Trivia for NT Lesson 34`

As I was working on my lesson, I discovered that there is a word that we as Latter-day Saints use regularly as we discuss the Plan of Salvation -- but it is a word that does not exist in the English language. It simply isn't in the dictionary. Do you know what this word is?

When I posed the question to my Gospel Doctrine class yesterday, one person did come up with the word. Some wrong answers were "pre-existence" and "Kolob". (I guess Kolob could be a right answer, but the word I was thinking of is even more common to Latter-day Saints.)

It is a word that nearly any active member of the Church (over the age of 12?) would know.

So here's the word. It's "telestial". It does not exist in the dictionary or appear on dictionary.com. It doesn't appear in the KJV of the New Testament. Interestingly, however, in 1 Corinthians 15 where Paul discusses the degrees of glory, he mentions Celestial and Terrestrial, but not Telestial. He follows that with comparison of the glories to the sun, moon and stars. I can't help but think that the missing reference to Telestial is a lost plain-and-precious truth. Joseph Smith DID correct this ommission in the JST.

OK, so if you google "telestial" you will find lots of LDS-related sites that mention Telestial. You'll also find a UK phonecard company with the name Telestial -- so I guess the word technically exists outside of the LDS community. My guess, however, is that they invented the word -- by combining "tele" (as in telephone, telecommunications, etc. and meaning "distant") with "celestial". I also wonder whether the person who named it might have been LDS -- or if it's just happenstance.

My impressions of Paul

I am SO enjoying our study of Paul's missions and epistles this year in gospel doctrine class. It is fun to gain little insights into Paul's personality and how unabashed he is to share his anger and disappointment (as in Galatians), his weaknesses and "temptations" (better translated as "trials"), and his unending zeal and energy as it appears to me that he is doing all he can to make up for the persecution and damage he did to the early days of Christianity.

Oh, and I'm equally impressed with how Paul was able to support both himself and his companions on their lengthy missions, probably through his tentmaking efforts, while still bringing the gospel to the Greeks and Jews throughout Asia Minor:

Acts 20:33-35 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. 34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

(Sounds a little bit like King Benjamin doesn't it.)

He was so successful as a missionary that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord:

Acts 19:10 And this [Paul’s teaching] continued by the space of two years; so that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

As Paul is warning the church leaders from Ephesus, we see how concerned he is for the flock that he has nurtured and taught, even to the point of tears:

Acts 20:29-31 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things [i.e. they’ll distort the truth and mislead the people], to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch [i.e. be on your guard], and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Add to this the personal witness of Paul's physical appearance and demeanor from Joseph Smith:
"He is about 5 foot high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated and then it almost resembles the roaring of a Lion." (from Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by Joseph Fielding Smith, p.180)

Consquences of falling asleep in church

Even Paul put his congregation to sleep at times -- although he was preaching late until midnight.

Eutychus must have been sitting by the window for fresh air and to keep himself awake. Unfortunately it didn't work and he fell three stories to his death.

Acts 20:6-9 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. 7 And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

It certainly caused Paul some alarm -- but he was able to bless and raise him from the dead.

Acts 20:10-12 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing [him] said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

In other words, Paul was very MUCH comforted that Eutychus lived.

Trivia for NT Lesson 32

Trivia: What are the seven wonders of the ancient world?

Bonus question: What is “herostratic fame”?

In November, I'm going on a 2-week cruise through the Mediterranean. As it turns out, we will go to four of the sites of the ancient wonders of the world -- the pyramids of Egypt (the only remaining wonder), site of the temple of Artemis/Diana in Ephesus (and referenced in NT Lesson 32 as part of Paul's third missionary journey), site of the Colossus at Rhodes, and Alexandria Egypt, near the site of the ancient lighthouse.

The full list of seven ancient wonders:
1. Pyramids of Egypt (at Giza, outside of Cairo)
2. Hanging gardens of Babylon (in modern-day Iraq)
3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia (about 100 miles west of Athens)
4. Temple of Artemis (Diana) at Ephesus (Turkey)
5. Mausoleum at Helicarnassus (Bodrum, Turkey)
6. Colossus of Rhodes (Island of Rhodes, Greece)
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria (Egypt)

More about the Temple of Artemis/Diana:
The Temple of Artemis was gigantic. In fact, it was one of the largest temples the Greeks ever built . It was made for the goddess Artemis. Artemis, also known as Diana, was the goddess of wild nature and hunting . The temple was famous for its use of marble and for its size. Everything was made of marble except the tiled covered roof. It was very decorative. All 106 columns were twelve meters high (40 feet ). Note this temple was four times bigger than the Parthenon in Athens.

