Introduction:
In Matthew, chapter 11, John the Baptist, now being held in prison, dispatched two of his disciples to hear and see for themselves whether Jesus was the Messiah.
The two disciples of John asked Jesus the very question John told them to ask:
"Art thou he that should come,
or do we look for another?" (Matthew 11:3)
Jesus's response, if taken in context of The Bible alone, would have constituted a bold summary of His miracles:
"The blind receive their sight,
and the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the gospel preached to them." (Matthew 11:5)
The structure of Jesus's response is not a first-person affirmation, "I have given the blind their sight, I have caused the lame to walk, etc." Rather, Jesus' response is structured like a quotation of ancient prophecy, a prophecy that was being fulfilled in Him.
Problems
The only references in what we now call The Old Testament that find fulfillment in Jesus's response of Matthew 11:5 are Psalm 146:8 and Isaiah 42:7, both of which mention The Lord giving sight to the blind and freeing captives, but not the other miracles. Moreover, Jesus conveys the passage in question in a manner that appears to be stating a text the general public would be familiar with, not an obscure literary reference.
The story gets more interesting:
John the Beloved was the last Christian Prophet and Apostle of the ancient Church of Jesus Christ whose members were called Saints. John the Beloved disappeared in circa AD 100, and the remaining faithful members of the former Church of Jesus Christ were left like sheep without a shepherd. Pandemonium ensued.
- New "Christian-ish" churches began to emerge over the vacuum left by the demise of The Church of Jesus Christ, and each new church had its own unique liturgies, practices and beliefs, which were recorded in writing (e.g. the Didache).
- New "scriptures" began appearing. In and of itself this was an Apostolic phenomenon and hallmark of the first century AD Church of Jesus Christ. These second century AD "scriptures" began following the pattern of the earliest Gospels, i.e. showing how Christ fulfilled ancient Hebrew prophecies.
- However, within a few decades the emerging "scriptures" began challenging the doctrines of the Gospels and other actual Apostolic writings. These new competitors soon began usurping the first-century Apostolic writings and teachings in many instances.
- In all cases, oddly enough, even in the "scriptures" that challenged Apostolic doctrine and authority, the new pseudo-scriptures claimed Apostolic authority and approval. It was the very absence of living Apostles that left open just room for doubt, and consequently the new teachings spread.
The Protoevangelium of James
One early second century gospel that is patterned after The Gospel According to Matthew is The Protoevangelium of James written in AD 145. It relates the birth and infancy of Mary as well as the birth and childhood of Jesus.
In chapter 31 of the Protoevangelium, Joseph (Jesus's stepfather) has hired Jesus a tutor. The tutor, however, becomes vexed by the uncanny knowledge of the child Jesus. As the tutor renounces his position and expresses his perplexity over the unparalleled understanding of the child Jesus, Jesus responds, as in Matthew 11, with what in structure again appears to be the citation of an ancient Hebrew prophecy:
"Here then I do not know
whether he be a wizard or a god;
or at least an angel of God
speaks in him.
Whence he is, or where he comes from,
or who he will turn out to be,
I know not.
Then Jesus,
smiling at him with a joyful countenance,
said in a commanding voice
to all the sons of Israel
standing by and hearing:
Let the unfruitful bring forth fruit,
and the blind see,
and the lame walk right,
and the poor enjoy
the good things of this life,
and the dead live,
that each may return to his original state,
and abide in Him
who is the root of life
and of perpetual sweetness.
And when the child Jesus had said this,
forthwith all who had fallen
under malignant diseases were restored. And they did not dare to say anything more
to Him, or to hear anything from Him."
Even by this relatively late date, AD 145, there seems to have been a belief among the Jews of a prophecy of a miracle-working Messiah who would heal diseases and raise the dead. Again, the actual prophecy, if ever there were one, is not to be found in The Old Testament. Yet we have Matthew 11 and The Protoevangelium of James 31 that appear to witness of such a prophecy, and not an obscure one, rather, one that was well known.
Answers in Cave 4, Qumran
In 1952 in Cave 4 of Qumran a fragment was discovered that, when studied, appears to answer the problem of the missing prophecy. The fragment, labelled 4q521 (meaning "cave 4" of "Qumran" fragment 521) reads as follows:
"The heavens and the earth shall obey His Christ,
...and all that is in them.
He shall not turn aside from the Commandments of the Saints.
