Category: Part 2: From Apostates to Apostles

Chapter 10: Revisiting the Word of God

Part 2: Apostates to Apostles

Vulgate to the King James Bible

During the subsequent 300 years following the life, death and resurrection of Christ, and after the persecutions of the Christians had ceased, many scrolls, parchments and other records were in circulation. They were written in Hebrew, Coptic, Greek and Latin. Many were authentic and verifiable, while others were of suspicious origin and even fraudulent. As the language of the people changed from Greek to Roman, a great need arose for scripture based in the language of the people.

In 382 A.D., under the direction of Pope Damascus, Jerome reluctantly accepted the daunting commission to produce a New Latin Version of the scriptures. Daunting because he recognized he would be judging ancient books by various authors scattered all over the known world and attempting to edit, correct, approve or disapprove them. Challenging because he knew he would be antagonizing almost everyone by assuming a position of ultimate authority of not only these sacred writings and their meanings, but of correctly translating them from their original languages. On the positive side, he saw his work as a means of making the scriptures available to the common people in their own tongue. Hence the name “Vulgate” which means language of the common people. Secondly, he felt a clearer and more accurate edition would enhance the preaching of the priests. And thirdly, he hoped it would give the ascetics or hermits a common reference record for their serious study of the words of God. 

Jerome went to Bethlehem for the Hebrew texts for his translation of the Old testament and to the Greek for his translation of the New Testament. Nonetheless he counselled with many experts, scholar and rabbis to gain their opinions before he began his translations. This work of Jerome served as the standard scriptures for the Catholic Church until its revision, called Sixto-Clement Project in 1592, under Pope Clement VIII.

Books included in the original Vulgate are those found in many translations of the Bible today, plus the following:
Tobias (or Tobit)
Judith
Wisdom (or Wisdom of Solomon)
Ecclesiasticus (or Sirach)
Baruch
Letter of Jeremiah
Additions to Daniel: Song of the Three Children, Story of Susanna and Bel and the Dragon
1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees
Apocrypha: Prayer of Manasseh, 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras

Apocrypha

The word Apocrypha means “doubtful authorship”. Jerome was of course faced with the huge and difficult problem of what to accept as authentic Holy Scripture and what to reject as Apocrypha, or not authentic. Even some of the texts which he accepted into his New Latin Scriptures Edition, were cut out by scholars when it was revisited 1200 years later at the Council of Trent in 1563 

Alcuin Bible

When Charlemagne came to power in the late 8th Century, he appointed Alcuin, the greatest teacher England had produced to that date, to revise the Vulgate. Over the years soppy copying and other “gross blunders” had crept into the many wide-spread copies resulting in non- uniformity. The corrections were mostly minor and Alcuin’s Bible, as it became known, was a genuine attempt to bring the texts back to the purity of the works of Jerome.

Paris Bible

Before the 13th century, Bibles were typically produced in multiple volumes. It simply could not be written in a single tome due to its size and the materials used. However, with the rise of universities and the demand for copies of the Bible, a system was developed by Stephen Langton who taught at the Paris University. It allowed the entire Bible to be produce in a carriable-size single book. This was accomplished by organizing the individual books of the Bible into chapters, while showing them in double columns on each page. The heading on the top of the pages indicated which book was being viewed. This volume became known as the Paris Pocket Bible and became the standard format for manuscripts throughout Europe. Mass-produced, this single volume version ranks as one of the most important developments in the history of the Bible. It introduced many of the format elements of the Bible that are still in use today.

Wycliffe Bible 

There was great opposition to the Bible being printed in the language of the common people. The Church had total power over the lives of the people. First by the military authority of the Emperor and secondly through threats of eternal damnation through the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Pope.

The reasoning was founded on the belief that it was the Church, through the Pope or Priest, who determined a man’s salvation. But if the people possessed the power and knowledge which comes from the truth in the Bible, and sufficient literacy to read it for themselves, they could look to salvation through Christ and bypass the clergy altogether.

