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Page 7 of 30 6. GODHEAD OF
THREE:
VERMES, p. 159, states: "He made known
His holy spirit unto them through His Anointed One." This was written
in a context that also provides some other profound parallels to the
pre-existence and Gods foreknowledge and eternal increase: "For God
chose them not from the beginning of the world and before they were
created He already knew their works. He held in abomination the
generations of their congregation and hid His face from the land (at)
the time of their destruction. He knew the years of (their) office, the
number and exact epochs of their appointed times from all eternity and
for every more, that which shall befall at the appointed times of all
the years of the world. An in each of them He raised up for Himself
(men) called by name in order to leave (a group) of survivors for the
land and PEOPLE THE FACE OF THE UNIVERSE WITH THEIR SEED." Then follows
the sentence about Elohim making known his Ruah elim through his
Messiah. In the Dead Sea Scrolls there is an attempt to avoid
the name
Yahweh. The usual designation for God is the archaic "el", and
infrequently the normal "elohim. "Adonay, "the Lord" occurs also,
as in the Thanksgiving Psalms quoted by RENGGREN p. 48: "I thank Thee,
Lord. The epithet "God of the gods" is also found (lQM), and "prince of
the gods", and the Most High" (1QS) a great reverence for the divine
name with emphasis on the transcendence of God. "who names anything
with that name which is honored above everything". On p. 49 he
continues: "God is great, glorious, sublime; he is eternal, strong and
powerful, wise and omniscient: In 1QH xi.7-8, (which one might compare
with Alma 40:11, and Mosiah 3:17), it states: "Behold, thou art prince
of the gods, and king of the honored ones, Lord of every spirit (here
RENGGREN points out that the title "Lord of spirit" occurs about fifty
times in l Enoch). Sixteen fragments of Enoch materials were found at
Qumran. "And ruler over all works, Without Thee nothing is done", and
on p. 40 1QH i.20 is quoted "Through His knowledge everything comes to
pass." Says RENGGEN, p. 50-51 "The goal and purpose of creation lies
not with man but with God, it is nothing other than God's glory.
God's glory is the only acceptable reason for his actions. He has
stretched out the heavens to his glory (1QH i.10) and to his glory has
he created all things (x.12), given the Law and founded his
congregation (vi.10). It can also be said that he acts for the sake of
hi name (1QM xviii.8)." Compare with Moses l:33-37.
God is the Creator in 1QH xvi.8 it states: "Through the
thought of
Thy heart hast Thou made everything, and without Thee nothing is done
And without Thy will nothing exists, and no one understands Thy counsel
or beholds Thy mysteries." RENGGREN p. 52.
"Through the holy spirit, ruah qedosah he is cleansed from all
sins"
"Through truth hast Thou supported me and through Thy holy spirit hast
thou delighted me" 1QH ix. 32 . "Through Thy holy spirit hast thou
opened to mine inmost parts the knowledge of the mystery of thine
insight. 1QH xii.11-13 RENGGREN p. 87. "In the Dead Sea Scrolls, "the
holy spirit" is especially connected with cleansing and forgiveness or
with the granting of knowledge and insight. In the former case the
spirit is compared through the use of the verbs henip (1QH vii.6 f.,
xvii.26) and nazah (1QS iv.21) with the water of purification which "is
sprinkled" on one who has become impure. The spirit is a "power
granted by God which becomes active in man for salvation." RENGGREN p.
89. Thus, in the INTERPRETER'S BIBLE, p. 661, the students of the
subject conclude: "The "Prince of Light" or "Spirit of Truth" is
appointed, according to the Essenes, as a helper to all children of
light. The figure of the Paraclete or Advocate of John (John 14:17,
15:16, 16:13, l John 5:6.8) is derived from this complex of ideas. His
function described as "to witness" "to intercede", "to speak," yet "not
on his own authority" has always been puzzling, for it does not fit the
expected description of the Holy Spirit. And the origin and meaning of
the Term "Paraclete" as an appellation of the Spirit of Truth has been
much in dispute. In the light of the new Essene parallels, we now
understand the title and vocation of the Advocate-Spirit of Truth for
the first time with some clarity." Could the LDS agree with most of
this?
BLACK, p. 146, describes a text found at Qumran from Samuel
1QSA.
"The important words are those rendered in the event of God
"begetting" the Anointed One to be with them, and the description of
Messiah of Israel."
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