Mypr#h: : Fiery Beings, Light Beings, Glorious Ones: Light, Fire & Glory in LDS Thought and Ancient Judeo-Christian Literature
By Kerry A. Shirts
I picked the Seraphim as the symbolic example in this paper because of what they are, and how they perfectly match some ideas I have been mulling over for quite some time, and am now finally getting them down in writing..
I have been fascinated with the symbol and the conceptualization of light as it relates to God, to Heaven, and to reality for years. Through my readings of the scriptures, this thing called "light" keeps coming around, which is usually either influenced by God, or is God, or His glory, as well as a reflection of God’s Glory in many of his Heavenly entourage, creatures, and messengers. Some of Joseph Smith’s thoughts and comments on these things are extremely provocative, and I wish to delve into them rather with aplomb, as I have quite a hefty collection of notes I wish to share. I cannot pretend to be anywhere near exhaustive however. I wish to highlight the most interesting and captivating images and ideas of what these can mean for us when studying the scriptures. I can do no better than begin with Isaiah 6 where we first read of the Seraphim. Just who and what are these beings?
Isa. 6:1 – Isaiah see the Lord on His throne High and Exalted ()#nw Mr). The word Mr (rom, or rum)is "to be lifted up", to be "exalted", to be "setup", be "mounted", while the word )#nw (wenisa) means "to be honored", to be "magnified", "exalted", "elevated", etc. This is the glorious Lord in other words. The Book of Enoch describes him as "Lord of lords, God of gods, King of kings (and God of the ages), the Throne of Thy glory (standeth) unto all generations of the ages…" (R. H. Charles, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Vol. 2, Oxford, reprint, 1979, p. 193).
Isa. 6:2 – The Serpahim are the beings described with many wings. The word Mypr#h (haserapim) means "fiery serpent," or "fiery ones" which is the same word used five times elsewhere in the Old Testament (Numbers 21:6, 8; Deut. 8:15, Isa. 14:29; 30:6).
"These angelic beings were brilliant as flaming fire…" (R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols., Moody Press, 1980, Vol. 2, p. 884).
It is worth noting as well that the wings (Mypnk Kenaphim) described on these creatures, is the biblical term for "veils," or "covers." Kanap is not only wings, but the "corner", or "hem of a garment", the "skirt" (hence a covering) the "border" or "ends", the "overspreading", the "uttermost part". It means to "fence in" or "enclose" also. (Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, C. A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Oxford, 1951, p. 489). These beings can hide or cover their face (hsky wynp). Hebrew paneh (hnp) not only means "face," but "presence" as well. (See The Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, fully revised and corrected by John R. Kohlenberger, III and James A. Swanson, Zondervan, 2001, "Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary-Index to the Old Testament", p. 1442, entry # 6440; Cf. Brown, Driver, Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Hereafter cited as BDB, p. 816).
These creatures can hide their feet, or footing, (lgr) i.e. their location. As Avraham Gileadi has mentioned, "What we have here, in reality, is not a description of some bizarre creatures unknown to us, but of angels and their power to conceal themselves from men and to move freely through space." (Avraham Gileadi, "Isaiah: Four Latter Day Keys to an Ancient Book," in Isaiah and the Prophets, Ed., Monte Nyman, BYU Religious Studies Center, 1984: 129).
So what we have here is fiery angels. It is a powerful reminder for us when we read in "The Words of Michael" a Dead Sea Scroll fragment (4Q529) that:
)yl( )ym#l qls yd rtk Nm l) yk)lml l)kym rm) yd )btk ylm
t xk#h hmt )rwn ydwdg yd rm)
"The words of the book that Michael spoke to the Angels of God [after he had ascended to the Highest Heaven]. He said I found troops of fire there…"
(Robert Eisenman and Michael Wise, The Dead Sea Scrolls Uncovered, Element Books, 1992: 38.)
Michael himself says in the Testament of Amram, (4Q543, 545-548)
htltd yl rm)w hn(w
qdc yklmw )rwhn r#w l)kym Nwn) ythm#
"He said to me, [My] three names are [Michael and Prince of Light and King of Righteousness]."
(Eisenman & Wise, p. 156).
Florentino Garcia Martinez translates "The Words of Michael," precisely the same way as Eisenman & Wise:
"Words of the book which Michael spoke to the Angels of God […] He said: I found there troops of fire […]"
(Martinez, The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated: The Qumran Texts in English, E. J. Brill, 1994: 125).
The astonishing powerful description of the Dead Sea Scroll fragments 4Q286-4Q287 is worth reading.
)lp yrw)mw Myrw) yrwhn dwh yrhzw hkrn ybyb#w #) ydswm
"Foundations of fire, flames of Your lamp, Splendors of honor, fi[re]s of lights and miraculous brilliancies."
(Eisenman & Wise, p. 228)
Compare Martinez’s translation:
"Foundations of fire, flames of your lamp and brilliance of honour, luminous rays and wonderful gleams."
(Martinez, p. 434).
The Book of Enoch describes Enoch saying about his vision of God’s throne that it was surrounded by fire, the portal to the place being in flames, bright burnings and splendor, magnificence, etc. There was actually "streams of flaming fire." (R. H. Charles, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, Vol. 2, Oxford, reprint, 1979: p. 197). It is worth noting that Joseph Smith himself said God dwells in "Everlasting Burnings."
