What is Perfection?

Perhaps no concept in the Christain world has caused more discouragement and hopelessness than the notion of perfection. In Matthew 5:48 the Savior commands all of his followers to be perfect and all conscientous Christains strive for this ideal. However, it is easy to become overwhelmed and feel completely defeated when striving for perfection when we use the conventional English definition of perfection.

Webster's dictionary defines the word "perfect" as: "being entirely without fault or defect : flawless". Using this definition it is natural to conclude that when the Savior commands us to be perfect he is commanding us to be sinless. Using this definition it is easy to become disheartened because as King Benjamin explains in Mosiah 4:29: "I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them."

As Joseph Smith explained: "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly..." (Articles of Faith 1:8, emphasis added) and in the case of Matthew 5:48 the English translators of the King James version of the Bible chose a word that does not properly convey what the Savior was teaching.

The original language of the New Testament was Greek and the word from which "perfect" was translated is τέλειος (teleios) which means "complete" in the sense of having finished a journey or reached a goal.  Jack Welch points out in his book "The Sermon At the Temple and the Sermon On the Mount" that teleios "is used in Greek religious literature to describe the person who has become fully initiated in the rituals of the religion." Furthermore he states that "generally in the Epistle to the Hebrews, its usage follows a 'special use' from Hellenistic Judaism, where the word teleioo means 'to put someone in the position in which he can come or stand before God.'" (Welch 58-59, emphasis added).

It is interesting to note that there is a subtle difference in the command to be perfect as found in Matthew 5:48 and 3 Nephi 12:48. In the sermon given at the temple among the descendants of Lehi he gives the command to be perfect followed by the phrase "even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect" (emphasis added). In the account given of the Sermon on the Mount the phrase "even as I" is not included.

The Savior delivered the Sermon on the Mount in Palestine as a mortal prior to his crucifixion and resurrection but he delivered the sermon found in 3 Nephi after his resurrection. We know that while he was mortal he had not yet ascended to the father to stand in his presence. Indeed even shortly after his resurrection he still had not yet done so as he explained to Mary in the garden (See John 20:17). However, it is clear from the Book of Mormon that he did not appear to the descendants of Lehi until after his ascension to the Father (See 3 Nephi 10:18 and 3 Nephi 11:12).

Therefore, in the sense of perfection as being fully initiated into the rituals of the religion and being in a position in which to stand before God, Jesus Christ was not perfect until after his ascension. Also, we can conclude that it is not necessary to try to make oneself sinless in the absolute sense in order to be perfect or teleios. Perfection in the sense of sinlessness is an unrealistic and ultimately counter-productive expectation, an expectation that one is hard pressed to find in the scriptures. Certainly, obedience to the commandments of God and personal purity are essential to the Lord's plan and are a requirement to achieve ritual perfection but sinlessness is not required to obtain God's approval and to qualify for his highest blessings.

What did the Ark of the Covenant look like?

Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark, painting by James Jacques Joseph Tissot, c. 1900

What did the Ark of the Covenant look like?

Let's look at the description given in Exodus 25:10-20:

Verse 10:

• It is called an "ark:" (Heb. ארון - "A box: - ark, chest, coffin." Strong's Concordance).
• It was made of acacia wood.
• The dimensions were: "Two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide and a cubit and a half high." A cubit was approximately 20 inches long.

Verse 11:

• It was overlain "with pure gold" inside and out.
• There was some kind of crown or molding around the outside of it.

Verse 12:

• There were 4 gold rings - one attached to each of its four feet.

Verse 13-15:

• Poles of acacia wood overlain with gold were inserted through the rings for the purpose of carrying it.

Verse 17:

• There was a lid or covering often translated as "mercy seat" (Heb. כפרת - kapporeth. "A lid [used only of the cover of the sacred Ark]: - mercy seat." Strong's Concordance).
• The dimensions of the mercy were two and a half cubits by one and a half cubits.

Verse 18-19:

•  On top of the "mercy seat" there were two cherubim on each end.

Verse 20:

• The wings of the cherubim "covered" (Heb. סָכַךְ - sakak. "to entwine as a screen; by implication to fence in, cover over, [figuratively] protect: - cover, defence, defend, hedge in, join together, set, shut up." Strong's Concordance) the "mercy seat".
• The faces of the cherubim faced one another toward the "mercy seat".

The "Mercy Seat"

The description of the ark is fairly straightforward until we come to the description of the kapporeth (mercy seat). The word "kapporeth" shares its root with kaphar (כָּפַר) which means "to cover" or "to atone" in the sense of hiding or covering up sin. The Hebrew name of the "mercy seat" then does not make it clear that the kapporeth was a seat.

