|
|
Chapter Fifteen
WHY JOSEPH SMITH STUDIED THE HEBREW
LANGUAGE
In the beginning the whole earth spoke the same
language. (See RB, Gen. 11:1)
This language was pure and undefiled. (Moses 6:5 &
6)
And then, because of transgression, the language was
confounded. (RB, Gen. 11:5 & 6)
But the pure language was to return again to the people that
all may call upon the Lord as one, in complete unity and
understanding. (Zephaniah 3:8 & 9)
In the latter part of the year 1835 Joseph Smith became
interested in languages and started a school to teach the
Hebrew language:
Diaries, Page 66 " Friday, 20th (November 1835) ....
President Cowdery returned from New York bringing with him a
quantity of Hebrew books for the benefit of the school."
Page 66 "Saturday, 21 st .... At evening met with our Hebrew
class to make some a~Tangments about a Teacher."
Page 96 "Monday morning, 4th (January 1936) Meet and
organized our Hebrew School according to the arangements
that were made on Saturday last. We had engaged Doct Piexoto
to teach us in the Hebrew language...."
Doc. Piexoto was hired but he didn't work out and a Mr.
Seixas took his place:
Diaries, Page 97 "Wednesday 6th .... Elder McLellen returned
from Hudson and reported to the school that he had hired a
Teacher to teach us the term of 7 weeks for $320.00. That is
40 Schollars for that amount, to commence in about 15 days
hence. He is highly celebrated as a Hebrew Schollar
and proposes to give us sufficient knowledge in the above
term of time to read and translate the language."
Page 123 "Tuesday, 26 Mr. Seixas arived from Hudson to teach
the Hebrew Languge. I attended upon the organizing of the
class for the purpose of receiving his lectures on Hebrew
grammar. His hours of instruction are from ten to eleven
A.M. and from two to three P.M. His introduction
pleased me much. I think he will be a help to the class in
learning the Hebrew . "
Page 127 "Saturday, 30 Attended school as usual, and waited
upon several visiters and showed them the record of
Abraham. Mr. Seixas our Hebrew teacher examined them with
deep interest and pronounced them to be original beyound all
doubt ."
Page 133 "Monday the 15th Attended the Hebrew School at the
usual hour. Spent the
afternoon in reading Hebrew ......On this day we
commenced translating the Hebrew language under the
instruction of Professor Seixas . "
Diaries, Page 128 "Thursday, 4 Attended school and assisted
in forming a class of 22 to read at 3 o'clock P.M. The other
23 reads at 11 o'clock. The f~rst class recites at a quarter
before 10 A.M. and the second at a quarter before 2 P.M. We
have a great want of books, but are determined to do the
best we can. May the Lord help us to obtain this
language THAT WE MAY READ THE SCRIPTURES IN THE LANGUAGE IN
WHICH THEY WERE GIVEN . "
Page 133, Wedensday the 17th ( February) Attend the School
and translated with my class as usual. My Soul
delights in reading the word of the Lord in the
ORIGINAL and I am determined to persue the study of
languages untill I shall become master of them if I am
permitted to live long enough."
From the very beginning Hebrew was the original
language:
Diaries, Page 115 "Tuesday the l9th Spent the day at School.
The Lord blessed us in our Studies. This day we commenced
reading in our Hebrew Bibles with much success. It
seems as if the Lord opens our minds in a marvelous manner
to understand his word in the ORIGINAL language. "
Therefore, Joseph referred to the Hebrew to make corrections
in the Bible as is recorded in his diaries (Words of JS on
Pages 187, 188, 244, 350, 351, 361 and 379).
Words of JS, Page 358 " Some learned doctor might say the
scriptures say thus & so and we must believe the
scriptures He referred to an old book (N.T.) in the Hebrew,
Latin, German & Greek - find it to be the most correct
- find it to correspond with the revlations I have
received . "
In the Book of Mormon, Mormon apologizes for the
imperfections of their records because they were not able to
write them in the Hebrew language:
Morm. 9:33 "And if our plates had been sufficiently large we
should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been
altered by us also; and if we could have written in
Hebrew, behold, Ye would have had no imperfection in our
record ."
And Christ spoke in the original language, the Hebrew
tongue, when he chastened Saul who from this experience
became the apostle, Paul:
The Acts 26: 13 "At midday .... I saw in the way a light
from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round
about me and them which journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard
a voice speaking unto me, AND SAYING IN THE HEBREW
TONGUE , Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is
hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am
Jesus whom thou persecutest ."
Hebrew, the original language, brings to light the original
truths of the scriptures. And, according to the
following, the use of the Hebrew language connects
our spiritual mind within us to that which is heavenly
making it possible to receive the Eternal Light
:
Keys of Enoch, Key 1-1-0, Page 97 "I was
instructed (by Enoch) to use the Hebrew
fire letters , sacred energy sounds, and
thought-forms of Light to connect with the
intelligences of the Pleiades and Orion. unifving all
crystalline languages of the third eye so as to open the
template of the mind for the Eternal Light ."
Thus, we see why Joseph Smith put such tremendous importance
on getting as many as he could to master the Hebrew language
in this, the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times.
Kodoish, Kodoish, Kodoish, Adonai 'Tsebayoth
(Hebrew)
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God of
Hosts (English)
|
