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< FAIR Study Aids | Seminary | Old Testament
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|section=Suggestions for Teaching | |section=Suggestions for Teaching | ||
|teaching=Tell students that today they will learn about a prophet who did not want to go where he was called. | |teaching=Tell students that today they will learn about a prophet who did not want to go where he was called. | ||
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*Prophets are not perfect. Jonah was called by the Lord to preach in Nineveh. Even though he ran away, he still remained a prophet. The Lord didn't give up on him. | *Prophets are not perfect. Jonah was called by the Lord to preach in Nineveh. Even though he ran away, he still remained a prophet. The Lord didn't give up on him. | ||
*Critics sometimes impose absolutist assumptions on the Church. Some hold inerrantist beliefs about scriptures or prophets, and assume that the LDS have similar views. Critics therefore insist, based upon this assumption, that any statement by any LDS Church leader represents LDS doctrine and is thus something that is secretly believed, or that should be believed, by Latter-day Saints. | *Critics sometimes impose absolutist assumptions on the Church. Some hold inerrantist beliefs about scriptures or prophets, and assume that the LDS have similar views. Critics therefore insist, based upon this assumption, that any statement by any LDS Church leader represents LDS doctrine and is thus something that is secretly believed, or that should be believed, by Latter-day Saints. | ||
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|section=Suggestions for Teaching | |section=Suggestions for Teaching | ||
|teaching=Why was Jonah angry when the Lord spared Nineveh? | |teaching=Why was Jonah angry when the Lord spared Nineveh? | ||
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*Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh that they would be overthrown. When the people repented, the Lord chose not to destroy them. Jonah was upset that his prophecy had not been fulfilled. Jonah's prophecy was conditional based upon the behavior or the people of Nineveh. | *Jonah preached to the people of Nineveh that they would be overthrown. When the people repented, the Lord chose not to destroy them. Jonah was upset that his prophecy had not been fulfilled. Jonah's prophecy was conditional based upon the behavior or the people of Nineveh. | ||
*Joseph Smith is often criticized for making statements or prophecies which ultimately did not come to pass. Critics use these instances to support their argument that Joseph was not a true prophet. | *Joseph Smith is often criticized for making statements or prophecies which ultimately did not come to pass. Critics use these instances to support their argument that Joseph was not a true prophet. | ||
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|section=Introduction | |section=Introduction | ||
|teaching=Micah is the only Old Testament prophet to prophesy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem | |teaching=Micah is the only Old Testament prophet to prophesy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem | ||
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*Critics point out that {{s||Alma|7|10}} says that Jesus would be born "at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers." Yet, Micah prophesied that the Messiah was to be born in ''Bethlehem''. It is claimed that Joseph made a mistake, and that this is evidence that Joseph Smith forged the Book of Mormon. | *Critics point out that {{s||Alma|7|10}} says that Jesus would be born "at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers." Yet, Micah prophesied that the Messiah was to be born in ''Bethlehem''. It is claimed that Joseph made a mistake, and that this is evidence that Joseph Smith forged the Book of Mormon. | ||
*However, the use of the phrase "land of Jerusalem" to refer to the location of Bethlehem is consistent with the usage of the ancient Middle East. El Amarna letter #287 reports that "a town of the land of Jerusalem, Bit-Lahmi [Bethlehem] by name, a town belonging to the king, has gone over to the side of the people of Keilah."<ref>James B. Pritchard, editor, ''Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament'', 3d ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1969), 489, translation by W. F. Albright and George E. Mendenhall; cited by {{Ensign|author=D. Kelly Ogden|article=[http://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/08/i-have-a-question?lang=eng Why Does the Book of Mormon Say That Jesus Would Be Born at Jerusalem?] (I Have a Question)|date=August 1984|start=51|end=52}}</ref> (One over-confident 19th century critic blithely assured his readers that "There is no such land. No part of Palestine bears the name of Jerusalem, except the city itself."<ref>{{CriticalWork:Bachelor:Mormonism Exposed|pages=13}}</ref> While this was perhaps true in the 19th century, it was not true anciently. A supposed "howler" turns into evidence for the text's antiquity. Thus, the Book of Mormon gets it exactly right — the town of Bethlehem ''is'' in the "land of Jerusalem." In fact, Bethlehem is only 5 miles south of Jerusalem: definitely "in the land," especially from the perspective of Alma, a continent away. Even locals considered Hebron, twenty five miles from Bethlehem, to be in the "land of Jerusalem." | *However, the use of the phrase "land of Jerusalem" to refer to the location of Bethlehem is consistent with the usage of the ancient Middle East. El Amarna letter #287 reports that "a town of the land of Jerusalem, Bit-Lahmi [Bethlehem] by name, a town belonging to the king, has gone over to the side of the people of Keilah."<ref>James B. Pritchard, editor, ''Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament'', 3d ed. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1969), 489, translation by W. F. Albright and George E. Mendenhall; cited by {{Ensign|author=D. Kelly Ogden|article=[http://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/08/i-have-a-question?lang=eng Why Does the Book of Mormon Say That Jesus Would Be Born at Jerusalem?] (I Have a Question)|date=August 1984|start=51|end=52}}</ref> (One over-confident 19th century critic blithely assured his readers that "There is no such land. No part of Palestine bears the name of Jerusalem, except the city itself."<ref>{{CriticalWork:Bachelor:Mormonism Exposed|pages=13}}</ref> While this was perhaps true in the 19th century, it was not true anciently. A supposed "howler" turns into evidence for the text's antiquity. Thus, the Book of Mormon gets it exactly right — the town of Bethlehem ''is'' in the "land of Jerusalem." In fact, Bethlehem is only 5 miles south of Jerusalem: definitely "in the land," especially from the perspective of Alma, a continent away. Even locals considered Hebron, twenty five miles from Bethlehem, to be in the "land of Jerusalem." |
Week 34 | A FAIR Analysis of:
Seminary: Old Testament Teacher Resource Manual |
Week 36 |
Commentary
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Commentary
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Common criticisms related to this lesson topic
Critics point to Deuteronomy 18꞉20-22 as a 'test' for a true prophet:
It is claimed that Joseph Smith made failed prophecies, and as such must be a "false prophet."
Response
Confusion on this point arises from one or more errors:
For more information
Commentary
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Notes
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