The Backyard Professor

NEW (2008) Review About Hugh Nibley's Use of Sources: 10 **********'s!!!

It's about flippin time the actual skinny about Nibley's use of sources shows up. As I have personally photocopied numerous hundreds of sources Nibley used himself, and in turn have used them, I already knew a lot of this. But this is simply timely and wonderfully inspiring! THANK YOU FARMS!

http://farms.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=20&num=2&id=728

More Ideas on the Atonement

This from Hugh Nibley's mighty pen (er, typerwriter - LOL!)

By redemption, someone has paid a price to get you off, but the frequent use of the commercial analogy is not out of reverence for trade and commerce but the opposite. The redeemed are bought to clear them of all worldly obligation by paying off the world in its own currency, after which it has no further claim on the redeemed: "And the child of eight days shall be circumcised for you, every male through your generations, born of a house or a purchase of silver of any outsider who is not of thy seed. He must certainly be circumcised, born of your house, or bought with your silver; and it shall be my covenant in [among or with] thy flesh for an everlasting covenant" (Gen. 17:12-13 ). All the newborn are taken into the family, which is united by an eternal covenant by the token shedding of blood (circumcision) to become the seed of Abraham—this is a real at—one-ment. The Greek equivalent is lytrosis, a ransoming. Paul tells the saints to prepare for the salvation that has been made available by disengaging from this world—"denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world"—so that God "might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people" (Titus 2:12, Titus 2:14). Salvation is likewise rescue (soteria), also rendered deliverance. Another expression is "for a price," the word being time, "that which is paid in token or worth of value." He paid for us what he thought we were worth so he could join us with him. In his letter to the Ephesians, the proposition reads like a business agreement, not binding but releasing: "In whom we have bail (apolytrosin—our release pending the judgment) through his blood, the pardoning (aphesin, setting-aside) of misdemeanors (paraptomaton, blunder, trespass) on consideration of the riches (ploutos) of his generosity (charitos), which he has bestowed upon us in all wisdom and understanding (phronesei) ("Eph. 1:7—8). Next Paul tells us that it was all the Savior's idea, "that in the economy (oikonomia) of the fullness of times the whole thing might be brought together again in Christ (anakephalaiosasthai)—things in the heavens and things on earth" (Eph. 1:9-10). A great at-one-ment indeed! Meanwhile Paul counsels the saints, "Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption (bought free, apolytroseos)," and to be united in love, "forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:30, Eph. 4:32). So when the scriptures speak of atonement, it is always re-conciliation, redemption, re-surrection, re-lease, salvation, and so on. All refer to a return to a former state. This is even more vividly and concretely expressed in the Hebrew terminology.

In Semitic languages, where one root can have many meanings, the first rule is always to look for the basic or literal meaning of the word, which in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic usually takes us back to early days and simple homely affairs of life in the desert or the countryside. One simple physical act often triggers a long line of derivatives, meanings that are perfectly reasonable if one takes the most obvious steps from one to the next, but which can end up miles from the starting place. The basic word for atonement is kaphar, which has the same basic meaning in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic, that being "to bend, arch over, cover; . . . to deny, . . . to forgive, . . . to be expiated, . . . renounce."  The Arabic kafara puts the emphasis on a tight squeeze, such as tucking in the skirts, drawing a thing close to one's self. Closely related are Aramaic and Arabic kafat,  meaning a close embrace, which are certainly related to the Egyptian hpet,  the common ritual embrace written with the ideogram of embracing arms. It may be cognate with the Latin capto, and from it comes the Persian kaftan,  a monk's robe and hood completely embracing the body. Most interesting is the Arabic kafata,  as it is the key to a dramatic situation.

