the Messiah. Elijah is . . . charged with the mission of ordering the coming time aright and restoring the tribes of Jacob.21 It is the belief of the Jews that when Elijah comes, he will rectify ...all matters of law and Biblical interpretation during which he will be involved with the correction of ... all genealogical records. The Messiah Ben Joseph, the Role of Elijah and the Ephraimite Connection This work is linked to establishing peace and turning the hearts of the children to the fathers.22 It is . . . Elijahs chief activity . . . [that] will [assist] in restoring the purity of the family.23 The return of Elijah was to be about the time of the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood as well as the rediscovery of the breastplate of the Urim and Thummim. Elijahs return was also to happen, according to Dr. Klausner, during the time of the sacred washing and anointing. All of this would occur when the rebuilding of the new temple of Israel would be expected.24 This actually happened in the latter-days. At the dedication of the new temple, Elijah did return on that very day when the traditional Jewish people celebrate Passover. This was on April 3, 1836, the exact interval of the fifteenth day of Nissan in the Hebrew calendar!25 Many Jewish scriptures like to link the ancient Jewish prophet with the future Messiah ben Joseph. In the Old Testament, Josephs mother, Rachel, prophecies about her sons progeny and believed . . . that Joseph would be the an-

cestor of the (Ephraimite) Messiah, who would arise at the end of days,26 where he would appear as the Messiah ben Joseph. 27 The Most Renowned Jewish Scholar and His Research on the Messiah Ben Joseph So pervasive were these ancient beliefs among the Jews that one of the foremost modern day Old Testament scholars of all time devoted much of his adult life studying the legend of the Messiah ben Joseph. He is considered one of the greatest authorities on the old Jewish tradition.28 Dr. Joseph Klausner was a professor of Hebrew and Old Testament at the University of Hebrew in Jerusalem. He is the author of many widely read books. One of his most significant writings was the classic The Messianic Idea in Israel .29 So important was this theme of the Messiah ben Joseph in Jewish history that he devoted an entire chapter to it in this study.30 His motive was interesting. When researching the subject, there was something that bothered Dr. Klausner. He found that, indeed, the tradition of the coming latter-day Joseph was . . . so thoroughly established among Jewish scholars . . . but, to his surprise ... there was no reference to it in the Hebrew scriptures, writes Old Testament Professor Emeritus W. Cleon Skousen. Dr. Skousen says, The Talmud, Midrash, and the Targum all refer to [the tradition], but these, of course, are merely commentaries rather the scripture itself. 31 What makes this even more intriguing to Dr. Klausner was that the Messiah ben Josephs tradition is . . . more zealous . . . among the Samaritans . . .than the Jews in keeping alive. . . the prediction of the future prophet. The Samaritans were from the tiny remnant that was successful in escaping the siege of the Assyrians in 721 B.C. They stayed behind while much of the rest of Israel was carried off to Mesopotamia. Dr. Skousen reminds us that this ancient Messiah tradition . . . goes back to a period which was long before the Talmud.32 According to a summary compiled by Dr. Klausner, the zealousness of the Samaritans preserving this ancient belief can be summed up this way: 1. 2. 3. 4. The Samaritans said that the future Messiah ben Joseph would be a descendant of Joseph through Ephraim. He notes that they sometimes refer to him as a son of Ephraim. That he would be called Teal, meaning ...the restorer, he who restores, or he who causes to return. Their belief was that he would call the people to repentance while bringing back better days for Israel. The ancient Samaritans said that this future Joseph would ...restore everywhere the true Law to its former validity and convert all peoples, especially the Jews, to the Samaritan (Ephraimite) religion.33

This tradition has gone even further than what others have said about this future prophet. Wilhelm Bousset has discovered that he will additionally initiate the restoration of the lost ten tribes to their own lands.34 In further verification of the Samaritan tradition concerning the Messiah ben Joseph, the fourteenth century Rabbi Abisha ben Pinhas wrote this poetic commentary regarding the future life and achievements of this long anticipated restorer they called the Taeb: When he is born in peace His majesty shall shine forth in the heavens and the earth, When the Taheb grow up, his righteousness shall be revealed. The Lord shall call him and teach him his laws. He shall give him a new scripture and clothe him with prophecy.35 One of the more interesting insights Dr. Klausner confirms centers around this future Joseph who is adjoined with the prophecy of Ezekiel 37 and the tribes of Joseph and Judah.36 As mentioned, it was also Dr. Klausners belief that the prophet Elijah would also appear in the days of the Restorer, ben Joseph.37 So entrenched is this Jewish and Samaritan tradition that Dr. Klausners doctoral dissertation for Heidelberg University contained reference after reference about the anticipated prophet. The university published it in 1904.