The motivation of the translators was not a struggle for power. Rather they wished that every man could have the knowledge to find his own salvation through the reading of the words of Christ in his own language

A group of men banded together under the direction of John Wycliffe between 1382 – 1395. Known as the Lollards, this group of pre-reformation protesters rejected many of the Catholic teachings. At the time most people could not read and therefore had only a minimal knowledge of the Bible. Even that was gleaned through what was orally read to them from the pulpit by Priests. Wycliffe worked from the Latin Vulgate to make an English translation. Though not authorized, this Bible became very popular. But Wycliffe paid for its creation with his life. Burned at the stake, his remains were later exhumed and thrown into the river.

There were two versions of Wycliffe’s translations. The first was made while he was alive. The second is a revision of the first made ten to twelve years later by John Purvey, another member of the Lollard’s group. These translated versions did not have much effect upon the efforts of the later translators, because of the fact he had used the Vulgate from which to translate instead of going back to the Hebrew and Greek texts. But the efforts of Wycliffe and Purvey did help ignite the flames of the reformation and set the stage for the later King James translation of the Bible.

Gutenberg Bible

The Gutenberg Bible was the first bible to be produced using the newly-invented Gutenberg printing press.The printing of the first Bible in the 1450’s was a big event. While it was not the first book printed, it was the first major printing of any book in Europe. Whereas books had taken years to laboriously write or copy by hand, Gutenberg was able to produce 180 copies in 3 years. That is 60 a year or 5 per month, which is more than 1 per week. Each double sheet had 42 lines per page. To do this production, he used movable metal type. This set off an explosion of printed material which could be cheaply, mass produced and quickly distributed to an audience of hungry, eager and waiting people.

Erasmus Bible

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was a scholar and contemporary of Martin Luther. Instead of taking sides with either the Catholic Church or the reformer Martin Luther, he condemned them both with equal intensity. Erasmus’ intention was to make a collation between the Greek and Latin texts and in the process translated the first Greek translation of the New Testament.
– His first edition unified the Greek and Latin traditions.
– His second edition was used by Martin Luther for his translation of the Bible in the German language.
– His third edition was used by William Tyndale in his first translation of the Bible into English.
– His Fourth edition included a translation of Revelations.

– His fifth, published in Latin was quickly translated into many other languages.

In 1550 Robert Stephanus (also known as Robert Estienne) printed a version of the  Erasmus text with a critical apparatus (showing variant readings in various manuscripts) which proved invaluable to scholars and future translators alike.

Luther Bible (1522-1534)

It was Martin Luther’s goal to enable every German speaking Christian to read the Bible in his own language. Using the translation of Erasmus, second Edition, Luther translated directly into German without reference to the Latin Vulgate.

To Romans 3: 28, Luther added the word “alone”. This rendered the thought as follows: “Man is justified without the help of the works of the law, alone by faith.” It actually reflected what most translators of his time believed. 

He was contemptuous of the Books of Esther, Hebrews, James, Jude and the Revelations of John. But these influences of his translation were perhaps unintentional.

Most of the Germanic tribes spoke their own dialect and could not communicate with each other. The German language that he employed raised the level of language German people spoke and was a unifying force upon them as a German people nationally. He not only broke the dominance of the Catholic Church but influenced the translations of Tyndale and Coverdale.

Tyndale Translations 1530-35

While Tyndale did not produce a Bible as such, he did translate the entire New Testament and 50% of the Old Testament from Greek and Hebrew texts and had them mass produced and distributed before he was executed. As a result, these translations were used by John Rogers and Myles Coverdale. to publish the book under the pseudonym Matthew Bible. In addition, it was Tyndale’s translations that influenced every English translation that occurred thereafter.

Tyndale’s last words were in a prayer that God “Would open the King of England’s eyes” which was of course, what happened, evidenced by the printing of the Matthew Bible shortly thereafter.

Coverdale Bible

Printed by Myles Coverdale in 1535, it became the first complete English translation of the Bible. Using translations of Tyndale, Martin Luther, and his original translations from the Vulgate, the publication received official Royal consent making it also the first translation of the Bible in English to receive such distinction.

Matthew Bible 

Printed in 1537 by John Rogers under the pseudonym “ Thomas Matthew”, it contained the New Testament as translated into English by William Tyndale and as much of the Old Testament as he had been able to translate before he was burned at the stake, and the translations of Myles Coverdale from German and Latin. It also contained the Apocrypha, except the Prayer of Manasseh. 

