Thomas Jefferson once said, “I cannot live without books.” Most of the ideas that fueled Jefferson’s outlook on life, and consequently those of our nation’s revolution, came out of books written by philosophers of the time like Rousseau and Locke. Joseph Smith’s First Vision and encounter with God came after he prayed at the behest of a book, in this case the Holy Bible.
The ability of the common layperson to read the scriptures on his own was one of the most important spiritual developments of the Christian era. For more than a thousand years, the Roman Catholic church dominated religious thought in Western Europe. The Vulgate from which they preached was written in Latin and kept mostly in the hands of ministers, who were also usually the only ones who could understand Latin. The translation of the Bible into vernacular languages and its mass-production allowed ideas to diversify. Martin Luther, the most famous of the so-called “Reformers,” questioned the sale of indulgences and other church practices upon his own inspection of the Bible. This eventually paved the way for the Restoration of the gospel through Joseph Smith.
Knowing this history and its relevance to Latter-Day Saints, I enjoyed attending the Crandall Printing Museum. I was fascinated by the process Guttenberg underwent to make his movable-type printing press functional. I was aware before that Guttenberg did not invent the press, as it came from China through the Mongols. I was unaware, however, of how many innovations and inventions Guttenberg really made. I was amazed by his technique of casting letters and ink making. He had to carve by hand each individual letter out of a solid metal block. He had to experiment by trial-and-error to find the right mixture of metals to make the type. He needed to find the right metal to make the type-mold out of. Then, after Guttenberg figured out how to make and assemble the new type, he was confronted with a paper problem. The paper used at the time was meant to be used with water-based inks, but water-based inks would not stick well or print clearly with the metal type. So, Guttenberg then had to experiment with oil-based mixtures until he found a suitable ink. These are a few of the examples of how much Guttenberg had to innovate to make the movable-type printing press work. I had no idea how much work he put into it to make it work.
I learned how important Guttenberg really was. I knew before that he was one of the most influential men in history, but I didn’t know how much he really innovated rather than just put together existing ideas.
I also had no idea how much of a miracle it was that 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon could be printed and bound so quickly. The printers worked at an unreal rate in order to print the requisite number of pages, and the binding was done in a miraculous amount of time. I know that God had a hand in the development and implementation of the printing press. The spread of the gospel worldwide needed such an invention. Through it, millions of copies of the Book of Mormon and the Holy Bible have been printed and enlightened millions of lives around the globe. I gained a greater appreciation of printing and its impact on history and my own life.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The Nativity
Matthew and Luke were both written with Mark as a guide and other information added. One part of the story of Jesus of Nazareth Mark does not record is about His miraculous conception and birth. Luke and Matthew both tell elements of this story, but the different emphases of each writer is indicative of their respective focuses and target audiences.
Matthew’s gospel is full of fulfillment passages, as his focus and audience was both Jews and Jewish Christians. Matthew begins by citing the genealogy of Christ directly back to King David, who Jews knew was to be a progenitor of the Messiah. Another example of a fulfillment passage in Matthew’s narrative of the Saviour’s birth is in Matthew 1:23 in which he shows that the angel speaking to Joseph in a dream fulfills a prophecy in Isaiah about the name of Christ: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew merely mentions where Jesus was born, and moves on to the story of Herod and the wise men when Jesus would have already been a little child.
Luke, on the other hand, is a Greek, gentile convert whose audience is other gentiles. He doesn’t start with a genealogical line since he doesn’t need to establish to his audience that Jesus meets the qualifications set forth by the prophets for the Messiah. Luke takes a very linear approach by going into great detail about Zacharias and Elizabeth’s conception of John. As noted previously, Luke’s linear style of writing is a result of his being a physician and natural historian. He details the pregnancy and birth of John as the forerunner of Christ, then gives a detailed account of the night of Jesus’s birth. He details how the common shepherds were told of the birth and how they worshipped the new baby.
