We woke up feeling pretty fried on Thursday, but prayed for strength and stamina and we made it through pretty well.  Our legs are a bit sore from walking, but that's just a sign that we're getting stronger!  (Yaaaay!)  Today we went to a lot of classes that my husband was interested in, and it gives a nice mix.  Here are our notes for that day.

“If Mormonism can endure through the 3^rd and 4^thgeneration unaltered, it will become the greatest force the world has ever known.” (Tolstoy to Andrew Dickson White)

Andrew Dickson White told Thomas Yates (an LDS student) this story

Yates starts the LDS seminary program.

Yates probably told Joseph Fielding Smith about this.

Joseph Fielding Smith made a talk called “The third and fourth generation”

President Kimball heard this story when he was a boy and realized he was a part of the third generation and firmly decided to stay true to the gospel.

Evan Stephens (great musician) heard the talk and wrote words to hymn “Shall the Youth of Zion Falter?” (True to the Faith)

Next story…

Stillman Pond and wife Maria lived in Nauvoo, family 9 children.  3 children died of disease.  Maria got consumption, all had malaria. Went west in that condition.

Lived in a tent in Winter Quarters.  Lost 4 children there, lost wife to disease.

He still went west and made a great contribution.   Remarried and had more children.  Great sacrifices.

Next story…

Building the Jerusalem Center was a great work, getting clearance was a great work by Elder Hunter.  Lots of miracles associated with it.  Opposition was like combining all the opposition to all the times together.  To a Jew, missionary work among the Jews is the same thing as the Holocaust, an attempt to wipe them out.

Elder Hunter made 25 trips.  125 senators were involved in helping.

In late 1800s missionaries were sent everywhere they could.  13 missionaries sent to middle east.  2 missionaries sent to Haifa Palestine.  Had no success, died there.  Were buried in cemetery of Haifa.  Their families thought their mission was a failure.

Back to trying to build the Jerusalem Center…  Orthodox Jews tried to prevent any new religions from coming to Israel.  The burial of those missionaries was a way that the church could argue that the LDS religion was not new in Israel because they were buried there 100 years ago. 

Next story…

A couple of teens moved to Montana from Texas.  He got a job at a service station, they scraped by.  A baby came.  One night they woke up and discovered the baby had died. This crushed them and they had no family to turn to.  She was 16.  She decided to pray and asked for some way to find out if she could ever be with her baby again.  The missionaries were there 10 minutes later.

The Miracles of the Jerusalem Center Building

1600 – 1750

George Frideric Handel

Hallelujah Chorus sing-along (not same as the one we think of)

Hallejuah chorus that we recognize

Boy soprannos, male altos, tenors, basses, soloists (male and female)

Christopher Hogwood’s film of  Messiah is on Youtube and is worth a look.

Handel was really good at counterpoint music.

His career. Played the violin in an opera house orchestra when young.

Also composed on the side, began writing operas.  (Julius Caesar, Xerxes, ect.)

Wrote tons of operas, and some oratorios at the beginning, but 45 operas and 27 oratorio by the end.

Oratorios are on sacred subject matter, Biblical.

Opera has some stage action, costumes, acting, sets.  Chorus not as big a part.  Orchestra hidden.

Oratorios has people standing around singing.  Choruses is a big part of the whole.  Orchestra visible.

The premier performance of Handel’s Messiah was a benefit concert to help release people from debtor’s prison.

Why did Handel switch to oratorios?  Oratorios were cheaper to produce (he had his own opera house for a while) and there was another opera house across the street that competed too much.   Oratorio was very big business during Lent, while opera was considered sinful entertainment and the pope at the time banned opera for its sinful nature.

Influential and popular form – da capo arias

Aria – solo song in an opera or oratorio

De capo aria form  -- A  B  A’  (A’ meant the singer was to  improvise and ornament the section)

A Voi ell’ Erebo from La Resurreczione   written when Handel was in his 20s, depicts events of Christ’s resurrection.

D.C. written in music is da capo (go back to the top)

Ferma l’ali, e sui miei lumi from La Resurreczione. 

Harpsichordists had to improvise the chords from the bass line of the music because the bass was all they were given.