Thus, the Matthew Bible forms a vital link in the history of the Bible’s translation into English. It was the work of three individuals, working from different sources and in different languages. Both John Rogers and William Tyndale were burned at the Stake while Myles Coverdale was employed by Thomas Cromwell to work on the Great Bible of 1539 and was thus spared.

Much of this work was used for the compiling of the King James Version and it was William Tyndale’s beautiful and masterful use of the English language that we treasure as we quote his epic phrases from our current King James Bible. 

The Great Bible

So called, because of its size. King Henry the VII ordered such a copy of The Great Bible to be set up in each English Church in 1539, to be read in services and to be accessed and read by its parishioners. It was chained so that it could not be carried away. The first authorized English version of the Bible, it contained the words of Tyndale so far as he had able to complete his translations into English (The same Tyndale who had been burned at the stake for his translations which were now to bring him fame.) The untranslated balance, including the Apocrypha, was translated by Myles Coverdale from the Latin Vulgate and German sources. It is also sometimes referred to as Cromwell’s Bible or Cranmer’s Bible (after Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury) because of Cranmer’s notation in the preface in the book.

Geneva Bible 

Under the reign of Queen Mary I, a group of Protestant scholars fled to Geneva to avoid persecution. Led by William Wittingham, the group consisted of such men as  Myles Coverdale, Christopher Goodman, Thomas Sampson, William Coby and Anthony Gilby, began another English translation that would become known as the Geneva Bible. Wittingham focused on the New Testament and Gilby on the Old Testament.

The tone of the translation was much more assertive and forceful. In the margins was an elaborate system of commentary and notes. There were study aids: Maps, illustrations, indexes of names and topics, tables and an introduction before each chapter. It was also more affordable and of convenient size.

One of the illustrations of Adam and Eve showed Adam with an Elizabethan mustache and goatee. When Adam and Eve discovered their nakedness, it reported they made “breeches” to cloth themselves. This of course was later corrected by changing the word to “aprons”. Despite these humorous anachronisms the book’s popularity soon swept away the Great Bible when it was finally allowed into England in 1579.

Bishop’s Bible

Citing excuses such as the notes and comments of the Geneva Bible, which they detested, the Bishops complained it was too Pro-Calvinistic. In addition, they objected because the Great Bible had been partially translated from the Vulgate rather than the original Hebrew and Greek, which rendered it “severely deficient”.

As a result, the High Church Bishops of the Church of England began a move to make and circulate their own version of the Bible. In 1568 the Church of England gave its authority for them to do so. The version became known as the Bishop’s Bible. After a great deal of kerfuffle, tinkering and jiggering, their finished product still resembled The Great Bible. Their arguments didn’t achieve their aims and the end product was equally unconvincing. 

The Bishop’s Bible failed to replace the Geneva Bible with all its aids, notes, comments, illustrations and chapter introductions. These were the very things that appealed to the many faithful who were becoming familiar with the Bible for the first time. The Bishop’s Bible was not reprinted and was replaced by the new King James Version in a few short years.

Douay-Rheims Bible 

In the face of mounting pressure from the Protestant reformation, an attempt was made by English exiles to a college in Douai, France, to fortify English Catholics in upholding their own faith. A translation of the Vulgate into English was published 1592. Called the Rheims-Douay Bible it underwent a correlation with the Bishop’s Bible. Then in 1610, because of the heavy Latin context, a New Version was made by Bishop Richard Challoner taking the King James Version as its base. Further Revision was done by Bernard McMahon between 1783- 1810 in Dublin. 

McMahon’s version is the source of the modern generation of translations such as: 
The Jerusalem Bible
New American Bible Revised Edition
Revised Standard Edition
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

The Douay-Rheims Bible is still the Bible of choice of most traditional, English-speaking Catholics today.

King James Bible 1611

When James the VI of Scotland, became James I of England, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth, he inherited a Kingdom that resembled a spent battlefield of religious wars between Protestants and Catholics. Competitors and dissidents, even their favored versions of scriptures, meant to be the source of guidance to peace and understanding, were contested or rejected, flaunted or slandered. There seemed to be no common ground. James instinctively recognized that if he was to rule at all he would have to first untie this Gordian Knot. The Puritans were threatening to form a new country, the Protestants were in favour of exterminating all Catholics, the Royalists decreed Kings were meant to rule by Biblical sanction and would not accept any concession of their position The Catholics smouldered with bitter hatred since their demise under Queen Elizabeth I and longed for their repatriation. The scriptures they favoured were symbolic icons of their differences, so when it was suggested at the first council of religious leaders in 1603 that a new Bible should be created which united them all, James seized upon the idea as the solution.