Luke also writes about and details the character of Mary. He shows how pivotal of a role Mary played and how amazing of a woman she was by showing her pure faith and humility compared to Zechariah’s disbelief at angelic tidings. Luke is interested in gender relationships throughout his narrative and shows a strong woman in the birth story.
Matthew’s gospel is full of fulfillment passages, as his focus and audience was both Jews and Jewish Christians. Matthew begins by citing the genealogy of Christ directly back to King David, who Jews knew was to be a progenitor of the Messiah. Another example of a fulfillment passage in Matthew’s narrative of the Saviour’s birth is in Matthew 1:23 in which he shows that the angel speaking to Joseph in a dream fulfills a prophecy in Isaiah about the name of Christ: “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew merely mentions where Jesus was born, and moves on to the story of Herod and the wise men when Jesus would have already been a little child.
Luke, on the other hand, is a Greek, gentile convert whose audience is other gentiles. He doesn’t start with a genealogical line since he doesn’t need to establish to his audience that Jesus meets the qualifications set forth by the prophets for the Messiah. Luke takes a very linear approach by going into great detail about Zacharias and Elizabeth’s conception of John. As noted previously, Luke’s linear style of writing is a result of his being a physician and natural historian. He details the pregnancy and birth of John as the forerunner of Christ, then gives a detailed account of the night of Jesus’s birth. He details how the common shepherds were told of the birth and how they worshipped the new baby.
Luke also writes about and details the character of Mary. He shows how pivotal of a role Mary played and how amazing of a woman she was by showing her pure faith and humility compared to Zechariah’s disbelief at angelic tidings. Luke is interested in gender relationships throughout his narrative and shows a strong woman in the birth story.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
The four “gospels” of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide us with an accurate, precious view of the life of the Saviour. These books are the primary source of our knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth’s life and teachings. As posted before, Mark was a prominent member of the early church. The Last Supper may have been held at his family’s house, he served multiple missions with Paul and Barnabus, and was with Peter in Rome. His sources in writing were primarily Peter and other eyewitnesses of Jesus’s teachings and works. Matthew, to whom the first book in our present compilation of the New Testament is credited, and John were apostles of Christ. Who is Luke?
Luke is never mentioned by name in the New Testament. However, by examining his text and analyzing his words, we can know more about this man. Luke begins his narrative by writing his reasons and qualifications for writing about Jesus. He writes that the records already had (likely the gospel of Mark amongst other things) are true and accurate, but that he is qualified to write additional material because he has done his research. We assume that Luke was a doctor. Doctors then and now could be considered historians of sorts since they think cause-and-effect. When a patient comes into their office with an illness, the doctor asks them their history in the last few days or weeks to try to determine the cause of the ailment. Luke would therefore be a good historian in researching and piecing together the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.
From the early passages of Luke and parts of the Acts of the Apostles, we can piece together where and how long Luke would be doing his research. In Luke 1:3, he basically dedicates the book to his patron, or the one who funded and financially supported him as he wrote. When compared with Acts 1:1, it can be argued that Luke was also the primary author of the this book as well. If this is the case, then Luke is implicitly mentioned in Acts 16:10. When describing the activities and journeys of the people therein, the pronoun changes from “he” and “they” to “we.” So, we can roughly pinpoint the time that Luke rejoins Paul in the ministry. We know, therefore, that Luke was in Judaea and Galilee for two entire years. It is probable that Luke was researching and interviewing people during this span. He likely went to Capernaum and other sites of Jesus’s ministry to get first-hand accounts of what happened. He too wanted to construct his narrative of the Saviour’s life from those who witnessed it for themselves.
Due to his careful research and methodical, linear writing style, we have a different view of Jesus’s life than that presented to us by Mark. We get an account of His birth in Bethlehem, for example. We have a clearer, better picture of Jesus the Christ thanks to a man who never even met him, a physician named Luke.