Libretta came first.  Handel’s libretto for Messiah was written first by someone else who pulled scriptures from all over the Bible and Handel loved it.

[Idea for more oratorios on other scripture series]

Work painting with the melody came from the Renaissance

Joseph F Smith

Served 47 years in the First Presidency, 52 years as a general authority.  (David O McKay served 64 years as a general authority)

He’s the son of Hyrum Smith, and his son also became president too.

David O McKay

He wrote a little-known poem while a missionary about a newborn baby that wondered how much the baby knew before coming to earth.

Back to Joseph F Smith

While prophet was in Liberty Jail.  Hyrum wanted to see his baby, asked his wife to bring the baby. She was sick, but she came 40 miles in winter in open wagon.  Her sister went with her. Her sister declared she would never sell the honor of being locked up in prison for a night with the church leaders for any gold.

Joseph F Smith prophesied while in the Vernal Tabernacle that someday a temple would be there.  (Vernal temple built out of that building)

He beat up a schoolteacher who was bothering his sister and would have been in trouble with the law, but the church leaders sent him on a mission.

Heber J Grant

Eliza R Snow prophesied that he would one day be prophet (happened when he was 18 months old)

At age 22, called to be stake president

An apostle at age 25

He struggled with his calling at first.  He prayed about it.  The Lord gave him a vision in which his calling in heaven was given and saw it was at the behest of his father and grandfather.  He also saw the revelation of his calling given to John Taylor.

He was more comfortable after that.

He was determined to improve himself.  Worked to throw a baseball into a hole in the barn at different distances.  

He loved golf, was rather fanatical about it. Didn’t like to play alone, kept after James Talmage to play with him, even though Talmage didn’t know golf.  Talmage came once.  Talmage got a hole-in-one on his first shot and said, “What’s so hard about that?” then that was the end of it.

Gave away more than 100K books in his life of various subjects.  He’d give a book to every missionary serving. When asked how he could afford to give away so many books, he said,  “I do it with my cigarette money.”

He helped the church get out of debt. 

Welfare program

One of his old businesses honored him with a copper box with 1K silver dollars.  Sent the dollars a friend to be made into paperweights with his signature and sent them to people he knew and asked them to donate them to donate $100 to the children’s hospital.. $100,000 was given to the hospital.  Then.. Letters were later sent to those who had donated asking them to donate the paperweight back and it was given to others who would donate $100 again.  They did.  This is still going on today.  

George Albert Smith

Descended from Joseph Smith Sr.’s brother

St. George is named after George A. Smith (his grandfather, also an apostle)

Was very sick for many years.  Possible lupis.

He was blind in one eye.  Lived to 81 years, died on his birthday, during general conference.  Sunday afternoon session of conference was his funeral.

He was the first president to have his picture on cover of Time magazine, but it was a sort of anti-Mormon cover, not very flattering.

Was sent to England to represent ZCMI in an international trade conference.  At a formal end meeting/banquet hosted by an egotistical lord, (anti-Mormon, anti-American).  Host kept needling Smith, who bore it with patience.  Others got irritated about it.  Host got more drunk.  Host said, “What’s that pin on your lapel?”  Smith said, “This represents when my great-great-granddaddy whipped your great-great-granddaddy.”

Harry Truman loved George Albert Smith for sending aid to Europe.

When Smith died, Truman sent condolences 30 minutes after the death.  Other first condolences came from a paperboy who knocked on the door and said, “I’ve lost my best friend.”

David O McKay

Some people practically joined the church based on his looks as a prophet.

Considered the prophet making the church into a world church.

Built 3 temples outside the US

While pres of the church, there were 7 men in the quorum of the twelve who later became presidents of the church.

Lived to 96 years, only outlived by President Hinckley at 97.

Times said at his death, “The prophet has been replaced by a youngster of only 93.”

Joseph Fielding Smith

Read the BofM twice before he was 10 years old

Knew doctrine very well.

Took a bag lunch with him to work to keep from wasting time.  When asked where he got his gospel knowledge, answered, “It’s in the bag.”

Outlived 3 wives.  His last wife was very funny.

He’d ask her to speak in priesthood meetings.