Another Dead Sea Scroll fragment (4Q477) was constructed as:
] ( hr)p hwr Mgw wm# Ny(h
"And also the spirit of radience with…"
(Eisenman & Wise, p. 273).
Recently it was translated as "and an [evi]l eye and is also vainglorious[…]"
(The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr., & Edward Cook, HarperSanFrancisco, 1996: 406).
So this may not be a reference to a shining spirit. I don’t know how Wise, Abegg and Cook reconstructed the Hebrew off the fragment. In the War Scroll, they do translate "the lot of God is light [eternal]." (p. 162). God is also in the Thanksgiving Hymn described as protecting his fruit (the True Israel in the wilderness) with "powerful warriors, holy spirits, and the whirling flame of fire…" (p. 102).
Martinez translates a section of the War Scroll as "the holy ones, he will shine out to assist the […] truth, for the destruction of the sons of darkness." (p. 96). Gaster notes in the Thanksgiving Hymns, the prophet is exulting: "I give thanks unto Thee oh Lord, for thou hast illumined [my face] [with the vision of Thy truth]" (p. 152). He also notes "Howbeit Thou in Thy might hast shed upon me the Perfect Light." (p. 159). "And the Splendor of Thy Glory has become unto me as a light ev[erlasting]" (p. 191).
Theodore Gaster noted that the community called themselves the "Sons of Light," a title familiar in the New Testament at Luke 16:8 – uiouv tou fwtov "huois ho photos", and at John 12:36, 1 Thess. 5:5. This was a common title among the Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran for the name of the celestial beings. (Gaster, The Dead Sea Scriptures, 3rd revised and enlarged ed., Doubleday, 1976: 20). It is fascinating that even Noah is described as when he was born, there was a sudden brilliant flashing of light, and his own father thought Noah’s mother had an affair with one of the Watchers or Giants, the Nephilim. This shining born baby was traditionally associated also with Abraham, Moses, Buddha and the Greek god Asklepios and the early Roman king Servius Tullius. Supernatural beings give their parentage away when they glow as they are born with their radiant faces. The genius of a hero , which is situated in his head, emits rays of light! (Gaster, p. 351). Onians has demonstrated this is the origin of the idea of making gold crowns with so many points going out, as if it were the divine light of the person wearing the crown. (R. B. Onians, The Origins of European Thought, Cambridge, 1st paperback, 1988: 165).
In light of this (no pun intended) claim for celestial beings, Jesus’ words at John 12:36 are indeed, illuminating!
ewv to fwv exete pisteuete eiv to fwv ina uioi fwtos genhsqe
heos ho phos echete pisteuete eis ho phos hina huioi photos genesphe
While you have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light.
Jesus is saying that while he is there as their light (cf. John 9: 5, fov eiui tou kosmou phos eimi ho kosmos, "I am the light of the world") and they, by following him, the celestial light, will be "sons of light."
Now it is important we get a theological gist here as well. Moses’ "brazen serpent" is called pr# sarap at Num 21:8, but another term, t#xn #xn Nechash nechoshet, or "bronze serpent" at Num. 21:9 when he actually makes the instrument. The Sarap is the "fiery serpent," which Moses tried his best to symbolize using bronze, which, glows and gleams. Ezekiel in his vision says burnished brass (bronze) actually "sparkled" Ccn
Natsatz, which is only used at Ezekiel 1:7. The Hebrew Cwcyn nitzotz is related and means "spark," as used in Isaiah 1:31, "And the strong shall be as tow (tr(n neoret, fibers or tinder broken off or shaken off of flax) and the maker of it as a spark, and they both burn together…" The Greek Septuagint at Ezekiel 1:7 uses the term ecastraptwn xalkov exastrapton chalkos, which is like a flash of lightning, something that shines and glitters, glisten, as indeed, bronze the chalkos does. It’s the same term at Nahum 3:3 which speaks of "glittering" (ecastraptwn) spears. This is a synonym to the Greek epifainw epiphaino, from which our word "epiphany" comes from, which is a revelation! This word means a shining forth, to light upon, an appearance, to manifest, etc. The Greek fainw phaino is to to give light, illuminate, shine forth as a luminous body, etc. The writer of the Thanksgiving Hymn in the Dead Sea Scrolls says time and again God revealed his might and strength to him "as perfect light." (Wise, Abegg, and Cook, p. 96, Cf. p. 109 – "the majesty of your glory as an etern[al] light…")
The point is, look to the light, look to the fiery serpent, the bright gleaming thing, and you will be saved. Light, glowing, gleaming, sparkling, illuminating, is all at play here. There is magnificent symbolism, as well as a literalness to all this all tied together. The bright serpent symbolized the bright Christ, the light of the world, literally, fov eiui tou kosmou phos eimi ho Kosmos, "The Light of the world."
From the Jewish Kabbalah perspective, this group of passages also piques our curiosity. Rabbi David A. Cooper has encouraged understanding concerning the idea that in the Bible there is more than one way of understanding the words. "Every word itself is a code for something else." (David A. Cooper, God is a Verb: Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism, Riverhead Books, 1997: 53). In other words, there are levels and levels of meaning in the scriptures, which, so far as I know, we Mormons would not disagree with much. Rabbi Cooper also notes that "it is understood that the Torah contains all the wisdom of creation. Every time a new code is broken, we discover something we had not known before. Therefore many complex methods have been used in this process to give us a magnifying glass so that we can explore the cosmic fabric fiber by fiber." (Cooper, p. 53).
