2 Nephi 1

[volgadon]

I'm not sure if people recognize what a significant observation this is, but this is huge! For many years critics have mocked the Book of Mormon for its admittedly late historical understanding of Satan.

I agree with you. My personal conviction is that the Jewish concept of the Devil couldn't withstand attacks by the combined forces of rational philosophy and mysticism. The philosophers replaced it with yetzer hara- the evil urge (that is carnal desires), resulting in something akin to expunging the BoM of references to the Devil, replacing them with the natural man. Kabbalah took a similar view, but couched it in mystic language.

Folk Judaism, both that of the eastern Jews and the Hasidim in eastern Europe still held onto a world of demons, but devoid of one demon above all others.

Whereas if one takes Heylel, Rahab and the satan of Job and Zacharaiah, it is obvious that the LDS concept is not a Christian one(by Christian I mean the early and medieval churches in Europe) but is significantly older.

I also find the mention of bars in Jonah rather significant. The deep is a place of imprisonment which can be escaped by the power of God, that is, by his fighting on your behalf, as the author of Lamentations states.

[volgadon]

You know what else is significant to the BoM understanding of Satan and of the mighty building and the whore of the earth? The etymology of Rahab.

[David Bokovoy]

You know what else is significant to the BoM understanding of Satan and of the mighty building and the whore of the earth? The etymology of Rahab.

As in the Akkadian word ra'a''bu "to be angry, tremble "?

[volgadon]

As in the Akkadian word ra'a''bu "to be angry, tremble "?

I was thinking more along the lines of mighty and boastful, but I could be wrong. In fact if I am I'd love to be corrected. Don't like faulty etymologies.

[oMtonic]

Thank you so much David, volgadon, and consig! What an awesome thread with such great insights! This is the type of stuff that I come to this board for.

Keep up the good work.

[J Green]

Note how Lehi juxtaposes his plea to hear the words of a trembling parent (v. 14) to the cup of trembling (Isa 51:17, 22).

His extensive ties to land covenant (land healing), judgment, spiritual ascendancy (kingship), references to Isa 51 and a fallen angel (azazel), seem to point to a pre-exilic version of the Day of Atonement. Same context as Jacob's sermon in 2 Nephi 9 that also mentions the monster death and hell and the fallen angel, referencing Isa 51 right before the sermon.

Good stuff, as always.

[Olavarria]

If anyone hasn't done so already, I suggest the but DB's book: Testaments Links Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible".

But it now

[ssbn623]

I'm late to this party but I have two comments:

First, I once looked at the number of times that people were asked to awake in the bible and was surprised to discover that people are trying to wake up God about as often as He is trying to wake them up.

Second, and I recognize the magnitude of this speculation, but I've wondered what angel would receive the high honor of strengthening Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I took a page from the Christian Kabbalist Pico Della Mirandola and concluded that the angel was female. As I recall, Pico had this visitor as His consort. I personally like this idea even though the support for it is almost non-existent. Now the notion of a female possibly being involved in His resurrection adds an intriguing new idea.

Men, treat your wives well, you may need them more than you think.

[David Bokovoy]

If anyone hasn't done so already, I suggest the but DB's book: Testaments Links Between the Book of Mormon and the Hebrew Bible".

But it now

That book was published about seven years ago and I got my first check last week for $7.49! I've learned my lesson, though. My next one is going to be a piece of fiction involving ancient Semitic incantations, vampires, and shirtless werewolves! Anybody have any contacts at DB?

[Olavarria]

That book was published about seven years ago and I got my first check last week for $7.49! I've learned my lesson, though. My next one is going to be a piece of fiction involving ancient Semitic incantations, vampires, and shirtless werewolves! Anybody have any contacts at DB?

Haha, seriously. I think you should make an updated version, a sequel of sorts. Just MHO.

[consiglieri]

That book was published about seven years ago and I got my first check last week for $7.49!