Brilliantly, King James commissioned 54 or so of the top religious scholars, drawn from the ranks of all the contesting groups, except the Catholics. They had been pushed from their favored position thanks to Queen Elizabeth’s rival to the throne,  Mary Queen of Scots, and because of the carnage “Bloody Mary” had inflicted on England in the name of the Catholic faith, they would not be granted an opportunity to repeat it again.

The selected scholars were divided into 6 groups and each was given a section of the Bible to focus on. Drawing on all the resources and previous translations now in their possession, the task took eight years before the restrictions in their mandate had been met. 
1/ No bothersome notes were in the margins.
2/ A clearly understood, common-use language was employed. 
3/ The text was accurate.
4/ It embodied the responsibilities inherent in the calling of mortal kings, making them answerable to God.
5/ It had appeal to all ranks of society from the highest to the lowest.
6/ It would stand as THE word of God unto Man. 

In all it was possessed of only one gross error, it was shot through with spelling and clerical mistakes. The most glaring of all caused it to be given the nickname of “The Wicked Bible” because a reference in Exodus 20; 14 omitted the word “not“  from the seventh commandment. It read as follows: “Thou shalt commit adultery.”

While it amused most readers, the printers were heavily fined. 

The King James Version did not become the most popular Bible overnight. Many continued to read the Geneva Bible because of it aids, maps and commentary. The Bishop’s Bible, while favoured by the Bishops, had far too many Latin words for the common man to understand, so it presented no competition at all. Yet by the late 1600’s the King James Version had just about replaced all other versions. Most of the translations used were from William Tyndale – he who was so tragically and cruelly put to death for his never-failing determination to make the Bible available to everyone. The King James Version has been edited and revised several times, including in 1769, 1881, 1901and 1952.

After these many years, it still remains the most published book in the English language and has become embedded in the English language. It has been termed “the greatest monument to English prose” and praised for its simplicity, its dignity, its power, its happy turns of expression, the music of its cadences and the felicities of its rhythms.”

It was complicit in the uniting of all English-speaking nations including the Americas. We owe its compilers and translators an immense debt of gratitude and appreciation. It must be a great sense of satisfaction for each of them to know that through their work, words and sacrifices God spoke to their fellow men — in their day and continuing still even today.

Chapter 11: The Dead Sea Scrolls

Part 2: From Apostates to Apostles

The Dead Sea Scrolls are the wave of records to come forth “out of the dust”. Discovered in 1947 by some Bedouin shepherds who were climbing the hills by the Dead Sea while tending their goats, it wasn’t too long before everyone was combing the hills around Qumran to cash in on the money archaeologists were willing to pay for even the smallest scrap of parchment. Along the journey from discovery to publication, many precious records were lost to underground dealers and treasure hunters before a committee was formed to protect and preserve the discoveries, and to legitimize the appraisal and translating process of the over 800 documents discovered – so far.

Even now, the world has yet to know the extent of what had been uncovered. An elite and secretive group of religious scholars managed to acquire authority over the translation and printing of any of the materials and has held them from the world. For forty years, they were successfully able to deny anyone accept themselves permission to have access to the scrolls or even photograph them. That monopoly was broken in 1991 when the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) took control of the project. Since then a tsunami of scrolls and texts have been released to an amazed and confused public. With the publication of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the knowledge regarding the conditions surrounding Christianity in its infancy during the first Century, has been greatly enhanced.

