INTRODUCTION
The first group of names that are treated below are Biblical. But they are found in the Book of Mormon and so will be briefly discussed.
As we continue this study of names, it should be noted again that in AKKADIAN, there are no words that begin with V or X. and there are few that have W as the initial letter, and very few that begin with a Y and only a few more that begin with a Z. In the Neo-Assyrian, often quoted, there are no words or names that begin with a V, W, X, or Y. As previously noted there are no J or O names in AKKADIAN, or Neo-Assyrian. Sometimes there are equivalents. The J is replaced by a Y, or an L is replaced by R. Very little was required to change the complexion of a language, just drop a few letters here or there. Listen to those speaking English, you will hear ' 'uss's or sses' in English we stress the 'ss' sound, it seems like a 'hissing.' Listen to TV announcers, they 'hiss' a lot. Asiatics and others find it a little annoying. Notice how the central 'S' sounds when you say the name: JERUSALEM.
JERUSALEM
JERUSALEM is one of the world's oldest and enduring famous cities. Under that name it dates from at least the 3rd millennium BC. The city is set high in the hills of Judah, about 30 miles east from the Mediterranean and 18 miles west of the northern part of the Dead Sea. I have made the trip from both approaches many times. It is the Biblical City of Genesis 13:18.
JERUSALEM is the chief city of the JEWS, in modern Israel it includes the land and surrounding area. (l Ne. 1:4) Referring to JERUSALEM, it includes Bethlehem.
JERUSALEM in the Book of Mormon is a Lamanite city and land in the Land of Nephi. (Alma 21:1)
THE NEW JERUSALEM
The NEW JERUALEM has a least two meanings: (1) a holy city to be built in the latter days "upon this land [America]" (Ether 13:4-7; 3 Ne. 21:23-24; A of F 10) and (2) a heavenly city "which should come down out of heaven" at the beginning of the Millennium, when the Savior returns to the earth, to join the earthly New Jerusalem (Ether 13:3; Moses 7: 60-64)
It was prophetically referred to as a sacred city in the last days and the site of the temple was dedicated in August 1831, (3 Ne. 20:22) in Jackson County, Missouri. Many of the house of Israel would build it. (3 Ne. 21:22-23) It would be a gathering place for the Lord's people, especially the seed of Joseph ( 3 Ne. 21:24; Ether 113:6-8). The power of heaven and the Savior would be there. (3 Ne. 20:22; 21:25) It would be called ZION. (D&C 45:67) Missouri would be the place, Independence being the "center place" (D&C 57:1-3). It would be one of two world capitals during the Millennium, from which "shall go forth the law" (2 Ne. 12:3; Isa. 2:3)
The doctrine of the city is of great antiquity. The Book of Ether introduced the concept of a great City in the last days that would constitute a NEW JERUALEM in America. "...it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; And it was the place of the NEW JERUSALEM, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord. Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a NEW JERUSALEM upon THIS LAND." (Ether 13:3-8 ). "Those gathered shall be gathered unto NEW JERUSALEM." (Ether 21-24) "...rebuilt [old] Jerusalem could not be a NEW JERUSALEM." (Ether 13:10) "For behold , THIS PEOPLE will I establish in THIS land, unto the fulfilling of the covenant which I made with your father Jacob; and it shall be a NEW JERUSALEM." (3 Ne. 20:22) "And they shall assist my people, the remnant of Jacob, and also as many of the house of Israel as shall come, that they may build a CITY, which shall be called the NEW JERUSALEM." (3 Ne. 22:23) "
"And then shall they assist my people, that they may be gathered in, who are scattered upon all the face of the land, in unto the NEW JERUSALEM." (3 Ne. 22:24)
"Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, WHICH SHALL BE THE CITY OF JERUSALEM." (D&C 84:2) "Which city shall be built beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased. Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city of NEW JERUSALEM, shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall bear record in this generation." (D&C 84:3-4) "
JOSEPH DEDICATES THE SITE FOR NEW JERUSALEM
"On the third day of August l [1831], I, [Joseph Smith], proceeded to dedicate the site for the [NEW JERUSALEM] temple, a little west of Independence....The scene was solemn and impressive." (Smith HC. Vol. l, p. 199) Nearly 4400 years of prophecy had been fulfilled that day. But the people at the time were unable to be obedient enough to build the temple, but before Christ comes again, it will be built.
DEAD SEA SCROLLS SHED LIGHT ON ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE OF NEW JERUSALEM
"In the writings of the DEAD SEA SCROLLS Qumran Apocalyptic assumes a dualistic universe, of light and darkness, the spirit of truth and error (or perversity) [pleasure and pain] ...It looked forward to a final Visitation....or Judgment....in which there would be a divine purification of mankind. The state ensuing appears to be conceived as that of the NEW CREATION...or renewal of Creation; it is the return to the state of innocence before the Fall when Adam's lost 'glory' is restored again, and he enjoys an everlasting life undisturbed by sin or death. The actual destruction of the present world at the Judgment appears to have been envisaged as a universal conflagration. This New Creation of eternal duration appears to have a location on this earth, for restoration of the TEMPLE in a NEW JERUSALEM seems to have been an integral part of their expectations for the new age. This was accompanied by a belief in an eternal life, a life to be shared with the angels in heaven." and a resurrection...and the coming of a Moses like prophet of Deut. xviii. 18." (Black p. 171) Was Joseph Smith this prophet? Yes! Just look at what he did! The Mormons have an enlarged concept of "the City of the Temple. The CITY was to be holy and clean, not only in name but also in practice." (Yadin p. 171; Isaiah 52:l) NEW JERUSALEM is not only a Temple, it is a Temple City!