The Gematric method of reading Torah and other scriptures can certainly be abused and used to make the scriptures say almost anything you want it to. Many find Gematria to be ridiculous. What it involves is the sense of numbers representing letters. The Hebrew Alphabet is aligned and each letter is assigned a numerical value. Thus the supposed secret sense of a word by means of numerical equivilants is brought to light. Our understanding of various passages of scripture and possible relationships we would not see otherwise comes to fruition.
When we look at the word nachash, the serpent we find #hn adds to 358. # = 300, + h 8 + n 50 = 358. The word Messiah hy#m also adds to 358. h 8 + y 10 + # 300 + m 40 = 358. Some relationship can said, using this method, to exist between the Messiah and the serpent of Num. 21:8,9. When we understand also that Hebrew #dwxm Mechudash means "renewed," or "restored," we have a more powerful image evoked as we read these things. This verb in the Hithpael means to renew or repair. (BDB, p. 293). Psalms 102: 5 – "He satisfies my desires with good things, so that my youth is renewed (#dxtt, titchadesh) like the eagle’s." It is also worth noting that the Hebrew word Mechudash numerical value is 358 along with Messiah and nachash. The idea of a brilliant, shining Messiah who will be "lifted up" (Num. 21:8 – "put it up on a pole," sn l( wt) My#w wesim oto al nes) was not lost on the New Testament teachings of Jesus, when he said:
Kai kaqwv Mwshv uywse ton ofin en th erhmw outwv uywqhnai dei ton uion tou anqrwpou ina pav o pisteuwn eiv auton mh apolhtai all exh cwhn aiwnion.
Kai kathos Moses hupsose ho ophin en to ermo houtos hupsotheisa dei ho huion ho anthropou, hina pas ho pisteuon eis auton me apolmtai all echm zoen aionion.
Literally translated: "And even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. That everyone believing into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:14-15).
The serpent, as the Messiah did, restores, or renews health and vigor (i.e. the resurrection into Eternal life!).
And in connection with this we now can better understand the doca "glory" as the shining radiance, or the dwbk kabhodh "glory" or "splendor" in the Old Testament, and Moses’ face shining when he came down off of Sinai. Exodus 34:29-30 describes Moses "radiant face" wynp rw( Nrq qaran ‘or panai. The glory of the Lord came with Moses as he returned, glowing. Again this image of light, heat, glory, or as it were, fire. And it scared Israel we are told! This glory was bright, apparently powerful, so powerful that Moses had to wear a veil of covering over his face for a time.
We read of God’s glory as being a pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of smoke by day.
wb hlyl hyht #)w Mmwy Nk#mh l( hwhy Nn(
"So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night." (Exo. 40:38). This Hebrew word #) "esh" is used of fire or flame, and even lightning. (The Strongest Strong’s, p. 1364, Entry # 784). Gesenius’ Lexicon notes that specially for God, this "fire of God" is meant as "lightnings." He mentions 1 Kings 18:38 which is where Elijah is calling down fire from heaven! It is specifically designated as hwhy #) esh Yahweh, "fire of God." Here is where the Priests and false prophets of Ba’al are burned and destroyed by God’s heaven sent fire. 2 Kings 1:10 is where Elijah says to the enemy, that if he is Gods messenger, fire will come down from heaven and consume his enemy, which it did. The term used is Mym#h Nm #) esh min hashamayim, "Fire from heaven." At Job 1:16 we read of Mym#h Nm, hlpn Myhl) #) esh elohim naphla min hashamayim, "the fire of God fell from the skies" which is what destroyed all of Jobs flocks.
This fire is also splendor or brilliance, the gem of a fiery splendor we read at Ezekiel 28:14 - #) ynb), ebeni esh, "stones of fire." The Septuagint reads liqwn purinwn lithon purinon, "fiery stones," which is meant as literal fire, the Greek word pur pur, meaning "literal fire used in an absolute sense in Acts 2:19, quoting Joel 2:30, where it uses the Hebrew #) esh, and the Greek pur pur, literal fire. (see also Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Wordstudy Dictionary: New Testament, World Bible Publishers, 1992: p. 1254, entry # 4442).
So understanding that Messiah numerically = 358, and that nachash, serpent, numerically = 358, and that Mechudash, to renew, restore, etc., numerically = 358 is quite interesting. It has also been shown that the phrase "until Shiloh come" numerically is 358, the Shiloh prophecy and sceptre from Judah prophecy of Genesis 49:10, and extensively discussed in the Dead Sea Scrolls! The phrase in Hebrew and the numerical equivilance is:
y10 + b 2 + ) 1 = 13
# 300 + y 10 + l 30 + x 5 = 345
345 + 13 = 358.
