Today I ran across an interesting book by George Oliver published in 1823 called "The Antiquities of Free-Masonry comprising illustrations of The Five Grand Periods of Masonry from the creation of the world to the dedication of King Solomon's Temple."

http://books.google.com/books?id=KjoiAAAAMAAJ

The idea is apparent from the title, but Oliver says that Freemasonry didn't begin at King Solomon's temple, but was had at different periods throughout time starting at the time of Adam. Sound familiar? Inside, he says that if he gets around to it, he'll write another book detailing two more periods leading up to the time of Jesus Christ.

I don't think Smith ever had an original idea.

Sounds like a how to book for Mormonism. So, does this guy say where he gets his information from? Or is this just a bunch of stuff he conjured up in his head?

I read a little of it, and he quotes from a number of other books. It's probably juts a common belief of the day.

The phrase is found in the Ephesians,


Eph.1[10] That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

But maybe he got some of his ideas from Freemasonry.

George Oliver never uses the word "dispensation" anyway. The idea is pretty much the same though.

Islam also has seven dispensations of the One True Religion;
although teachers of both Mormonism and Islam have sometimes
strayed from the perfect 7 number, in teaching this doctrine.

In the Muslim system, each of the dispensations was headed
by a leading patriarch or prophet, who taught the religion
in its purity, gave rise to a collection of scriptures, etc.
In that view of history Mohammed brings about the seventh,
final and successful dispensation.

In the Mormon system, Joseph Smith brings about the seventh,
final and successful dispensation. The sixth dispensation
failed, even though initiated by Christ and handed over to
the foremost apostle, Peter.

In other words, in the two respective systems, Joseph Smith
and Mohammed share an elevated position, above the head of
the former, sixth dispensation.

Alexander Campbell taught three dispensations of the One
True Religion -- Patriarchal, Jewish and Christian.

In early LDS publications Sidney Rigdon, Campbell's disciple,
improved upon the three-dispensation model, and included a
"gospel" dispensation headed by Adam, one headed by Enoch,
etc. This partly conflicts with Islam, in that Islam would
not agree that is was the Christian "gospel" that was the
divine truth dispensed in those ancient eras.

But, the earliest Mormons could have adopted the Muslim view
of past divine dispensations, headed by a prophet, in which
wonderful revelation was dispensed, again and again, with
periods of apostasy in between. Since Islam gives Enoch an
historical role in recording past dispensational scriptures,
the same idea may lie behind the Mormon "Book of Enoch."

But... things are not as simple as what I just outlined.
There was Masonic dispensationalism and a Darby/Scofield
view of past iterations of the gospel truth, just waiting
for an imaginative reader back in 1828-30 to incorporate
into a new offshoot of Christianity.

Somebody ought to write a book on this subject.

UD

That's interesting about the Islamic view of "dispensations." Wouldn't Islam be a bit foreign to someone like Smith though? Olivers book seems to be a cut and paste for Mormonism.

Makurosu Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That's interesting about the Islamic view of
> "dispensations." Wouldn't Islam be a bit foreign
> to someone like Smith though? Olivers book seems
> to be a cut and paste for Mormonism.

In 1838, in Missouri, a member reportedly heard Smith
professing that Mohammed was a true prophet, even though
the Koran was fabricated scripture. That's an interesting
event, even if Smith was merely projecting his own persona
upon the ancient Arab leader.

That same year Smith was also reported to have boasted
that his war in Missouri would prevail and that he would
be that state's ruler, voicing a threat similar to the
purported Islamic "Koran or the Sword" wartime choice.

But the more convincing testimony comes from Smith's old
next door neighbor in Manchester, John Stafford. Stafford
recalled that even a very young Smith favored polygamy
and had read the Koran -- very unusual for a farm boy of
that day and age. Another early witness recalled that Smith
had a small reading library, including the Arabian Nights.

And somebody came up with that fantastic story of the
Lehites trekking across Arabia for years and years.

So, I'd say that Islamic teachings might have interested
Smith, at about the same time the Book of Moses and
Book of Enoch writings were being fabricated.

UD

So interesting. You are a fountain of knowledge, Uncle Dale. :-)

I was reading the 5 points of brotherhood. A lot of it sounded familiar. Things like a new religion is needed in order to bring everyone together in the same belief.

I also read the authors biography. He was an interesting person. He became very rich by improving the plow. He was very industrious. He was from Indiana. It's possible that his book was very well known to masons. It wouldn't surprise me if the book was common. Oliver had the means to get it printed and marketed, even if it wasn't a big money maker.