The Zadokites of the Dead Sea Scrolls "did believe in a doctrine of immortal or eternal life...implied by the contrast between 'joy in eternal life', and the "fire of the dark regions"...It is true that the concept of 'eternity' is a quiet different one in modern thought from the ancient Hebrew idea, but in the case of '(ever) lasting life' of the scrolls, we are almost certainly intended to take the term in the meaning of a life without any cessation by death. ...the world is to be restored in its 'paradisiacal' state before the Fall; the glory which Adam lost at the Fall is to be restored 'to the renewed mankind, sin and evil are to be banished from the earth, and a renewed and obedient mankind are to live on for a thousand generations, an expression which in fact practically means 'eternal life'. [A. of F. 10] Thus Adam is restored to his state before the Fall and lives forever in his new Paradise. ..eternal life is given distinctive expression in the scrolls....loyal covenanters will enjoy an angelic existence. They are not only to live like angels and consort with angels, but to become as angels. The thought has no doubt developed out of the idea of God coming to dwell with men and His holy angels in a RESTORED TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM." (Ezekiel xxxvii.27-28; Black p. 139)
HISTORY AND MEANING OF THE NAME JERUSALEM
In Hebrew the name is usually written YeRUSALAIM in the Old Testament. But Hebrew cannot have two consecutive vowels, so in later Hebrew they inserted the letter 'Y', thus giving YeRUSALAYIM, (Jer. 26:18; Douglas p. 753 ) The original form of the name in Hebrew was YeRUSALEM and is abbreviated in English to SALEM (Ps. 76:2). The Aramaic is YeRUSLEM, (Ezr. 5:14; Douglas p. 753). Recall, that anciently, Semitic had no J, the Y was given that sound, sometime U or R would also suffice.
The name is pre-Israelite. In the Egyptian Execration Texts of the 19 century BC, the name is RUSHALIMUM, reappearing later as BETH -SHALEM (HOUSE OF SHALEM), (Buttrick p. 844) in the AMARNA LETTERS, and in later Assyrian documents the name is URUSALEM or URUSALIMMU. Pentateuchial references refer to the city as SALEM (Gen. 14:18) The name is found in the ancient EBLA archives from before 2500 BC, (Douglas p. 754), close to the time the Jardites left from near KISH east of Babylon, and the Great Tower. In Neo-Assyrian the name has the form of UR USALU. (Baker p. 1420)
In the Akkadian dictionary it appears in the form of SALMIS-SALMU, meaning 'safety, peace,' (Black p. 351) which is what it was called at the time Shem-Melchizedic ruled the city under Noah, (D&C 138:41) at the time of Abraham 2000 BC. The prefix, in its various forms, means 'foundation,' (as in 'a firm foundation', or 'holy place'). In New Testament Greek, the name has been Hellenized to HIEROSOLYMA (Mt. 2:1) and HIEROUSALEM, (Mt. 23:37). HIEROS is the Greek word for HOLY making the name mean 'Holy' or 'SACRED SALEM.' (Douglas p. 754) The suffix or second element, in its various forms, means 'peace.' (Douglas p.753)
Shem-Melchizedek ruled in Salem under his father Noah. "And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or other words, the KING OF PEACE...[SALEM]. They possessed the power of Translation ...and they 'obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken...' or which was before translated." (Taylor p. 85) Melchizedek and his people were all translated along with the city. Afterwards a new settlement was made where the city had been before. Melchizedek somehow had converted a wicked city into a city of such righteousness that they were able to seek and obtain the status of translated beings. They had reached the state of being a Zion People. (Moses 7:31)
Years later, just before the city was conquered by the Israelites, the city was ruled by Jebusites, and was called JEBUS. (Jdg. 1:8; 1:21) During the time of David it became known as ZION and THE CITY OF DAVID. (Grollenberg p. 69, with aerial photos) The books by Montefiore and Galbraith provide thorough studies of the history of JERUSALEM.
JERUSALEM was never an economic or political superpower. It is off the international trade route and paths of war, its importance and influence has stemmed primarily from its religious relevance as the place where God chose to put his Name and His House. And even, as today, the Name and the House are gone, it serves as a symbol of Deity's contact with earth and man. Its history is unique. A history of glories and defeats. Each time it was destroyed it was destined to rise again. Almost in all cases powerful religious feelings were present in the shaping of events. and once, like only one other city, the City of Enoch, it and its people were translated. (D&C 58:4) It is has ways been under intense competition for control for nearly 6000 years, what other city in the world has seen as much armed conflict and destruction as has Jerusalem. Nothing sacralizes stones like blood, and Jerusalem is a city found on sanctity and sacrifice, the greatest sacrifice of all, with blood, a lot of Blood. The Blood of a pure being for the benefit of the Universe, and unappreciated by this world as a whole. God Himself performed a sacrifice at Jerusalem, to Himself, of Himself, the victim, His own son Jesus. (Galbraith p. 4)
In one significant uncontested way, the Earth is considered the center of the universe, one sinless life so sanctified it, the Holy Land was the center of the earth; Jerusalem was the center of the Holy Land, the Temple was the center of Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies was at the center of the Temple, the Ark with its mercy seat of God was at the center of the Holy of Holies; therefore it was at the center of centers. (Galbraith p. 5) The universe of worlds looks to that dedicated place for assurance of eternal life and resurrection. It is available to all, its cost: just repentance and obedience. But for most that seems to be a price to high.
