Written by E

And It Came to Pass: A Star Named Kolob

Day 15

Let’s just get this out of the way: If you want read the Joseph Smith translation of Matthew, his history, or even the Articles of Faith for the Latter-day Saints, go for it. I read them, but I’m not commenting on them too much. Why? Because the Books of Moses and Abraham could take up an entire blog. They are the most controversial of Latter-day Saint scriptures and where LDS theology comes to life.

As the story goes, a traveling salesman was making his way through town selling mummies. Weird, right? Just let that sink in a moment. People were selling mummies. Anyway, the Latter-day Saints ended up with some papyri that depicted a variety of scenes. Joseph Smith took a look at them and declared: These were lost book off the Bible and the words of the patriarchs Moses and Abraham! Smith began translating them.

He arranged grammars for Egyptian, interpreted fragments of the papyri, he even filled in gaps in the drawings. What he translated ended up being the Books of Moses and Abraham. Now, here’s the thing. Egyptologists have since taken a look at these papyri and determined they were not lost books of the Bible, but from the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Latter-day Saint authorities have defended their authenticity fiercely. They’re not authentic.

There’s two explanations for this: 1. Joseph Smith is a liar. 2. Joseph Smith was “reading between the lines,” using his gift as a Seer to speak new truth from God. I used to think the entire LDS religion hinged upon these two books and their authenticity. That any claim to truth rested in these books. Having read all of their scriptures now, I’m convinced the truth — or lack thereof — is evident in the very first pages of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Moses and Abraham provides a whole different level of uniqueness to this religion.

Listen, you decide for yourself on this. I know what I believe about this particular faith. I strongly err on the side of the archaeological record. But no matter what you think about these books: They are so fascinating! I want to learn more about them and how they inform LDS life.

Here’s why. In these books, you get the most unique LDS doctrines fleshed out. The origin of Satan? Done. Guess what? He’s Jesus’ brother. Where does God live? Near a star named Kolob. What’s the plan of salvation? It’s complicated, but involves marriage. How many gods are there? There are many! And Earth was created by more than one god. Oh, and some Enochian ideas about the “perfect Man” come into play to foretell the coming of Jesus.

These books are a lot. In my opinion, they’re where people interested in the Latter-day Saints should start. Because they aren’t just a nice story about a lost tribe of Israel. They are a radically different look at Christianity. It’s interesting…the Articles of Faith sound so agreeable. I think most Christians could read them and agree with a great deal of them. But then you get to the Books of Moses and Abraham and realize there is so much left out of those Articles of Faith. You realize that Latter-day Saints are an entirely different thing altogether.

Things I Noticed in the Text

  1. Moses 3:5, Spiritual then Physical. God created everything spiritually before it was created physically. This book retells the creation story, so this is an important difference. It feels very Platonic.
  2. Moses 4:3, Fall of Satan. The Hebrew Bible rarely makes mention of Satan. This story stands out, then, mentioning the fall of Satan and that Satan is an actual being.
  3. Moses 6:65, Adam Baptized? Yep. Adam is baptized at the end of all of this.
  4. Abraham 3:3, God Lives Near a Star. And that star’s name is KOLOB!
  5. Abraham 3:22, Pre-Existence. We all existed before we were born. This is crucial to the LDS plan of salvation. We are here in this life to prove ourselves.
  6. Abraham 4, So Many Gods. I put the entire chapter here because all anyone really needs to do is scan its and see how often it mentions “The Gods.” Latter-day Saints are polytheists.

This post is part of a larger series where I read the entirety of Latter-day Saint scripture in 15 days. Take a look at the original post for more info, as well as links to other reflections on this journey.