Word is Tvedtnes bought a Gulf Stream.

Is that the lesson you learned?

[volgadon]

That book was published about seven years ago and I got my first check last week for $7.49! I've learned my lesson, though. My next one is going to be a piece of fiction involving ancient Semitic incantations, vampires, and shirtless werewolves! Anybody have any contacts at DB?

Make sure that Baal and Anat become reincarnated in high school seniors.

[volgadon]

I'm writing up a blog post on Yom Kippur, Jonah, and the piyut I mentioned earlier- Man, why dost thou Sleep. I'm keeping LDS references out of it, as I want to present the Jewish perspective, but anyone is welcome to link it with 2N 1 in the comments.

[volgadon]

Whew, I typed up the promised blog post. This isn't to take away from David's excellent observations of course.

http://calba-savua.blogspot.com/2009/12/man-why-dost-thou-sleep.html

[Olavarria]

Whew, I typed up the promised blog post. This isn't to take away from David's excellent observations of course.

http://calba-savua.blogspot.com/2009/12/man-why-dost-thou-sleep.html

I love your blog Volgo. It's so cool to have the perspective of someone who actually speaks a form of Hebrew in his daily life

[Kevin Christensen]

Actually, that's a really great observation and it answers a long held question regarding the reference to "Lucifer" in 2 Nephi 24:12. Note the passage from Isaiah 51 that directly influenced Lehi's sermon:

"Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon"?

So Lehi's sermon draws upon a passage which refers to God cuting and wounding Rahab, the primordial dragon of the sea. Similar imagery appears in the apocalypse of Isaiah which refers to God's eventual victory over the forces of evil and chaos in the eschaton:

"In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea" (Isaiah 27:1).

Significantly, Lehi specifically states that he had learned of a devil entity via the things he had read:

"And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God, according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was evil before God. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies..." (2 Nephi 2:17-18).

The notion of a demonic force that attempts to usurp the throne of God yet is cast to the earth appears in the form of "Lucifer" in Isaiah 14:12-15:

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

Hence, if we combine Isaiah 14 with the very chapter Lehi cites in his sermon concerning Rahab, the sea dragon cut and wounded by God, i.e. "Isaiah 51:9," it seems quite clear how Lehi could have deduced that an enemy "serpent" tried to usurp the throne of God yet was cast out of heaven via the specific passages in Isaiah a careful study of Lehi's sermons reveal that he had in fact "read."

I'm not sure if people recognize what a significant observation this is, but this is huge! For many years critics have mocked the Book of Mormon for its admittedly late historical understanding of Satan.

Very interesting. I also think that the Book of Mormon contains elements of the Enoch tradition, such as Jacob's "woes", the use of allusions to the Fallen Angel stories to guide interpretation of the story of Amulon's corrupt priests, tree of life and fountain of life themes, ascent visions, Day of Atonement, Jack Welch's recent observation noting the connections between various natural phenomena and Angel names in Enoch, and phenomena in 3 Nephi matching up with closely with the angel lists in Enoch, Nibley's citation of the woe unto the rich passage, etc. Of course, that calls for the Enoch material (not necessarily the edition) to be older than the oldest copies. Margaret points out that the no one dates Isaiah based on the appearance of the oldest texts, which happen to be contemporary with the oldest Enoch and nearly the same number of texts (20 and 21). Also that the sins that Isaiah denounces are the sins of the fallen angels, and not the breaking of the 10 commandments. And in her Tree of Life Symposium paper, she cites a study pointing out that the physical description of the Jerusalem area in Enoch appears to predate the building of Hezekiah's tunnel, which diverted an stream that flows in the undiverted manner in 1 Enoch.

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

[LifeOnaPlate]

That's awesome! You and I are thinking along the same lines! I almost included this in the initial post, but decided at the last minute to edit it out. And I'm glad I did! The fact that you linked the two texts on your own is so much cooler.

In my mind, Lehi