Scroll material and fragments survive from the Caves of Qumran in six Aramaic copies, found in five different caves One of the Dead Sea Scrolls that was nearly complete, and fragments, were identified, particularly from Cave 4 among the vast discovery of documents , was a text on NEW JERUSALEM, in the form of an angelic revelation. (Flint pp. 417- 418) I used the text for a series of discussions. Ultimately, Mormons expect the Aaronic Priesthood will have restored to them the authority to preside over animal sacrifices again. Joseph said: "It is generally supposed that [animal '] sacrifice was entirely done away when the Great Sacrifice...of the Lord Jesus was offered up, and that there will be no necessity for the ordinance of sacrifice in the future, but those who assert this are certainly not acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the priesthood, or with the prophets. . The offering of sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a part of the duties of the priesthood...and will be continued until after the coming of Christ, from generation to generation...which ordinance will be continued ...with all its authority, power and blessings." (Smith-Scriptural Teachings, p. 186) All that needs to be known for such a sacred activity will then be made known. The scroll describes the utensils and apparatus and all the procedures that should be used in a such a Temple. The Church may receive independent revelation on how to proceed and the implements to be used and in which temple. Recall that there will be 24 temples at New Jerusalem in Missouri.
The past is prelude, the present an interlude, in the future that city will still emerge as the Eternal City, with a counter part in the New Jerusalem, from which cities will go forth the LAW and the WORD. And regardless of what happens in the immediate future, Christ in the early days of the Millennium will come to the Jews at JERUSALEM. They will still be there to receive their Messiah, and weep over their mistake not to have recognized him before.
"Before the Second Coming, gathered Judah, as directed by Ephraim, shall build up anew the Old Jerusalem and prepare therein a holy temple, and gathered Ephraim aided by Manasseh, shall build a NEW JERUSALEM in an American Zion and prepare therein a holy temple. It is in these two temples in particular that the Lord shall come at his glorious return." (McConkie p. 587) "not all the saints can dwell in the Zion called the NEW JERUSALEM...I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion." (D &C 101:21; McConkie p. 578) The Doctrine of a NEW JERUSALEM Is a tenet of Mormon Faith. The Tenth Article of Faith reads: "We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the NEW JERUSALEM) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally on the earth; and that the earth will be restored and receive its paradisiacal glory."
Jerusalem is the center of overlapping cultures, layered loyalties, a multi-faceted, mutating kaleidoscope of Arab Orthodox, Arab Muslims, Sephardic Jews, Ashkenazi Jews, Haredi Jews, secular Jews, Armenian Orthodox , Georgians , Serbs, Russians Copts, Protestants, Ethiopians. Latins, Evangelicals, Mormons, extremists, and so on. A Holy City (Isaiah 60:14; 52:1) sacred to the three main religious groups, twenty-four hour -news shows, Jerusalem has a way of disappointing, and tormenting conquerors and visitors. Hundreds of patients a year are committed to the city's asylums, suffering from the "Jerusalem Syndrome," a madness of anticipation, disappointment and delusion. Jerusalem defies sense, existing in the realm of ravenous passions, invincible emotions, impenetrable to reason. (Montefiore p. xxv) There is a numbness that pervades it all. And on a hill, not far away, is the Brigham Young University Center looking down over the Garden of Gethsemane, the sealed gate, the Temple Mount with the Muslim monuments on top of it, someday to be replaced by a Temple for the performance of saving ordinances for all who want to access its divine facilities. (D&C 124:36)
Under one name or the other Jerusalem appears in about two thirds of the Books of the Old Testament, and about half of the books of the New Testament. (Buttrick p. 843) A great deal has been written about this ancient city. It is one of the most dug in places on earth, excavations began in the city in 1863 and has been going on ever since, so the above is about all the space that can be allocated here.
JESSE
Jesse is the Father of David. (2 Ne. 21:1), and a famous Biblical figure. (Ruth 4:17)
The name means 'existing'. Jesse was a prominent resident of Bethlehem, the grandson of BOAZ and RUTH, their story is familiar to all. If not, read THE BOOK OF RUTH. I was born in a little mining town in the mountains of Nevada called RUTH.
In the 11th century BC, The Lord told the prophet Samuel to find a successor to King Saul from among the sons of an elderly farmer a sheep herder of Bethlehem named Jesse. Samuel invited Jesse to a sacrifice and asked him to present his sons to him Seven were presented, but none was revealed as the chosen one. Jesse said there was an eighth son, the youngest, keeping the sheep. (l Sam. 16:11) He was DAVID, "Send somebody to bring him. We will not sit down until he comes here." When DAVID came in God told Samuel "Arise and anoint him, because he is the one." (Mandel p. 271) And DAVID was promptly anointed by Samuel as Israel's new king. But he could not take office until Saul was dead. Saul began to suffer from madness. Jesse now attending to the king, sent for David knowing "David was skillful in playing" the harp. (l Sam. 16:18) David was successful in calming Saul, and so remained at Court with his father. A war was in progress. Battles were being fought. Jesse sent David with supplies for three of his brothers and to find out how they were doing in the army. (l Sam. 17:18) At the battlefront, David heard the Challenge of the giant Goliath. The giant had been taunting the army for 40 days. (1 Sam. 17:16) None in the army were brave enough to accept the Challenge. So David volunteered with his only weapon a sling-shot. David killed Goliath with a pebble to the temple. Saul became jealous of David's fame, David with his mother and father escaped to Moab sheltered by the King of Moab. Biblical prophecy stated "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse" (Is. 11:1). Both Matthew and Luke list Jesse among the ancestors of Jesus. Most know the rest of the story. I have visited several times that river bed where David accepted the challenge, which created the story so often repeated. Today, the Jews have a new anti-missile defense called DAVID'S SLING. It will bring down nearly any kind of missile, they have now deployed it on their northern border.