When he saw the temple, Philon, an Athenian architect, wrote: “He who had laid eyes on it will be convinced that the world of the immortal gods has moved from the heaven to earth.”

So, now the bonus question: Bonus: What is “herostratic fame”?

In 356 B.C. a young man, Herostratus, set fire to the temple of Diana in his quest for fame. After the fire, Herostratus proudly claimed credit in order to secure his place in history. In order to dissuade similar-minded fame-seekers, the Ephesean authorities not only executed Herostratus, but condemned him to a legacy of obscurity by forbidding mention of his name under the penalty of death. Obviously, this harsh stipulation did not preclude Herostratus from achieving his goal. The term “herostratic fame” has come to mean “fame at any cost” and sometimes destruction, crime or terrorism for the purpose of self-glorification.

Taking the gospel to the Gentiles

The ministry of the Lord was confined to Israel, except in the special cases where those of other nations by exceeding faith sought him for blessings. Why did the gospel go to the house of Israel (and descendants of Abraham) ahead of the Gentiles?

Elder McConkie has an interesting statement regarding this: "...the house of Israel is composed of the spirits from preexistence who there developed a talent for spirituality, and who are therefore entitled to the blessings of heaven in this life on a preferential basis. All men, in due course, either in his life or in the spirit world, will be offered the blessings of salvation. But there is an eternal system of priorities; there is a law of election, a doctrine of foreordination; and Israel is entitled to the blessing of the holy word ahead of their Gentile fellows. During his lifetime Jesus took the gospel and its blessings, with isolated exceptions, to his kinsmen in Israel; after his resurrection he [sent] his apostolic witnesses to all men, irrespective of creed or race or ancestry. The Lord Jehovah—Jesus in the flesh—is simply conforming to the eternal law of gospel priorities that he and his Father ordained from before the foundations of the world." (Mortal Messiah, 3:11-12)

The aspect of this "preference", however, that Elder McConkie doesn't make clear is that it becomes the responsibility of those of the House of Israel who have received the blessing of the gospel to share it with the Gentiles.

Trivia for NT lesson 13

How many times do we know of when the Father has testified of the Son?

I was only aware of four instances recorded in the scriptures when the Father introduced and testified of his Son:

• Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13–17)
• The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–9)
• Jesus’ appearance to the Nephites (3 Nephi 11:1–7)
• Joseph Smith’s First Vision (Joseph Smith—History 1:13–17)

A couple people in my class on Sunday, however, mentioned Stephen's stoning as another time. I don't think that Stephen's vision of the Savior on the right hand of the Father is quite the same thing as a voice from heaven bearing testimony -- but it is certainly a testimony in its own right.

Two-part trivia question for NT lesson 15:
Which Jewish feast was the possible precursor to Thanksgiving? What is a “lulav”?

Trivia question: What is "shewbread"?

Trivia question for New Testament Lesson 10: What is the “shewbread” (pronounced “showbread”) mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 12:3-4?

Jesus defended his and his disciples' actions when they picked some grain on the Sabbath as they traveled through the fields by comparing it to an event in the Old Testament in which David in a time of emergency ate shewbread from the temple, which was ordinarily reserved only for the priests (recorded in 1 Samuel 21:1-6). By using this comparison, Jesus demonstrated that the law of charity overrides every ritual law – the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the law. "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice" he says in verse 4.

So just what is shewbread? It is the twelve cakes or loaves of bread which were continually present in the temple on the Table of Shewbread as an offering to God. In the shewbread the 12 tribes were perpetually presented before God. Each Sabbath fresh loaves replaced the old, which then belonged to the priests, who were required to eat them in a holy place (i.e. in the temple), since the bread was holy.

The name means “bread of the presence,” signifying that it was placed in the presence of Jehovah. The bread was made without leaven (so it would have been more like crackers than bread as we know it.) Leviticus 24:5-9 describes the requirements for making, stacking and eventually eating the shewbread.

The Shewbread was offered on behalf of the children of Israel as a “berit 'olam”, an “eternal, or everlasting, covenant”.

My Peace I Give Unto You

Having woken up in the middle of the night, I flipped on BYU TV and heard two wonderful talks by Elder David and Sister Susan Bednar, given at BYU Idaho in 2004. While the theme was based on John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”, the talks reinforce the theme of NT Lesson #10 to take upon us the yoke of Christ and we will be blessed with rest.