It was the custom for one fleeing for his life in the desert to seek protection in the tent of a great sheik, crying out, "Ana dakhiluka," meaning "I am thy suppliant," whereupon the Lord would place the hem of his robe over the guest's shoulder and declare him under his protection. In the Book of Mormon, we see this world as a plain, a dark and dreary waste, a desert. We see Nephi fleeing from an evil thing that is pursuing him. In great danger, he prays the Lord to give him an open road in the low way, to block his pursuers, and to make them stumble. He comes to the tent of the Lord and enters as a suppliant; and in reply, the Master, as was the ancient custom, puts the hem of his robe protectively over the kneeling man's shoulder (katafa). This puts him under the Lord's protection from all enemies. They embrace in a close hug, as Arab chiefs still do; the Lord makes a place for him and invites him to sit down beside him—they are at—one (2 Ne. 4:33; Alma 5:24).

This is the imagery of the Atonement, the embrace: "The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" (2 Ne. 1:15). "O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies!" (2 Ne. 4:33). "Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you" (Alma 5:33).

This is the hpet, the ritual embrace that consummates the final escape from death in the Egyptian funerary texts and reliefs, where the son Horus is received into the arms of his father Osiris. There is a story confirmed by the recently discovered Apocryphon of John in which Jesus and John the Baptist meet as little children, rush into each other's arms and fuse into one person, becoming perfectly "at-one."

In Israel when the sacrifices and sin offerings were completed on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest went to the door of the kapporeth to receive assurance from the Lord within that he had accepted the offerings and repentance of the people and forgiven them their sins: "At the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee" (Ex. 29:42). The kapporeth is usually assumed to be the lid of the Ark, yet it fits much better with the front, since one stands before it. The Septuagint, a much older text, tells us more: I will meet you at the "door of the tent of the testimony in the presence of the Lord, on which occasion I shall make myself known to you that I might converse with you" (Ex. 29:42).

We get the situation in Luke when Zacharias, a direct descendent of Aaron (as was also his wife), entered behind the veil into the Holy of Holies (naon tou kuriou, the skene or tent of the Old Testament) while people waited on the outside ("Luke 1:9-10). He did not meet the Lord but his personal representative, a messenger of the Lord standing beside the altar (Luke 1:11), who identified himself as "Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, sent down to converse with thee and to tell thee the good news" (Luke 1:19). The news was about a great at-one-ment about to take place in which the children would "turn to the Lord their God" while the hearts of the fathers would be "turned again (epistrepsai) to the children, the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" ("Luke 1:16-17). It is all a preparation for a great bringing together again through the office of baptism after they had been separated by the Fall. "I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation and . . . Aaron and his sons, . . . and I will dwell among the children of Israel, and be their God" (Ex. 29:44-45). They will all be one happy family forever. It is understandable that the kapporeth should be called the mercy seat, where man is reconciled at-one with God on the Day of Atonement: "And after the second veil, the tabernacle [succoth, booth, tent] which is called the Holiest . . . [contained] the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly." Thus Paul to the Hebrews (Heb. 9:3, 5).

Hermes Trismegistus, Hermetic Books of Scripture, and the Restored Gospel

In gathering my notes on the ascension literatures, and bringing it out front that the Tarot card symbolisms are “Hermetic,” and in fact one of the “Hermetic Books” brought back to us in the Medieval ages, and that alchemical themes are prominent (the colors, for instance, in the Waite-Rider deck), and that Kabbalah, alchemy, Gnosticism, Early Christianity and Judaism, etc., are all intertwined in some remarkable ways, I decided to do a quick check into some of Hugh Nibley’s writings about the Hermetic literatures, and who this Hermes, Hermes Trismegistus character was. Hermes Trismegistus was considered the author of the Emerald Tablet, the ultimate sacred text and foundation of the alchemical enterprise of finding the gold in human souls, i.e., realizing we are Divine.

I found, as usual, that Nibley was the most useful LDS scholar on this theme, (among dozens and dozens of others!) but other LDS scholars have mentioned a little bit about it all. So this is basically very interesting and engaging background information, usually elucidating the Egyptian religion, but also some other high points of interest, that is worth browsing. It will startle you how wide and extensive the connections are with various types of important prophets, wisemen, and rulers with Hermes and Hermes Trismegistus.