More Scholars Verify the Future Role of a Joseph in Restoring Ancient Doctrines Other Jewish scholars have also written concerning this future latter-day prophet. Dr. Julius Hille Greenstone says that this future restorer ...will include the adjustment of all matters of law and Biblical interpretation, the correction of all genealogical records which become confused in the course of time, the slaying of Samuel, the Satan, the prime mover of all evil, and the performance of seven miracles. He will especially be instrumental in bringing Israel too genuine repentance and in establishing peace among all classes, and turning the hearts of the fathers and children to each other.38 Other Jewish historians have said that the Messiah Ben Joseph would be responsible for the gathering of the Indians in the Americas. As already mentioned in a previous chapter in this study, Jewish-Dutch Rabbi Manasseh proposed (in 1644!) such a theory when he interviewed Jewish explorer Antonio De Montezionos (Aaron Levi). De Montezionos -Levi had just returned from extensive travels in the Peruvian Andes where he learned that the natives . . . recited the Shema [and] who said that they were descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and who observed the Jewish faith.39 Professor Manasseh ascertained that these might be remnants of the lost ten tribes. Rabbi Hillel Silver, after researching Manassehs observations, wrote that In the approaching restoration these sons from afar (Isaiah 43:6) are to be gathered from the islands of the sea (i.e. West, Isaiah 11:1) . . . 40 This is exactly what members of the Latter-day Saint church believe as it relates to the natives and their ancestors living in the Western Hemisphere. The idea of the Messiah ben Josephs involvement with the gathering of Israel crops up over and over again throughout Jewish history. In old rabbinical circles the concept in which Deuteronomy 33:17 was interpreted, as mentioned earlier, was applying to the coming Messiah and the future Elias. Dr. Klausner verifies this passage as the descendent of Joseph of old who would push Israel together from the ends of the earth.41 It is interesting that many early LDS church leaders look at this passage as having to do with Joseph Smiths calling in the latterday.42 The Death of the Messiah Ben Joseph The death of the Messiah ben Joseph centers on a martyrs demise. The ancient Jewish baraithot of Zechariah 12:10 mentions that his death will be caused by one being pierced.43 The ancients remind us that there will be no atoning value to his death.44 It is the belief of the Latter-day Saints that Joseph Smith has done more for the salvation of men, save it be the exception of the Savior, in the last days, than any other man.45 It so happens that those that believe in the ancient tradition of the future Messiah ben Joseph also think that he would be more important than any other figure, save it be Messiah ben David.46 In ancient times, the name Joseph in the Hebrew means he that gathereth . . . or . . . God gathereth . . . His brothers name was Hyrum which means . . . he exalteth his brother . . . The prophecy had been fulfilled, right down to his death engendered by Joseph being pierced.47 Is Joseph Smith the long awaited Messiah ben Joseph predicted by the ancients? Perhaps. If he is not, he certainly comes close. With the prophecy of the Messiah ben Joseph looming throughout Jewish thought, it will be our next task to define the role of the latter-day prophet and the part he played in fulfilling prophecy as seen by ancient and modern day visionaries. Let us now turn to those few who actually saw the hand of divine intervention in preparing the way for the restoration of primitive Christianity.
1Note

that most of these scholars of which you are about to read have no idea of Joseph Smith and his history. Judaica Jr. In another section of the Encyclopedia we read According to the Talmud, the Messiah will be a descendant of the House of David and will be preceded by a secondary Messiah, from the House of Joseph See also footnote 7 in this chapter for more on the Messiah ben Joseph from Jewish sources. 3Joseph Smith was indeed anointed to his calling. D&C 124:57.
2Encyclopedia