JESSE'S last appearance is at the cave of Adullam whence DAVID sent his parents for safety to Moab. (l Sam. 22:3-4; Douglas p. 761)
JEW
When there is no J in a language a Y is generally substituted, or given in its place, such as in Yehudi. In Aramaic which Jesus spoke, it is Yehudai. In Greek also spoken at the time of Jesus it is Joudaios. When Judah received his inheritance around the ancient city of Jerusalem, a JEW was a member of the state of Judah. (2 Kings 16:6; Ne 1:2; Jer. 32:12) Non-Jews use this term for the former inhabitants of the province of Judah. Proselytes to Judaism were called Jews (Est. 8:17). The term JEWISH is found in the NT in Gal. 2:14; Titus l:14. The JEW'S language describes the local Semitic dialect spoken in Judah which like 'Jew', (Jer. 34:9) becomes synonymous with 'Hebrew'. 'Jewry' (John 5:13; Lk. 23:5; Jn. 7:l) stands for JUDAH. In the NT, 'Jew' is used for members of the JEWISH faith or their representative leaders, even if they are secular. In modern times, and especially in the state of Israel, this is sometimes extended to denote ethnic birth but not necessarily religion. (Douglas p,780) A person born in Israel is called a Sabre. The History of the Jews is a long one with the greatest of extremes of pathos.
JOHN
This is the JOHN of Peter, James and John. He is the BELOVED of the Lord, the Author of the Gospel of John, and the Author and Revelator of the Book of Revelations.(1 Ne. 14:19; Ether 4:16) He recorded the same panoramic vision of the world that Nephi saw but who was forbidden to write it because John has been appointed to do so. Like the three Nephites he did not taste of death but was permitted to remain on earth as a translated being. (3 Nephi 28:6; Largey p. 467) He wrote a secret book to be testified of in due time because alterations had been made of the main record causing many to stumble, (D&C 93; 1 Ne. 14:23;1 Ne, 13:25-39). He also authored three letters. He appeared with Peter and James to Joseph to give him and Oliver the Priesthood. (D&C 7; 93:6-39 and 128:6,20). D&C 93 contains some of that sacred record or Secret Book of John. The NAG HAMMADI DISCOVERY confirms there was such a sacred book prepared by John. To be authentic such books can only lay claim to authenticity if they have specific doctrines only found in the restoration, and or provide details of sacred doctrines already restored so far.
James and JOHN were the sons of Zebeee, among the first disciples called by JESUS. The first three called, Peter, James and JOHN, formed an inner circle of men who witnessed events that were not shared by the other apostles, such as the raising of Jairus's daughter, the transfiguration, Jesus' prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. It was John and Peter who went to prepare the Passover supper. James and JOHN were called Boanerges, "Sons of Thunder" because of their temperaments. (Mk 3:17) They wanted to call down fire to destroy the Samaritans for their inhospitality to Jesus. James was the first apostle that was martyred. He was beheaded by the Romans at Jerusalem. JOHN was a prominent figure in the early church and was called 'ONE OF THE PILLARS' by Paul. (Gal. 2:9) He was with Peter on important missions to the Jews. On the Cross Christ appointed John to take care of his mother. She was with him until her death in southern Turkey. There they tried to kill John, finally threw him into a vat of boiling oil, it helped cleanse his skin, so they exiled him to Island of Patmos where he had his great visions. From there he was translated. Lundwall recorded appearances of John as a translated being in this dispensation in his book Assorted Gems of Priceless Value.
THE SECRET BOOK OF JOHN OR THE APOCRYPHON OF JOHN
A Greek version of this ancient document was known to the early Church Fathers, Irenaeus knew of this version because he quoted from it in his AVERSUS HAERESES. A version of this ancient text was acquired in1896 and published by W.C. Till in 1955. It was similar to a text found among the documents of the NAG HAMMADI DISCOVERY (see the CDs on NAG HAMMADI). The discovery was announced in Jan. 1946, two of the first three versions were from Nag Hammadi, a fourth in the Coptic Museum in Cairo, also came from Nag Hammadi, but has not been published. (Giversen p. 17) Soren Giversen worked with three documents to present his book the APPOCYPHON JOHANNIS in 1963. From his book I obtained the following quotes used in the CD THE SECRET BOOK OF JOHN.
JOHN has a vision: "I was afraid and I saw in the light ...a child stood in front of me...and I saw the figure which was like that of an old man...the forms were revealed through...light...JOHN, JOHN, why do you doubt...why do you fear...Do not be a stranger...to this form...do not be dismayed...I am the one who is with you always. I AM THE SON. I am the undefiled and the unpolluted. I have come to reveal THAT WHICH IS, AND THAT WHICH HAS BEEN AND THAT WHICH WILL BE..." (Giverson p. 49) Compare with D&C 93:24, an amazing parallel.
"...this is the eternal...the father, he who is THE FIRST MAN. [compare with Moses 7:57; Abraham l:3) ...she conceived ...and brought forth a spark of light...This was the only son...who is [the] only begotten, the only begotten son of the father of the pure light...And he anointed him with the goodness...from himself UNTIL HE BECAME PERFECT...And he lacked nothing in [goodness]...And [he] anointed him with the goodness...And he stood in front of him, and he poured something of the holy [spirit] out over him...[and] was perfected through the spirit. (D&C 93:12-13, 16; Giversen p. 57) ...And he placed...under him EVERY AUTHORITY and the TRUTH which is in him that he shall KNOW THE ALL...for out of the light--which is Christ," (Giversen p. 39; D&C 93:17, 26) comes all truth.