And I side with Nibley that the doctrines, ideas, and ideologies of Hermeticism are not strange, but rather extend way back as a primordial revelation to mankind, about the possibility

The Throne & Council of Gods in the Book of Mormon, Books of Enoch, and the Old & New Testaments: An Authentic Touch

Some of this information is from Hugh Nibley’s “Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price,” and I elaborate and bring in other sources and ideas from various scholars as I find relevance to them. The breadth and depth of Nibley’s understanding is incredible, and I think a lot of we LDS simply fail to appreciate his expanded vision and incredible aha! insights into things. You could call this my personal commentary on Nibley’s commentary! [I shall bracket my comments and ideas and sources.]

[The Book of Mormon opens up with a bang…, a big bang…, with Lehi’s vision of God on his throne.] This is the revelation to Lehi's dispensation. "And being thus overcome with the Spirit, he was carried away in a vision [he gets carried away; here's an ascension again] even that he saw the heavens open, [he sees the heavens open, and this is the ascension to heaven] and he thought he saw God sitting upon his throne…." There is the theme. The heavenly hosts are assembled around God on his throne. But you notice that it's put as a vision (he thought he saw God). It was as if he experienced it because he is going way back in time. This is the Council in Heaven at the foundation of the earth you are beginning to see.

Nibley's Egyptian connection of Atum=Adam

In Nibley's Teachings of the Pearl of Great Price, we read of some fascinating connections with the Egyptian Atum = Adam of the Bible. This is Nibley in his finest, most interesting form. I emphasize some things, but the entire post here is amazing!

We will see a lot about Ptah-Tenen. Notice, he is being acclaimed on the throne. He is the father. Ptah-Tenen is a rare form, but Ptah-Tenen means Ptah's office translated down to earth. It means the exalted one. It refers to the hill, among other things, the exalted hill. It refers both to the first land that emerged after the flood and the first land that emerged in the beginning when waters and darkness covered the earth. There was the later flood, and these are the waters the Egyptians are referring to as you learn from the Pearl of Great Price.

Remember, when she discovered the land, it was under water. She went there after the flood. But emerging from the flood is a very important thing. And Ptah-Tenen is the land that first emerged. But it is also the person who first occupied it and first lived in it. It means the exalted one, the exalted or uplifted land. This Ptah-Tenen always belongs to the earth.

He is the earthly representative of the heavenly order. Everything about him is earthy, and so he is chthonian. Chthon is the Greek word for "like earth." The solar is the light, and the dark is the chthonian. A perfect example of that is in our Facsimile No 2.

Notice all these deities are solar deities. (those in the upper half of facsimiles 2) They all have suns, and they are moving forth in glory. All these (in the lower upside-down half of the facsimile 2) are chthonian, the cow, the female, and including the inscription which tells us this is the dark place where everything comes to a halt. But you have to have both if you are going to create.

This is the womb; that's why the cow. That's Hathor, the mother cow-the womb from whom all life comes. And the four figures in front of her are, as Joseph Smith says, the four elements-the four regions of the earth from which physical bodies must be compounded.

Hugh Nibley Reading Club

For those interested, a good start to enjoying learning pros and cons of the brilliant LDS scholar Hugh Nibley is going on with Clark Goble's web blog. I admire Clark's intelligence with everything he discusses, and I think his idea of reading Hugh Nibley and understanding his contributions is an important one for LDS and non-LDS alike. Here is the link

http://www.libertypages.com/clark/reading3.html

I likewise will continue to point out things I find amazing with Nibley as well as where and why I disagree with him on some things. Overall, it is precisely because of Nibley's willingness to.... ahem...... "look beyond the mark," (to quote the BofM, [my personal abbreviation of the Book of Mormon] which uses this comment in a negative fashion, whilst I am using it in a positive fashion) in the Mormon scriptures, delving deeper and thus showing them to be far more interesting and significant than we think they are. Nibley's insights and analysis has caused me to jump full blown into the scholarship and literature of the scriptures for the past 30 years, and I believe I am a far better person because of his influence.