Talk:Abr 3:1-21
I haven't really digested this comment yet, but thought it might be interesting to ponder.... --RobertC 18:09, 3 Jul 2006 (UTC)
broad outline
I always wonder if there isn't some sense in which the purpose of chapter 3 is to teach us how to understand chapters 4 and 5. There is a certain pattern at work here. Here are the major indicators of the pattern. First, the pattern is stated explicitly in proof-like wording (Abr 3:8 (in relation to stars / time), Abr 3:16 (in relation to stars / time, Abr 3:18 (first half--apply what Abraham has learned about start to spirits.} Next, the fact that Kolob signifies the first creation (see explanation on Figure 1 for Facsimile 2) and Abraham chapter 4, more than any other creation story, makes a point of Adam being the first creation.
If I try to put it all together, maybe it gets a bit strained. You'll all have to tell me what you think.
| All things | Stars / Time | Spirits | Earth's creations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Some are greater | moon, Earth | some noble and great | living/non-living? |
| Some are close to God (rulers) | governing ones | rulers | animals? |
| One is very close to God (first) | Kolob (first creation) | Christ (first born) | Man (first flesh) |
| God | Throne of God | God | Gods (the us in "Let us go down") |
A couple of to-do's: Fill this out and think through. Add scripture references. --Matthew Faulconer 06:46, 16 Aug 2006 (UTC)
- I've got to learn to make those tables! I like this, Matthew. I like especially the Kolob-Christ-Adam thing, since it goes beyond the Kolob-Christ thing usually read into this chapter. In my own researches on this chapter, I've tried at times to work out a separation between planets and stars (a separation that seems to parallel the separation between men and angels). If that is read into your chart... might there be another column? Stars as one, planets as another. In which case, there is a sort of double parallelism: stars vs. planets against spirits vs. bodies (if you will). In short, just as the "spirits" parallel the "earth's creations," there may be a parallel between "stars" and "planets." While it would complicate things some, it would also, I think, be more archaic (double parallelism is certainly common in Hebrew thought), and it would set all of this up as a sort of fourfold structure: mortals and immortals dwell on planets and stars, etc. Perhaps I'm too Heideggerian, but I think there is something here. --Joe Spencer 16:00, 16 Aug 2006 (UTC)