Luke is never mentioned by name in the New Testament. However, by examining his text and analyzing his words, we can know more about this man. Luke begins his narrative by writing his reasons and qualifications for writing about Jesus. He writes that the records already had (likely the gospel of Mark amongst other things) are true and accurate, but that he is qualified to write additional material because he has done his research. We assume that Luke was a doctor. Doctors then and now could be considered historians of sorts since they think cause-and-effect. When a patient comes into their office with an illness, the doctor asks them their history in the last few days or weeks to try to determine the cause of the ailment. Luke would therefore be a good historian in researching and piecing together the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.
From the early passages of Luke and parts of the Acts of the Apostles, we can piece together where and how long Luke would be doing his research. In Luke 1:3, he basically dedicates the book to his patron, or the one who funded and financially supported him as he wrote. When compared with Acts 1:1, it can be argued that Luke was also the primary author of the this book as well. If this is the case, then Luke is implicitly mentioned in Acts 16:10. When describing the activities and journeys of the people therein, the pronoun changes from “he” and “they” to “we.” So, we can roughly pinpoint the time that Luke rejoins Paul in the ministry. We know, therefore, that Luke was in Judaea and Galilee for two entire years. It is probable that Luke was researching and interviewing people during this span. He likely went to Capernaum and other sites of Jesus’s ministry to get first-hand accounts of what happened. He too wanted to construct his narrative of the Saviour’s life from those who witnessed it for themselves.
Due to his careful research and methodical, linear writing style, we have a different view of Jesus’s life than that presented to us by Mark. We get an account of His birth in Bethlehem, for example. We have a clearer, better picture of Jesus the Christ thanks to a man who never even met him, a physician named Luke.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Death of the Saviour
Throughout the Master's life, he came to the realization more and more that he would be sacrificed for the sins of the world. Starting at least with Satan's temptation in the wilderness after his baptism, Jesus was offered different paths. He was tempted to stray from the narrow path and specific mission the Father sent him to do time and time again, even by his closest friends (Mark 8:33). It must have been extremely lonely for Jesus of Nazareth to have his own apostles not comprehend what his end must be. They still didn't comprehend even when the hour was come. Mark tells us how he told Peter and the others that they would all forsake Him and leave him alone. Despite their denial, they indeed fled their master and left him alone. Mark tells us of his unlawful arrest, illegal trial, and unlawful death sentence. Jesus was condemned to die in a trial during the night so that the people, with whom he had considerable support, could not disrupt the verdict. We read of his familiar hearing with Pilate, the painful torture, and the gruesome crucifixion. Through the Jews and chief priests, Satan tempted Jesus one last time to not complete his mission by tempting him to save himself from the cross and be spared the agony of death. But, as he was all throughout his life, Jesus was faithful to the Father's commandments. Then, after all the prophecies of His life had been fulfilled and His atonement accepted of the Father, Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, Messiah, and Saviour of the world, hung dead. I am grateful for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that he completed the agonizing atonement for my sins and prepared the way to eternal life.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
"...they were astonished with a great astonishing"
Jesus of Nazareth was astounding to the Jewish world. He came, figuratively, out of nowhere proclaiming the kingdom of God was at hand and teaching doctrine that differed from traditional views of the time. of the main messages that Mark wishes to convey to his audience are the speed at which Jesus's message spread and how revolutionary His teachings were. Over and over, we see Mark use the words "immediately" and "astonished."
When the scholars commissioned by King James were in the process of translating the Bible, they translated by phrase rather than word for word. Stylistically, they translated the same Greek word into multiple contemporary words. For example, words in the King James version like "immediately" and "straightway" came from the same Greek word. The same is true for words like "astonished" and "astounded." So, the frequency of these words "astonished" and "immediately" are even more frequent than they appear.
Why did Mark want to emphasize so much that people were astounded by Jesus? He wanted people to understand that Jesus was no ordinary man. He did not merely bend the status quo or gradually change it; rather, he broke it and established a new one. Jesus did not teach variations of the doctrines currently accepted and taught by the scribes; instead, he taught as one having authority. People were astonished to hear such new doctrine proclaimed boldly from Jesus of Nazareth's lips.
