Mark your calendar!

The  first  annual  EXPOUND symposium will be held on Saturday, 14 May 2011 at the historic Brigham Young Academy building in Provo, Utah (only three blocks from the south edge of Brigham Young University). Come join us for engaging and insightful presentations related to the rich heritage of LDS history, scripture and belief. Drawings will be held for publications from some of the speakers.

Presenters and Presentations

Kurt Graham
The Future of the Church History Museum

Ugo A. Perego
Is Decrypting the Genetic Legacy of America’s Indigenous Populations Key to the Historicity of the Book of Mormon?

David J. Larsen
The Psalms as a Key to Understanding the Rituals of the First Temple

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
“Standing in the Holy Place”: Ancient and Modern Reverberations of an Enigmatic New Testament Prophecy

Mark Alan Wright
Nephite Daykeepers: Ritual Specialists in the Book of Mormon

David M. Calabro
Body Symbolism in Latter-day Saint Scripture

Larry E. Morris
“Such a Godless Place Would be Difficult to Imagine”: The Historical Setting for the Arrival of the First Mormon Missionaries in Missouri

Matthew B. Brown
Cube, Gate and Measuring Tools: A Biblical Pattern

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I really need to update my paper title and abstract, as my presentation will more nuanced than what the information on the site indicates.  That title and abstract was given months ago before I actually wrote the paper — but that’s my fault for not sending them an update.  I’ll try to do that soon.

I am really excited about this conference.  The organizers are great guys and I am very interested in hearing all the other presentations, which cover quite a wide variety of topics!

The symposium goes from 9am to 5:30pm. That may sound like a long day, but I encourage you to stay for the whole thing (especially because I’m not speaking until 3pm)! Seriously, I don’t think you’ll want to miss any of these speakers. If you can make it, I look forward to seeing you there!!

From http://www.templestudiesgroup.com/Symposia.htm:

Symposium V will be held on Saturday 2 July 2011, 10am-4pm. Since 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible, the subject will be The Temple Hidden in the Bible.

• Dr Paul Joyce [Oxford] Images of the first Temple hidden in Ezekiel.

• Dr David Sheppard [Chester] The Temple hidden in the Isaiah Targum.

• Dr Scott Mandelbrote [Cambridge] Temple images in early printed Bibles.

• Dr Margaret Barker The Temple in Kings and Chronicles.

I posted (a couple of weeks back now) some material over at The Millennial Star about the reforms of King Josiah and the Deuteronomists and how these reforms may have affected the theological themes found in the Old Testament we read today.  This post is based on material I posted here on Heavenly Ascents a couple of years ago, but I think it’s still worth sharing. You can see it here: http://www.millennialstar.org/the-deuteronomists-and-the-suppression-of-ancient-truths/

I was recently invited to be a contributor at Reviews of Biblical and Early Christian Studies (rbecs.wordpress.com). This website is run by Dan Batovici, PhD student here at the University of St Andrews, and a few other postgrad students at Cambridge and Durham universities. The main purpose of the site is to provide reviews of the latest publications in the fields of Biblical Studies and Early Christian Studies and also to give reports on important seminar presentations given at the respective universities.  I am honored to be able to contribute to this very helpful site.  You can see my first post here. I give a report of Dr Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer’s seminar paper on “The Geographical and Theological Location of Isaiah 40-55″.

Dan and I, along with Beth Tracy and other colleagues here at the University of St Andrews, are organizing a graduate conference that will be taking place in June, entitled “The 1st St Andrews Graduate Conference for Biblical and Early Christian Studies: Authoritative Texts and Reception History.” I will be presenting a paper on the early Christian interpretation of older Melchizedek traditions. You can read more about the conference here.

I will be presenting a paper on May 14th at the first annual EXPOUND Symposium in Provo, Utah. The topic of my presentation will be “The Psalms as a Key to Understanding the Rituals of the First Temple”. I am very excited to be back in Provo, home of Brigham Young University, my undergraduate alma mater.

Finally, just a further note regarding the metal plates discovery that I’ve featured recently here on Heavenly Ascents. A number of people have written to me asking about my personal opinion regarding this find, which some have noticed I haven’t been especially explicit about in my blog posts.  Personally, I feel it’s much too early for me to form any real opinion on the matter. There are a number of people and organizations that are currently trying to analyze the plates and we just can’t know until more tests have been completed and publicized.  I have heard from many sources that I consider to be reliable (some I’ve mentioned in previous posts) that the opinion of most authorities is negative regarding their authenticity.  It seems that the Israeli Antiquities Authority sees them as forgeries.  A reader, Warren Aston, forwarded me an email from a top LDS expert in the field (Dr. Jeff Chadwick, who is currently at the BYU Jerusalem Center) who is doubtful regarding their authenticity as well and advises against making or believing any of the popular claims about them, especially their connections to the early Christian community or to anything temple-related.  So, in light of these problems with our current lack of certainty regarding the origin and authenticity of the metal plates, I agree that we should be cautious about what we believe to be the significance of this find. We’ll just have to wait and see what the final determination of the experts is and then we can form some more educated opinions.