"There were twelve...(l Ne. l:10) which were placed by the great son." (Giverson 61) "All things have come into existence through ...the eternal three: the father, the mother, the son, the perfect power." (Giversen p. 63)
"She called him "IALTABAOTH" , [to Mormons, this being is called LUCIFER] this is the first Archon, he who took a great strength ...from his mother; and he went away from her and turned away from the regions ...where he was born. [sounds like this is LUCIFER whoever might this be if not LUCIFER], he made pacts with others? ...the sixth is KAIN." (Giversen p. 65) LUCIFER, [is] the 'shining one' the 'light bearer.' (Isaiah 14:12) "He was a darkness of ignorance...this archon...who was weak had three names: the first name is Ialtabaoth; the second is Saklas; the third Samael. But he was ungodly in his ignorance ...he said "I am God and there is no other God but me..." for he was ignorant of his strength, the place from which he came...he was not obedient to that place from which he came. " (D&C 93:25, 26, 28; Giversen pp. 67-69) "This produced through him the likeness [imitation] of the beautiful order." (Abraham l:26) He said to them,' I, I am a jealous God, and there is no other God but me', But uttering this he indicated ....to the angels that were with him that there was another God...but Mother began-now to go to and fro...she had seen the wickedness ...which had arisen...which her son had committed, she [grieved, regretted] ... when the Mother had recognized the veil of darkness because he was not created perfect... she [grieved] with much WEEPING, (D&C 76:25-27) and the whole Pleroma...heard the prayer of her [grieving] repentance and praised her for her sake...and a voice came to her from the eternal high heaven: "MAN EXISTS and THE SON OF MAN". (Moses 6:57; Giversen p. 73; D&C 76:26) This comforted her. Of course there is much, much, much more.
There is also another JOHN, JOHN THE BAPTIST, a cousin of Jesus. His mother was ELIZABETH, her name means 'God is an Oath, or God is good fortune.' One of my sisters has this name. Luke calls ELIZABETH as 'kinswoman' of Mary, likely an Aunt. (John l:36) JOHN was born six months before Jesus, directed divinely to commence his ministry about the time Jesus was ready to begin his. John enabled Jesus to begin his atoning activities on earth by Baptizing him. With that preparation, Jesus went on to accomplish the greatest contribution to eternal life, the Atonement. John was beheaded to satisfy a lust impulse of a puppet king, but held the keys for the down fall of the Jews and the destruction of the temple, and the pervasive dispersion of all the Jews. JOHN was later resurrected and assigned to bring the first authority to the new dispensation, by bringing the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph and Oliver. There is a lot of available material on John the Baptist. He was FORORDAINED the great forerunner of the MESSIAH. How many times did the boys play together when Mary's family visited the temple and relatives at Jerusalem. It takes a lot to understand his role, and power and his history.
JONAS
The name JONAS does not appear in the Biblical record. It may be a form of JOHN (John l:42. The prefix, JONA- means "liberal, or noble." (Buttrick p. 964) The suffix of a lone -S, is found in ancient Phoenician, often meaning 'to give' or 'given' (Benz pp. 277-278) When substituting the Y for a J in Akkadian there are no names even similar to JONAS or YANAS, and in Neo-Assyrian there are no names that begin with J, or V, W, X and only a few that begin with Y, but none resemble JONAS. That leaves a good possibility that JONAS was in the Jaredite record and was picked out of that record for use around the time of Christ. He was the son of Nephi of that era and became one of the twelve apostles chosen by Christ and given authority in the Temple of Bountiful about 34 AD. (3 Ne. 19:4; 11:18-22; 12:2; Morm. 9:22; 3 Ne. 18:46-47)
The names of the group of Nephite Apostles is given in 3 Ne. 19:4. Two of these twelve were named JONAS. One was the son of Nephi. (Pinegar p. 86) While Nephi had a vision seeing Christ come down and twelve Apostles, some believe these were Christ's original apostles, others think they may have been the Nephite Apostles. The New Testament twelve will judge Israel, the Nephite twelve will be judges of Nephi's seed. (1 Ne. 1:10; Largey p. 232) What is clear is that the Nephite disciples functioned as apostles (Morm. 2:1-2, Joseph Smith, Church History, Vol . 4, p. 338). He was with that group when after praying unceasingly (3 Ne. 19:24) they were all gloriously transformed "as white as the countenance and also the garments of Jesus" (3 Ne. 19:24-25, 30). Nephi was shown in a vision that the Nephite twelve were "righteous forever , for because of their faith in the lamb of God their garments are made white in his Blood" (1 Ne. 12:7-8). His prayers combined with those of the other of the twelve brought about the indescribable events that followed the baptisms of Christ's chosen twelve. (3 Ne. 19:10-36) Some think that Nephi, his brother Timothy, and his son Jonas were the three Nephites, called to serve as translated beings.
JORDAN
The name Jordan is aptly given because it means "the descender". It is known as 'Yarden', an ancient name, originating in a language that had no J, replacing or initially having the Y at the beginning of the use of the name. (Douglas p. 809)
The JORDAN river meanders in nearly circular patterns often leaving behind cut-off areas called Rincons. And runs nearly 72 miles southward from the mountains just north of Lake Huleh on the southern flank of Mt. Hermon which has an elevation of 8,322 feet, where great springs about 210 feet above sea level gush forth from caves and caverns with abundant cultural remains of a place called Banias, all around. At my last visit there I collected broken pottery for use in my lectures. (Douglas p. 809) just north of Galilee also called Lake Tiberias. Tiberias is 600 feet below sea level. The river runs into that lake and then on to the Dead Sea more than 1000 feet below sea level. The JORDAN flows home to the Dead Sea in the Jordan Depression formed as the result of a rift valley created by the tearing apart of regional continental plates, a unique physical geographic feature. No other river has more biblical allusions and remains. Ancient ruins establish it as one of the earliest loci of urban settlement in the world. The Yarmuk River nearly five miles south of the lake nearly doubles the flow of water. There are eleven water sources on the east bank draining into the Jordan, including the Jabbok where Jacob was blessed by the LORD with the name ISRAEL, and was later crossed by Abraham, and David, and where Christ was baptized. (see THE JORDAN RIVER map) When Israel came out of the wilderness after Moses was translated, Joshua and the tribes crossed at Tell Damiyeh, about sixteen miles north of JERICHO where some of the oldest remains of urban settlement are exposed. Now in the planning stages there is a proposed 115 mile pipeline from the Bay of Aqaba north to the southern end of the Dead Sea. It would refill the Dead Sea and expand the various industries the salts of the sea provide. Many atlases and publications dealing with the JORDAN RIVER are readily available.