In my own life, I am sometimes astonished by the works of God. For me, as with the people of ancient Judea, it usually stems from a lack of faith. I am astonished at things I did not think were probable or even possible. I need to be less astonished at the workings of an omnipotent God and more accepting of the things he reveals and allows to happen. If I have more faith, more currently astonishing things will be able to happen for my own betterment and for the betterment of those around me. I am limiting myself just as the people of Christ's time. I need to better recognize and have more faith in Christ.
When the scholars commissioned by King James were in the process of translating the Bible, they translated by phrase rather than word for word. Stylistically, they translated the same Greek word into multiple contemporary words. For example, words in the King James version like "immediately" and "straightway" came from the same Greek word. The same is true for words like "astonished" and "astounded." So, the frequency of these words "astonished" and "immediately" are even more frequent than they appear.
Why did Mark want to emphasize so much that people were astounded by Jesus? He wanted people to understand that Jesus was no ordinary man. He did not merely bend the status quo or gradually change it; rather, he broke it and established a new one. Jesus did not teach variations of the doctrines currently accepted and taught by the scribes; instead, he taught as one having authority. People were astonished to hear such new doctrine proclaimed boldly from Jesus of Nazareth's lips.
In my own life, I am sometimes astonished by the works of God. For me, as with the people of ancient Judea, it usually stems from a lack of faith. I am astonished at things I did not think were probable or even possible. I need to be less astonished at the workings of an omnipotent God and more accepting of the things he reveals and allows to happen. If I have more faith, more currently astonishing things will be able to happen for my own betterment and for the betterment of those around me. I am limiting myself just as the people of Christ's time. I need to better recognize and have more faith in Christ.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Profiles of Prophets
As explained in my previous post, here are some characteristics and favourites of the prophets since the early-mid 1900s according to the personal experiences of Thomas S. Monson:
Heber J. Grant
"Do What is Right, Let the Consequence Follow"
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Persistence
George Albert Smith
"Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words"
"There's a tug-of-war going on between the Lord and the adversary..."
Compassion
David O. McKay
"Oh Say, What is Truth"
"True Christianity is love in action" -David O. McKay
Consideration
Joseph Fielding Smith
"Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire"
"Wickedness never was happiness" -Alma 41:10
Gospel Scholarship
Harold B. Lee
"Praise to the Man"
"Stand ye in holy places and be not moved" -Harold B. Lee
Whisperings of the Spirit
Spencer W. Kimball
"I Need Thee Every Hour"
"My life is like my shoes--to be worn out in the service of the Lord" -Spencer W. Kimball
Dedication
Ezra Taft Benson
"How Great Thou Art"
" What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily, I say unto you, even as I am." -3 Nephi 27:27
Love
Howard W. Hunter
"Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?"
"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own lips" -Proverbs 27:2
See the good in people
Gordon B. Hinckley
"God of Our Fathers, Known of Old" (Rudyard Kipling)
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father." -Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-23
Do your best
Heber J. Grant
"Do What is Right, Let the Consequence Follow"
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Persistence
George Albert Smith
"Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words"
"There's a tug-of-war going on between the Lord and the adversary..."
Compassion
David O. McKay
"Oh Say, What is Truth"
"True Christianity is love in action" -David O. McKay
Consideration
Joseph Fielding Smith
"Prayer is the Soul's Sincere Desire"
"Wickedness never was happiness" -Alma 41:10
Gospel Scholarship
Harold B. Lee
"Praise to the Man"
"Stand ye in holy places and be not moved" -Harold B. Lee
Whisperings of the Spirit
Spencer W. Kimball
"I Need Thee Every Hour"
"My life is like my shoes--to be worn out in the service of the Lord" -Spencer W. Kimball
Dedication
Ezra Taft Benson
"How Great Thou Art"
" What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily, I say unto you, even as I am." -3 Nephi 27:27
Love
Howard W. Hunter
"Have I Done Any Good in the World Today?"