The Targums reveal to us what Jews thought, how they interpreted the Scriptures. The Aramaic Targumim emphasize that Adam was created from temple material   –   created from dust from the temple and the four winds.

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 2:7: And the Lord God created Adam with two inclinations (y’tzarim); and He took dust from the place of the House of the Sanctuary, and from the four winds of the world, and [made a] moulding from all the waters of the world. And He created him red, black, and white, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And the breath became in the body of Adam a speaking spirit for enlightenment of eyes and attentiveness of ears.

The Temple is a place of reconciliation with the Almighty. Adam was created as a “speaking being”

–“Dust of the ground” – what does this mean? The defined noun “the ground” may be significant –

–Altar of earth (ha-adamah)  should be made – Adam created from the same soil as the altar, the place of atonement (Jerusalem Talmud)

–Part of Adam’s constitution was taken from the Holy of Holies (inferred by Targum)

–from Holy Place and also from all corners of earth –particular and universal – he is a sort of representative of all mankind

–Targums have a very positive outlook on Adam

–God “fashioned” Adam in Gen. – but Aramaic translator insists that he was created –emphasizing that God was not a second-rate creator – (cf. the Gnostic view) — He was the Most High

–Gen.  2:8 – Eden was created  before the world – miqqedem = ‘from of old’

–Temple is also created before the world (along with Torah and  Name of Messiah)

–Adam’s placement in Garden was pre-planned

T Ps-J, Gen. 2:8: Now there had been planted by the Word (Memra’) of the Lord God a garden from Eden for the just, before the creation of the world; and He made to dwell there Adam, when He had created him.

Adam was created on the Temple Mount –created to do temple service (labor)

–Adam created to keep the Torah/commandments

–he can act properly in the holy place because he is partially constituted by dust from that holy place

–No mention made of Adam’s fall at this point

–He is meant to keep Torah, but it is also the reason he is rejected, but it is by keeping Torah that he may return

–Targum interpreter knows of different versions of Creation story

–Noah offered sacrifice on Adam’s altar –  Abraham also

T Ps-J, Gen. 8:20: So Noah rebuilt the altar before the Lord. It was the altar which Adam had built in Eden at the time when he was cast out from the Garden of Eden; and on it he had offered up a sacrifice, and on it he had offered up a sacrifice; and on it Cain and Abel had offered up their sacrifice. And when the waters of the flood came down, it had been destroyed. Noah rebuilt it…

–These are details that are not in the original Hebrew – Eden continues to be important –service of temple takes people back to Eden (text

–Adam led into the Garden of Eden by Lord

–Sacrifices are made in Eden – we must go back to Eden to make atonement

Psalm 69 – rabbis claim it was uttered by Adam

–When the Targum was written down, the temple was in ruins(see text 7) – things to be restored in the world to come – restoration of Eden

T Ps-J, Gen. 2:15: And the Lord God took Adam from the mountain of the Service (pwlchn’), the place from where he had been created, and made him dwell in the Garden of Eden, so as to be serving (plch) in the Torah and observing its commandments.

–Gen. 3:18–19 – Adam cursed by God for disobedence – thorns and thistles, eat herb, sweat of face will eat bread – this is the food given to animals (herbs of the field) – King Nebuchadnezzar turned to animal – but by honest labor, Adam would eat bread –distinguished civilized from uncivilized. Adam is to eat food after the manner of the animals – because your face trembled, you shall eat bread – fear that he should be as the animals  — in Targum there is a prayer that he would be able to stand upright and labor – you stand in the temple, you stand before the Lord, you pray standing up – you can’t approach God on all fours like an animal – if you can stand, you can serve God in His Temple

–Adam is rescued from a physical fall, in which he was condemned to eat like animals – redeemed to be able to stand in temple

(Margaret Barker, in response to my question, says that the Book of Daniel motif of falling to ground and then being stood upright by angel follows this same motif)

–you shall stand up from the dust and then return to dust and then rise again to give judgement in the last day (return to the temple) Targum to Gen 3:18–19

–Israel in Egypt is as Adam was after his fall – their backs are bent down (like animals) and they are slaves to a foreign king – they are drawn out (of Egypt and from the waters of the Red Sea) and enter the avodah of the temple

When you don’t have access to the temple, you are in darkness.

Verbal Echoes of Genesis 1-3 in the New Testament

–Ordinary words; distinctive words; quoted words; Temple-related words.  There are many words in the Greek New Testament that seem to have been deliberately given preference (over other alternatives) to emphasize a relationship to the Temple.

Examples:

–”Serpent” lifted up in John 3

–John 15 – the “true vine” is a manifestation of Tree of Life

–Many verbal connections – 40 verbal echoes of Genesis in NT

–Adam’s rib — Jesus’ side = birth of faith for disciples

–Jesus is the way – the way back to Eden

–Jesus is the “icon” of God

–Jesus breathes upon the disciples and they receive the Holy Ghost

–Dust of tabernacle mingled with bitter water — in Septuagint it is “living waters”

Compilers of Bible didn’t make these connections explicitly, but write with the understanding that their listeners would be familiar with these temple themes.

