Лекция: М.А.Шишкин 4 страница
Nibley is not alone in pointing out parallels between the Qumran texts and Mormon scripture. William J. Hamblin complains that «the critics [of Mormonism] have never explained why we find close linguistic and literary parallels between the figure Mahujah in Dead Sea Scrolls Aramaic fragments and the Book of Enoch and Mahijah questioning Enoch in the book of Moses (Moses 6:40).»(2)… Stephen E. Robinson points to numerous similarities between the Qumran community and the Latter-day Saints. He notes that the Qumranites wrote important information on metal, they believed in baptism(s) by immersion,(3) their community was led by a council of twelve men with three governing priests, they had sacred meals of bread and wine administered by priests,(4) and they believed in continuing revelation through a prophetic leader. He writes, «All of this leads to the conclusion that in many ways the Essenes may have been closer to the [Mormon] gospel than other Jewish sects.»(5) As with defenses of the Book of Mormon, more examples could be listed. In light of the growing participation of LDS scholars in Scrolls research we can be sure that many more will be brought to our attention....
Footnotes cited above:
1. Nibley, «More Voices,» 242.
2. William J. Hamblin, «An Apologist for the Critics: Brent Lee Metcalfe's Assumptions and Methodologies,» Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, 6 no. 1 (1994):484-485. Hamblin is referring to the Book of the Giants fragments 4Q203, 4Q530, and 6Q8. For an extended discussion of this and other parallels, see Hugh W. Nibley, «Churches in the Wilderness,» in Nibley on the Timely and the Timeless, ed. Truman G. Madsen (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1978):155-86.
3. This is thought to be significant because it is an example of Jews baptizing by immersion before the New Testament, thus showing the practice in the Book of Mormon not to be anachronistic.
4. The point here is to illustrate a distinctively Christian ordinance with roots in pre-Christian Judaism.
5. Stephen E. Robinson, «Background for the Testaments,» The Ensign (December 1982).
Mosser and Owen go on to discuss other Jewish writings (the pseudepigrapha) that have more specific similarities with LDS scriptures. These writings are used to LDS scholars to establish an ancient milieu for the Book of Mormon. Among several examples, they cite work of Stephen E. Robinson on the Narrative of Zosimus (or History of the Rechabites) «which contains an interesting tradition about Jews leaving Jerusalem in Jeremiah's time, and traveling across the ocean to a land of promise.»
There are impressive parallels between LDS scriptures and ancient Semitic writings that were generally unknown in Joseph Smith's day. Mosser and Owen explain that Latter-day Saints are not the only ones who have noticed this:
LDS writers are not alone in noting various parallels between these ancient texts and Mormon literature. James H. Charlesworth, in a lecture delivered at Brigham Young University entitled, «Messianism in the Pseudepigrapha and the Book of Mormon,» points to what he describes as «important parallels... that deserve careful examination.» He cites examples from 2 Baruch, 4 Ezra, Psalms of Solomon and the Testament of Adam.(1) If the world's leading authority on ancient pseudepigraphal writings thinks such examples deserve «careful examination,» it might be wise for evangelicals to do some examining. [italics in the original]… Yale's Harold Bloom is perplexed as how to explain the many parallels between Joseph Smith's writings and ancient apocalyptic, pseudepigraphal, and kabbalistic literature. He writes, «Smith's religious genius always manifested itself though what might be termed his charismatic accuracy, his sure sense of relevance that governed biblical and Mormon parallels. I can only attribute his genius or daemon his uncanny recovery of elements in ancient Jewish theurgy that had ceased to be available either to normative Judaism or to Christianity, and that had survived only in esoteric traditions unlikely to have touched Smith directly.»(2)
Footnotes cited above:
1. James H. Charlesworth, «Messianism in the Pseudepigrapha and the Book of Mormon,» in Reflections on Mormonism: Judeo-Christian Parallels, ed. Truman G. Madsen (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1978), 99-137. Non-LDS biblical scholars Jacob Milgrom, David Noel Freedman, W.D. Davies and Krister Stendahl also contributed to this volume.
