Matti Friedman of the Associated Press published news about a recent excavation in the City of David in Jerusalem, near the Gihon Spring. The excavation revealed an interesting set of markings carved into the stone floor of a room, and expert archeologists cannot determine what their meaning or use was. The markings consist of three “V” marks, or perhaps gammadia “Γ,” although one is inverted from the other two, plus a straight line mark. They date to about 800 B.C.

None of the experts are even guessing at what these marks were use for, or why they’re there; “no one… has any idea.” The report does venture some speculation, however,

“They might have had a ritual function or one that was entirely mundane… The purpose of the complex is part of the riddle. The straight lines of its walls and level floors are evidence of careful engineering, and it was located close to the most important site in the city, the spring, suggesting it might have had an important function. A unique find in a room beside the one with the markings -- a stone like a modern grave marker, which was left upright when the room was filled in -- might offer a clue. Such stones were used in the ancient Middle East as a focal point for ritual or a memorial for dead ancestors, the archaeologists say… But the ritual stone does not necessarily mean the whole complex was a temple. It might simply have marked a corner devoted to religious practice in a building whose purpose was commonplace.”

It’ll be interesting to see what they discover further about these strange markings. They remind me of some similar stone markings I saw a few years ago that date from a completely different time and place, found on the exterior wall of a very old church in Toledo, Spain. I took a picture, below.

Ancient markings excavated in Jerusalem stump experts

Matthew B. Brown (1964-2011)

It is with sadness that I learned shortly ago that Matthew B. Brown has passed away.  He was dealing with complications after a heart failure incident which occurred on September 23rd while he was in the BYU library.  He was about 47 years old.  He will be sorely missed.

Matt Brown was a well-known scholar, historian, lecturer, and author of LDS temple and gospel studies, and a great influence and inspiration to me, and I’m sure many others.  One of his first books, The Gate of Heaven, was one of my first readings that inspired me to learn and study more about the temple, and helped me gain a strong love and testimony of the temple and the restored gospel.

His works include ten major books, many papers and articles in scholarly publications, lectures in a variety of venues, producer of a DVD documentary, and founded an annual gospel-centered symposium, EXPOUND.  He wrote two guests posts for this blog, for which I was very grateful - The Lord Speaks Again: Ancient Temple Patterns In D&C 124, and Sanctuary Vesture: A Brief Overview And Comparison.  He will be a great asset to the Lord’s work on the other side of the veil.

Memorial services will be held in roughly two weeks to allow his mother, who is in poor health, to attend.  His burial is this Saturday.  He is survived by his wife Jaimie.

Matt and his wife, Jaimie, didn’t have insurance, and she is now left with large medical bills and burial costs to pay.  An account has been set up for donations (100%) to Jaimie on the FAIR website at this link:  http://bookstore.fairlds.org/product.php?id_product=1261

Please share your thoughts and memories about Matt Brown in the comments.

Matthew B. Brown passed away

[The Bible] is purely a creation of man to placate the ego’s fear of death and nothing more. All religion was invented to buffer the ego against the fear of death.

That’s certainly one way to think of death.  Another way to think of it is that religion gives meaning to life and death.  Hugh Nibley often quoted a poem by A.E. Housman about man’s preoccupation with death:

. . . men at whiles are sober
And think by fits and starts,
And if they think, they fasten
Their hands upon their hearts.¹

The prominent literary scholar Harold Bloom once said,

What is the essence of religion? ... Religion rises inevitably from our apprehension of our own death. To give meaning to meaninglessness is the endless quest of all religion.²

I recently came upon two vastly different modes of thinking about death.  The juxtaposition of these two starkly different views is very interesting.  

Raymond Kurzweil

Raymond Kurzweil

Ray Kurzweil is an American author, inventor, entrepreneur, scientist, and well-known futurist.  He’s been instrumental in the fields of OCR, text-to-speech synthesis, the flatbed scanner, speech recognition, and electronic musical keyboards.

He’s also on a quest to abolish death.  He takes 150 pills every day, consisting of supplements, vitamins, and other agents to hopefully slow down his body’s aging processes.  He explained why on a recent NOVA program “Can We Slow Aging?”

In my view, death is a great robber of all the things that give meaning to life.  It destroys knowledge, and wisdom, and relationships. And there is actually a lot of things you can do to slow down these aging and disease processes…  The goal right now is to live long enough to get to a future point where we will have technologies that will extend our longevity even further.

Ultimately, Ray hopes that a future day will come when our advances in science, medicine and technology will become so sophisticated that we will be able to completely do away with death and essentially become immortal, choosing if or when we die³.

As with many secular scientists, he is extremely fearful of death.  In his view, the only way of overcoming it is by preventing it, with science.  Not only that, but in a future day he believes we may be able to bring people back from the dead through science and technology (either Jurassic Park-like and/or intelligence), as Raymond hopes to do with his late father⁴.  His latest book is entitled Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever.

Monk from Mt. Athos, Greece

Monks of Mt. Athos

Contrast that view with that of the Orthodox monks of Mt. Athos in Greece.  Recently 60 Minutes did a special program (Part 1, Part 2) about these ultra-secluded monks; they visited them and interviewed them about their way of life.  One of the topics discussed with them was their view of death.

60 Minutes: Total union with Christ is only possible when they leave this world.

Monk: “The first thing a monk does is embrace and love death…”

60 Minutes: “Embrace and love death?”

Monk: “…because death is the ticket to the other life.  Without a ticket, you can’t travel.”