This "scepter of Judah," Joseph Fitzmyer contends is the "Scion of David," on reading the Dead Sea Scroll fragment, 4Qgen. Instead of reading hdwhym +b# rwsy )l, "the scepter shall not depart from Judah," as Gen. 49:10 reads it, Fitzmyer shows that line 1 of column v has hdwhy +b#m +yl# rwsy )wl "a ruler shall not depart from the tribe of Judah." The ruler is identified as dywdl )sk b#wy "one sitting upon the throne of David." (Joseph Fitzmyer, The Dead Sea Scrolls and Christian Origins, Eerdmans, 2000: 87. He goes on to agree that it is fine with him to call this leader this "Scion of David," the l)r#y xy#m Messiah of Israel. (Fitzmyer, p. 88).
The Genesis Rab. 85:1 says "Judah was busy taking a wife; and the Holy One, blessed be He, was creating the light of the Messiah." (Raphael Patai, The Messiah Texts: Jewish Legends of Three Thousand Years, Wayne State University, 1979: 38).
The interpretations of the scepter in this Shiloh prophecy is incredibly interesting in light of the Pesher of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the scholarly analysis of fitting figures to the symbols. It gets quite exciting for a bit here.
But first, a little groundwork is important as it demonstrates to us we are not, by any means on secure ground for concluding what the scripture means. Yet it does have meaning! An odd thing to say, but let me show what I mean here.
Emanuel Tov has illustrated the interesting problems we get with this verse at Gen. 49:10. Here the Hebrew of our "Shiloh" verse, as I will call it, is hly# Shiloh.
Fair enough. Pointed thusly, hloy#I translates as "Until Shiloh come" in the KJV.
But if the word is pointed wl y#a translates "So long as tribute is brought to him" in the NEB, similarly in NJPST and NRSV = wl y#a. (Emanuel Tov, Textual Criticism of the Hebrew Bible, Fortress Press, 1992: 2.)
It is also important to see the variant translation of Frank Moore Cross, Jr., and David Noel Freedman. They render this passage at Gen 49:10 as:
dhym + p # rsy )l
wlg d Nbm qqxmw
Lo yser shophet miyehudah
Umehoqeq mibben degaliw
There shall not fail a judge from Judah
Nor a commander from among his standards.
(Frank Moore Cross, Jr., David Noel Freedman, Studies in Yahwistic Poetry, Eerdman’s Publishing, 1997: 50).
Their notes explain their reasons. These are quite instructive as a quick diversion as this illustrates a very important principle about the biblical manuscripts, namely, there is not a simple uniform Massoretic text underlying the Hebrew Bible. Various manuscripts have various readings, which most certainly effect their meanings, even down through history.
They read shophet for +p# in the first line as "judge," or "charismatic leader" and following Albright perhaps shephet (Ugaritic tpt) and compare the Septuagint arxwn "Archon." [This "archon" is used many times in Genesis of Pharaoh, as well as in Exodus, as well as for others in this "commander" position i.e. Gen. 12:15, 14:7, 25:16, 27:29, 34:2, 42:6, 45:8, 47:5, 49:10, 20, Exo. 2:14]
The qqxm mehoqeq in the second line reads as "commander." In Judges 5:14 the "commander" stands in parallel not with the shebet, but with the wielder of the shebet. Isa. 32:22 uses the two terms synonymously which supports their emendation here.
The Mehoqeq reading as "commander" is made certain in other Hebrew texts, such as Deut. 33:21; Judges 5:14 (cf. Judges 5:9, hoqeqe, an abbreviation of mehoqeq), and Isa. 33:22. The meaning isn’t as clear in Numbers 21:18 and Ps 60:9 = Ps. 108:9. Morphologically this word should mean "one who issues a hoq, i.e., a commander.
On the line where they read "Nor a commander from among his standards," they note that the Samaritan gedaliw is "his standards," or "his battle flags", hence the entire phrase reads "from the midst of his banners." (Cross, Freedman, p. 57, notes 31-33).
This all points to the importance of recognizing, that for the Hebrew Bible, vocalization is important, and that all Bible manuscripts have differing vocalizations, hence changing their meanings according to Tov. (Tov, p. 255, where he notes that this differing vocalization is clearly seen in Gen. 49:10, 1 Kings 12:2, 2 Chron. 10:2, 1 Sam. 20:30, among other Hebrew texts). Hence, in some manuscripts of our Hebrew Bible, there is a Shiloh prophecy, while in other manuscripts, because of variations in the vocalization, the consonantal structure of the Hebrew is so different as to remove any reference to Shiloh altogether.
And there are some scholars who say it is quite clear that these passages, namely Numbers 24:17, and Genesis 49:10, appear to date from the Early Monarchy in ancient Israel, and ar ex eventu prophecies, that is written down after the fact, hence not prophecies at all. (see J.J.M. Roberts, "The Old Testament Contribution to Messianic Expectations," in Charlesworth, The Messiah, p. 41). In all, what is important to realize is the multiple views, multiple understanding among scholars, and differing, even contradictory messages from the ancient Hebrew Bible itself as to what will happen or what did happen. I honestly don’t think we can afford to get uncomfortable with this understanding, as it is, after all, the view Joseph Smith had as well. It is the Biblicists who are refuted with an understanding of what is entailed when studying Textual Criticsm and biblical manuscripts. It is those who claim, without support of the textual witnesses and various manuscripts, that scripture is what God wants it to say, who are unsupported, and hence liable to serious problems. There have been humans hands working with and changing various manuscripts for centuries. The evidence is right in front of our eyes when we look into Textual Criticism. The Bible has simply in now way been perfectly preserved as some have claimed. That is not to say it is not scripture. It is simply to show that some assumptions about the Bible need to be revised carefully.