JOSEPH
JOSEPH is the passive form of the verb yasap, meaning 'to add', note, the J has been replaced by the Y. The name, a nown, Yasep means 'he (GOD) add (sons)'. (Douglas p. 812; Gen 30:24) In Hebrew the name means 'May God add more'. (Mandel p. 294) He was the eleventh son of Jacob, but the first son of the patriarch and his beloved wife Rachel. He was born when his mother had almost given up hope of ever having a child, she named her baby JOSEPH, meaning 'the Lord shall add to me another son.'. (Ibid)
The main reference to this name, and of utmost importance in the Book of Mormon, is because the essential blessings and over reaching reality are of those who fill the Book of Mormon. Lehi and Ishmael and their families, are the seed, the descendants, of JOSEPH OF Old. (2 Ne. 3:16) This is the BIBLICAL JOSEPH. (Gen 30:22). There is an overflowing literature about this JOSEPH. He was the most beloved of the sons of Jacob before 1700 BC, who received the garments of the Priesthood, called THE COAT OF JOSEPH, (Largey 468; Gen. 37:3-40), or the COAT OF MANY COLORS, (PLEATS), before any of the others. This "special garment ...an ankle length, garment with long sleeves...plays a big part in Joseph's subsequent fate. Joseph's omen-gearing dreams and interpretations did not begin until he had received the coat, and it is significant that the brother's first action, when they laid hands upon him, was to divest him of the coat [because it could protect him)." (Maclaurin pp. 32-33) "The LXX rendering "many colours" is based on an ancient tradition...the word pas was used to describe a magical coat. (Ibid p. 34) "the magic cloak...transfers supernatural power to him." (Ibid p. 34) It was the priesthood garment. Non-Mormons will not know what this is all about, but it explains a lot about Joseph, the priesthood, why the brothers need to seriously consider the coat, and why a fragment of the garment was retained. The words of Jacob when he died: "he saw that a part of the remnant of the coat of Joseph was preserved and had not decayed." Evidence that his son Joseph had not been killed, and it became a rallying call for Captain Moroni. (Alma 46:24)
Eventually Rueben lost the birthright and the birthright was given to JOSEPH. His jealous brothers, most of them hating him, sold him to a caravan of ISHMAELITES who later sold him to a caravan of MEDANITERS (MIDIANITES), a son of Abraham and Keturah, (Mandel p. 362), who in turn sold him in Egypt as a slave to POTIPHAR, who was Captain of Pharaoh's guard. (Douglas p 815). JOSEPH was so trustworthy he became POTIPHAR'S steward. Most know the rest of the story. Because of his faith, patience and endurance , he rose in power to be second only to PHARAOH. He was subject to God's plan for him, which was to save his family from famine (Ibid pp. 814-817; Gen. 40-50) and to obtain ASENATH for a wife, she was a descendant of Shem-Melchizedek. (D&C 138:41) He become an example of virtue and long suffering for all time and set the history of the descendants of Jacob for the next four hundred years. Few LDS realize that they are descendants of Melchizedek.
JOSEPH was also the name of the last son of Lehi about 595 BC. (Ne. 18:7) "Born in the wilderness of mine afflictions, yea in the days of my greatest sorrow" (2 Ne. 3:1). Lehi included in the blessing of this righteous son the promise of a great latter-day seer who would also be named Joseph (2 Ne.3:15) and be the son of a man named JOSEPH. In the ancient records there is recorded that there are two MESSIAHS, [Saviors], one from Ephraim and the other from Judah. "The conception of [A] MESSIAH [or Savior] ben Joseph goes back to the expectations among remnants of the tribes belonging once to the Northern Kingdom [Ephraim] who was to lead them back to Palestine from their distant abode beyond the river."... "As to the designation 'ben Joseph' (son of Joseph) ...he cannot be taken from any other tribe but that of Joseph." (Odeberg pp. 144-145) Enoch wrote : "And I saw Messiah, son of Joseph, and his generation, and their works and their doings ...what they will do against the nations of the world." (Odeberg p. 144) "...the picture of forerunner-Messiah, whose essential characteristic was described by the words of the Baraitha...was to be KILLED." (Odeberg p. 145) Many documents mention a forerunner to the Messiah in the Last days who would be killed by lawless men and his blood would cry for vengeance from the ground. And his name would be JOSEPH. (See the CD's and early articles in this web site)
There are many other JOSEPHS, recall JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA. ARIMATHEA was a small town in southern Samaria, just across the border in northern Judaea. (Grollenberg p. 116) This Joseph was a secret believer in Christ, a member of the Sanhedrin. (Gardner pp. 248-249) He asked for the body of Christ, took the cross out of the hole, removed the nails, washed him, and wrapped him ("Acts of Pilate... Here there is an extended and detailed account of the trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus." Finegan p. 236) in grave clothes adding myrrh and aloes and put him in his own prepared tomb. This Joseph took the gospel to England. (Gardner pp. 248-249) The Book of Mormon is also called the STICK OF JOSEPH. The Book of Mormon sets forth the COVENANTS UNTO JOSEPH, expanded in great detail, these are discussed by Largey. (Largey p. 469) There was also JOSEPH THE CARPENTER, the guardian God appointed to take care of Mary and his own son, Jesus Christ. Of all the men in the spirit world, only one was selected to be guardian of the Son of God and his Mother. There is an Egyptian glorification of JOSEPH circulating in the fourth century AD. This ancient text is called the PROTEVANGELIUM OF JAMES The complete text is preserved in Bohairic and Arabaic, fragments of the text in other languages are also known. It relates the life and death of Joseph, husband of Mary, and the eulogy spoken over him by Jesus himself, who later recounted the incident to his disciples on the Mount of Olives. One excerpt from it may be of interest: "Even thou, O my virgin mother, must look for the same end of life as other mortals" (Chap. 18; Buttrick p. 996). Mary had been left a widow with two daughters and four sons, one being the Christ himself. The ancient document may have been written by James, one of those sons, who joined the apostles after the death of the first JAMES, the brother of John. This JAMES was also known as CAMEL KNEES because he was always kneeling to pray. He was thrown off the highest part of the City wall, it didn't kill him, so they beat him to death.
JOSEPH, as noted, was the name of one of the sons of Jacob, about 1713 BC. The Hyksos, descendants of Shem, who were in power then in northern (lower) Egypt having conquered Egypt a short time before. They remained in power for a couple of centuries after the Biblical episode of JOSEPH IN EGYPT. When the HYKSOS lost power, about 1539 BC. (Oren p. 45), Joseph's family, to become known as Israel, were enslaved and stayed there as slaves to the Egyptians until Moses led them out of bondage .
There is also the PROPHECY concerning JOSEPH SMITH SR, a prophecy given to JOSEPH OF OLD, sold into slavery: "And his name [JOSEPH JR.]shall be called after me; [ancient JOSEPH ] AND IT SHALL BE AFTER THE NAME OF HIS FATHER. [JOSEPH SR.] (2 Ne. 3:6-20), and the PROPHECY also given to JOSEPH OF OLD concerning JOSEPH SMITH JR; JOSEPH THE PROPHET, that "HE, [JOSEPH SMITH JR.] shall be like unto me,; for the thing, which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation." (2 Ne. 3:15) The fulfillment of these prophecies are most extraordinary.
JOSEPHITE
JOSEPHITE is the designation for a descendant of JOSEPH who was sold into Egypt. (Jacob 1:13-14) JOSEPHITES were normally included among and called NEPHITES (4 Ne. l:36-37; Morm. 1:8, D&C 3:17; Largey p. 471)
JOSH
JOSH is the name of one of the great Nephite military leaders killed with his ten thousand troops in the last battle between the Nephites and Lamanites (Morm. 6:14), about AD 385. JOSH is also the name of a city destroyed by Christ. The city and its inhabitants were burned to hide their wickedness at the time of the crucifixion of Christ, that the blood of martyred prophets and Saints who had been sent among them might cease to testify against them. (3 Ne. 9:10-11; Largey p. 471) Because the name appears in the Book of Mormon after the Jaredite record was found and it seems to predate the usage in the time of the conquest and settlement of ancient Palestine, there is good reason to believe that JOSH is a name from the time of the Jaredites. Because J names do not appears in intervening languages between the Jaredite departure from the region of ancient KISH, east of the Babylon area, until used in the Book of Mormon. More reason to consider thename JOSH as coming from the Jaredite records.
JOSHUA
JOSHUA BEN NUN, was the grandson of Elishama chief of the tribe of Ephraim ( l Ch. 7:27; Nu. l:10). He is HOSEA, 'SALVATION' in Nu. 13:8 and OSHEA in Dt. 13:32-44. (Douglas p. 809) Because in these two forms the J is not used, it suggests the name goes back to a language that did not have a J, nor use a Y or R, instead the name probably originated in a Semitic language that used H or O in place of a J. It may be noticed that in Eblaite, from EBLA, an I is used instead of a Y, where in proto-Semitic you have yasher and yad; in EBLAITE you have ISHAR and IDA. (Bermant p. 184) If this direction goes somewhere, the name may go back into the time of the Jaredites, but in another of the Semitic languages. But, since Hebrew has a J, in the Biblical texts he is called JOSHUA. In Hebrew the name means 'God Saves'. (Mandel p. 304) Various other translations of the scripture have given the name as JEHOSHUA and JEHOSHUAH. (Buttrick p. 996) JOSHUA is a familiar Biblical figure the name has the prefix JOSH-, which means "saves", the suffix element -UA is an abbreviation for JEHOVAH, so the names means 'JEHOVAH SAVES'. (Gardner p. 249; Mandel p. 304)
He was called by his family HOSEA, meaning 'salvation' (Nu. 13:8; 2 Ki. 17:1). Moses added the divine name, and called him yehosha, normally rendered in English as 'JOSHUA'. In Greek Iesous, reflects the Aramaic contraction yesu. (Ne. 3:19; Douglas p. 816) Notice how close that is to JESUS.