60 Minutes: “Where do you get the ticket?”

Monk: “In this life.  That’s what we do each day.  We prepare for death.  And we’re joyful about our journey to heaven.”

These monks are not fearful of death; it’s quite the opposite.  They embrace it, long for it, look forward to it, love it, and prepare every day for the time when they will take their journey to heaven to be with Christ again.  There is no need to overcome death because death, to them, is the passageway to Christ.  Death is not an end, but another glorious beginning.

Latter-day Saints

In Harold Bloom’s quote about men’s apprehension of death cited at the beginning, he also said,

Of all religions that I know, the one that most vehemently and persuasively defies and denies the reality of death is the original Mormonism of the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Joseph Smith.⁵

Wow.  What was Bloom talking about?  Of all the religions he encountered, which were probably quite a few, the one that most defied and denied death was the religion of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This is quite a statement.  But why?  Why does Mormonism have such a strong position against death?

I think there are several reasons why, which form a framework of belief that makes death a necessary step in our progression, but otherwise is inconsequential:

• We believe in a physical, corporeal, resurrection from the dead. We believe that since Christ died and was resurrected, that ALL death was ultimately vanquished in Him (he reversed the effects of the Fall on our mortal bodies), and that ALL will rise from the dead some day. (Alma 40:23, Alma 22:14, Mosiah 16:7-8, Mormon 7:5, 1 Cor. 15:55)
• Sealing of eternal families. We believe that our relationships do not have to end at death.  We can be with our husband or wife, parents, brothers and sisters, children, grandparents, grandchildren, etc. for all of eternity.  We spend much of our most important time during our mortal lives tending to these precious relationships, and it makes perfect sense that a loving God would make a way for us to continue those relationships beyond the grave.
• Eternal life & exaltation. We believe this earth-life experience is a step in a much grander plan, and is a stepping stone for greater things to come.  Life goes on.  We believe that through the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can become heirs of God, and co-heirs with Christ, and become like them (Romans 8:17, Gal. 4:7).  For those who follow God’s commandments, we may continue in our social and family relationships for all of eternity, and participate with God in the plan of salvation.

Besides the universal resurrection, these blessings are promised by God through the covenants and ordinances available in temples of God throughout the earth.

What are your thoughts on these vastly different views of death?  Why does the LDS faith have such a unique position on death?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Radically different views of Death

1. Qtd. in Nibley, "Prophets and Glad Tidings," The World and the Prophets, 259-67,http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/bookschapter.php?bookid=54&chapid=515
2. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/what-is-this-thing-that-men-call-death
3. See also the recent documentary film about Raymond Kurzweil titled Transcendent Man.
4. Ibid.
5. http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/commentary/what-is-this-thing-that-men-call-death

Moses Seeing Jehovah, by Joseph Brickey

(Continued from Part 1)

In the last part of this post we explored what it means to see the face of God in the temple.  Seeing the face of God is promised to us in the scriptures, and as we showed, it was one of the foremost purposes of the prophet Joseph Smith in building up temples.  Such a witness was key to what was called the endowment.  As Joseph described the endowment,

All who are prepared, and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Savior, will see him in the solemn assembly.¹

In the first part we discussed one interpretation of seeing the Lord – in a physical sense.  Many early members of the Church literally saw the Lord, Jesus Christ, and even God the Father, within the walls of the temple on several occasions, and have seen Him since in the temples of the Lord.

What else might “seeing God” mean? 

Spiritually

Another related sense that one might see the face of God in the temple is in a spiritual sense, in a vision or dream, in the mind’s eye, and through revelation. Surely, even those experiences which have been described as physical were also supremely spiritual in nature.  A person does not just see God with his corporeal eyes; he sees Him with his whole soul, body and spirit.

This is the reason we talk of transfiguration.  The Encyclopedia of Mormonism defines transfiguration:

Transfiguration for mortals consists of a temporary physical and spiritual change, allowing them not only to behold the glory of God but to enter his presence. It is characterized by illumination of countenance such as Moses experienced (Moses 1:11; Ex. 34:29-35) and comes about by an infusion of God’s power (MD, p. 725). Because God is a being of transcendent glory, it is impossible for men and women to enter his presence without their physical bodies being spiritually “quickened.” The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that God “dwells in eternal fire; flesh and blood cannot go there, for all corruption is devoured by the fire. “Our God is a consuming fire”‘ (TPJS, p. 367; cf. Heb. 12:29; Deut. 4:24). Transfiguration bestows on individuals a temporary condition compatible to that of deity and allows them to see God face-to-face.

To see God, an individual receives a portion of God’s glory, or is “quickened” by the Spirit (D&C 67:11).  As Elder McConkie described it, “Transfiguration is a special change in appearance and nature which is wrought upon a person. This divine transformation is from a lower to a higher state; it results in a more exalted, impressive, and glorious condition"².

We have several records of transfiguration in the scriptures.  Most notably, Moses describes his experience:

But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.  (Moses 1:11)

Note that Moses said he saw God with his “own eyes” but that his eyes were changed to be made of a more spiritual and glorious nature.  He received of the glory of God so that he could behold the face of God (Moses 1:2).  The effects of the transfiguration were prominent:

And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. (Exodus 34:29)

The glory of God had not completely departed from Moses from the transfiguration, such that his face still shined as he came down from the mount (an analog of the temple).

Paul describes being transfigured in words that he could not tell whether it was a physical or spiritual transformation, words echoed by other prophets who have experienced it:

I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. (2 Corinthians 12:2)

Joseph Smith likewise described seeing God and his kingdom in the vision that took place in the Kirtland temple:

The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell... Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. (D&C 137:1, 3)

Christ too was transfigured, which is where the Mount of Transfiguration gets its name.

And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. (Matthew 17:1-2)

Interestingly, Christ described this very literal physical experience to his disciples that witnessed it with their eyes as “a vision” (Matt. 17:9), and latter-day revelation says that the apostles Peter, James, and John also experienced transfiguration during the event³.

The Three Nephites from the Book of Mormon also experienced transfiguration:

And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed. And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things. And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard; And whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God. (3 Nephi 28:12-15)

Seeing God, therefore, is an experience that involves the whole soul, and it cannot be strictly determined whether it is a physical or spiritual experience.  Early Church member John Murdock explained his vision of God:

During the winter of 1833 we had a number of prayer meetings in the Prophet's chamber.  In one of those meetings the Prophet told us, if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord.  And about midday, the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely.⁴

In a likewise manner, in the temple we may be caught up in the Spirit and receive such a manifestation of God such that we don’t know exactly how we experienced it, whether in our mind, body, dream, vision, etc.  It is not something that we see strictly with our eyes, but it a much more encompassing and sublime encounter.

(To be continued…)

Seeing the Face of God in the Temple – Part 2

1. DHC VII p. 308-310
2. Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p. 803
3. Ibid.
4. An abridged Record of  the Life of John Murdock, p. 23, Church Archives

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

I had a reader ask me:

I have tried to find a statement or quote about the parable of the 10 virgins that says the parable is about endowed members of the church.  [Some General Authorities] say it has to do with members, not necessarily endowed.  On the web there are a few folks who say this is about endowed members, but don't back it up with a reference.  Any thoughts?

This was my response.  

I once wrote about the connection between this parable and the temple.  It was a commentary on an article by Elder Robbins in the June 2007 Ensign entitled “Oil in our Lamps.”

Elder Robbins, as well as other General Authorities such as Elder McConkie, have said the ten virgins represent all members of the church.  Elder Robbins makes a comparison that those without oil are like those who do not have a temple recommend, and are therefore not permitted into the bridegroom’s home (the temple).  Those with oil are those members with temple recommends, and can and do enter the bridegroom’s home (the temple).

So, if you take what Elder Robbins says as a starting point, it is possible that all ten virgins are endowed members, but those foolish five either do not have a temple recommend or do not attend the temple.  What is clear is that it matters not if one is endowed, if they do not keep a current temple recommend, are temple worthy, and attend the temple, they will not be ready when the bridegroom comes and will not enter in with him.  They are no better off than not having been endowed.  Only those who keep oil in their lamps, worthily keep a current temple recommend and attend, will be ready.

In the Church, I think many believe that once we are endowed in the temple all is said and done, we’ve reached the goal, and gained a certain irrevocable exalted status.  But the power that comes from the temple comes in keeping a current temple recommend, staying temple worthy, and attending the temple.  Being endowed once doesn’t bring that power.  We need to keep our passport current.  Once expired, it does us no good.  The five foolish virgins without oil had oil in their lamps at one point (it was “going out” as the Greek says), but once it was gone, having had it before didn’t help them when the bridegroom arrived.

Let us have oil in our lamps when the Savior comes again.

Does the Parable of the Ten Virgins Represent Endowed Members Only?

The Israelite high priest sees God face-to-face upon the Ark of the Covenant

The Doctrine and Covenants section 93 verse 1 reads:

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am; (D&C 93:1)

This superlative promise was one of the foundations of Joseph Smith’s restoration, and whose revelations repeated throughout his calling as God’s prophet:  

Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88:68)

Furthermore, the promise is extended particularly to those who come into the temple:

And inasmuch as my people build a house unto me in the name of the Lord, and do not suffer any unclean thing to come into it, that it be not defiled, my glory shall rest upon it;

Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God. (D&C 97:15-16)

LDS scholar Richard L. Bushman, in his extraordinary biography of the prophet, noted that a personal theophany was one of Joseph’s most important goals for the Saints.  Indeed, the “endowment,” as the early Saints understood it, involved seeing God:

In the temple, the long awaited endowment of power was to take place.  Joseph hoped his Saints would face God as Moses’ people never could.¹

Oliver Cowdery told the Twelve, when they were ordained in February 1835, that they were “not to go to other nations till you receive your endowments.”  Because they had not known Jesus in mortality, these modern apostles had to know Him by revelation. “Never cease striving until you have seen God face to face,” Cowdery told them.²

Joseph once taught this as key to the endowment:

I feel disposed to speak a few words more to you, my brethren, concerning the endowment: All who are prepared, and are sufficiently pure to abide the presence of the Savior, will see him in the solemn assembly.³

Methodist biblical scholar Margaret Barker has recently shown that seeing God face-to-face was one of the original purposes of the temple in ancient Israel during the First Temple period (Solomon’s Temple) and before⁴.  The heavenly ascent to the throne through the temple was rewarded by a face-to-face meeting with God, a fact that was later suppressed and edited from the Bible by a group known as the Deuteronomists.  Indeed, the Bible is correct “as far as it is translated correctly”⁵.