Included in the scrolls and texts are the following:
The Book of Isaiah
Community Rules
Habakkuk
War Scroll
Thanksgiving Hymn
Genesis
Testimony of Levi
Exodus
Leviticus
Deuteronomy
Judges
Samuel
Ezekiel
Psalms
Micah
Zephaniah
Jubilees
Words of Moses
The Three Tongues of Fire
New Jerusalem
Festival Prayers
Daniel
Job
Ruth
2 and 3 Apocrypha of Daniel
Apocrypha of Moses
Apocrypha Prophecies
Book of Giants
Enoch
Temple Scrolls
Copper Scrolls

(See them at: https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/featured-scrolls)

One of the most fascinating questions about the scrolls is the question, who exactly hid them? Uncovering who these people were, what they believed, and why they buried their records, provides a whole new frame of reference in which to understand and appreciate the scrolls themselves.

Known today as the Qumran community, the excavation of their city ruins was started shortly after the discovery of the scrolls. Slowly, there emerged evidence of a group of faithful Jews who can be best described as “Messianic elite.” They had separated themselves from the evil of their fellow men to purify themselves in preparation for the arrival of the Messiah. For some considerable time (some experts have placed their existence from 200 B.C. to 70 A.D.), they had inhabited desert camps where they were literally expecting to be joined by “Heavenly Hosts”. 

Theories abound regarding the origin of the inhabitants. For instance, they were Zealots because they could easily have been part of or the same group who eventually were besieged and met their end at Masada. Or Essenes, Sadducee or Jewish Christians. Regardless, they had established a very pious community just fifteen miles from Jerusalem, calling themselves “saints”. With strict rules of membership, their organization was founded by a leader whose name is never mentioned but who is referred to in the scrolls as the “Teacher of Righteousness”, the mouthpiece of God. He was evidence that the “last days” or the “end of times” of that epoch was upon them. All the prophecies of Habakkuk, Micah, Haggai and Zechariah were about to be fulfilled. After the death of the first Righteous Leader, every prophet after him was called by the same title. They practised baptism (total immersion), the use of the Urim and Thummin is mentioned, and names such as Bishop, The Twelve and Priesthood are referenced. 

The effect of the Dead Sea Scrolls upon the teachings of traditional Churches has so far been very minimal. Still, much information has been gleaned. Prior to their discovery, scholars used medieval texts as their references. Now the Dead Sea Scrolls provide writings penned 1000 years earlier. With this new resource, much has been learned about the transition period between the Old and New Testaments, along with the history of various Christian religious sects of the first century. We have learned about their ancient scribal practices, and their inclusion of notes in the texts. With the exception of the Book of Esther, every other Old Testament Book is represented in findings from the caves of Qumran. Other Apocryphal records have also been discovered including Tobit (or Tobias), Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus), Letter of Jeremiah, Baruch, Enoch and  The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, along with the Gospel of Thomas.

The people responsible for hiding and preserving the Dead Sea Scrolls have marked similarities with the people who recorded The Book of Mormon:

1/ Both left their communities and went into the dessert to avoid the evil and corruption of their societies.
2/ Both believed the judgment of God was about to fall on their peoples.
3/ Both strictly obeyed the Law of Moses.
4/ Both followed a righteous spiritual leader
5/ Both leaders had the Priesthood of God.
6/ Both required baptism by immersion for new followers.
7/ Both waited for the imminent coming of their Messiah.
8/ Both kept records of their experiences, which became scriptures.
9/ Both buried these records to come forth in the latter days.

Both groups show that God speaks to more “other sheep” than previously thought. These groups also recorded God’s words and regarded them as scriptures. A comparison of their records serve to show the drift by modern day traditional churches in their understanding of God from how it was understood during that earlier time.

The Law of Moses required two witnesses to bear testimony for a statement to be considered as authentic. The Book of Mormon (the record of the house of Joseph) and the Bible (the record of the house of Judah) in fact fulfill not only that requirement but also the prophecy of Ezekiel. Ezekiel 37: 16, 19  explains as the two sticks (scrolls or records) witnessing the truth of the Gospel come together in the hands of the people they shall reunite and rebuild their two kingdoms into one mighty nation.

Ezekiel 37: 15- 22
The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions;
And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?
Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand.
And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes.
And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and cone king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all:

SUMMARY

Since the end of persecutions of the first century to the middle of the 16th century, the scriptures remained a sealed book. Written in a language spoken by a select few and access to its pages controlled, it remained locked to the very people it had been written to serve. 