Take strength in His service, y
Ye who seek the Lord (Adonai).
Shall ye not find the Lord (Adonai) in this,
all ye show wait patiently in your hearts?
For the Lord (Adonai) shall visit the merciful
and the righteous He shall call by name.
Over the meek shall His Spirit hover,
and the faithful He shall restore by His power.
He shall glorify the merciful on the Throne of the Eternal Kingdom.
He shall release the captives,
make the blind see,
raise up the downtrodden.
Forever will I cling to Him...,
and I will trust in His mercy,
and His goodness...
of holiness shall not delay.
And as for the wonders that are not the work of the Lord (Adonai),
when He...
then He shall heal the sick,
raise the dead,
and to the meek announce glad tidings...
He will lead the Saints;
He shall shepherd them;
He will do...and all of it..."
This fragment, 4q521, is all the more astonishing since it is dated to circa 125-75 B.C.
Although there is no telling for certain at this point whether 4q521 is the passage referenced in Matthew 11 and The Protoevangelium of James 31, 4q521 certainly fills the measure both in content ( give the blind sight, heal the sick, raise the dead) and in its date which precedes the ministry of Christ.
However, owing to its fragmentary state, we cannot determine what the context for this fragment was. Was it an exposition that drew on several sources as well as reasonable conclusions? Was it an inspired revelation? Was it the work (or purported to be the work) of an ancient prophet?
Meanwhile Thousands of Miles Away
In 1830 a man affirmed that he was a prophet of God, a Christian Prophet and Apostle: Joseph Smith, Jr. Not only was Joseph Smith the first Christian Prophet and Apostle since John the Beloved who disappeared in circa AD 100, but Joseph Smith affirmed that he had been ordained by the resurrected and reconstituted ancient Presidency of the first-century Church of Jesus Christ, whose members were called Saints: The Apostles Peter, James and John (the Beloved).
In 1830 Joseph Smith published a volume of Scripture that purports to have been written mostly in ancient America by line of Hebrew prophets that The Lord had led here just prior to the Babylonian captivity of Judah, 600 B.C.
This tome called The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, contains records of the trials, challenges, failures and successes of The Lord's covenant people in the Americas. In the eighth book of The Book of Mormon, in a book titled The Book of Mosiah, chapter 3, a Prophet-King, King Benjamin, a goodly and elderly leader, addresses his people shortly before his passing. In chapter 3 he relates a message that a holy angel of God had delivered to Him just the night before. The message contains a prophecy of Jesus Christ:
"5 For behold, the time cometh,
and is not far distant,
that with power, the Lord Omnipotent
who reigneth, who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity,
shall come down from heaven
among the children of men,
and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay,
and shall go forth amongst men,
working mighty miracle,
such as healing the sick,
raising the dead,
causing the lame to walk,
the blind to receive their sight,
and the deaf to hear,
and curing all manner of diseases.
6 And he shall cast out devils,
or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
7 And lo, he shall suffer temptations,
and pain of body,
hunger, thirst, and fatigue,
even more than man can suffer,
except it be unto death;
for behold, blood cometh from every pore,
so great shall be his anguish
for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.
8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ,
the Son of God,
the Father of heaven and earth,
the Creator of all things from the beginning;
and his mother shall be called Mary."
(Mosiah 3: 5-8)
What is in a Date?
In and of itself the prophecy in Mosiah 3: 5-8 is astonishing for it not only lays out the miracles and mission of the imminent Messiah, it also fully satisfies both Matthew 11 and the four Gospels in their entirety as well as the Protoevagelium of James 31.
Earlier I mentioned that scholars date the 4q521 to 125-75 B.C. 4q521 is a magnificent discovery with great theological implications, though due to its fragmentary status, we cannot ascertain the context, the canonical status the passage held anciently, or its precise date, save in that range, 125-75 B.C. 4a521 was rediscovered in 1952.
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, was published in 1830. The Book of Mosiah, chapter 3, has a precise date established by the internal timeline of The Book of Mormon record: 124 B.C.
Isn't it interesting that the prophecy of the Book of Mosiah not only corresponds in content and Messianic reference but in dates? As our generation is wont to say in such circumstances, "You can't make this stuff up." Indeed.
All that notwithstanding, the reader is at liberty to make of this what he will. I ask only one thing: That you remember that everything I have cited is actually textual.
