New
Testament Lesson 2: “My Soul Doth Magnify the Lord”
Luke 1; Matthew 1
Quotes:
Robert D Hales—“You too can seek our
Heavenly Father and “this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have
[testified]” in the scriptures and in this general conference. As you seek a
personal witness—your personal revelation—you will discover that Heavenly
Father has provided a special way for you to know the truth for yourself:
through the third member of the Godhead, a personage of spirit we know as the
Holy Ghost.”[1]
James E. Talmage
“The answer to [Mary’s] natural and
simple enquiry was the announcement of a miracle such as the world had never
known—not a miracle in the sense of a happening contrary to nature’s law, nevertheless
a mircle through the operation of higher law, such as the human mind ordinarily
ails to comprehend or regard as possible.”[2]
From the New Testament Institute
Manual
“The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John were written not as biographical sketches of Jesus Christ but as
testimonies that He was the Messiah, the Son of God. Rather than revealing a
day-to-day story of the life of Jesus Christ, the Gospels emphasize His atoning
mission, as told in the context of His mortal life and ministry. The public
ministry of Jesus Christ spanned about three years; however, the four Gospels
relate information about a small number of specific days of the Savior’s life.
John stated that the authors were selective in what they recorded (see John 21:25).”
Introduction to the New Testament in
bullet points!
·
No original manuscripts for the New Testament
survive, but they were copied and circulated broadly soon after they were
written. Most of the 116 papyri containing different parts of the New Testament
date after AD 200.
·
It was first compiled by Marcion early in the
second century AD.
·
By AD 185, Irenaeus had constructed a list of
authoritative Christian writing which included the four Gospels and most of the
epistles (missing Hebrews, James, some of 2 Peter, John, an Jude).
·
In AD 367 Athanasius of Alexandria recommended
the current 27 books of the New Testament. A list confirmed by the 3rd
council of Carthage in AD 397.
·
“Testament” is the Greek translation of diatheke which also mans “covenant.”
·
The texts were translated from Greek into Latin
by the beginning of the third century; the authoritative Vulgate Latin text is
Jerome’s from the fourth century.
·
There are 8 main ancient translations from the
Greek: Latin, Syriac, Coptic, Gothic, Armenian, Georgian, Ethiopic, and
Slavonic.
·
There are 3 versions from the Middle Ages:
Nubian, Sogdian, Anglo-Saxon.
·
Erasmus printed a Greek version in Spain in 1516
on which Luther based his 1522 German translation and Tyndale his 1526 English
translation.
Luke
1
Aaronic Priesthood— Joseph Smith:
“The Levitical Priesthood is forever hereditary—fixed on the head of Aaron and
his sons forever, and was in active operation down to Zacharias the father of
John. Zacharias would have had no child had not God given him a son. He sent
his angel to delcare unto Zacharias that his wife Elisabeth should bear him a
son, whose name was to be called John. The keys of the Aaronic Priesthood were
committed unto him.”[3]
Question:
Why was it important to have an unbroken line of Aaronic Priesthood?
“ Upon you my fellow servants,
in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys
of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism
by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again
from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord
in righteousness” (D&C 13:1)
5–12 Luke jumps right in with
reference to the temple, the people praying, and the appearance of Gabriel, the
divine messenger. Not only that, but a promise of a miracle birth to Elisabeth
who was “well stricken in years.” Already we have a manifestation of the keys
of the Aaronic Priesthood for the “ministering of angels.”
Question:
What do we know about John the Baptist?
- John would “turn [many people] to the Lord their God”
(Luke
1:16).
- He would “turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children” (Luke 1:17).
- He would “turn … the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just” (Luke
1:17).
- He would “make ready a people prepared for the Lord”
(Luke
1:17).
Question:
How are we made ready and prepared for the Lord?
26–39 The Annunciation. “Highly
favored.” 1 Nephi 11:18–20, “And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou
seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.
And it came to pass that I beheld
that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in
the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look!
And I looked and beheld the virgin
again, bearing a child in her arms.” Mosiah 3:8, “And he shall be called Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all
things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary.” The JST of
Luke 1:28 “And the angel came into her and said, Hail, thou virgin who art
highly favored of the Lord, the Lord is with thee: for thou art chosen and
blessed among women.”[4]
1:35 From S. Kent Brown’s commentary: “‘The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee”:
The verb translated ‘to overshadow’ (Greek episkiazō)
basically means ‘to shade.’ But it also bears the sense ‘to protect,’ as it
does here. Beyond promising protection, the angel’s answer seems vague about
how Mary will conceive. That said, he is also rehearsing the experience whereby
she will know that his words are true. Notably, other passages that speak of
the means by which Mary conceives are similarly vague (see Matt. 1:20; 1 John
5:1; 1 Ne. 11:18–20; Alma 7:10). Further, because power (Greek dynamis) is present in his conception,
from his birth Jesus will carry special powers that become evident during his
ministry.”
Quote Harold B. Lee “we need not question
His [God’s] method to accomplish His purposes.”[5]
39–45 Mary and Elisabeth. Question: What significance does it have
for you that Elisabeth’s unborn child recognized Mary’s unborn child. How does
it relate for you to Abraham 3:22?
67–79: Zacharias’s father’s
blessing. Question—what responsibilities
do we carry in common with John?
Matthew
1
19–23 Joseph is given revelation
after the trial of his faith.
[1]
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/eternal-life-to-know-our-heavenly-father-and-his-son-jesus-christ?lang=eng.
[2] James E. Talmage, Jesus
the Christ (Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, 1973), 80. At
https://www.lds.org/manual/jesus-the-christ/chapter-7?lang=eng
[3] Joseph F. Smith, sel. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book, 1938), 319
[4] Steven J. Hite and Julie M. Hite, comps. The New Testament with the Joseph Smith
Translation (Orem, UT: Veritas Group, 1989), 7.
[5] Clyde J. Williams, The Teachings of Harold B. Lee: Eleventh President of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996), 14;
also “only the result is important, not the nature of the act,” Gerhard Kittel
and Gerhard Friedrich. Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament. 9 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans,
1964–74), 6:405..
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