Difference between revisions of "Abraham 1-2"
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''This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →'' | ''This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →'' | ||
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| + | The importance of this first chapter to a general understanding of the Book of Abraham cannot be overemphasized. Not only does this first chapter explain how it is that Abraham finds himself a wanderer in foreign lands, it also provides the reader with some preliminary details concerning the patriarchal order and its perversion in Egypt. The connection between these two themes underlies every single verse in this chapter: the apostasy in Chaldea, from which Abraham is to take his leave, is directly tied to the patriarchal perversion that is at work in Egypt. The two themes cannot be separated. | ||
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| + | Though the Book of Abraham is, for now at least, an incomplete text, it is clear from what is had of it that it traces broadly a movement from Chaldea to Egypt. (If the text was written, as it is claimed, while Abraham was still in Egypt, that movement is not countered, undone, or altered at all in the complete text. It remains, apparently, a text about Abraham's approach to Egypt.) Even as the majority (?) of the text is not to be had as of yet, the broad meaning of the whole of the Book of Abraham seems to be contained within the first chapter, which traces in miniature Abraham's concerns in Chaldea to his broader concerns in Egypt. That movement as it written out in this first chapter may be the most important thing one is to learn from the Book of Abraham. | ||
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| + | That said, the best approach to this first chapter of Abraham would seem to be one that reads carefully the relation between Egypt and Chaldea. While a short reading of the whole chapter provides a broad sense of that relation, it is only with a most detailed reading of the Chaldean material that one can ultimately approach the content concerning Egypt that concludes the chapter. In other words and more plainly: issues concerning the patriarchal government of Egypt, concerning bloodlines and genealogies, concerning the rise of the Egyptian power, must be considered from the standpoint of the nationalistic rituals at play in the first part of the chapter. Modern presuppositions concerning the nature of Egypt can only be uprooted by careful study of Abraham's awful situation. | ||
Revision as of 00:05, 25 November 2013
The Pearl of Great Price > Abraham > Chapter 1-2
- Subpages: Verses 1:1-4, Abraham 1, Abraham 2
Previous page: Abraham Next Page: Verses 1:1-4
This page would ideally always be under construction. You are invited to contribute.
Summary
This heading should be brief and may include an outline of the book. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Discussion
This heading is for more detailed discussions of all or part of a passage. Discussion may include the meaning of a particular word, how a doctrinal point is developed throughout the passage, insights to be developed in the future, and other items. Contributions may range from polished paragraphs down to a single bullet point. The focus, however, should always be on understanding the scriptural text consistent with LDS doctrine. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
The importance of this first chapter to a general understanding of the Book of Abraham cannot be overemphasized. Not only does this first chapter explain how it is that Abraham finds himself a wanderer in foreign lands, it also provides the reader with some preliminary details concerning the patriarchal order and its perversion in Egypt. The connection between these two themes underlies every single verse in this chapter: the apostasy in Chaldea, from which Abraham is to take his leave, is directly tied to the patriarchal perversion that is at work in Egypt. The two themes cannot be separated.
Though the Book of Abraham is, for now at least, an incomplete text, it is clear from what is had of it that it traces broadly a movement from Chaldea to Egypt. (If the text was written, as it is claimed, while Abraham was still in Egypt, that movement is not countered, undone, or altered at all in the complete text. It remains, apparently, a text about Abraham's approach to Egypt.) Even as the majority (?) of the text is not to be had as of yet, the broad meaning of the whole of the Book of Abraham seems to be contained within the first chapter, which traces in miniature Abraham's concerns in Chaldea to his broader concerns in Egypt. That movement as it written out in this first chapter may be the most important thing one is to learn from the Book of Abraham.
That said, the best approach to this first chapter of Abraham would seem to be one that reads carefully the relation between Egypt and Chaldea. While a short reading of the whole chapter provides a broad sense of that relation, it is only with a most detailed reading of the Chaldean material that one can ultimately approach the content concerning Egypt that concludes the chapter. In other words and more plainly: issues concerning the patriarchal government of Egypt, concerning bloodlines and genealogies, concerning the rise of the Egyptian power, must be considered from the standpoint of the nationalistic rituals at play in the first part of the chapter. Modern presuppositions concerning the nature of Egypt can only be uprooted by careful study of Abraham's awful situation.
Points to ponder
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I have a question
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Resources
This heading is for listing links and print resources, including those cited in the notes. A short comment about the particular strengths of a resource can be helpful. Click the link above and to the right to edit or add content to this heading. →
Notes
Footnotes are not required but are encouraged for factual assertions that average readers cannot easily evaluate for themselves, such as the date of King Solomon’s death or the nuanced definition of a Greek word. In contrast, insights rarely benefit from footnoting, and the focus of this page should always remain on the scriptures themselves rather than what someone has said about them. Links are actively encouraged on all sections of this page, and links to authoritative sources are preferable to footnotes.