She’d say, “What do you get when you grow marijuana on the stake farm?”  “high counselors”

Harold B Lee

His grandmother was told he would give birth to a prophet.

She had 10 children who died as babies.  11^th baby was the father of Harold B Lee.

Back to Joseph Fielding Smith…

His wife drove him everywhere.

These stories illustrate how the Spirit comes to the aid of those who preach the gospel and lead the church.

Jedediah Morgan Grant  (the presenters great-great-grandfather)

Morgan Utah is named after him.

Born 1816 in Windor New York

William Smith married Jedediah’s sister

After his baptism, Jedediah moved to Ohio, went on Zion’s camp.

Called to quorum of 70.  Served lots of missions.

Jedediah had to carry the news of the martyrdom to the apostles in the east, just after he was married.

Appointed one of the captains of a wagon company.  Led a wagon train to SL valley 1847.  His wife and a daughter died on the plains.

1849 He married again.

Elected first mayor of SLC, also called second counselor in first presidency.

He got a reputation as a good improvivational speaker.

He studied the gospel carefully, but didn’t prepare sermons.  Others didn’t believe this could be done.

He was challenged to preach a sermon on a text chosen by others the instant before he would begin.  The “blank text” sermon.

The text was blank of any text.

“You believe that out of nothing, God created all things, and now you want me to preach a sermon from nothing.”  He uses work “blank” often, all the while tearing up the creeds of Christianity, and teaching the gospel.

The audience was so impressed they took up a collection to provide him a better set of clothes.  A minister didn’t want to, but he was compelled by the audience.  Collection purchased clothes, horse, and saddle for him.

Elder Grant was challenged to a discussion at another church.

Elder Grant asks, “Who stands at the head of your church?”  “I do, how about yours?”  “Jesus Christ, sir.” 

The Transfiguration of Brigham Young

On the day of the martyrdom, there was a pall of deep gloom over Nauvoo.  Many of the apostles felt deep depression that day, though they didn’t know why at the time.

Death masks of Joseph and Hyrum were done by George Cannon, father of George Q. Cannon

Who was to lead the church?  (succession crisis of 1844) Saints were completely shocked.  No one had thought about what to do if such a thing were to happen. Joseph had predicted it would happen, but they didn’t understand.

Principles Joseph had taught before his death.

D&C 107  Quorum of 12 has authority equal to first presidency

Where there is no prophet, the 1^st presidency dissolves and the quorum of 12 leads

D&C 112  Revelation about the 12 and their role

D&C 124  the 12 hold the keys to open the authority of the kingdom over the earth

1841  “The 12 will be called to stand in their place next to the 1^st pres.

Joseph ordained priesthood keys on the 12 with authority necessary to lead the church after Joseph’s death.

When Brigham Young told the people the 12 had the keys of the priesthood.

Sidney Rigdon also came back to Nauvoo from Pittsburg, declaring he had a vision that he was to lead the church.  Aug 2, 1844

Two elders came later. They met with Sidney.  Sidney wanted to lay plans to appoint a guardian of the church.  Sidney had a meeting claiming to be one spoken of by prophecy to lead.

Another meeting called for the purpose to choosing a guardian for the church.

They delayed the meeting until the rest of the apostles arrived.  Apostles counseled together.  Sidney proposed to be a guardian to the church to build up the church to Joseph Smith.

Another meeting.  In the grove.  Sidney made his argument. The more he talked, the more the people were convinced he should not lead them.

When Brigham Young stood, he spoke with great power and authority and inspiration.  He was transfigured before them, appearing to be Joseph Smith.

120 pages in the BYU Studies Magazine with 101 accounts of people who were there and witnessed it.

What was the purpose of this manifestation?

The church stood on a pivot, not knowing which way to turn.  The power of God made the voice of Brigham Young the voice of Joseph to show he would have the same power.  The people saw and heard for themselves that it was by the power of God.  All voted to sustain the twelve and Brigham Young.  But there were still people who split off following various people.

Why does the presiding member of the 12 become president?

Quorem of 12 presides over the church when prophet is dead.  So then, the president of the quorum, who presides over it, is also president of the church.