Here are the links:

Text of Elder Bednar's talk

MP3 of Elder Bednar's talk

Text of Sister Bednar's talk

MP3 of Sister Bednar's talk

Enjoy!

Ye Shall Find Rest Unto Your Souls

Isn’t the promise of “rest” wonderful? And isn’t it a wonderful feeling “to rest” when you are tired and worn out from something difficult? Just think about how good it feels to finally lie down in bed after a particularly tiring day – when all of the stress escapes from your body when your head hits the pillow.

I was amazed at how many different ways the word “rest” is used in English.

• to lean on for support, such as “rest, or relax, your arm on something”
  to be supported by, such as “the column rested on its pedestal”
• to lean or trust in something, such as “to rest on someone’s promise, be ‘rest assured’”
• to abide or remain with, such as “the spirit rested on him”
• to be calm or relaxed—not moving, such as “he was at rest”; or think of Newton’s first law: an object at rest tends to stay at rest

With all of these meanings for the word “rest”, what then is the “rest” spoken of by the Lord? Or thinking about it another way, when we speak of the “rest of the Lord” (which appears in the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants) or “rest in the Lord” (which appears in Psalms), what kind of rest are we referring to? Certainly there is the “eternal” rest that we are all hoping for after this life.

“Eternal” rest: In the eternal sense, this rest is to gain the fulness of the Father. It is eternal life, living in the Celestial Kingdom.

President Harold B. Lee said: “Those of you who have lived a righteous life and die without having become the servants of sin, or who have truly repented of your sins, will enter into the "rest of the Lord," which rest "is the fulness of the glory of the Lord (D&C 84:24).”

But I think the Lord’s promise of rest is not just reserved for life after death – there is also a mortal rest that can come to us.

“Mortal” rest: We are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine – because we have firm testimonies.

President Joseph F. Smith taught how to achieve this rest: “The rest here referred to is not physical rest, for there is no such thing as physical rest in the Church of Jesus Christ. Reference is made to the spiritual rest and peace which are born from a settled conviction of the truth in the minds of men. We may thus enter into the rest of the Lord today, by coming to an understanding of the truths of the gospel.” (GD, 126.)

President Joseph Fielding Smith, reiterating what his father taught, added: [Entering into the rest of the Lord] means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else; we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. It is rest "from the cry that is going forth, here and there—lo, here is Christ; lo, there is Christ." (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 58, 125-126.)

Where mortals are concerned, the rest of the Lord comes from:

• understanding the gospel truths
• having faith in his purpose and his plan
• entering into the knowledge and love of God (having a testimony)

Only faithful members of the Church find perfect peace and rest to their souls. Achieving this status requires faith and hope. It includes gaining a perfect knowledge of the divinity of the Lord's work and the hope of eternal life in the world to come.

The Sabbath Was Made for Man

Commenting on how the Jews had lost the true spirit of the Sabbath, Elder McConkie wrote: "We have seen how they turned a day of freedom and worship and rejoicing into one of Rabbinical rules and restrictions. No longer were the Jews free to worship the Lord their God with a clear conscience on this holy day. Rather, the restrictions were so rigid, the controls so complete, the prohibitions so profuse, that it was as though man had been made for the Sabbath. Their failures on that day—for no man could keep all of the restrictions involved—created a great guilt complex over the whole nation." (Mortal Messiah, 2:398)

I had heard of many of the oral Rabbinical laws that had evolved as to what NOT to do on the Sabbath, but didn’t know whether they were true or not (such as how many steps someone could walk on the Sabbath). But after a simple web search, I found some details from the Midrash that clearly show how the Jews at the time of Christ, including the scribes and Pharisees, were no longer glorifying God through their Sabbath activities. They had laws regarding what kind of candles and wicks were to be used so that the light didn’t go out on the Sabbath, what kind of animals could be used on the Sabbath, and whether or not they may be bridled, and how shoes and other clothing were permitted to be worn.

But I was especially fascinated by the following restrictions:

(1) Traveling after sundown on the eve of the Sabbath: “One who (on the eve of Sabbath) is overtaken by the dusk on the road must give his purse to a Gentile (while it is yet day). If there is no Gentile with him, he must put it on the ass. As soon as he arrives at the outmost court (dwelling of the first town or village he reaches), he must take off all such things as may be handled on the Sabbath; and as for the things which must not be handled he must loosen the cords, so that they fall off themselves.”