4Hebrew 5Hugo 6

Book of Enoch 45:5. Odeberg, trans., 3 Enoch or the Hebrew Book of Enoch (reprinted New York: KTAV Publishing House, 1973) pg. 144. R.H. Charles The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, 2 vols. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977) 2:260. 7 The Jewish Encyclopedia, 12 vols. (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1904) 8:512. 8 Charles Torrey, The Messiah Son of Ephraim, Journal of Biblical Literature 66 (1947) pp. 266-268. 9 2 Nephi 3:6-7; JST Genesis 50. 10 Edward G. King, trans., The Yalkut on Zechariah (Cambridge, England, Bell and Co., 1882) pg. 87. 11 Jeremiah 31:19 12 Jeremiah 31:33 13 D&C 113:6. 14 Isaiah 53:7. Many thanks to Joseph Fielding McConkie for bringing this to my attention. 15 Charles Torrey, ibid., pg. 253. Torrey, writes The doctrine of two Messiahs hold an important lace in Jewish [thought which is] more widely attested than is now generally recognized. It is not a theory imperfectly formulated or only temporarily held, but a standard article of faith, early and firmly established and universally accepted. 16 Solomon Zeitlin, The Essenes and Messianic Expectations, Jewish Quarterly Review No. 45 (1954): pg. 107. 17 John 1:21. 18 Louis Ginzberg; The Legend of the Jews, 7 Vols (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1911) 6: 340. 19Ginzberg, ibid Vol. 2:147. 20 Ibid. Vol. 4: 233. 21 Ibid. 22 Julius Greenstone, The Messiah Idea in Jewish History (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America,1906) pg. 320. 23 Joseph Klausner, Die Messianishe Vorstellungen des juedischen Volkes im Zeitalter der Tannaiten (Berlin: Verlag M. Poppelhauer, 1904) pgs. 61, 115-119. This is Dr. Klausners PhD thesis. 24 Ginzber, op. cit., Vol. 6, pg. 339. 25 See chapter 42 The Hebrew Calendar, Jewish Theology and the Restoration in this study. 26 Raphael Patai The Messiah Texts (New York: Avon Book, 1979) pg. 165. See also Ginzberg, op. cit., Vol. 5: 299. 27 Ginzberg, Vol. 2: pg. 7 28 In fact, his biographer wrote this about Dr. Klausner: He was a phenomenal scholar. His erudition in Jewish and non-Jewish cultures staggers the imagination. One wonders how one human being could have mastered such vast knowledge in one lifetime. Kling, Simcha, Joseph Klausner (Thomas Yoseloff, 1970) pg. 11. 29 Joseph Klausner, The Messianic Idea in Israel (Macmillan Company, N.Y., 1955). 30 Ibid. Part III, Chapter 9. 31 W. Cleon Skousen, Hidden Treasures of the Book of Mormon; op. cit., vol. I, Introduction. 32 Ibid. 33 Klausner, ibid. pg. 484, 487, 493. 34 Bousset-Gressmann, Die Religion des Judentums, 3rd Edition, 1926, pg. 224-225 35 Matthew Black; The Scrolls and Christian Origins (New York: Charles Scribners & Sons, 1961) pg. 159. 36 Klausner, op. cit., pg. 495. 37 Ibid. pg. 498. 38 Greenstone, op. cit.; pgs. 95-96. 39 Abba Hillel Silver, Messianic Speculation in Israel (Boston Press, 1927) pg. 191. 40 Ibid. 41 Klausner, op. cit., pg. 487. See also Mowinckel, Sigmund, He That Cometh (N.Y.: Abingdon Press, 1954) pg. 290. 42 Journal of Discourses, Vol. 23, pgs. 184-185. 43 George Foot Moore, Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era: The Age of the Tannaim, Vol. II (Cambridge: Harvard U. Press, 1966) p. 370. 44 Ibid. pg. 483. 45 D&C 135:3. 46 Klasuner, op. cit. pg. 501. 47 From notes an the Old Testament lecture summarized from Professor W. Cleon Skousen.

D&C LESSON 13 OUTLINE On the board: -Picture of Joseph -What I have received from the Lord, I have received by Joseph Smith Brigham Young Physical nature of the Godhead Our creation in Gods image Apostles & prophets Melchizedek Priesthood Aaronic Priesthood Mode of baptism The gift of the Holy Ghost Premortal existence Baptism for the dead Resurrection Eternal marriage The three kingdoms of glory Our potential to become like Heavenly Father Temple worship

~How is Brighams statement true for you? ~Think about your testimonythose things you know to be true. Can you trace their origin back to the Prophet Joseph? (For example: those who have a testimony of prayer, who restored the knowledge of what kind of being we pray to? And His involvement in our lives? What did Christianity believe about the nature of God before Joseph? ~And what about temples? Prior to Joseph, what did the Jews and all other Christian religions understand about the purpose of temples? Quotation #1 How right he was! D&C 5:10 Our manual points out that this generation refers to this dispensation. So another way to put it could be: The people on the earth in the latter-days shall have my word through you, Joseph. Today well be talking about what words of God we have specifically received through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Quotation #s 2 & 3 (have one person read) Brigham Young described Josephs gift of bringing heavenly things to earthly understanding: Quotation #4

~What was the first of Heavenly Fathers words that Joseph Smith brought to light in our dispensation? (the Book of Mormon) 2 Nephi 3:11-12 This prophecy was also contained in the Old Testament, But was removed at one point. We know it as the JST of Genesis 50. So the Lord says here that He will raise up a seer to bring forth His words. ~What other of Josephs gifts is mentioned here? (convincing men of the truth of the bible they already have!)