However, despite the ambiguity of the description in Exodus 25 it is clear from elsewhere in the Bible that the kapporeth was indeed a seat or throne of some kind.

1 Samuel 4:4 and 2 Samuel 6:2, in reference to the Ark, describe the Lord "dwelling between the cherubim". The word "dwelling" is translated from yashab (יָשַׁב) which can also be translated as "to sit down as in judgement". In addition, multiple prophets have seen in vision the heavenly temple wherein the Lord was enthroned in the Holy of Holies (see Isaiah 6:1; Ezekiel 10:1 and 1 Nephi 1:8).

The "Cherubim"

The cultural proximity of the Israelites and Canaanites was very close. In fact it has been argued that "Israelite religion [was] a subset of Canaanite religion." (See Peterson, Nephi and His Asherah, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies: Volume - 9, Issue - 2, Pages: 16–25 Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 2000). As a result we can get a pretty good idea of how the Israelites may have depicted the cherubim on the ark by looking at Canaanite representations of cherubim.

Pictured below is the sarcophagus of Ahiram who was the king of Byblos around the time of King David. Interestingly he is depicted sitting atop a cherubic throne toward the left side of the photo and it is likely the Ark of the Covenant looked similar in some respects to this throne.

Below is another depiction of a cherub throne found on an ivory from Megiddo dating to approximately 1200 BC.

We can also find clues to the appearance of the Ark of the Covenant from another of the Israelites' neighbors, Egypt. It must be remembered that immediately prior to building the Ark the Israelites had spent several generations living in Egypt and must have been heavily influenced by its culture. It seems reasonable to assume Israel's artistic representations would have reflected that influence.

Interestingly, in Egypt we find examples of portable thrones carried on poles just as the Ark of the Covenant was. Below is an image of Ramesses III (ca. 1182-1151 BC) on a portable throne from Medinet Habu.

Therefore, by studying the description of the Ark in the Bible and by examining other ancient examples of portable cherub thrones we can develop a pretty good idea of what the Ark of the Covenant looked like.

Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement

On Tuesday and Wednesday this week Jews around the world will be celebrating the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar - Yom Kippur (יום כפור) or the Day of Atonement. Yesterday at the Temple on Mount Zion Conference Bill Hamblin gave a presentation entitled "Jacob and the Israelite Day of Atonement" which can be viewed here. It was a fascinating lecture wherein he argued that the sermon given by Jacob in 2 Nephi 6-10 was given at the temple on the Day of Atonement. Professor Hamblin made his point by showing that there are a number of themes contained in Jacob's sermon that are common with the Day of Atonement.

The following is a summary of the themes that Dr. Hamblin presented:

• New Year
• The Temple
• The High Priest
• Pilgrimage
• Creation narrative
• Prophecy
• Israel blessed by the High Priest
• Covenant
• God judges Israel
• Atonement
• Expulsion of Satan/Azazel
• Water cleansing
• Robes/investiture
• Mercy
• Reading law
• Memorial
• Way, gate, gatekeeper
• Revelation of ineffable name
• Removal of robes
• Confession
• Fast/feast
• Drink offering
• Holy of Holies
• Hymn

It is interesting to note that most, if not all, of these themes can also be found in our modern endowment ceremony. I believe that the endowment ceremony can be understood to be a Day of Atonement experience with the participant acting in the capacity of the High Priest.

The Temple on Mount Zion

Saturday is the Temple on Mount Zion Conference at the Provo Public Library. It is free and open to the public and looks like there will be some fascinating presentations given. It is being held in honor of Matthew B. Brown who passed away about a year ago.

The program is pasted below and I will be in attendance. Hope to see you there!

Program:

1. 9:15-9:20 AM, David Seely
“Welcome and Opening Prayer”

2. 9:20-9:30 AM, Jamie Brown and Matt Roper
“In Memoriam Matthew Brown”

3. 9:30-9:55 AM, David R. and Jo Ann H. Seely
“Creation and Temple”

4. 10:00-10:25 AM, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
“The Ark and the Tent: Temple Symbolism in the Story of Noah”

5. 10:30-10:55 AM, John Gee
“Edfu and Exodus”

6. 11:00-11:25 AM, David Calabro
“The Divine Handclasp in the Hebrew Bible and in Ancient Near Eastern Iconography”

7. 11:30-11:55 AM, Donald W. Parry
“Ancient Sacred Vestments: Scriptural Symbols and Meanings”

8. 12:00 AM - 1:30 PM, Lunch Break

9. 1:30-1:55 PM, Mack Stirling
“Job: An LDS Reading”

10. 2:00-2:25 PM, David J. Larsen
“From Dust to Exalted Crown: Royal and Temple Themes Common to the Psalms and the Dead Sea
Scrolls “

11. 2:30-2:55 PM, Stephen D. Ricks
“Psalm 23 and the ‘Terrible Questions’”

12. 3:00-3:25 PM, David Bokovoy
“Holiness to the Lord: Biblical Temple Imagery in the Sermons of Jacob the Priest”

13. 3:30-3:55 PM, William Hamblin
“Jacob’s Sermon (2 Nephi 6-10) and the Day of Atonement”

14. 4:00-4:25 PM, Mark Alan Wright
“Axes Mundi: A Comparative Analysis of Nephite and Mesoamerican Temple and Ritual Complexes”

15. 4:30-5:00 PM, Andrew Ehat
“A Torah Harmony”

16. 5:00-5:25 PM, Richard O. Cowan
“Latter-day Houses of the Lord: Developments in Their Design and Function”

17. 5:30 PM, Conclusion

Exodus 4:27-28 - Aaron's Endowment

In Exodus 4:27-28 the story is told of the meeting of Moses and Aaron following Moses' call to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.

On its surface this account seems (at least to modern individuals) to be nothing more than a story told in passing to fill in the gap and inform the reader about the meeting of the two brothers. However, there are elements in this narrative that suggest this meeting is to be understood in the context of the temple and that perhaps Aaron at this time was the recipient of temple ordinances. The elements are as follows:

1. The Lord instructs Aaron to meet Moses in the "wilderness" (מדבר - midbar)*.
2. Moses and Aaron meet in the "mount of God" (הר האלהים - har haelohim).
3. In the mount, Moses teaches Aaron all the "signs" (אותים - othim) which Moses had been given from the Lord.

מדבר (Midbar)

In Hebrew the term from which the word "wilderness" is translated is מדבר (midbar). The root of midbar is דבר (dabar) which means "to arrange". To the ancient Israelites the wilderness was a place of order which the Lord had ordered or "arranged" during the creation. This was in contrast to the chaos of the deep out of which the ordered creation emerged. Chaos was the realm of Satan while order was the realm of God. The temple was perhaps the highest manifestation of order on earth. Every aspect of the temple was ordered, from the structure itself to the rites performed therein (See Exodus 25:8-9). Therefore, it is not surprising that the wilderness has served as a substitute temple, or a place where individuals can draw close to Deity. For example, the Savior went into the wilderness to be with God (See JST Matthew 4:1) and Joseph Smith experienced his first vision in the wilderness (See JS-H 1:14).

Another word which shares the same root as מדבר is דביר (debir) which is used to describe the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place in the temple (translated as "oracle" in 1 Kings 6:16). It was the דביר where the Lord had his throne (the ark) and into which the High Priest entered on the Day of Atonement. Therefore, the presence of מדבר is one indicator that the account of the meeting between Moses and Aaron is connected with temple.

הר האלהים (Har haElohim)

Exodus 4:27 informs us that the meeting between the brothers took place in the האר האלהים "mount of God" (aka Horeb see Exodus 3:1). The connection between mountains and temples has been firmly well established (Read more here) and anciently mountains were natural temples where prophets went to not only ascend closer to God but to enter his presence (See 1 Nephi 11:1; Moses 1:1-2; Moses 7:2-4). In this respect they are closely connected with the Holy of Holies specifically. It was into the Holy of Holies that the High Priest entered each year during the Day of Atonement and symbolically came into God's presence. It is interesting to note that after going into the wilderness to be with God the Savior ascended a mountain and there beheld a vision of all the kingdoms of the earth similar to the visions of Moses and Enoch after they had entered God's presence (See JST Matt. 4:8; Moses 1:28-29 ; Moses 7:2-4). Therefore, the presence of הר האלהים indicates another connection with the temple.

אותים (othim)

The KJV version of Exodus 4:28 translates the word אותים (othim) into English as "signs". In a superficial reading of this account one may assume that the signs mentioned in this verse refer to the signs the Lord gave to Moses earlier in the chapter to demonstrate to the Israelites that Moses truly was sent by the Lord. However, the presence of מדבר and הר האלהים indicate that this may not be the case. Also, clues found in אותים itself may indicate that this may not be the case.

In certain instances in the Old Testament there are places where אותים is found in a ritual, covenant making context. The word can also be translated into English as "tokens" as found in Genesis 9:12 and Genesis 17:11 where it is found in the context of covenant making. Therefore, it is possible that the presence of אותים in this passage may indicate the presence of covenant making involving Moses and Aaron. Modern temples are places where covenants are made with the Lord and Latter-Day Saints understand that the covenants and ordinances found in modern temples had their counterparts anciently (see D&C 124:38).

In addition, the fact that אותים can be translated as "signs" or "tokens" is another indicator that the account is to be understood in a temple context. In addition to receiving covenants temples are places where righteous individuals go to be taught certain signs and tokens. Brigham Young explained it this way:

“Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell” (Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941], p. 416).

Since we know that the endowment ceremony is not unique to our dispensation we can safely assume that it served a similar, if not identical, purpose anciently and there is very strong evidence that this was indeed the case. Therefore, the signs or tokens that Moses taught Aaron may have been the signs and tokens given in temples at the time.

Conclusion

The presence of the terms מדבר, הר האלהים and אותים indicate that the account of Aaron traveling into the wilderness to meet with Moses on the Mount of God can be understood in a temple context. According to the teachings of Brigham Young, as discussed above, the purpose of the temple is to enable righteous individuals to ascend into the presence of the Lord by providing them with the signs and tokens which are necessary for that to happen.

We know that Moses had previously received these signs and tokens for himself because the text mentions that he had and he had evidently utilized those signs and tokens on at least one occasion (see Moses 1). Perhaps at this point in the narrative Aaron had not received this ordinance and the Lord wished for him to enjoy the blessings associated with it before embarking on his mission with Moses as this seems to be the model - at least in later dispensations (see Luke 24:49 and D&C 38:38).

In Exodus 7:1-2 the Lord explains that Moses would be a god to Pharaoh and that Aaron would be his (Moses') prophet. In this sense then, as Aaron traveled into the wilderness and ascended the mountain to meet Moses he was ascending into the presence of the Lord. If we accept that Aaron did at some point during his life receive his temple blessings it seems certain that this was the point when it occurred.

*Disclaimer: I have been studying Hebrew casually for the past year or two when I have a break from work/family/church responsibilities, but by no means have I mastered the language. I have given it my best shot to make the information regarding the Hebrew as accurate as possible.

Note: the inclusion of the word נשק (nashaq - translated as "kissed") may be another indicator that this account is to be understood in the context of the temple. It appears as though this word could be translated as "embraced" although I felt like I couldn't make a strong enough case to include it in the main portion of my blog posting. The ritual embrace is also connected to the temple and if you would like to read more about it there is an interesting article at the By Common Consent blog.

Ancient Temples and Sacred Symbols by Bill Hamblin

Exodus 3:14 - I AM THAT I AM

I have commented on this verse in a previous post here.

Exodus 3:5

"Put off thy shoes from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground"

Why would the Lord require Moses to remove his shoes? Here is Adam Clarke's explanation:

"Pulling off the shoes was... an emblem of laying aside the pollutions contracted by walking in the way of sin."

The Burning Bush

In Exodus 3, the curious story is told of Moses' encounter with the burning bush where the Lord (יהוה - Yahweh or Jehovah) speaks with Moses from the midst of the bush regarding his mission to deliver the Israelites out of Egyptian bondage. While the idea of God speaking from the midst of a burning bush may seem foreign to modern readers it was not an unfamiliar theme to the ancient Israelites and carried meaning not immediately obvious to us.

The early religion of the Canaanites and the Israelites were closely related (See See Daniel C. Peterson, . "Nephi and his Asherah." Maxwell Institute. Maxwell Institute, n.d. Web. 29 Jun 2012.). In the Canaanite pantheon the chief deity was El, whose wife was a goddess named Asherah (aka Elat - the feminine form of El). Additionally, as Daniel Peterson explains:

"In the earliest Israelite conception, father El had a divine son named Jehovah or Yahweh.⁴ Gradually, however, the Israelite conception of Yahweh absorbed the functions of El and, by the 10th century BC, King Solomon's day, had come to be identified with him.⁵" (Peterson, "Nephi and his Asherah").

Asherah (אשרה) was commonly associated with many different types of trees including the almond tree. She was also associated with the concepts of fruitfulness, posterity, fertility etc. One of the main features in the temple at Jerusalem was the menorah which represented a stylized almond tree (see Exodus 25:31-35). Therefore, in the minds of the Israelites the menorah was probably connected with Asherah. It is interesting to note also that the burning bush and the menorah were both, in essence, burning trees and the Israelites would have undoubtedly have seen this connection as well.