Now to get back to the various interpretations and ideas on these scriptures from the Dead Sea Scrolls, who obviously had biblical manuscripts describing the Shiloh and Scepter from Judah.
Klaus Berger shows that the Star of Jacob (Numbers 24:17) is explained in the Dead Sea Scrolls as the "Interpreter of the Law." The scepter that shall arise out of Israel is identified with the "Prince of the whole congregation." (Klaus Berger, Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: The TRUTH Under Lock and Key?Westminster John Knox Press, 1995:83). This hrwtb #rd #y) , ish doresh wetorah, "Interpreter of the Law," is considered to be an eschatalogical figure, who is to appear with the Branch of David at the end of days. (John J. Collins, "Teacher and Messiah? The One Who Will Teach Righteousness at the End of Days,""in The Community of the Renewed Covenant: The Notre Dame Symposium on the Dead Sea Scrolls, Ed. Eugene Ulrich and James Vanderkam, Univ. of Notre Dame Press, 1994: 194).
S. Talmon claims that historically the Rabbinic exegesis of this scripture was the foreshadowing of the Davidic Kingship embodied in the Davidic Masiah. The Samaritans appeared to look for a Moses redivivus , designated as Taheb, the "restorer." (S. Talmon, "The Concepts of Masiah and Messianism in Early Judaism," in The Messiah, Princeton Symposium, Fortress Press, ed., James H. Charlesworth, 1992: 82).
J. G. Heintz notes that there are three criteria for the "Royal Ideology" of Ancient Israel.
The first motif is the Israelite King’s function as the re-presentative of God. (Ps. 8:5, "You have made him almost like a god.")
The second motif is that of the sovereign bringing salvation acquires a juridical and ethical significance. This refers to the continuity of the ordinances of Yahweh and to the historical event of the Mosaic Law. It is from this continuity that the Davidic king draws his legitimacy and his function as agent of law and justice (Isa. 9:6; 11:3-5; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Ezek 37:24; Zech 9:9-10).
The third motif is being the "son of the king." This figure appears in the prophetic oracles
and bears hope for all of Israel, which is their aspiration for humanity, to be sons of the King. The announcement of the birth of the Messiah in oracular prophetic texts (Isa. 7:14; 9:1-6; 11:1-8; Micah 5:1-3) Combines these motifs. Rev. 22:16, which actually combines both Numbers 24:17, and Isa. 11:1, shows this theme as being both fundamental and quite permanent. "I Jesus… I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star." (J. G. Heintz, "Royal Traits and Messianic Figures: A Thematic and Iconographical Approach," in The Messiah, Charlesworth, pp. 65-66).
This scepter, is the "Prince of the Congregation," in the scrolls. Collins notes "there is a clear reference here to a royal messiah." (Collins, The Scepter and the Star: The Messiahs of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Ancient Literature,Doubleday, 1995: 80).
The Damascus Document interprets Numbers 21:18 – "The princes digged the well, the nobles of the people digged it, by the direction of the lawgiver, with their staves." Thusly:
"the well is the Law [the Torah, the First five books of Moses], and those who dug itwere the converts of Israel who went out of the land of Israel to sojourn in Damascus…. The Stave is the interpreter of the Law." (Collins, p. 22). Notice the Stave is the Interpreter of the Law.
Furthermore, the language of Hosea 10:12 "until he comes and teaches righteousness for you" which the Damascus Document draws from, is applied to Elijah the Tishbite in later Jewish tradition. The eschatalogical Interpreter of the Law should be identified with Elijah. The Dead Sea Scrolls CD VIII 18 identifies the "star" of Balaam’s oracle (Numbers 24:17) as "the Interpreter of the Law," who will come ()bh) to Damascus. This is an allusion to 1 Kings 19:15 where Elijah is told "Go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive you shall anoint King Hazael as King over Aram." This recalls the later Jewish tradition that Elijah would anoint the Messiah in Justin’s Dialogue with Trypho. (John J. Collins, "Teacher and Messiah? The One Who Will Teach Righteousness at the End of Days," in The Community of the Renewed Covenant, p. 206). The anointing for sin is specifically assigned to the messiah(s) of Aaron and Israel (l)r#yw Nwrh) xy#m, Mashiach ahron weyisrael) (see Collins, Scepter and the Star, p. 115).
N. Wieder shows that the mehoqeq refers to the Interpreter of the Law in regard to whom Isaiah said He bringeth forth a vessel for his work. (Isaiah 54:16). (Wieder, "The ‘Law-Interpreter’ of the Sect of the Dead Sea Scrolls: The Second Moses," in Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. 4-5, (1953-54): 159).
In relation to this being Elijah, note the first part of the verse! "Behold, I have created the smith (#rx, charash, a worker of metal, wood, or stone, the Hebrew word pointed #$rexe is a sorcer, a magician a #$xala Nwbn: "skilful enchanter," (Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon of the Old Testament, p. 310, entry # 2791) that bloweth the coals in the fire…"
Elijah was a "skilful enchanter" with fire as he commanded fire from heaven to destroy the Priests of Baal.