~What words of Heavenly Father came next through Joseph? (the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible) The Book of Mormon was mostly translated and published in 1829. The next three years 1830-33 he translated the bible, beginning with the Old Testament. Moses 1:40-41 40: ~Where do we find these things Moses was commanded to write? (the first five books of the Bible) 41: ~What percentage of people today do you think have read the books of Moses? (not many) ~So is the prophecy that men would esteem [Gods] words as naught, true in our day? ~Who was raised up like unto Moses in our day? (Joseph Smith) ~Did Joseph have scribes to help him with the JST, like he did the Book of Mormon? (yes: Oliver Cowdery, John Whitmer, Sidney Rigdon, Emma Smith, Frederick G. Williams) ~Did Joseph finish the translation? (no, he continued to revise and edit until his death) ~Was this translation process similar to the Book of Mormon, using ancient texts? (no, he used the KJV and revelation) Some interesting facts: -the JST manuscript is 467 pages. -On Old Testament book in the JST is omitted. Anyone know which? (the Song of Solomon. The manuscript states that the Song of Solomon are not inspired) ~Is all of the JST included in our scriptures? (no. of about 3,500 changes, just 700 or so passages are included) Robert J. Matthews said, While there were several reasons why the entire text of the JST was ot incorporated in the 1979 LDS edition of the Bible, unreliability of the JST text was not one of them. (Ensign, Jun3 1992)

Quotation #5 So weve covered the Book of Mormon, and the JST. ~What came next from the Lord through His Prophet? (the D&C) Quotation #6

Okay, weve covered (and I use that word loosely!) the Book of Mormon, the JST, and the D&C. What came next through Joseph? (the Pearl of Great Price) ~What are the four parts of the Pearl of Great Price? -The Book of Moses (translated from the Old Testament Genesis in 1830-31) -The Book of Abraham (translated from papyri between 1835 and 1842) -Joseph Smith History (written beginning in 1838) -The Articles of Faith (written in 1842) These were all individual writings and revelations, not connected. How they came to be published together in one volume is an interesting story. First, we have to understand the significance of newspapers in America in the mid-19th century. Alexis de Tocqueville, a contemporary of Joseph Smith, reporting on his travels in America for his European readers wrote this: Quotation #8 In those days, newspapers didnt even attempt to appear neutral. They were written to reflect the views of the editor and the intended readers. They would even feud with each other, and they could certainly stir up mobs and riots. For these reasons, it was very important for the church to have its own press, to defend the doctrines of the gospel and teach them to the saints. In Independence, Missouri, they had The Evening and Morning Star; in Nauvoo, The Times and Seasons. Early sections of our Pearl of Great Price were printed individually by the Missouri press in 1832-33, or 10 years later by the Nauvoo press. Just as the tales of Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens were published in installments in periodicals, Joseph Smiths history was. The Book of Abraham, as we have it, also was published in three installments, and more of that translation was planned to be published, but mob violence derailed that plan. Parts of the Book of Moses were published here and there. It wasnt until 1851 (7 years after the Prophets death) that these miscellaneous writings were compiled into one body, The Pearl of Great Price, similar to the way it is today. ~Who thought of the name Pearl of Great Price? ~And who thought to put these revelations together? (not BY, or even the First Presidency! It was a mission president by the name of Elder Franklin D.

Richards.)

By the year 1851 there were 31,000 members of the Church in Great Britaintwice what there were in all of North America, and 2/3 of those had been members for four years or less! They had never had access to those revelations published in the early church periodicals. So Elder Richards, as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and president of the British Mission, put them together, titled it The Pearl of Great Price, and distributed it among the British saints. (see James R. Clark, The Story of the Pearl of Great Price, quoted in Ensign, Jan. 1986) It included what we have today, plus some selections from the D&C, and a poem entitled Truth. In 1878 Elder Orson Pratt, the church historian, edited and rearranged the Pearl of Great Price. And in the October Conference of 1880, it was accepted as scripture and became part of the standard works. Time to conclude: A couple of thoughts from Brigham Young. He said: I never saw any one, until I met Joseph Smith, who could tell me anything about the character, personality and dwelling-place of God, or anything satisfactory about angels, or the relationship of man to his Maker. Yet I was as diligent as any man need to be to try and find out these things (DBY, 458). He also said: It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eyes upon him, and upon his father, and upon his fathers father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was fore-ordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation (DBY, 108). I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ lives, and that Joseph Smith is His prophet...