Additionally, rabbinic writings associate the burning bush with the Shekinah or Divine Presence. The word Shekinah is a feminine word (the -ah ending making it feminine) and was thought of as having feminine attributes (See Louis Ginzberg, "Legends of the Jews.", http://philologos.org, Web 30 Jun 2012.).

We see, therefore, a strong connection between Asherah and everything associated with her and the burning bush. That connection is reinforced by the text of Exodus itself and the account of the interaction between Moses and God.

In Exodus 3, verses 2 - 6 describe how Moses sees the bush from afar, draws closer to investigate, is told to remove his shoes and then speaks with the Lord. The Lord then identifies himself to Moses as the God worshipped by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but does not use the name יהוה (Jehovah or Yahweh).

However, later in Exodus chapter 6 verses 2 - 3 the Lord explains that:

"I am Jehovah. And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, as El Shaddai, but by my name Jehovah I did not make myself known unto them."

In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible El Shaddai (אֵל שַׁדַּי ) is usually translated as "God Almighty". As has been discussed in other posts, the name/title of El Shaddai carries a female connotation which is generally used while discussing the concepts of fertility, posterity, fruitfulness etc. (See Gen. 28:3 for example).

The Israelites were on the cusp of being delivered from bondage in Egypt and coming into being, as a distinct nation. It would appear, therefore, that God, by appearing in the burning bush, was sending a clear message to Moses and the Israelites that they were about to be delivered (or born) to a fruitful land to be made a fruitful people.

Healing In His Wings

In Malachi 4:2 God speaks to the prophet Malachi and explains to him that the "Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings..." (Incidentally, the JST translates this passage as "Son of Righteousness").

The word from which the word wings was translated is כּנף (kânâph) which carries the basic meaning of something that projects laterally, so it can be translated as: wing, extremity, pinnacle etc. One particularly interesting translation could be: the flap of a garment or bed clothing.

This verse is understood by Latter-Day Saints as referring to the then future coming of Jesus Christ into the World. One instance of this prophecy being fulfilled could be found in Luke 8:44-48 wherein the woman having an "issue of blood" for twelve years touched the hem (or fringe) of the Savior's clothing and was healed as a result.

If we translate Malachi 4:2 as something like "the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in the fringes or borders of his garments" then the prophecy finds literal fulfillment in the story of the woman's healing.

Genesis 48

In the first few verses of chapter 48 we are once again introduced to the feminine themes that are so common throughout the book of Genesis.

Joseph, upon hearing of his father's illness, takes his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim to receive a blessing under the hands of Jacob. Before blessing Joseph's sons Jacob tells of the appearance of אל שדי (El Shaddai, usually translated as "God Almighty") at a place called לוז (Luz, which means "almond tree").

Both terms אל שדי and לוז have a feminine connotation attached to them (see above links) and femininity, in general, is associated with fertility or fruitfulness. In verse 4 of chapter 48 Jacob recalls the words of אל שדי to him at Luz which included blessings of:

1. Numerous posterity
2. The land of Canaan for an inheritance.
   

In verse 4 the term land is translated from ארץ (eretz, e.g. "The land of Israel" or "the land of America"). Interestingly, one of the terms for earth or ground (as in dirt, e.g. "I love the feel of the earth in my hands", a concept related to land) is אדמה (adamah see Genesis 2:7 ). אדמה is the feminine form of the name or word אדם (adam). אדמה, mother-like, begot or brought forth Adam, therefore, land or earth connotes fertility, femininity etc.

In addition, the words which were translated as fruitful and multiply in verse 4 of chapter 48 come from the roots פרה (parah) and רבה (rabah) which are also feminine words (the "-ah" ending in Hebrew words generally make them feminine).

For additional reading regarding these and similar concepts I highly recommend a short, but fascinating book called "Temple Theology" by Margaret Barker.

Notes on Gen. 46

Verse 34 - "Every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians."

Why would this be? Here is one possible explanation from Wikipedia under Abomination(Bible):

Every shepherd was "an abomination" unto the Egyptians (Genesis 46:34). This aversion to shepherds, such as the Hebrews, arose probably from the fact that Upper and Lower Egypt had formerly been held in oppressive subjection by the Hyksos (a tribe of nomad shepherds), who had only recently been expelled, and partly also perhaps from this other fact that the people of Egypt detested the nomadic habits of these wandering shepherds.