There has been much written about Joshua and most of it is available to all. There is also the BOOK OF JOSHUA in the Old Testament. It is the sixth book of the Old Testament and the first of the Former Prophets. It describes the conquest of Canaan after the sojourn in the wilderness and the allotment of the land to the tribes of Israel. (Buttrick p. 988) Moses ordained JOSHUA to be his military successor and Eleazar to be priest. (Nu. 27:18) Eleazar confirmed Moses' Choice of Joshua, by the URIM, so as the successor of Moses, JOSHUA guided Israel in their conquest of Canaan. Moses remained behind to be translated. No one of the original company except Caleb and Joshua, went into the promised land. Joshua was then 70 years old, he died when he was 110. and Caleb was 85 when they began to occupy the Judean Hills. The Biblical record is available to all so JOSHUA will only be highlighted here. (Nu. 13:26; Douglas p. 817)
JOSHUA showed his military prowess when commanding Israelite forces he defeated Amalek. (Ex. 17:8-16) He exhibited his patience when he waited patiently at the base of the Mountain when Moses went up for 40 days and returned with the commandments containing the priesthood and gospel, from afar JOSHUA heard the noises of Israel, saying they were in a battle. Moses said they were not sounds of war but of singing. They found people dancing around a golden image of a bull. Moses threw down the original tablets breaking them up and destroyed the bull, and had the Levites kill all the idol worshippers. He had to go back to the Mountain and the Lord to get a new set of commandments that were greatly modified. Years later, as they went to cross over Jordan to conquer Canaan, JOSHUA told the people not to rebel, don't be afraid of the people living there, because we can conquer them easily, God is with us, do not fear them. But they persisted to wail. So they were punished to wander forty years in the wilderness, one year for each day that spies spent checking out the land most returning after 40 days with a fearful and incomplete report. Only Caleb and Joshua reported accurately and favorably. All of the other spies died of plague. And you know the rest of the story. (Mandel pp. 304-310; Douglas pp. 817-819; Buttrick pp. 988-996; Pinegar p.249-253)
JOSHUA BEN JOSEDECH, was the name of the high priest of the restoration in Jerusalem in 537 BC. Under him the altar was rebuilt and the Temple dedicated. This was during the time of the leaders and prophets Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai and Zechariah. (Largey p. 471)
THE LAND OF JOSHUA, was in the area "in the borders west by the seashore" where Mormon gathered the Nephites together to battle against the Lamanites. It was here that Mormon had his first victory as a young military commander (Morm. 2:6-9; A.D. 131).
JOT-TITTLE
When Christ said "that not "one jot nor tittle” hath passed away from the law, but in me it hath all been fulfilled;" he was assuring that even the smallest parts of the Mosaic law found their fulfillment in him (3 Ne. 12:18; 1 Ne. 1:25; Matt. 5:18) The JOT, or, the tenth letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, is the smallest letter of all. So, not the smallest part of the law has been dropped. (Largey p. 471) See the Hebrew exhibit of the name of JACOB included in this entry, remember, read Hebrew from right to left. The TITTLE is one of the letters in the Hebrew Alphabet. (Largey p. 471)
JOY
JOY is having engaged in the mortal war of good and evil and chosen the good. Man are that they might have JOY (2 Ne. 2:25) and have it abundantly. The biblical words are HEBREW: SIMHA, and the verb SAMEAH. They imply outward expression meaning 'to be excited'. In Greek you have CHARA, and the verb CHAIRO, frequently used in the LXX, corresponding to SIMAH, meaning 'intense joy'. (Douglas p. 820) JOY means having fought the good fight and won! When Christ saw the faith and joy of his people in the New World he declared, "Behold, my joy is full" (3 Ne. 17:20; Largey p. 472). In fact Christ had prayed unto the father "and no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by an man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great the marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak...no one can conceive of the JOY which filed our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the FATHER...and now behold my joy isfull...and he WEPT ...he blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them...he WEPT again. " (3 Ne. 17:16-25) These are some of the most sublime passages in the entire Book of Mormon. Even Gods can feel the fullness of Joy! And be overwhelmed to the point they weep! There is also joy in suffering itself, or in weakness seen in terms of a power of God "made perfect in weakness": (Matt 5:12; 2 Cor. 12:9; Buttrick p. 1000). Great joy can and does make one weep. And great pain and anguish can even make the heavens weep as it did when Lucifer and those who followed him were "thrust out". (D&C 76:25-26) The whole heavens wept. You were there, remember? After all, we are a family! Our eldest BROTHER and another senior brother were there.
JOTHAM
In Hebrew the name means: "yotam, Yahweh (Jehovah) is perfect". JOTHAM was the name of a Judahaite, son of Jahadai, descendant of Jerahameel (1 Chr. 2:47; Buttrick p. 999). JOTHAM was also the name of the youngest of the 70 legitimate sons of Jerubbaal, who was the Judge Gideon, and sole survivor of Abimelech's massacre of the other brothers. (Moandel p. 311) JOTHAM warned the Shechemites against Abimelech (Jdg. 9:5; Douglas p. 820). The warning was ignored and the curse that he uttered was fulfilled three years later. (Jdg. 9:57; Douglas p. 820)
JOTHAM was also the name of a son of Uzziah. He was the 12th King of Judah about 750 BC. King Uzziah was found to be a leper, so his son became sole Monarch. JOTHAM was a man who loved and served God. He built the high gate of the Temple, fortified and extended the land of Judah and subdued the Ammonites (2 Ch. 27:3-6; Douglas p. 829). He is mentioned in the Book of Mormon in 2 Ne. 17:1; quoted from Isaiah 7, so is biblical in origin.
JOTHAM was also the name of the son of Hahdai and descendant from CALEB companion of JOSHUA. It was CALEB and JOSHUA, who along with ten others were sent by Moses to spy out the land of Canaan, the others came back with incomplete data, while CALEB and JOSHUA came back with abundant proof that the land was rich with produce, a land of milk and honey. The others were killed for their failures. (l Ch. 2:47; Douglas p. 820)
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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