Posted by SWN on July 06, 1998 at 00:29:18:
Do you posses the same credentials as Nibley? I don't think so. He can
actually read most of those ancient texts, can You? I don't think so.
Like most in your position, you rely on the faulty research of others with
even less intelligence than you!
If Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon, then he was one of the most
intelligent writers of our century. Within the Book of Mormon there are
multiple complex story lines all related to each other in some way. Given
his level of education, it would have been impossible for him to remember
where one story left off and the other began, much less make up variations
of all the names from the Bible. Can you name one person living today,
geven simular circomstances and level of education, that could write a book
as complex as the Book of Mormon?
The fact that there are similarities between the teachings of the Book of
Mormon and the Bible should not be criticized considering Jesus Christ is
the author of both.
How do you explain what has been learned from the Dead Sea Scrolls as it
relates to the Book of Mormon? you can't accuse Joseph Smith of having
access to them.
(From the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, Vol.7, Ch.10)
The Book of Mormon and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Since it is normal procedure to list parallels between Qumran and this
or that book or society, and since the significance of such parallels is
greatly enhanced by their cumulative effect, the following list needs no
apology or explanation.
(1) First of all, the Book of Mormon opens with a group of pious
separatists from Jerusalem moving into the refuge of the Judaean wilderness in the hopes of making a permanent settlement where they could live their religion in its purity free from the persecution of "the Jews at Jerusalem." This we pointed out in Lehi in the Desert before the publication of any of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The parallel needs no comment. (2) These people, like those at Qumran, have a passion for writing and reading which seems to be a long-standing family tradition; they make records of everything, and (3) they know of an ancient tradition of the sealing up and burying of holy books in time of danger, to come forth "in their purity" at a later time. (4) They themselves engage in the practice, in which they even employ for their most valuable records copper and gold sheets on which they laboriously engrave their message in a cramped and abbreviated script. (5) Both peoples apply all the scriptures to themselves in a special way and never tire of presenting and discussing "proof-texts." (6) Both societies held a peculiarly "open-ended" view of scriptures and revelation
and knew of no canon of the Old Testament but accepted some of the
"Apocrypha" as inspired writings. This attitude appears commonplace today,
but we must remember that it has been quite alien to conventional
Christianity and Jewish thinking and has been the one aspect of the Book
of Mormon which has been most loudly denounced and ridiculed for over a
century. (7) In both the Book of Mormon and the Dead Sea Scrolls, the
peculiar and until now quite unfamiliar concept of a "church of
anticipation" is very conspicuous. (8) The religious communities in both
hemispheres strove to keep the Law of Moses in all its perfection and were
cool towards "the Jews in Jerusalem," who they felt had been false to the
covenant by their worldliness. (9) They felt themselves in both cases to
be the real Elect of God, the true Israel, chosen to prepare the way for
the coming of the Messiah. (10) Specifically, they both think of themselves
as Israel in the wilderness and consciously preserve the camp life of the
desert. (11) Both have suffered persecution and expect to suffer more,
being repeatedly required to seek refuge by moving from one place to
another. (12) Both societies are under the leadership of inspired men
(designated in both traditions as "stars")--prophets and martyrs (13)
whose main message is the coming of the Messiah and (14) whose exhortation
is to "righteousness" and repentance--Israel must turn away from her sins
and return to the covenant. (15) In both cases a sign of the return to the
covenant and to purity was baptism with water. (16) Both societies were
headed by twelve chiefs from whom were chosen a special presidency of three,
and (17) both were formed into groups of fifty for instructional and
administrative purposes, each group being under the direction of a priest
(Mosiah 18:18), (18) for in both societies the old priesthood was still
respected and the leaders had to be legitimate priests. (19) In both
societies the chief priest or leader of the whole church traveled about
among the congregations giving instructions and exhortations. (20) Both
societies were secret and exclusive but would admit to membership anyone
in Israel who sought to live the covenant in righteousness. (21) Both
societies were strict observers of the Sabbath, but set aside another day
of the week for their special meetings. (22) Those who joined either group
were required to share their earthly wealth with all their fellow members,
and (23) though both groups were hierarchical and strictly authoritarian,
a feeling of perfect equality prevailed. (24) All devoted their lives to
religious activity (study, preaching, discussion, prayer, and the singing
and composing of hymns) and to physical labor, even the leaders working for
their own support. (25) The headquarters of the societies seem to have
looked remarkably alike: both were at special watering places in the
desert with sheltering clumps of trees. (26) Since Alma's church shared
all things in common, they probably had communal meals, like the Essenes.
When Alma says to his followers: "Come unto me and . . . ye shall eat and
drink of the bread and the waters of life freely" (Alma 5:34), it was
plainly imagery that his hearers understood. (27) As strict observers of
the Law of Moses, both groups respected the Temple and anticipated its
perfect restoration. One of the first things Nephi's community did when
they went out by themselves was to build a replica of the Temple. Such an
idea has been thought utterly preposterous by the critics until the
discovery in the present century of other Jewish colonies in distant
lands building just such duplicates of the Temple. (28) Both groups,
unlike the Jews at Jerusalem, regarded the Law of Moses only as a
preparation, albeit an indispensable preparation, for more light to come,
it "pointing their minds forward" to a fuller revelation of salvation.
(29) Doctrinally, a fundamental teaching of both societies was the idea of
a divine plan laid down in the heavens at the foundation of the world,
each individual having a claim or "lot" in the knowledge and the fruits of
the plan. (30) Historically this plan is unfolded apocalyptically in a
series of dispensations, each divine visitation being followed by the
apostasy and punishment of the people, necessitating a later restoration
of the covenant. (31) This restoration is brought about through the
righteous Remnant, the few who remain faithful in Israel and continue to
look for the Messiah and the signs of his coming. (32) The series of
visitations and "ends" will be consummated with a final destruction of
the wicked by fire. (33) Meanwhile, all men are being tested: both
teachings lay great stress on the dualistic nature of this time of
probation in which there "must needs be . . . an opposition in all things"
(2 Nephi 2:11). (34) In this and other things both bodies of scripture
show a peculiar affinity for the writings of John. (35) Both groups
persistently designate themselves as "the poor," emphasizing thereby their
position as outcasts. This is strikingly illustrated in the Book of Mormon
in an episode from the mission of Alma: When a large crowd gathered on a
hillside outside a certain city to hear Alma preach, one of their leaders
told Alma that these people were largely social outcasts, "for they are
despised of all men because of their poverty, yea, and more especially by
our priests; for they have cast us out of our synagogues which we have
labored abundantly to build with our own hands; and they have cast us out
because of our exceeding poverty; and we have no place to worship our God;
and behold, what shall we do?" (Alma 32:5). It is among such people that
Alma gathers recruits for his society, meeting with total rebuff at the
hands of the upper classes and the priests.
NOTE: In addition to the items Nibley mentions above, other research has
uncovered the following parallels between the Scrolls and the Book of
Mormon:
Both used oblique references to the Urim and Thummim.
Both believed sincere repentance necessary to make baptism efficacious.
The people in both cases were allowed to vote on important issues.
Those in transgression were excluded from "the bread and wine"
Unrepentant members in transgression were excommunicated.
Their leaders write "psalms" on God's mercy towards them in their
weakness.
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