But what does it mean to see God face-to-face, or to see the face of God, or to even “be in God’s presence” when we go to the temple?  Should we expect to see God physically with our eyes when we attend the temple?  While this may be one of the meanings of the phrase, I believe there are several ways we may interpret this, and which may help to give us a fuller understanding of our temple experience.

Here is a short list of possible interpretations of seeing the face of God:

• Literally seeing God’s face, even our face before His face (face-to-face), with our physical eyes and senses
• Spiritually seeing God, through revelation and with our spiritual eyes
• Coming to a greater knowledge of God and his divine nature, being, and plan
• Seeing ourself, as heirs of God, becoming like Him
• Seeing our brothers and sisters, also as heirs of God, becoming like Him

I will attempt to go into more detail about each of these, and there is some overlap.  This will be a series of posts, this first article focusing on the first point of literally seeing God, the Father and/or His Son, Jesus Christ.

Literally Seeing

This is perhaps our first and foremost interpretation of what it means to see God face-to-face, or to be in His presence.  One of the inaugural events of the restoration of the Gospel in these latter days was the vision of God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ, to the boy Joseph Smith.  He testified:

When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other--This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! (Joseph Smith–History 1:17)

Later Joseph said,

I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; (Joseph Smith–History 1:25)

It could be said that Joseph’s purpose ever after this event was to help others, the Saints, have the same revelation.  It was to bring them back into God’s presence, and to see Him.  This was what the temple was to provide, and it did and has so provided.

John Murdock recorded his experience at a prayer meeting with Joseph:

During the winter of 1833 we had a number of prayer meetings in the Prophet’s chamber.  In one of those meetings the Prophet told us, if we could humble ourselves before God, and exercise strong faith, we should see the face of the Lord.  And about midday, the visions of my mind were opened, and the eyes of my understanding were enlightened, and I saw the form of a man, most lovely.  The visage of his face was sound and fair as the sun.  His hair a bright silver grey, curled in most majestic form, His eyes a keen penetrating blue, and the skin of his neck a most beautiful white.  And He was covered from neck to the feet with a loose garment, pure white, whiter than any garment I have ever before seen.  His countenance was most penetrating, and yet most lovely.. And while I was endeavoring to comprehend the whole personage from head to feet, it slipped from me.  But it left on my mind the impression of love, for months, that I never felt before to that degree.⁶

In January of 1836, a few months before the dedication of the Kirtland temple, Joseph recorded a vision while in the temple:

The heavens were opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial kingdom of God, and the glory thereof, whether in the body or out I cannot tell… Also the blazing throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son. (D&C 137:1, 3)

Several other early members of the Church  recorded that they saw Christ in the temple on that occasion:

The Bishop of Missouri, Edward Partridge, wrote that “a number saw visions & others were blessed with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost.  The vision of heaven was opened to these also, some of them saw the face of the Saviour, and others were ministered unto by holy angels.”⁷

On another occasion, Zebedee Coltrin, one of the presidents of the seventy, related this experience as recorded by Wilford Woodruff:

Zebedee Coltrin related a vision in the temple in Kirtland after the School of the Prophets was organized. He said while sitting in council, a personage passed through the room dressed in usual clothing. Joseph said that was the Savior. Soon another personage passed through the house clothed in fire His features and feet were visible, but his body was wrapped in flames. Joseph said that was God the Father…⁸

At the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, Edward Partridge recorded testimonies:

On the first day of the dedication, President Frederick G. Williams, one of the Counselors to the Prophet, and who occupied the upper pulpit, bore testimony that the Savior, dressed in his vesture without seam, came into the stand and accepted of the dedication of the house, and that he saw him, and gave a description of his clothing and all things pertaining to it.⁹

Shortly after the dedication of the temple, the Saints received their endowment.  Joseph wrote,

The Saviour made his appearance to some, while angels ministered unto others, and it was a penticost and enduement indeed, long to be remembered for the sound shall go forth from this place into all the world, and the occurrences of this day shall be hande[d] down upon the pages of sacred history to all generations, as the day of Pentecost.¹⁰

A few days later, Joseph and Oliver Cowdery received another vision in the temple:

The veil was taken from our minds, and the eyes of our understanding were opened.

We saw the Lord standing upon the breastwork of the pulpit, before us; and under his feet was a paved work of pure gold, in color like amber.

His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father. (D&C 110:1-4)

In the same vision the Lord promised his Saints:

For behold, I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house.

Yea, I will appear unto my servants, and speak unto them with mine own voice, if my people will keep my commandments, and do not pollute this holy house. (D&C 110:7-8)

Many years later, on the day of the death of President Wilford Woodruff in 1898, Lorenzo Snow was in the Salt Lake Temple, seeking guidance from the Lord.  This account comes from the Improvement Era:

Passing through the Celestial room and out into the large corridor a glorious manifestation was given President Snow which I relate in the words of his grand-daughter, Allie Young Pond, now the wife of Elder Noah S. Pond, recently president of the Northern States Mission:

"One evening while I was visiting grandpa Snow in his room in the Salt Lake Temple, I remained until the door keepers had gone and the night-watchmen had not yet come in, so grand-pa said he would take me to the main front entrance and let me out that way. He got his bunch of keys from his dresser. After we left his room and while we were still in the large corridor leading into the celestial room, I was walking several steps ahead of grand-pa when he stopped me and said: 'Wait a moment, Allie, I want to tell you something. It was right here that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me at the time of the death of President Woodruff. He instructed me to go right ahead and reorganize the First Presidency of the Church at once and not wait as had been done after the death of the previous presidents, and that I was to succeed President Woodruff.'