The Scattering of the House of Israel

--Lost ten tribes (721BC and following centuries)

--Lehites (600 BCE (and Mulekites around 586BCE)

--Jews  (586 BCE and 70CE and following centuries

--Scattered remnants of Israel (Identified as “gentiles” D&C 10:60-67  D&C 133:30-34;  unknown events, and events, we’re waiting for records of them)

Ludlow supposes that the most quoted prophet in those 3^rdscriptures will be Isaiah

The Gathering of the House Israel foreseen by Jeremiah to be a greater miracle than the Exodus from Egypt (Jer 16:14-15)

Goes in reverse order – last to be scattered are first to be gathered

--Scattered remnants, starting in 1820, key date April 3, 1836.. when D&C 109 is given.  Moses restores the keys of the gathering of Israel.

--Jews, starting in 1880s.  key date May 15, 1948 when Israel is re-established as a nation.  Before less than 17K Jews in Palestine under Ottoman Turks.

--Lehites, starting in 1830s, key date 1975 when 9 new stakes organized in Mexico City.  Top baptisms from Central, South America and the Phillippines.

--Lost Ten Tribes , unknown dates and events still in the future

3-step Process to Conversion

--  1 Nephi 19:15 – a change of attitude, and a gathering to take place, when they no more turn aside their hearts against the Holy One of Israel (neutral instead of negative?)  In 1830 Jews had a negative attitude about Christians and Jesus Christ.  Not so much any more.

-- 2 Nephi 10:7 a change of belief, and a restoration to take place. (hasn’t yet happened)

7 Jewish prophecies fulfilled since 1830

--Elijah the prophet to return, 1836 in the Kirtland temple

--the descendents of Judah to gather, 1880s because of pogroms in Russia and eastern Europe.  Many went to America.  Some went to Palestine.

--The wealth of nations to reclaim the land 1901, Fourth Zionist Congress, started a fund Jewish National Fund to establish Palestine and buy land for the Jews.

--Land to become productive, 1920s. France and England took over middle east from Ottoman Empire after WW1.  Started to farm.

--Jews to be attacked but delivered  1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, 1991, 2006, ??? (happens every decade)

--Jerusalem to be under Jewish control , 1967

--Jews begin to believe in Jesus Christ,  1975  President Kimball said the time of the Jews is about ready to come in.  “Now is the time of the Jew” (Spencer W. Kimball) We’re getting more Jewish converts in the east and west US.

The above are still being fulfilled.

Challeges of the middle east

Arabs, Persians, Turks, Afro-hamites, Kurds, Jews, Armenians

Cutures

-Patriarchal

-Oriental

-Semitic (culture, traditions, languages)

-Also +/- European/American influences that aren’t really positive. (Icky media)

Religions

-Islam (Sunni/Shi’a), Christianity (Armenian, Coptic, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Pretestant, LDS, etc), Judaism (ultra-orthodix, orthodox, conservative, reform, setc.), Druze, Baha’i, various

Middle East Governments – monarchy, emirate, constitutional monarchy, theocratic republic, military republic, republic, parliamentary democracy, ..

Middle East hot spots

Poverty – Egypt, Yemen, Palestine-Gaza

Politics – Egypt, Syria, Palestine-WestBank

Terrorists – Iran, Yemen, Palestine-Gaza

Women’s rights – Saudia Arabia, Yemen, ??? many

Civil Conflict – Egypt, Iraq/Syria, Lebanon/Cyprus

Intolerance – Iran/SA, Yemen, Palestine-Gaza

Iraq has 6 ethnic-religious groups.  How to form a government to represent them all!

Gaza is extremely densely populated.  4000 people/squar km  versus 30 for US

Gaza has 40% unemployment rate

Who is a Palestinian?  Canaanite? A Philistine? A Byzantine?, An Arab? A mixture of all these?

Only one lawsuit ever filed against Joseph over the Safety Society.  But this was a big case.  Rounds v.Smith, et al.

Opinion – majority of losses sustained by members of the church

Smith family was most hurt, then Rigdon family, then Johnson family.  This adds up to almost 60% of interest in it.