(2) Food for animals: “It is forbidden to carry about chopped straw in quantities of a cow's mouthful, stalks in quantities of a camel's mouthful, stubble in quantities of a lamb's mouthful, herbs in quantities of a kid's mouthful, leek and onion leaves, if fresh, equal in size to a dried fig, and if dry in quantities of a kid's mouthful. The different kinds of fodder are, however, not to be counted together, as the prescribed quantities are not equal for all.”

(3) Forgetting it is the Sabbath when traveling in the desert: “One who has been traveling in a desert and does not know what day is Sabbath, must count six days from the day (on which he realizes) that he has missed the Sabbath, and observe the seventh. He must observe that very day and then continue his counting from that day.”

(4) And lastly, how items may be transferred from one person to another: “There are two acts constituting transfer of movable things (over the dividing line of adjoining premises, based on biblical statutes). … (1) A mendicant stands outside and the master of a house inside. The mendicant passes his hand into the house (through a window or door) and puts something into the hand of the master, or he takes something out of the master's hand and draws it back (toward him). In such a case the mendicant is guilty (of transfer) and the master of the house is free. If the master of the house passes his hand outside and puts a thing into the hand of the mendicant, or takes something out of the mendicant's hand and brings it into the house, the master of the house is culpable and the mendicant is free. (2) If the mendicant extends his hand into the house and the master takes something out of it, or puts something into it which is drawn to the outside by the mendicant, they are both free. If the master of the house extends his hand outside and the mendicant takes something out of it, or puts something into it which is drawn to the inside by the master, they are both free.”

How would the normal person be able to keep track of these – and the many other restrictions – for which the penalty of transgression was stoning?

Take My Yoke Upon You

One of the themes of NT lesson 10 comes from Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Most often this scripture is interpreted by referring to the yoke that joins two animals together so that they may share the load of whatever they are pulling. In fact, President Hunter used this metaphor in his General Conference talk, Come Unto Me, from October 1990. "In biblical times the yoke was a device of great assistance to those who tilled the field. It allowed the strength of a second animal to be linked and coupled with the effort of a single animal, sharing and reducing the heavy labor of the plow or wagon. A burden that was overwhelming or perhaps impossible for one to bear could be equitably and comfortably borne by two bound together with a common yoke. His [Christ's] yoke requires a great and earnest effort, but for those who truly are converted, the yoke is easy and the burden becomes light. ("Come Unto Me," Ensign, Nov. 1990, 17.)"

However, I would like to consider an additional interpretation of this scripture based on another type of yoke -- the type of yoke that the ancient Romans used to subjugate their conquered enemies in order to force them to march in subjection. Much like a mobile stockade, this type of yoke was intended to bind hands and arms, and sometimes head and neck. I can't help but imagine that since Jerusalem was subject to Rome at the time of Christ, that this type of yoke was just as common as a yoke that balances oxen. Even today, we refer to any type of bondage as a "yoke" – the yoke of drug addiction, for example. A yoke in this case doesn't refer to something that eases the load – but rather something that creates a burden, something we become subject to.

Is it possible that this is the type of yoke that Jesus is referring to when he tells us that his "yoke is easy"? After all, other scriptures refer to the yoke of Satan -- which is not easy. Nephi refers to how we can become yoked and brought down into captivity by the founder of the great and abominable Church, even the devil, in 1 Nephi 13:5-6. The Lord reinforced this in D&C 123:8 when he taught that "it is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell."

So, with this new perspective on the yoke of Christ, what is he asking us to do when he bids us to take his yoke upon us? He is calling us to repent, to forsake the world, to come unto him, to believe his gospel, to conform to his teachings—with the sure promise that in such a course will be found spiritual rest and peace. And in fact, he has done more than just share the burden with us -- through his atonement he completely removes the burden. The image of being yoked to Christ is one of those gospel paradoxes – (like the greatest should be the least among you). By taking on his yoke, we aren’t burdened; it doesn’t restrict us but rather it frees us.

A More Excellent Way

I always begin my Gospel Doctrine lessons with a trivia question that ties in with the lesson. It is a good way to introduce the topic of study, to give background information that provides the context for the lesson, or simply to share something interesting that I learned while prepring the lesson.

My trivia question for the New Testament lesson #8 was: What is a jot and what is a tittle (as mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 5:18)?