Book of Moses - Synopsis and Ancient Parallels

Synopsis and Ancient Parallels

• Moses 1: The events described in Moses 1 are portrayed as taking place sometime after Jehovah spoke to Moses out of the burning bush but before Moses had returned to Egypt to deliver the children of Israel. The details of Moses’ experience in chapter 1 place it squarely in the tradition of ancient “heavenly ascent” literature (e.g., the pseudepigraphal Apocalypse of Abraham) and its relationship to temple theology, rites, and ordinances. Following a brief prologue, Moses is given a description of God’s majesty and a confirmation of the work to which he had previously been foreordained as a "son of God." He is then shown the “world upon which he was created”—referring to the premortal spirit realm where the LDS believe that all men and women lived before birth—and “all the children of men which are, and which were created” (cf. Apocalypse of Abraham 21:7; 22:2, 5; and the LDS Book of Abraham 3:22-23). Then, having gone out the presence of the Father and no longer being clothed with His glory, Moses falls to the earth (cf. Apocalypse of Abraham 10:1-3)—meaning, first, that he collapsed in weakness, and, second, that he descended again to the relative darkness of the telestial world. He is then left to himself to be tested in a dramatic encounter with Satan (cf. Apocalypse of Abraham 13-14). Having banished Satan through the power of the Only Begotten (a motif linked to baptism), Moses is “filled with the Holy Ghost.” Continuing to press forward, he “calls upon the name of God” in sacred prayer, and is answered by a voice from behind the veil enumerating specific blessings. While “the voice is still speaking,” Moses looks at the veil and beholds every particle of the earth and all of its inhabitants (cf. Apocalypse of Abraham 21:1). The culminating sequence begins in verse 31 when Moses, having continued to inquire of the Lord, comes to stand in His presence (cf. the corresponding illustration in the Codex Sylvester, the oldest complete account of the Apocalypse of Abraham). God then speaks with Moses face to face, describing His purposes for this earth and its inhabitants ("this is my work and my glory: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"). Finally, the chapter closes with an allusion referring to Joseph Smith's restoration of the lost words of scripture (echoing a similar prophecy in the pseudepigraphal 2 Enoch 35:1-2), and stating that these words are to be shown only to those that believe (paralleling the pseudepigraphal 4 Ezra 14:6, 45-47). Then follows a vision outlining the Creation, the Fall, and subsequent events in the lift of to Adam and Eve and their descendants (cf. Apocalypse of Abraham 21:3-5, 23:1-14). This is consistent with ancient Jewish sources which affirm that Moses saw these events in vision.

Moses 2-8 generally follow the first chapters of the Book of Genesis, but often provide alternative explanations of the text or significant additional detail not found in the Bible. Among the notable differences are the following:

• Moses 2 (cf. Genesis 1): A brief prologue affirming that the account derives from the words of God directly to Moses is added in verse 1. The repetition of the phrase “I, God” throughout the chapter also emphasizes the purported firsthand nature of the account. The idea that all things were created “by mine Only Begotten” (i.e., Jesus Christ, in his premortal state) is made clear, as is the Son’s identity as the co-creator at the time when God said “Let us make man.” Otherwise, the structure and basic premises of the Genesis account of the Creation were left intact. Note that, while following generally similar schemas, the two later versions of the Creation story given in the Book of Abraham and in modern LDS temples are replete with additional changes—some subtle and others stunning—that give new perspectives on the events portrayed.
• Moses 3 (cf. Genesis 2): The book of Moses explains the meaning of verse 5 in terms of the LDS idea of a spiritual creation. God explains that He: "created all things… spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air (additions italicized; see also vv. 7, 9). Consistent with this concept, some ancient sources assert that the heavenly hosts—variously described as including the angels, the sons of God, and/or the souls of humanity—were part of the light that appeared on Day One of Creation. Verse 17 is expanded in a way that reinforces the LDS teaching that Adam and Eve were placed in a situation where they were required to exercise freedom of choice in order to continue their progression through the experience of earth life: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." As in the Qur'an, the transgression of Adam and Eve that led to their coming to earth is seen as a positive and necessary step that would provide the preparatory schooling they needed for an eventual glorious return to heaven.
• Moses 4 (cf. Genesis 3): Four verses are added to the beginning of the Genesis version of this chapter, interrupting the flow of the story to give an account of heavenly councils where the nature and purposes of Creation were discussed and decided. These verses echo stories in Jewish midrash recording that God "took counsel with the souls of the righteous before creating the world" A summary of the story of Satan's fall from heaven is also given. Like the Qur'an, and in contrast to Genesis, the corresponding accounts of Satan’s rebellion and Adam and Eve’s Fall form a "single, continuous story."
• Moses 5 (cf. Genesis 4): The book of Moses adds fifteen verses to the beginning of the Genesis account. Vv. 1-6 highlight the obedience of Adam and Eve by enumerating their faithfulness to each of the commandments they had been given. Adam, with his fellow-laborer Eve, began to “till the earth, and to have dominion over all the beasts of the field, and to eat his bread by the sweat of his brow.” Likewise Eve fulfilled the commission she had received in the Garden of Eden and “bare… sons and daughters, and they began to replenish the earth.” Moreover, “Adam was obedient to the commandments of the Lord” to “offer the firstlings of their flocks” for “many days,” despite the fact that he did not yet fully understand the reason why he had been thus commanded. The period of testing for Adam involving “many days” mentioned in the book of Moses corresponds to the "testing" of the first couple described in pseudepigraphal accounts such as the Life of Adam and Eve. Also recalling parallels in these ancient stories is the book of Moses account of how Adam and Eve's enduring obedience is rewarded by the announcement of their redemption through the eventual sacrifice of the son of God (vv. 6-13). In light of this extended prologue extolling the virtue of obedience and the promise of redemption, the book of Moses' expanded story of Cain's rebellion and murder of his brother Abel appears in even starker relief. Cain's murderous pact with Satan is portrayed as the foundation of "secret combinations" that later flourish among the wicked, and provide a plausible context for the more fragmentary Genesis account of Lamech's slaying of his rival. The chapter ends with the declaration that "all things were confirmed unto Adam, by an holy ordinance, and the Gospel preached, and a decree sent forth, that it should be in the world, until the end thereof."
• Moses 6 (cf. Genesis 5): Expansions in the early part of the chapter further describe the story of the righteous Seth. The "genealogy" of his descendants are said to be kept in a "book of remembrance." Jewish and Islamic sources describe a similar book, intended to preserve “the primordial wisdom of paradise for Adam and his generations” and also “the genealogy of the entire human race" Described elsewhere in the LDS canon (D&C 107:53-56) is the story of how Adam gathered his posterity three years prior to his death, and “predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation.” Though unknown in the Bible, similar stories are told in several ancient pseudepigraphal sources. Moses 6 contains one of the most remarkable additions to the Genesis account: the story of the call and preaching of Enoch. Though the biblical account of Enoch's life occupies only two verses, his story fills most of chapter 6 and all of chapter 7 of the book of Moses. Extended accounts of the experiences of Enoch, containing striking parallels with the book of Moses, also circulated widely in Second Temple Judaism and early Christianity and first published after the death of Joseph Smith. As one example of such parallels, Moses 6:31 calls the 65 year-old Enoch a "lad" (the only use of this term in LDS scripture), corresponding to the somewhat puzzling use of this term to describe Enoch/Metatron in, e.g., 2 Enoch 10:4 and 3 Enoch 3:2, 4:2, and 4:10. Another example is the incident where Mahijah/Mahujah enquires of Enoch; (Moses 6:39-40; cf. Dead Sea Scrolls 4QEnGiants 1:20).
• Moses 7: This chapter continues the story of Enoch's preaching, including a vision of the "Son of Man"—a favorite motif in pseudepigraphal book of 1 Enoch. While the identity of the "Son of Man" in 1 Enoch has been a matter of debate, in Moses 7 the title is clearly understood to refer to Jesus Christ. Moses 7 concludes with the story of how Enoch gathered the righteous into a city he called Zion. The city became so righteous that "God received it up into his own bosom." Other examples of specific parallels with the Enoch literature include references to the heavens weeping over mankind (Moses 7:28; cf. 1 Enoch 100:11-13) and the earth complaining of men's wickedness (Moses 7:48; cf. 1 Enoch 7:6).
• Moses 8 (cf. Genesis 5-6): Additional details are given about the story of Methuselah and the preaching of Noah, again stressing the coming of Jesus Christ and the necessity of baptism. The Book of Moses ends abruptly just before the flood of Noah, but the story continues in the remainder of the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis.