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:7 And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;({{s||DC|27|6-7}}.) | :7 And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;({{s||DC|27|6-7}}.) | ||
− | Elias is here said to be the person who came to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel is well known to have been the messenger of John's birth (see {{s||Luke|1|19}} Who is Gabriel in LDS thought? Joseph Smith taught that Gabriel was the mortal Noah.{{ref|js1}} | + | Elias is here said to be the person who came to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel is well known to have been the messenger of John's birth (see {{s||Luke|1|19}}.) Who is Gabriel in LDS thought? Joseph Smith taught that Gabriel was the mortal Noah.{{ref|js1}} |
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Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon reported a vision in the Kirtland Temple on 3 April 1836 (see DC 110꞉1-16). They reported that they received priesthood keys from three angelic messengers:
Critics points out that "Elias" is merely the Greek name of the Hebrew prophet "Elijah." Thus, they charge, Joseph Smith made a fatal error by having Elias and Elijah be two different people, when they are in fact one and the same.
It is certainly true that "Elias" is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Elijah." And, there are times within scripture where "Elias" is clearly meant to refer to the Elijah of 1 Kings. (See, for example, Matthew 27꞉47-49, Romans 11꞉2, James 5꞉17).
However, there are also cases when the name "Elias" is applied to someone besides Elijah. For example, Jesus himself applied it to John the Baptist (see Matthew 11꞉13-15.)
Jesus' use of "Elias" to refer to another forerunner prophet (John the Baptist) illustrates the LDS concept of "Elias" as a calling or name-title for someone in a prepratory role.[1] And, the angel Gabriel applied the "spirit of Elias" to John even prior to his birth. (See Luke 1꞉15-17.)
The Mount of Transfiguration account (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke ꞉9) has Jesus speaking to Moses and "Elias." Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible expands upon the concept of "Elias" as name-title:
The JST of Mark makes John the Baptist's appearance explicit:
Interestingly, the LDS Bible Dictionary (prepared under the direction of Elder Bruce R. McConkie) says that "[t]he curious wording of JST Mark 9:3 does not imply that the Elias at the Transfiguration was John the Baptist, but that in addition to Elijah, the prophet, John the Baptist was present."[2]
And, elsewhere, the JST associates the "Elias" role with Jesus himself:
Having shown that "Elias" may refer to someone other than the Hebrew "Elijah," both Biblically and in Joseph Smith's thought (see DC 77꞉9,14 for other uses as forerunner), we can now ask: Who, then, appeared with Elijah and Moses at Kirtland? There are several possible options:
Elias as John the Baptist: this is analogous to the JST usage of the term. However, this seems unlikely given that a previous appearance of John the Baptist identified him as such.(See DC 13꞉1
Elder Bruce R. McConkie suggested that this Elias was a prophet who lived at the time of Abraham.[3]
Elder McConkie was apparently not wedded to interpretation #2, since he later suggested that this "Elias" might be Abraham himself.[4]
The association of Noah with Elias is based in part upon D&C 27:
Elias is here said to be the person who came to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist. The angel Gabriel is well known to have been the messenger of John's birth (see Luke 1꞉19.) Who is Gabriel in LDS thought? Joseph Smith taught that Gabriel was the mortal Noah.[5]
Person | Keys | Mission of the Church? |
---|---|---|
Moses | Gathering of Israel; leading the 10 tribes | Proclaiming the gospel |
Elijah | Turn hearts of the children to the fathers | Redeem the dead via sealing power; vicarious work for the dead |
Elias | Dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham | "Through you [the Church members] all generations after us should be blessed”—Perfecting the Saints, by the restoration of all things in the gospel. This might work well with Noah, who serves as a "second Adam" figure, restoring the human race and its covenant relationship with God after the world was engulfed in wickedness. |
Elder John A. Widtsoe wrote of these theories:
Elder McConkie provides a good summary:
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