“Moses 1 And The Apocalypse Of Abraham: Twin Sons Of Different Mothers?”

Melchizedek, with Abel, Abraham, and Isaac — A mosaic in the Church of Sant’ Apollinare in Clase, Ravenna, Italy, dating to the second half of the sixth century, depicting three Old Testament sacrifices. On the left is Abel with his lamb (Genesis 4:1-16). In the center, Melchizedek presides over the sacrifice of bread (Genesis 14:18-20). The two round loaves with crosses at the center and the wine (in the two-handed pitcher between the loaves) represent the mass, or (in LDS terms) the sacrament. On the right is Abraham with his son Isaac, whom he was willing to sacrifice at God’s command (Genesis 22:1-14). All three sacrifices, of course, foreshadow the atoning sacrifice of Christ.

A nicely illustrated new article appeared today at noon in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship. Written by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David J. Larsen and Stephen T. Whitlock, it is entitled

“Moses 1 and the Apocalypse of Abraham: Twin Sons of Different Mothers?”

Abstract: This article highlights the striking resemblances between Moses 1 and a corresponding account from the Apocalypse of Abraham (ApAb), one of the earliest and most important Jewish texts describing heavenly ascent. Careful comparative analysis demonstrates a sustained sequence of detailed affinities in narrative structure that go beyond what Joseph Smith could have created out of whole cloth from his environment and his imagination. The article also highlights important implications for the study of the Book of Moses as a temple text. Previous studies have suggested that the story of Enoch found in the Pearl of Great Price might be understood as the culminating episode of a temple text woven throughout chapters 2–8 of the Book of Moses. The current article is a conceptual bookend to these earlier studies, demonstrating that the account of heavenly ascent in Moses 1 provides a compelling prelude to a narrative outlining laws and liturgy akin to what could have been used anciently as part of ritual ascent within earthly temples.

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And you might want to be aware of this:

Volume 37 Now Available for Ordering in Paperback and E-book Formats

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I believe that it was Cody Quirk who kindly brought the following item to my notice:

“BCF, LDS distribute food parcels to over 10,000 families across Kurdistan Region, disputed areas”

Plainly, it’s yet another example of a shameless and diabolically evil act on the part of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and it practically screams out, demanding to be included in your Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File.

Posted from Estes Park, Colorado