"Then grand-pa came a step nearer and held out his left hand and said: 'He stood right here, about three feet above the floor. It looked as though He stood on a plate of solid gold.'

"Grand-pa told me what a glorious personage the Savior is and described His hands, feet, countenance and beautiful white robes, all of which were of such a glory of whiteness and brightness that he could hardly gaze upon Him.

"Then he came another step nearer and put his right hand on my head and said: 'Now, grand-daughter, I want you to remember that this is the testimony of your grand-father, that he told you with his own lips that he actually saw the Savior, here in the Temple, and talked with Him face to face.'"¹¹

So can the Saints literally see God in the temple?  The answer is, absolutely.  As promised in D&C 93:1, D&C 88:68, and D&C 97:15-16, the Lord promises to manifest himself to us.  Joseph recorded a few years later:

When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves.

John 14:23--The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man's heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false. (D&C 130:1, 3)

Is it a common occurrence?  Probably not.  The early Saints had to prepare themselves substantially before such a manifestation was given them.  In today’s parlance we might say that it is upon making one’s calling and election sure, receiving the more sure word of prophecy, and the Second Comforter, that such a revelation could take place in the temple.  But it is certainly not unheard of, and it was one of the primary reasons the temple was restored in latter days.  It is precisely what Joseph desired for the Saints in building the temple.

It is curious that we do not discuss this aspect of the temple more often today.  We often teach that the temple is where we can go to be in God’s presence, and to feel His Spirit, but not necessarily to see His face.  What are your thoughts about that?  Please share with us in the comments below.

(Continued in Part 2)

Seeing the Face of God in the Temple – Part 1

1. Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, 217.
2. Ibid., 308.
3. DHC VII p. 308-310
4. Margaret Barker, Temple Themes in Christian Worship, 146-49
5. Article of Faith 8.
6. An abridged Record of  the Life of John Murdock, p. 23, Church Archives
7. Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, 313
8. The Journal of Wilford Woodruff, October 11, 1883
9. JD 11:10
10. Ibid., 318
11. LeRoi C. Snow, “An Experience of My Father's,” Improvement Era, September 1933.

Of course, in Joseph Smith’s day, such discoveries had not been made yet, and so Joseph was mocked for his story of having discovered gold plates with the writings of ancient people inscribed on them.

Today it is becoming commonplace to find such ancient texts, which is why in the dozens of media reports on the emergence of the lead plates this past week, not one questioned the fact that the writings were on metal.  In fact, one scholar specifically noted that there were examples of ancient metal tablets made out of copper, bronze, and gold.

Here is a summary of only some of the most prominent findings.  

Etruscan Gold Book, dating to 600 BC (click to enlarge)

Etruscan Gold Book

This is believed to be the oldest complete multiple page book found in the world.  It is made of six plates of gold, each 5 x 4.5 cm, and bound with two rings.  It dates to 600 BC.

It was unearthed from a tomb some 60-70 years ago, along the Strouma River in southwestern Bulgaria.  It was donated to the Bulgarian National Museum of History in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2003.  The plates contain text in Etruscan characters, and was likely a type of prayer book made for the funeral of an aristocrat.

This discovery is especially interesting to Latter-day Saints because the date places it at the same time as when Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, indicating that this form of bookmaking and bookbinding was practiced in the Mediterranean region at the time.  It is similar to the description that Joseph Smith gave of the gold plates of the Book of Mormon.

More Information:

• John A. Tvedtnes, "Etruscan Gold Book from 600 B.C. Discovered," Insights: A Window on the Ancient World 23/5 (October 2003)
• “Unique book goes on display,” 26 May 2003, BBC News

Pyrgi Gold Tablets, dating to 500 BC (click to enlarge)

Pyrgi Gold Tablets

This set of three gold plates was discovered in 1964 in an excavation of a sanctuary in ancient Pyrgi, in Italy.  They contain holes around their edges, which indicates that they were likely bound together in some form at one point.

The plates date to 500 BC, and contain a dedication by King Thefarie Velianas to the Phoenician goddess Astarte.  Two have Etruscan text, and the third has Phoenician.

William Hamblin notes that these plates are:

…a prime example of the spread of the Phoenician practice of writing sacred texts on golden plates from their original center in Phoenicia, via Carthage, to Italy, and is roughly contemporary with the Book of Mormon’s claim that sacred texts were written on metal plates by the Phoenicians’ closer neighbors, the Jews.

The Pyrgi Tablets are now at the National Etruscan Museum in Rome, Italy.

More Information:

• William J. Hamblin, “Sacred Writing on Metal Plates in the Ancient Mediterranean,” FARMS Review (19/1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2007, p. 37--54
• Pyrgi Tablets, Wikipedia.

Copper Scroll, dating to 50-100 AD, reproduction above, actual pieces below, photo of roll above-right (click to enlarge)

Copper Scroll

Perhaps the most famous example of ancient writing on metal plates is the Copper Scroll, found among the Dead Sea Scrolls in Qumran by an archeologist in 1952.  Its Hebrew text was inscribed on two rolls of coppper, and dates to 50-100 AD.