Wieder then notes, that the title mehoqeq applied to the Teacher in the Dead Sea Scrolls, was not Elijah, but Moses. The phrase from Isaiah, "He bringeth forth a vessel for His work," was applied, by the rabbi’s, to Moses, who was the vessel, i.e. the intermediary of the divine revelations. (Wieder, p. 161) More interesting still is the interpretation that charash is the title of an eschatalogical (that is, one dealing with the end of days, or the Last Days) figure. Wieder notes a tannaitic tradition which identifies the four craftsmen (Mymrx h(br)) in the vision of Zechariah (2:3) with the four messianic figures; Messiah ben David, Messiah ben Joseph, Elijah, and Melchizedek. The last two are according to the aggadah the precursors of the Messiah. (Wieder, p. 162). Wieder also demonstrates how the "two sons of Oil", that is, the anointed ones of Israel, are Elijah and the Messiah ben David. (Wieder, "The Doctrine of the Two Messiahs Among the Karaites," in Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. 6 (1955): 14-25).
But this craftsman idea from Isaiah, this charash, also has another connotation. To be a great and learned supreme teacher of the Law. The charash is said to blow fire of coals (Mxp #)b, be’esh pecham). This signifies in the rabbinic interpretations teaching and expounding of the Torah. Fire, to the rabbinic view, was symbolic description of the Torah itself. This helps explain that the Torah has two fires, one hidden, and one open, that is, one written, and one oral. (Wieder, p. 163).
Ben Sira, describing the superlative nature of Elijah’s words said "Until there arose a prophet like fire, whose words were a burning torch. The Hebrew text reads like a burning furnace. Interestingly, Phineas is described as having a face like burning torches when the Holy Spirit rested on him. Phineas was identified with Elijah the Prophet. (Wieder, p. 164, and note 2).
Now Wieder takes a most interesting turn in his interpretation. The "Star" that is to arise out of Jacob is the Hebrew word kokhabh. Wieder says the translation and meaning here is not to just a star, but to a specific planet, namely Mercury, called by the Greeks Hermes! He was venerated as the god of wisdom, learning, and literature. The name Hermes is etymologically related to hermeneia, interpretation, which gave the equation Hermes = hermeneus (interpreter). Philo likewise says that Hermes is from hermeneuo – "to interpret." (The Works of Philo, Hendrickson Publishers, 1993, translated by C. D.Yong, p. 766, note). Philo also says Mercury’s caduceus was for "reconciliation and peace." (Philo, p. 766).
The same epithets which apply to Hermes (Mercury) are also those of Prometheus. He taught mankind the civilizing arts, judgment to read the rising and setting of the stars, how to put letters together to make language, etc. (William F. Lynch, Christ and Prometheus, University of Notre Dame Press, 1970: 61).
Remarkably, the Hebrew word for an utterer of God’s Word, a prophesier, is )bn, niva, related to the word )bn, nabi, the term used to describe Elijah at the end of the book of Malachi. (See Naomi G. Cohen, "From Nabi to Mal’ak to Ancient Figure," in Journal of Jewish Studies, Vol. 36/1 (1985): 21-22).
This)bn has many cognates depending on how it is pointed, which range in meaning from "to pour forth words abundantly," to "sing," to "be mad with divine inspiration," which comes from the Greek mantiv, (Mantic), furere, furor, often applied to the divine impulse of their prophets and oracular poets. Neva means to prophecy, while Nebo (wobn) is the God Mercury! Hermes is the interpreter of the Gods will. As such he can certainly be classed among the prophets, who, as Hermes did, attended the Council of the Gods, and bore the messages of the Gods, (Isaiah 6 is the classic example) his caduceus being the message stick of the authority of the Gods. We are also informed that Nebo is the God of Fire. (Gesenius, p. 527, entry # 5019-5020).
But this is the image of Elijah and Moses as well, with Moses carrying the staff or stick that performed all the miracles against Pharaoh. Aaron’s rod blossomed to show God’s favor with him. Elijah called fire down from heaven to demonstrate his authority, and Ezekiel likewise had sticks giving the message of God to Israel (Ezekiel 37).
Artapanus the Jewish-Hellenistic historian of the second century B.C.E. claims that it was Moses who taught all the arts and letters and was the source of all the Egyptian Wisdom, hence Moses received the name of Hermes. (Wieder, p. 166).Interesting, while Hermes is labeled the "scribe of the sun," Moses was called hbr )rps, sefer’ ravah, "The Great Scribe" Wieder, p. 166-167). Moses, was in fact, called by Jews the hermeneos nomon hieron, "the interpreter of the Holy Laws." (Wieder, p. 167). So Moses, Elijah, Hermes are all in this with the Dead Sea Scrolls Teacher of Righteousness as far as that goes. They are all assigned functions involving the apocalyptic "end of days." The point of all this is realizing that it was precisely Moses and Elijah who appeared to Joseph Smith in D&C 110.
But further, we now know that even the Logos was called Hermes! And Hermes was also called "The Good Shephard" remarkable in light of the idea that the Hermetic name Poimandres means "Man-Shephard." (David Fideler, Jesus Christ: Sun of God: Ancient Cosmology and Early Christian Symbolism, Quest Books, 1993: 228, 360f on Hermes as Logos and Good Shephard).