2. Harold Bloom, The American Religion (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992), 101 (emphasis added).
The case for the Book of Mormon as an authentic ancient text is becoming strong enough to attract the notice of thoughtful evangelical critics of the Church. We look forward to further discoveries! After all, we already know what the answer will be, for our knowledge of the TRUTH of the Book of Mormon is not based on what scholars say, but on what the Spirit shows those who read it sincerely and pray. But learning about the impressive evidences for the Book of Mormon helps us better appreciate the book — and makes life even more fun.
Much more to come...
Related Web Pages
Some other relevant pages include:
My answers to common questions about Book of Mormon evidence — including archaeological disputes, geography, and a brief mention of DNA studies. It's one of my LDSFAQ — pages. Other related LDSFAQ pages include Questions About Alleged Problems in the Text, Questions About Plants and Animals in the Book of Mormon, Questions about Plagiarism (was it based on works of Ethan Smith, Shakespeare, the King James Bible, or perhaps even Tolkien?), Questions About Changes in the Book of Mormon, and Questions About Metals in the Book of Mormon.
Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon
Metal plates and the Book of Mormon
Kerry A. Shirts' Mormonism Researched page — A monumental and scholarly LDS site by the incomparable Kerry Shirts. Of particular interest is the section on Book of Mormon Issues: Archaeology, History & Thought.
The Jewishness of the Book of Mormon — a new site by Rabbi Yosef, who is not LDS and does not necessarily endorse the Book of Mormon, yet has found many interesting elements in it that point to its ancient Semitic roots. One of my favorite articles is «Sukkot and King Benjamin's Message,» which finds interesting Feast of Tabernacles parallels in the Book of Mormon.
Witnesses of the Book of Mormon
DCP's Gospel Research InfoNet Home Page by D. Charles Pyle. This site tackles many anti-LDS arguments with sound logic and solid research. A valuable page on this site is Pyle's review of Marian Bodine's book, «Book of Mormon vs. the Bible (or common sense)». Includes a couple photos of relevant evidence.
Is the Book of Mormon really an ancient book?
Response to the Smithsonian Institution's 1996 Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon — Deals with the many sloppy statements made by a department at the normally quite reputable Smithsonian Institution — but made without the benefit of adequate scholarship about either Mesoamerica or the Book of Mormon. The Smithsonian Statement is embarrassingly out of date and needs significant revision. Many issues are covered, including transoceanic voyaging and allegedly missing items such as silk.
Historicity of the Book of Mormon — a talk by Dallin H. Oaks
The FARMS Site, which includes such gems as:
A Study of Population Size in the Book of Mormon
Reformed Egyptian (A FARMS paper by William Hamblin)
Cotton and Transoceanic Contact? — Recent DNA analysis of cotton shows that a species in Book of Mormon lands (Isthmus of Tehuantepec) provides possible evidence of transoceanic contact in Book of Mormon times.
FARMS Review of Books — great reviews of and responses to books about LDS scripture
FARMS Insights — news about recent research and events
FARMS Criticism Papers — detailed responses to some common objections
FARMS Lecture Series — great insights into the Book of Mormon
FARMS Journal of Book of Mormon Studies
Linguistic evidences of Old World-New World connections
Curse of the Cocaine Mummies — transcript of the 1997 Discovery Channel documentary showing strong evidence of ancient transoceanic trade between the Old and New Worlds.
Chapman Research Group — offering interesting evidences for the Book of Mormon.
LDSFAQ Index: Answers to Frequent Questions
Russell Anderson's Book of Mormon Page — includes discussion of a variety of evidences
Some Archaeological Outliers — a site with photos and information on the Bat Creek Stone (apparently written in an old Hebrew script) and other finds that challenge standard paradigms of archaeology. (Be sure to look at the potential evidence for pre-Columbian maize in India. Transoceanic contact, anyone?) I discuss the significant Bat Creek inscription on my page about the Smithsonian Institution's 1996 Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon.
An introduction to the Church
Summary of my main LDS pages<!--FOOT-->
Curator:Jeff Lindsay, email: <jlindsay@athenet.net>
Last Updated:June 23, 1999
URL: «www.athenet.net/~jlindsay/BMEvidences.shtml»
М.А.Шишкин