Only after many brave and inspired men gave their lives and their liberty, did the holders of the records begin to grudgingly give up their priceless treasures. The translators, the reformers and the teachers all paid a high price for the scripture’s redemption before the words of those books could fill the world with their glorious messages of faith, hope and salvation. 

Today the Bible is printed in more than 200 languages and is distributed to every nation in the Free World to prepare God’s people for the time when the Savior shall return to claim them. Then every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ. 

Today many Christian churches have turned off their lights and closed their doors while millions of their members have gone home with hearts that have waxed cold. Nonetheless, the light and truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored and is going forth like described Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which Daniel interrupted as follows:

Daniel 2: 44 – 45
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

Today, we bear our witness that the Book of Mormon is a “record of the people of Nephi and also the Lamanites. Written to the Lamanites who are a remnant of the house of Israel: and also to the Jew and Gentile”, containing the message to the house of Joseph and the house of Judah. Its express purpose is to bring them and their fellows, the House of Israel, together to their promised Messiah, even Jesus Christ. 

We witness to the world that these prophecies are being fulfilled and will continue to unfold until the Savior himself appears and ushers in his millennial reign. 

Chapter 12: Bringing forth the Ancient Record Called the Book of Mormon

Part 2: From Apostates to Apostles 

New Testament: John 10: 16
“And other sheep I have which are not of this fold: them also I must bring , and they shall hear my voice : and there shall be one fold and one shepherd”

Book of Mormon: 3 Nephi 15: 11-17, 19-24
“And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he said unto those twelve whom he had chosen: Ye are my disciples; and ye are a blight unto this people, who are a remnant of the house of Joseph.
And behold, this is the land of your inheritance; and the Father hath given it unto you.
And not at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell it unto your brethren at Jerusalem.
Neither at any time hath the Father given me commandment that I should tell unto them concerning the other tribes of the house of Israel, whom the Father hath led away out of the land.
This much did the Father command me, that I should tell unto them:
That other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
But, verily, I say unto you that the Father hath commanded me, and I tell it unto you, that ye were separated from among them because of their iniquity; therefore it is because of their iniquity that they know not of you.
And verily, I say unto you again that the other tribes hath the Father separated from them; and it is because of their iniquity that they know not of them.
And verily I say unto you, that ye are they of whom I said: Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
And they understood me not, for they supposed it had been the Gentiles; for they understood not that the Gentiles should be converted through their preaching.
And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost.
But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me; and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among those whom the Father hath given me.”

Two of the most astounding discoveries that have occurred in recent time has been the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Both these records were different from all other discoveries in the sense they had been deliberately buried by a group of people who were witnessing the destruction of their civilizations and were determine to preserve their records so that they would come forth in the future and be a guide and direction for those living in the last days. 

Both accounts laid hidden for centuries to come forth untouched, in their purity. Consequently, they were protected from the tampering and tinkering of scribes and religious scholars who might have bend or distort the writings to comply with ever-changing philosophies. 

One may wonder why these ancient writings remained hidden for so long. The loss of the true gospel of Christ had been the cause of religious intolerance, persecution and bloodshed. The world needed a reformation for centuries. Instead, history reveals the records remained in the hands of a few who used them as an instrument of power and control. With so little direct access to scriptures, for all intents and purposes, they remained a sealed book written in languages only the rich and educated could read.

The world had to wait until a time when favourable conditions would allow the records to emerge without the threat of them – and those who believed their words — being destroyed.

The first of these favourable conditions was the weakening of the controlling power of the Catholic Church. Martin Luther was able to survive where other reformers had been executed for challenging the authority of Rome. This opened the door for others to follow.

The second was Political freedom. In all cases in the European theatre, Monarchs and Kings determined which Church was the authorized representative of God, which Bible was to be used and in which language it would be read. Each made its own creed and any persons who failed to show obedience to these decrees would suffer severe penalties. And it was there, in the wild frontier of 19th century New England, that old and new intermingled. Settlers from the old country brought their traditional and reformed faiths. Many were based upon the doctrines established by Augustine. Confessions, obedience to the Pope and priest, the Holy Trinity, everlasting punishment, salvation for some, damnation for others. Those that died could expect to dwell in Heaven or Hell, saved through grace alone, or condemned to the burning of everlasting fires.