Hermes as the messenger of the Gods, wielding the caduceus (I suspect the Caduceus could act as a fire stick as well, the two intertwined serpents showing balance between the elements, such as that between water and fire) reminds us also of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament coming as fire. Acts 2:3, the famous Pentacost scene reads wsei purov hosei puros, "like as a fire." John the baptist said he baptized with water, but Jesus would baptize with fire. En pneumati aliw kai puri, en pneumati hagio kai puri, "in the Holy Spirit and fire." (Luke 3:16). There is nothing here to indicate a symbolic concept at all, as we have seen, pur is literal fire. This is an astonishing concept.
R. B. Onians has shown how Paul taught "We all with unveiled faces reflecting as a mirror the glory of the Lord are transformed into the same image from glory to glory even as from the spirit of the God (apo Kurion pneumatos) who said ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:7, 18; 4:6). This glory, the kabhodh, was visible fire (Exo. 24:16f; Ezek. 1:27f, 10:4. Cf. Isaiah 10:16 where the kabhodh is used apparently of the soul or spirit in a man, e.g. Gen. 49:6; Psalm 7:5, Ps. 16:9, in Onians, Origins of European Thought, p. 499, note 2).
Isaiah 10:16 is indeed a mighty interesting verse! Here we read that a wasting disease will be sent against the enemy, and under his "pomp," the Hebrew words here are wdbk txtw Nwzr razon wetachat kevodo "a wasting disease under his glory (NIV has "pomp", meaning apparently arrogance of the enemy) But the fire that is to waste him away, the fire against the mans kabod is our familiar esh, #). In the KJV of Genesis 49:6 we don’t fathom the translation until we read it in the Hebrew. KJV says "O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united:" Whereas in the Hebrew it reads differently. It says "Let not my soul enter into their council (y#pn )bt l) Mdsb, besodam al tabo’ napeshi) let not my glory join them"(ydbk dxt l), al techad kebodi). Apparently the kabod, is the man’s soul! This might very well help us understand that as Moses was in the Presence of the glory of God on Sinai, his soul was renewed, refreshed, and full of the vitalizing energy, the kabod, of God, hence his face was radiant. God’s glory is light, nay God is light! The New Testament explicitly says that!
1 John 1:5 reads qeov fov esti Theos phos esti, "God is light." The German word Lichtung, a clearing, has an obvious connection with light, as a clearing away of darkness. John 8:12 reads elw eimi to fov tou kosmou, ego eimi ho phos ho kosmos.
Christ tells men to outw lamyatw to fwv umwn houto lampsato ho phos humon, "let your light so shine…" (Matthew 5:16.).
In the Blessing of Moses, we read that Yahweh "beamed forth" and "He shone from Mount Paran," (xrz Nrp rhm (ph). (Frank Moore Cross, Jr., David Noel Freedman, Studies in Yahwistic Poetry, Eerdman’s Publishing, 1997, p. 66). We also read in the Royal Psalm of Thanksgiving from the Hebrew Bible that Yahweh is the people’s light, and he illumines their darkness. (yk#x hgy yhl) hwhy yr) ht) yk) (Cross, p. 91).
And this ties in perfectly with Jesus teaching the same thing in the New Testament, and several of the Patriarchs experiences from the Old Testament. Light is God’s glory. It is His power. But it is also shared with man, who benefits thereby.
This the scriptures plainly teach. This glory is shared with the Seraphim, the "fiery beings" as well.
This is very clearly born out in the Gnostic literature as well. I have changed my approach to the Gnostics now that I have read Margaret Barker’s study The Great Angel: Israel’s Second God, where she postulates, and presents evidence that the Gnostics were not so much influenced by the Greeks as they were actually tapping into the authentic ancient Judaism of Gods and vast Angelologies, which had been rewritten out of the scriptures, by the later reforming Deuteronomists! The Gnostics were tapping back into the ancient materials that have been lost to us.
The theme of the Gnostics? Adam, and all mankind (referred to as "sparks") were originally from the "realms of light," and in fact, our real heritage is light. (Hans-Joachim Klimkeit, Gnosis on the Silk Road: Gnostic Texts from Central Asia, HarperSanFrancisco, First Edition, 1993: 15-19).
Mani’s text Sabuhragan, discusses the realm of light, which is a place of healing for the Elements of light, the dwelling place of the pure, bright, strong angels. (Klimkeit, p. 21).
In the Hymn to the Father of Lights, His Sons sing, "Holy, Holy, Holy to the worlds of light that are appointed as jewels by your greatness."
"His own Sons, like twelve bright forms (cihrag) of the Father of Light. Many gods, deities and jewels have been created, called forth and set up as attendants of the Lord of Paradise."
"Those worlds…(and) messengers (frestagan) that have come into being from Him, all with souls in one accord being [praise] to that bright form (didan) and wonderful epiphany (padgirb)."
(Klimkeit, pp. 30f).
In a Persian hymn, the community is called the "Community of valiant Light Elements." (Klimkeit, p. 128).
In the Iranian texts we read "The Father of Light orders the Living Spirit and the Mother of Life to create the world: "…and clean them (the Elements of Light) of the poison of Ahriman and (thus) purify them: and then raise them to Paradise." (Klimkeit, p. 235).