Temple-Thematic Allusions to Adam

Eden and the Temple are very closely related. The Garden of Eden in Genesis is portrayed as a holy sanctuary.

Jubilees 3:26-27 — Adam offered incense on altar – a high priestly duty

The writers of the NT understood Eden and Adam in this temple context.

Good Samaratin – man comes down from holy place and falls among evil men – is revived by a redeemer

Parable of two sons serving in vineyard – one says he will do will of Father, other says “I” but does not go

See in OT: Psalm 82:7; Hosea 6:7; Job 31:33; Ezek. 28:11–19

In NT: John 8:58 “before Abraham.” Luke 10:18, 30.

Adam as a “Son of God” (Luke 3:38)

NT has positive view of Adam

Luke 3: 38 – Adam is son of God – Adam and Jesus are a pair

–Son of God is a title of kingship – Adam and Jesus are both kings

–Adam was to rule over all – NT claims this for Jesus

Son of Man –- according to Marvin Sweeney – Priest serving in temple is supposed to represent Adam, so Ben Adam (Son of Man) is an appropriate title

The Marriage of Adam and Eve (Matt. 19:3–9)

Matt. 19 – Gen. 2:24 — God joins man and woman in marriage — Adam is a married high priest – Malachi 2:10, 15 – wife of covenant (covenant marriage).

–Obligation of husband towards wife

–“cleave” – assumes covenantal loyalty

–”one in flesh” –establishment of new family unit — What God has joined together as one flesh

–”bone of my bone”  –2 Sam 5 – this is a covenantal formula — woman to be treated as part of man’s own body in covenant – “neither is man without woman and woman without man in the Lord”

Jubilees – Eden is the pinnacle of holiness – Adam serves as high priest there

– According to tradition, the high priest had to be married — Lev. 21:15 — marriage to a young virgin

–see also Ben Sira 49:15 – 50:1

–The high priest was required to atone for himself and his family — there is a tradition that there was a “standby wife” in case the high priest’s wife dies before the Day of Atonement — it was essential that he have a wife

Jesus was a high priest – Hebrews

Salvation through Childbearing and as a Righteous Couple (1 Tim. 2:13–15)

1 Tim. 2:13–15 – “she shall be saved through (dia) childbearing, if they (plural) continue in righteousness”

–Gen. 5:2 – man and woman together is Adam – rabbis said that he who is without a wife is not a complete person

–The couple as a complete “Adam”: 1 Cor. 11:11; Eph. 5:33; 1 Pet. 3:1–7

–parable of the wedding banquet — Christ as the bridegroom

Overcoming Physical Death through Christ (1 Cor. 15:20–23, 44–49)

1 Cor. 15:20–23 — all must die in order to be awakened to eternal life –-Gen. 3:17–19 —World to come is a return to that which existed before – return to the Temple

Paul’s chiastic and expansive use of Gen 2:7 (divine breath of life, pnoen zoes; mortal living soul, psychen zosan) — becomes: “The first man Adam was made a living soul (psychen zosa); the last Adam was made a quickening spirit (pneuma zoiopoioun).”

Where did Paul get idea of first and last Adam? Philo? Hellenistic Judaims? Stephen Molton argues that the resurrected Lord is still in the image of God- Power of last Adam to affect all mankind – opened temple to all people

Adam as an Archetype of Christ (Rom 5:14)

–Adam is archetype of Christ (Rom 5:14) – he is much more than the antitype – he is also the type. Parallels between the lives of Adam and the Son of Man echoed in the NT.

–Jesus is the gardener as Adam was ; both tempted by Satan ; both ate angels’ food; Adam’s body buried with incense; Eve saw Adam ascend to heaven; expulsion of Satan

–Compare Rom 5 to Hebrews — comparison of Adam and Jesus as high priest

–Without a temple theology, these connections do not make much sense

–In baptism we are stripped of garments given to adam and eve and given garments of glorious resurrection

The “Two Adams” window in the Cathedral of St. John in Lyon, France

Church is the assembly of the firstborns

Overcoming Sin through Christ (Rom 5:12–21)

Story of Adam and Eve is not a story of the origin of sin but process of becoming like God. Not inherited original sin, but sinfulness acquired by an evil course of life.

Corresponding one-to-one instances of grace, justification, and obedience.

The Restoration of All Things (Acts 3:21)

In baptism — clothing, death, resurrection (Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3–4; 1 Cor. 15:53)

In community — unity, knowledge, perfect man, fullness (Eph 4:14)

In God’s image — form, likeness, glory, perfection (Phil. 2:5-6; 3:21)

Adam and Jesus serve as book ends – in the plan of salvation – we must be born in the physical and spiritual image of God.

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These notes from Jack Welch’s presentation are based on his handout and my own notes taken from his presentation. Please note that my posting of these notes from the Temple Studies Symposium is not necessarily done in the order that the speakers presented. Also, as I will be out of town the next few days and have no computer access, it may be a while before I can post the rest of my notes. My apologies! David Larsen