It was not until America was discovered and settled, and a New Constitution written that the opportunity to set up the restored gospel became a reality. Only in such a time could new ideologies be brought forth with a hope of surviving. Here, at last, was the freedom to choose for one’s self and not suffer death for religious expression.

The young American Nation was the most favourable place in the world at that time for the lost Gospel of Christ to be restored. Yet even with that freedom, the price was high, and tolerance low, for bringing about the restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ, as Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum discovered. They paid with their lives, while those who followed suffered banishment.

The Book of Mormon covers about 1000-year period (from 600 BC to 400 AD) of the history of a specific civilization in ancient America. At that point their civilization was wiped out.

Joseph Smith, a farm boy in upper State New York, was directed by God to go a hill not far from his parent’s property, where records of that ancient civilization had been deposited by its last surviving prophet.

Engraved on plates (flattened gold sheets), the record was comprised of 15 main divisions or books. Joseph Smith translated the writings despite having little formal education and absolutely no experience in any language other than the American Frontier English.

Joseph attributes the astonishing achievement of translating the gold plates to assistance he received from God, which included the use of “seerer stones” also called the Urim and Thummin. (In Hebrew the term means “light and perfection”.) An instrument prepared of God to assist man in obtaining revelation from the Lord, references to their existence anciently can be found in Exodus 28: 30, Leviticus 8:8, Numbers 27: 21, Deuteronomy 33: 8, 1Samuel 28: 6, Ezra 2: 63 and Nehemiah 7: 65. 

Joseph Smith was not a scholar or philosopher. In the process of translating the record, restoring the Priesthood and organizing Christ’s Church, Joseph had many questions. He wrote down the answers he received, and they were eventually published in a book called the Doctrine and Covenants. Along with instructions regarding the restoration of Christ’s Church and Priesthood, Joseph was also given information about the application of principles, rules and the commandments.

Of interest to us all is the differences of doctrinal understanding between traditional Christian Churches and that of Joseph’s translation of the ancient record and his modern revelation – which have subsequently been carried on through the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints. The following list outlines many of those differences. Although it is quite extensive, it is by no means complete.

1/ The necessity of a living prophets and continuous revelation from God.
2/ The concept of a plan of salvation whereby mankind may qualify for salvation.
3/ The concept of personal progression which began before this earth life.
4/ The knowledge that man is co- eternal with God: Man did not come into existence at the time of his earthly biological birthday.
5/ The knowledge that we are literal children of a Heavenly Father and Mother.
6/ The knowledge that there are necessary ordinances for salvation instituted by God — but they of themselves will
not save us. Instead these ordinances are part of process that will, through the testing of our obedience, bring us closer to Christ and help us become more like his character.
7/ All of God’s commandments, laws and ordinances are for the eternal growth of mankind and not for the punishment or the penalizing of his children.
8/ God is a loving and patient parent whose “work and glory is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of mankind.”
9/ The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are three distinct personages. The Father and the Son have bodies of flesh, as we have, but the Holy Ghost is a being of spirit matter.
10/ Men will be punished for their own sins and not the sins of Adam and Eve. (See: Article of Faith 2)
11/ God speaks through prophets and reveals his will through them for the salvation of his children. As in days past, he speaks to his chosen prophets today and will always do so unless we become disobedient and reject his prophets. In which case, God will withdraw his spirit, and miracles will cease. 
12/ When God speaks to his prophets, they are commanded to record what he says. These records are called scriptures. All such scriptures are for our edification and are considered binding. We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal and that he will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. (See: Article of Faith 9)
13/ Part of the great work for the salvation of mankind is the work done in the God’s temples. There, all ordinances necessary for the salvation of man can be done, for one’s self as well as for those who have died before hearing the gospel. Work is done by proxy for those who for one reason or another were unable to do this important work for themselves.

The mandate given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its followers is to go throughout the world and bring the message of the restoration of these truths to all persons of all nations. (See Matthew 28: 19-20) As a result, the Church’s population has grown from a handful in 1830 to over 16 million in 2016. This is still a small percentage of the world’s population. Obviously so much has yet to be done before we see the time when “every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ.”

Over 80,000 missionaries are voluntarily fulfilling this mandate throughout the world today as witnesses and examples to the truthfulness of this divine message. They invite all to come unto Christ.

Doug Garrett