In a prayer for Mercy, we read: "You are like one who is to be honoured and truly praised. All your great and radiant sons, and your selected Apostles (pristilar)."
(Klimkeit, p. 296)
In the texts on Jesus, Jesus is called "Light Messenger Jesus," and "Jesus the Splendor." He is also called "God of the sun and the moon" (kun ay tangri)
(Klimkeit, p. 325)
In another text we read "The seed (of good) thrives and spreads. And then those twelve kinds of good (intellectual) factors rise up in the mind of this person and they themselves give birth to many bright, divine children."
(Klimkeit, p. 335)
In a cosmological fragment we learn the MP text M292 "describes how the Adamas of Light vanquishes a monster. We have a similar story about a sea monster being overcome by the King of Honor, the Second Son of the Living Spirit."
(Klimkeit, p. 342)
We also read that the gnosis (the true knowledge) is "sweeter than the drink of immortality, which brings life, and leads to the bright realm of the Gods."
(Klimkeit, p. 374)
So, all of this brings to mind D&C 93: 36 – "The glory of God is intelligence, or in other words, light and truth."
D&C 88:7 actually says that truth "shines"! The reason is obvious. Because it is the "Light of Christ." And we are further told that He is in the sun, moon and stars as well. This light enlightens our minds, literally (D&C 88: 11).
This brings to mind the comments of the author of the Dead Sea Scrolls Thanksgiving Hymn, where he says in many places:
"[But what is] the spirit of flesh that it might understand all these things and obtain insight into the council of [Your] great [wonders]?" (Wise, Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation, p. 87).
"You are God of knowledge, all righteous works and true counsel belong to you." (Wise, p. 91).
"You have made my face to shine." (Wise, p. 93).
"For God thunders with the roar of His strength and His holy dwelling roars forth in His glorious truth." (Wise, p. 95)
"You have made my face to shine by…Your covenant, and […] I seek You, and as an enduring dawning, as [perf]ect ligh[t]." (Wise, p. 95)
"You have hidden in me the spring of understanding and the counsel of truth." (Wise, p. 98)
"the spring of light shall become an everlasting fountain without end. In its brilliant flames all the children of injustice shall burn." (Wise, p. 99-100)
"I shine forth in sevenfold light, in l[ight which] You have established for Your glory. For You are as an [eter]nal light for me. You establish my foot upon the level ground." (Wise, p. 101)
"For by [Your…] and Your glory, my light has shined forth, for You have caused light from darkness to shine for me…" (Wise, p. 104)
"You have enlightened me by the Counsel of Your Truth." (Wise, p. 107)
"You make Your truth to shine forth for eternal glory and everlasting peace." (Wise, p. 108)
"the majesty of Your glory is an etern[al] light." (Wise, p. 109)
"in the eternal abode, as a light of the perfect light forever" (Wise, p. 110)
"Your light, and You set the lumi[naries…] Your light without cea[sing…] For with You is light for […]… Your Wonder to shine out…" (Wise, p. 111)
When we turn to the New Testament we read what is now rather obvious.
lar o qeov hmwn pur katanaliskon
gar ho theos hemon pur katanaliskon
"For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:29).
Perhaps this is why there was no other vehicle than the fiery chariot to carry Elijah away to heaven. The Hebrew shows this is meant as literal fire, not symbolic of something else.
#) yswsw #) blr rekev esh wesusey esh, "a Chariot of fire and horses of fire." The Greek Septuagint renders the word fire as purov puros, "fire," literally.
So what of all this light, this fire, this glory? The images form a constellation of ideas that come together in a coherence in some ways. There is a magnificence to it all, something we certainly don’t experience each and every day. A modern interpreter grappling with this light image, John Macquarrie, says light as an image expresses best to us, the idea of God’s "openness." (John Macquarrie, "Symbolism Case Study: Light as a Religious Symbol," in The Bible in its Literary Milieu, ed., John Maier, Vincent Tollers, Eerdman’s, 1979: 405-409). I can’t argue with this, as far as that goes. It does bring about another angle of understanding to be sure. But again, it misses the literalness of the fire, the heat, the intense light, and glittering, the splendor of the Glory of God. This is what I believe Joseph Smith did capture, especially in the D&C.
Joseph Smith’s concrete descriptions of the Angel Moroni, who traveled in a light far brighter than the sun (no wonder Adam, originally as a light being, said after the fall, this was a "dark and dreary world." Compared to the former glory he enjoyed, the fallen world is darker), his descriptions of the visions of Jesus as in fire, of the various Patriarchs and Prophets, and saying God dwells in Everlasting Burnings, all bring back a former reality that has been forgotten through the ages. This is what is so astonishing to me when studying the symbolisms of light, fire, glory in the Hebrew scriptures and Judeo-Christian literatures. True, there are descriptions that obviously are analogies. But there are descriptions and meanings meant to be quite real and physical, fire and swirling flames being one of these. Angels of fire being seen as quite real and physical. This is what Joseph Smith captured as well. Not everything is spiritualized into other-worldly spiritual reality in Joseph Smith’s understanding of Heaven, God, Angels, and men. There are some things that are meant to be taken as real.