Because it was found in rolls, and the metal was corroded, it had to be cut apart into 23 strips to be read.  Both rolls were part of the same document.  The text, interestingly, describes the locations of hidden temple treasures from the Second Temple of Jerusalem.  In other words, it’s a kind of treasure map.

William Hamblin notes its similarity to the plates of the Book of Mormon:

…it is a clear example of an attempt to preserve an important sacred record by writing on copper/bronze (Heb. nechushah) plates and then hiding the document.

Unfortunately, no hidden temple treasures have yet been discovered by reading the text.

More Information:

• William J. Hamblin, “Sacred Writing on Metal Plates in the Ancient Mediterranean,” FARMS Review (19/1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2007, p. 37--54
• John A. Tvedtnes, “Copper Scroll from Qumran,” Book of Mormon Research.
• Copper Scroll, Wikipedia.

Korean Diamond Cutter Sutra Gold Plates, dating to 8th century AD (click to enlarge)

Korean Diamond-Cutter Sutra Gold Plates

This is a set of nineteen gold plates that was found in December, 1965, buried under a five-storied pagoda in Iksan, Korea.  Each plate measures 14.8 x 13.7 cm and was found inside a bronze box inside a stone box.  The plates are hinged together, and have two gold bands that wrap around the plates.  They date to the 8th century AD.

The plates contain the text of the Diamond-Cutter Sutra.  A Maxwell Institute publication by David Honey and Michael Lyon describe it:

The text opens with a group of monks who circumambulate the living Buddha three times and then sit down to listen to his teachings… He warns of a future period called the “Latter Days of the Law” when the oral transmission will have decayed. He prophesies that there will be at least some enlightened beings who will understand and teach his true doctrine. He then promises that the country that preserves and teaches this sutra will have to be honored and worshiped by the worlds of gods, men, and evil spirits. It will become like a chaitya, or temple. It is apparent that this promise was the motivation for Korean Buddhists to inscribe the sutra on gold plates and preserve it under a pagoda.

The plates are part of National Treasure No. 123, and located at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul.

More Information:

• David Honey and Michael Lyon, “An Inscribed Chinese Gold Plate in Its Context: Glimpses of the Sacred Center,” in The Disciple as Scholar: Essays on Scripture and the Ancient World in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute
• John A. Tvedtnes, “Korean Diamond Sutra,” Book of Mormon Research.
• Paul R. Cheesman, “Ancient Writing on Metal Plates,” Ensign, October, 1979, 42.

Silver Scrolls, dating to 600 BC (click to enlarge)

Silver Scrolls

Discovered in 1979, these scrolls were found inside one of a series of burial caves called Ketef Hinnom in a hillside just west of Jerusalem.  They were two small silver scrolls, about 1″ x 4″ in size, and much care was taken over a three year period to unroll them to read them.  They had archaic Hebrew text on them.  They determined that the scrolls date to approximately 600 BC, very near the time that Lehi left Jerusalem.

Amazingly, the scrolls contain the oldest surviving citations of the Hebrew Bible, in addition to the oldest surviving reference to Yahweh (Jehovah or LORD). The text comes from primarily Numbers 6:24-26, which is a priesthood blessing (or ordinance) the Lord instructed Moses to teach Aaron to give to the Israelites.

This shows that the Jerusalem people of Lehi’s time did, indeed, write sacred texts on metal, and provides evidence that the first five books of Moses existed at the time Lehi left Jerusalem, which would have been required if the brass plates were to contain them (1 Nephi 5:11).

Another interesting note is that these scrolls were meant to be rolled up and likely worn around the neck, serving as an amulet, to “provide a blessing that will be used to protect the wearer from some manner of evil forces.”

More information:

• Ketef Hinnom, Wikipedia
• John Noble Wilford, “Solving a Riddle Written in Silver,” The New York Times, 28 September 2004
• “Scriptures on 2,600-Year-Old Silver Scrolls Found in Jerusalem,” Ensign 17 (June 1987): 56-57
• William J. Adams Jr., ”Lehi’s Jerusalem and Writing on Silver Plates,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (3/1), Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1994, p. 204-06
• Gary D. Myers, “‘Silver scrolls’ are oldest O.T. scripture, archaeologist says,” Baptist Press, 27 Feb 2004
• Stephen Caesar, “The Blessing of the Silver Scrolls,” Associates for Biblical Research, 6 Jan 2010

Darius I Persepolis Gold Plates, dating to 518 - 515 BC (click to enlarge)

Darius I Persepolis Gold Plates

These plates were found by archeologists in 1938, in Persepolis, near modern day Shiraz, Iran.  There were two gold plates and two silver plates in a stone box, written on in cuneiform script.  The plates date to 518 – 515 BC.

The text found on each of the plates was the same:

"Darius the great king, king of kings, king of countries, son of Hystaspes, an Achaemenid. King Darius says: This is the kingdom which I hold, from the Sacae who are beyond Sogdia to Nubia, and from Sind to Lydia - [this is] what Ahuramazda, the greatest of gods, bestowed upon me. May Ahuramazda protect me and my royal house!"

This reminds me of the divine bestowals of power, protection, prosperity, and seed found among the Egyptians, and even on the Rosetta Stone.

The plates are now located at the national museum in Tehran, Iran.