Once the bank failed, it was clear Kirtland wouldn’t be a good place for the Saints to stay.  Many saints believed their losses in Kirtland would be paid back with land in Missouri as an inheritance.

Rise of the safety society

Banking in Jacksonian America.  Central banking Terminated, no national currency. 

Metal money (specy) shortage, notes from banks (bank notes), promissory notes (promises to pay at a certain time)

Using bank notes, increase money supply, increase liquidity, increase loans

Kirtland in the 1830s

Booming economy, agricultural products, manufacturing, rapid population increase, significant land sales.  Money shortage  (major inflation)

Men went on missions poor and came back rich because of their land.

The Church’s involvement

Missionary efforts

United Firm (merchantile business ventures, land development ventures, printing,  increasing debt obligations, terminations of the United Firm)

Illiquity

Stores were stocked, but people coming didn’t have any money. 

Bank notes had high risk, short terms  60-90 day loans.  When it comes due, you either have to sell the merchandise, or roll it over into another larger loan. Church debt increased.

Church decided to get into land sales instead.  Large farms bought, then subdividing, then selling at marginal (small) profits.

Major issue – church needed money and church was building the temple at the same time.

Church is 40K in debt for the Kirtland temple

October 1836 – Returning from Salem MA they decided to start a bank to increase the money supply, liquidity, and loans.

They began taking payments for stock -- $50/share, small installments, 36 subscribers by end of October

November 1836 they had a organization meeting.  32 directors.  Director was Rigdon, JS was cashier, They adopted a “constitution”, They approved purchases of printing plates, safe, stock ledger, etc.

December 1836: Getting a charter

They sent Orson Hyde, who was not a politician.  Made no alliances.  Couldn’t even get the bill read to be considered.  Also opposition from Gradison Newell, who wanted his own town to be the center and was angry at upstart Kirtland. He wanted a railroad that could have authority to issue banknotes too.

Oliver gets the equipment for the bank.

They can’t be a bank. They will be an “anti-bank” as a joint-stock company as a partnership.  All directors are jointly liable for losses.

Changed their articles of agreement. Changed the names of the offices and roles

First run was $10K

Business opens.  1^st run loaned in 3 days. Road improvements, increased land sales, increase in Whitney Store

January-Feb 1837

Bought the Bank of Monroe, Michigan in order to become a branch bank of it.  Agree to purchase a controlling interest. Oliver Cowdery becomes director and vice president.  He moves to Monroe.  Seemed pretty clever.

Banknotes have nothing printed on the back.

Then there is the Panic of 1837.  Starts in New York goes to the entire US

Every single bank of Ohio and Michigan fail.  Safety society is caught in that.

Banks across nation begin to close in March 1837

Grandison Newell decides to try to make Safety Society fail.  He buys up notes and redeems species.

Warren Parrish & John Johnson start executing bank notes and putting htem into the market.  Johnson starts selling his property to make it good. When he’s sold everything, the bank is dead.

Lawsuit is qui tam lawsuit – A whistleblower suit, needs statute to support and be in the state’s interest.  Operating a bank without charter.

Samuel Rounds was a strawman to bring the lawsuit.

Defendents were key directors of the bank.  Six lawsuits based on 1816 statute.

$1000 fine per transaction

Defense – the statue used for lawsuit was not in force

New statute overrides it of 1823 saying there is no problem with unchartered supply, but there is no recourse.

The court rules against them, but they don’t finish the suit.

Agents were left to turn out Joseph’s debts.  Grandison was overpaid.  After Joseph’s death, he has probate set up to get the Kirtland temple.

The case defaulting possession to the RLDS of the Kirtland was a total fraud because the judge didn’t allow them to have it, but the RLDS people ignored the last sentence.

Later another case gets the temple for RLDS

The temple is still there for a reason, not destroyed.  It reminds us of the great events of the restoration.

 “Maccabees—A Family and a Legacy”  Jared L. Ludlow

1 and 2 Maccabees – come at 200-100BC after Malachi in the Bible

1 Maccabees is modeled after books of Kings and Chronicles

Starts with Alexander’s conquests, but focuses on Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) rain to John Hyrcanus I

Lacks miraculous interventions from heaven, but sees hand of God in Jewish victories

Includes copies of letters and contemporary poems

2 Maccabees is an abridgement of a 5 volume history (we don’t have) written by Jason of Cyrene..  Parallels 1 Maccabees 1-7:50

Themes – sanctity of the temple, celebrate the deeds of the martyrs who precipitated the revolt

Historical background

Alexander conquers middle east, breaking down Persian empire,

Whole region under greek dominance, spreading greek thought, language.