"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own lips" -Proverbs 27:2
See the good in people
Gordon B. Hinckley
"God of Our Fathers, Known of Old" (Rudyard Kipling)
"And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father." -Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-23
Do your best
"...eyewitnesses of his majesty"
In the 60s AD, Peter--the chief apostle of the Saviour and current leader of the early church--was nearing the end of his ministry. The Roman emperor Nero instituted state persecution of Christians in 64 AD, and Peter can likely be placed in Rome itself at around this time. During these troubling years, he penned 2 epistles to the saints in Asia Minor. In his second epistle, the Biblical book of 2 Peter, Peter clearly anticipates his looming death as a martyr for Christ's sake: "Yea, I think it meet as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;/ Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me./ Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance" (2 Peter 1:13-15). In verse 16, he follows this prediction of his death with a testimony of his faithfulness to the true Christ and his words: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty"(italics added).
It had been about 30 years since the death and resurrection of Christ, and many of the eyewitnesses of his ministry were getting old and dying themselves. I'm sure Peter understood the danger of this, as evidenced by his warning of following "cunningly devised fables" of who Christ really was and what He taught. With this in mind, while in Rome, he probably directed Mark in writing what we now know as "the Gospel of Mark." A major theme of Mark is the eyewitness accounts of what Jesus did. Many of the stories recorded were probably told to Mark by people who were there, either Peter, bystanders, or recipients of the miracles themselves. This is significant because we get in Mark a preservation of truthful, first-hand accounts. Through Peter's insight and Mark's pen, we are better able to discern between true accounts of Christ and cunningly devised fables.
I had the opportunity on Tuesday to be an eyewitness to a prophet and hear eyewitness accounts of past prophets. President Thomas S. Monson, the living prophet on the earth, spoke to the students and faculty of Brigham Young University on Tuesday. I arrived an hour early to find the Marriott Centre--which has a capacity of around 23,000--more than half full. When President Monson entered the room, I felt the Holy Spirit confirm to me that I was indeed in the presence of a prophet. President Monson chose to speak about the legacy left to him by past prophets. He spoke of his personal experiences with prophets from the early 1900s. In essence, he was giving us a glimpse of what it may have been like for Mark to write his gospel from Peter's memoirs, though of course to a lesser degree since Mark was writing about the Son of God. In another post, I will list what President Monson told us of each prophet.
Eyewitnesses give us reliable accounts of people and events. I'm grateful for the efforts of the early saints to record the events of Christ's life, and also that I was able to experience in some measure what it was like to traverse the generations through the eyewitness accounts of another.
It had been about 30 years since the death and resurrection of Christ, and many of the eyewitnesses of his ministry were getting old and dying themselves. I'm sure Peter understood the danger of this, as evidenced by his warning of following "cunningly devised fables" of who Christ really was and what He taught. With this in mind, while in Rome, he probably directed Mark in writing what we now know as "the Gospel of Mark." A major theme of Mark is the eyewitness accounts of what Jesus did. Many of the stories recorded were probably told to Mark by people who were there, either Peter, bystanders, or recipients of the miracles themselves. This is significant because we get in Mark a preservation of truthful, first-hand accounts. Through Peter's insight and Mark's pen, we are better able to discern between true accounts of Christ and cunningly devised fables.
I had the opportunity on Tuesday to be an eyewitness to a prophet and hear eyewitness accounts of past prophets. President Thomas S. Monson, the living prophet on the earth, spoke to the students and faculty of Brigham Young University on Tuesday. I arrived an hour early to find the Marriott Centre--which has a capacity of around 23,000--more than half full. When President Monson entered the room, I felt the Holy Spirit confirm to me that I was indeed in the presence of a prophet. President Monson chose to speak about the legacy left to him by past prophets. He spoke of his personal experiences with prophets from the early 1900s. In essence, he was giving us a glimpse of what it may have been like for Mark to write his gospel from Peter's memoirs, though of course to a lesser degree since Mark was writing about the Son of God. In another post, I will list what President Monson told us of each prophet.
Eyewitnesses give us reliable accounts of people and events. I'm grateful for the efforts of the early saints to record the events of Christ's life, and also that I was able to experience in some measure what it was like to traverse the generations through the eyewitness accounts of another.
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