• John A. Tvedtnes, “Darius I Persepolis Tablets,” Book of Mormon Research
• Persepolis, Apadana Palace, Wikipedia

Petelia tablet, one of the Orphic Gold Plates, dating to fourth century BC (click to enlarge)

Orphic Gold Tablets or Plates

This is a remarkable set of about 35 small pieces of gold foil that have been found in ancient tombs across Greece and Rome.  They are inscribed in Greek text, and most date to the fourth century BC.

The text on these plates gives instructions to the dead on how to navigate the afterlife, especially what they should say or do on their journey there.  As David Larsen describes them:

… [they] give specific instructions for what the initiate is to do during their journey into the  Afterlife, including meeting a number of guardians and gods who will ask them questions and to whom they must give certain passwords.

David Larsen has provided an amazing LDS perspective on these in a series of articles at his blog, HeavenlyAscents.com:

• David Larsen, “Instructions for the Netherworld: The Orphic Gold Tablets,” HeavenlyAscents.com, 18 June 2009
• David Larsen, “The Orphic Gold Tablets: Arriving in the Afterlife and the Importance of Memory for Salvation,” HeavenlyAscents.com, 26 June 2009
• David Larsen, “The Orphic Gold Tablets: A ‘Ritual for the Dead’,” HeavenlyAscents.com, 2 July 2009
• David Larsen, “The Tree of Life as Nurturing Mother,” HeavenlyAscents.com, 12 July 2009
• David Larsen, “The Orphic Gold Tablets: ‘The Longed-For Crown’,” HeavenlyAscents.com, 31 July 2009

Questionable Findings

There are some discoveries which do not seem to have been studied much, and which may or may not be forgeries.  Here is one:

Achaemenid Golden Codex, dating to between 550 BC - 330 BC (click to enlarge)

Achaemenid Golden Codex

In October 2005, police in Tehran, Iran, recovered several artifacts that had been sold to smugglers by a farmer who had found them while plowing a field.  One of these artifacts was a book made of eight plates of gold, and bound with four rings on one side.

The codex is inscribed with cuneiform script, which was a commonly used in the ancient Near East.  It is believed to be from the Achaemenid period, because of its codex format, which would date it to sometime between 550 BC and 330 BC.  Again, dated to shortly after the time period of Lehi and his family, and in the Middle East.

The current whereabouts of this artifact are unknown to me and those I’ve asked.  Instead of continuing to chase the Jordan Lead Codices down a dead-end road, it might be more productive for the media to help find this codex, and determine its authenticity and meaning.

More Information:

• John A. Tvedtnes, “Achaemenid Gold Book,” Book of Mormon Research.
• “An Achaemenid Golden Codex Recovered from Smugglers,” 11 October 2005, The Circle of Ancient Iranian Studies (CAIS)

Conclusion

As you can see, there are many examples of modern day archeological discoveries of ancient writing on metal plates, and I only mention a few.  These were unknown in Joseph Smith’s time, yet many attest to the fact that writing on metal plates was a practice during Lehi’s day in and around Jerusalem.

Authentic Ancient Metal Plates

I’m usually one who likes to believe. Joseph Smith once taught, “I never hear of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for unbelief.” But the facts seem to be stacking up against this one.

Here’s the current state of things.

Details favoring authenticity:

• Initial metallurgic research on the plates shows they “look” about 2,000 years old, based on their type of corrosion, which they say “would be impossible to achieve artificially.”¹
• Carbon dating on a piece of leather found with the plates, with the image of a crocodile on it, had results indicating its about 2,000 years old.²
• Scholars who have examined them are cautious but interested, believing they could be early Christian writings – Dr. Margaret Barker and Professor Philip R. Davies.³
• Jordan’s Department of Antiquities, and its director Ziad al-Saad, has expressed great interest in the plates, saying they could date from early Christianity. The Jordanian government is working to repatriate them.⁴
• The plates contain a number of true ancient symbols, including menorah, palm trees (lulav), eight-pointed stars, archaic Hebrew characters, etc.

Details favoring forgery:

• Initial metallurgic research is not based on the composition of the metal, but appearances. Who did this metallurgic research?
• Who did the carbon dating on the piece of leather found with the plates?
• Conflicting reports on their source – were they founded by a Jordanian Bedouin between 2005-2007, or are they an Israeli’s family possession over 100 years old? (Another alternate history has also emerged placing their origin in Alexandria and being found in northern Egypt.)
• The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has dismissed the discovery as forgeries. They “absolutely doubted their authenticity. The IAA has said they are a “mixture of incompatible periods and styles without any connection or logic. Such forged motifs can be found in their thousands in the antiquities markets of Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East.”⁵
• Initial reports stated there were twenty codices in the collection⁶. Later reports state there are up to seventy⁷.
• Most ancient plates with writing that have been formerly discovered were engraved with their inscriptions into the metal. I’m unaware of any that were cast with metal in molds, such as this one, resulting in raised figures.
• Most ancient plates that have been found were made of copper, gold, or bronze, not lead.
• There were similar plates found in the 19th century that were also cast in lead with a mixed unknown language inscribed on them, known as the Sinaia Lead Plates. These are considered by archeologists today to be modern forgeries.
• Another discovery of lead plates called the Lead Books of Sacromonte were writings on circular plates, bound with lead wire, and are now considered by experts to be 16th century forgeries. They were also a mix of languages, and cryptic texts.
• David Elkington, the archeologist that is spearheading the recovery effort, is not widely known among archeologists, and has published a questionable, almost new-age type, book called In the Name of the Gods.
• David Elkington already has a lengthy 320 page book and documentary film in the works about the Jordan plates discovery. The websites say the book was published in May, 2010. Most significant discoveries are only followed years later by detailed books and documentaries.
• In an interview with David Elkington, he mentions that the eight-pointed stars found on the plates are surely Messianic signs, and representative of the star of Bethlehem, neither of which is really true.⁸ Such a star can represent a god, but is not necessarily Messianic.
• An expert in ancient inscriptions, Professor Andre Lemaire, said the writing he saw on the codices didn’t make sense, and it was “a question apparently of sophisticated fakes”.⁹
• Much of what is being said about the dating of the plates is that they are first century AD. Multiple things seem to suggest a later 3rd or 4th century date however, including the appearance of a cross (only began to be used as a symbol by Christians centuries after the crucifixion), and a menorah (was typically forbidden to be represented by Jews until Late Antiquity).
• Detailed high resolution photos of the plates have not been released publicly for expert scrutiny.
• Other recent communications have shown that David Elkington may be in possession of other certain forgeries, claimed to be part of the same collection.