Hellenistic Empires split between generals

Antigonid (greek and macedon)

Ptolemaic (Egypt)

Seleucid (Syria, Babylon, Persia) Has the hardest time keeping it and loses pieces little by little

Israel is right between two and that plays a role.  They switch

Hellenism

Greek colonies founded, culture is spread, which creates issues for Jews.  They have to decide whether to embrace it/promote it or eschew it as a taint.

Hellenizers versus traditionalists

Hellenizers established gymnasium (greek school, exercising in the nude) in Jerusalem and even removed marks of circumcision

Antiochus III (Megas) 223-187 BCE

5^th Syrian War, took the land of Israel at the Battle of Paneas, defeating Ptolemy V

Fights with Rome in Asia Moinor (Battle of Magnesia 189BCE), losing, ceding most of Asia Minor to Rome in the Treaty of Apamea, paid yearly tribute

How to pay tribute?  Tax people, use your money, or plunder other people.  They choose to plunder others.

Common target of plunder is temples in the middle east because they are the storehouse of much wealth.

Antichus IV (Epiphanes)

In the 6^th Syrian war, marched on Alexandria Egypt for its wealth. Then retreated at Roman threat.

What’s left?  Jerusalem temple.  Series of acts against Jews of Judea.

Raided Jerusalem and took temple treasure.  (Historians think he was crazy.  Others think extreme Hellenized Jews are whispering in his ear to try to get Jews to abandon tradition and convert to greek religion.)

Antiochus’ troops and Hellenized Jews built a fortress (Acra) near the temple to dominate Jerusalem.

Requires pagan sacrifices.Wanted entire empire to have one custom (religion).

Sacrifices of swine, altars to greek gods on the temple site.  (Gasp)

Hellenizers wanted to make a covenant with the gentiles, gymnasiam, etc.

Jewish worship, prayer and Sabbath were forbidden, Violations were punished by torture or death.

Hebrew scriptures (OT) were destroyed by fire

Jews having scriptures were tortured and killed

Circumcized sons had their whole families killed brutally.

Jewish Response

First, abandon tradition

Some, Martyrdom (1 Macc 1:62-63; 2 Macc 6-7)  Chose to die rather than profane themselves.

Tests of whether they would eat the pigs or break the Sabbath

Jews realize the trials come because they haven’t been as faithful as they should be.

They encourage each other to die honorably.

ThThird response: revolt  1 Macc 2; 3:59-60

Hasmonean family – Mattathias (father) with five sons (Joannes, Simean, Judas Maccabeus, Eleazar, Jonathan) united with Hasideans (pious ones) for legitimacy

Modern Jews don’t want to do martyrdom again, so they will build up their military and protect themselves.

Maccabeus  --“the hammer”

They take Phineas as an example (Phineas the priest in Numbers, who spears the immoral couple in the tent)

Mattathias is told to sacrifice.  He refuses.  Mattathias kills another Jew who is about to sacrifice, kills the king’s officers, tears down the altar.  Calls the town to unite and leave with him and went to the wilderness.

They revolt.  It becomes a guerrilla war that keeps escalating.

Antiochus keeps sending larger and larger armies trying to stamp it out and it doesn’t work.

They retake the temple and rededicate the temple  1 Macc 4:36-51

The First Hanukkah 164BC

7-stand manorah  temple mannorah, used in temple.

8-day manorah   Hanukkah

9-day mannorah  Hanukkah  (middle candle used to light all the other candles)

Hanukkah involves presents to make sure Jewish kids don’t miss out on Christmas.

The miracle of the oil is in the later rabbinic stories, not in Maccabees.

We can see lots of Jewish thought and passion and how to deal with the outside gentile world in it.

It shows the importance placed in the temple and the law of Moses and there’s lots we can learn from that.