Conclusion

All-in-all these things lead me (no pun intended), and others, to believe that the plates are probably a very elaborate and careful forgery. Whether they are a modern forgery or an ancient forgery is yet to be seen. If they are an ancient forgery, they may still yield interesting insights into ancient times.

As Dr. Margaret Barker initially said of the findings:

If they are a forgery, what are they are forgery of? Most fakes are drawn from existing material, but there is nothing like this that I have seen.¹⁰

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone let loose the joke on us all tomorrow.  Surely archeologists have April Fools pranks too.  If that’s it, this one certainly takes the cake!

UPDATE: The Deseret News has published an article detailing the weaknesses of the discovery also.

Jordanian Lead Plates: Authentic or Forgery?

1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110330/ts_yblog_thelookout/could-lead-codices-prove-the-major-discovery-of-christian-history
2. http://www.thejc.com/judaism/judaism-features/46028/heavy-metal-secrets-a-mid-east-cave
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421
4. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421
5. http://www.thejc.com/judaism/judaism-features/46028/heavy-metal-secrets-a-mid-east-cave
6. http://www.thejc.com/judaism/judaism-features/46028/heavy-metal-secrets-a-mid-east-cave
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12888421
8. http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9439000/9439430.stm
9. http://www.thejc.com/judaism/judaism-features/46028/heavy-metal-secrets-a-mid-east-cave
10. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368252/Are-artefacts-discovered-remote-cave-secret-writings-years-Jesus.html

One of the codices in the collection of metal plates discovered in Jordan

UPDATE: See the latest updates about this discovery at Jordanian Lead Plates: Authentic or Forgery?
–
A few days ago we wrote about an interesting discovery of ancient sealed metal plates that were found within the last few years in Jordan, and are starting to create a stir among archeologists. The BBC News religious affairs correspondent Robert Pigott just published more interesting details, and photos, of the plates, in a report entitled “Jordan battles to regain ‘priceless’ Christian relics“. The BBC also includes a set of 7 more detailed photos here.

Some additional details include:  

• There are 70 or so “books” or codices in this collection, each between 5-15 leaves made from lead, and bound with lead rings.
• The leaves are about the size of a credit card.
• Some experts and suggesting the books may have been made by early Christians in the years just following the crucifixion.
• There is uncertainty whether they are of Jewish or Christian origin, but several say there is evidence of Christian origin in the signs and symbols used in the books.
• Some purported symbols include a cross, a tomb, and the city of Jerusalem.  A menorah is also seen as representing the holy of holies of the temple in Jerusalem, and the presence of God.
• One of the only lines of texts yet to be translated from the books says “I shall walk uprightly,” a line from the Book of Revelation? (I’m unsure what reference they are referring to).  It’s been shown in the past that such a line is a kind of “worthiness” requirement for those who would ascend to the temple in ancient times (from Psalms 15).

Dr. Margaret Barker adds more commentary of what appears to be Christian provenance:

“We do know that on two occasions groups of refugees from the troubles in Jerusalem fled east, they crossed the Jordan near Jericho and then they fled east to very approximately where these books were said to have been found…

“[Another] one of the things that is most likely pointing towards a Christian provenance, is that these are not scrolls but books. The Christians were particularly associated with writing in a book form rather than scroll form, and sealed books in particular as part of the secret tradition of early Christianity.”

Again, extensive investigation must still be done by a host of experts before a solid understanding of the authenticity and meaning can be made from this discovery.  But as the director of Jordan’s department of antiquities, Ziad al-Saad, notes, it could be “the most important discovery in the history of archaeology.”

More Details about Ancient Metal Plates from the BBC

Below is an example of Temple Square, and the Jordan River temple. These are interactive embedded maps, so you can drag them around with your mouse and look at various parts of Temple Square, in exquisite detail, as if you were in an airplane.

Just think what it’ll all look like when they get 3D aerial photography in Google Maps!

View Larger Map

Jordan River temple (this one is a bit more finicky, if it doesn’t show the 45 degree angle at first, zoom out one level and back in):

View Larger Map

Bird’s Eye View of Temple Square (and others)