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In the 1980s The Book of Mormon became
The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Most people
today, Mormon and non-Mormon alike, would be unaware that it was
ever any other way. To Mormons this marked a welcome clarification
that their faith is centred on Jesus Christ. It also served to
strengthen in the public mind the claim that Mormonism is restored
Christianity.
The late Mormon prophet Gordon B Hinckley said of the Book of
Mormon:
"Believe in the Book of Mormon as another witness of the Son of
God. This book has come forth as an added testimony to the world
of the great truths concerning the Master as set forth in the
Bible. The Bible is the Testament of the Old World. The Book of
Mormon is the Testament of the New World, and they go hand in
hand in testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ." (Ensign, June 2000,
pp.18/19)
'Another Testament' implies another of the same kind and conjures
in people's minds thoughts of the original "testaments" to which
this 'other' testament clearly alludes. We see from the Introduction
to the book (another 1980s innovation, written by Bruce R McConkie)
that the Book of Mormon is described as "a volume of holy scripture
comparable to the Bible". It takes no great imagination, therefore,
to make the connection thus, Old Testament, New Testament, Another
Testament; and of course this is exactly the train of thought
the Mormon Church wants us to follow. But is the Book of Mormon
another of the same kind?
The word testament comes from the Latin testamentum. The
Latin Bible comprises the Vetus Testamentum and the Novum
Testamentum, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The
Greek for testament is diathéké and the Greek Bible comprises
the hépalaia diathéké and the hé kainé diathéké.
The Latin testamentum and the Greek diathéké in
the biblical context both mean covenant, as in a solemn and binding
agreement between two parties. The New Testament can, then, be
called the collection of the books of the New Covenant. This is
borne out in some key New Testament passages:
"This cup is the new covenant [testament in the KJV] in my blood"
(Luke 22:20, NIV)
"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not
of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the
Spirit gives life" (2 Cor.3:6,NIV)
And in Galatians 4 we have a clear picture of the old covenant,
which is "from Mount Sinai and
bears children who are slaves",
and the new covenant whose children are "children
of promise". The Old Testament is
the old covenant, which is of the law and which brings slavery
and the New Testament is the new covenant which is of the Spirit
and which brings freedom in Christ. Given that we now have in
The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ it
seems appropriate to ask what the nature of this other covenant
is.
Of course, any Mormon challenged with such a question would readily
explain that they mean testimony, not covenant. The Book of Mormon
is another testimony of Jesus Christ. But can testament mean testimony?
Yes it can. According to Webster's third New International
Dictionary one definition of testament is, "a tangible proof
or tribute: EVIDENCE, WITNESS…an expression of conviction: AFFIRMATION,
CREDO…" But given this definition of testament can we say, as
we are clearly meant to believe, that The Book of Mormon is "Another
Testament of Jesus Christ", i.e. another of the same kind as the
first two testaments? Having led us by that word "another" to
think of the other testaments of our Christian experience, the
Old and New Testaments, it seems reasonable to understand testament
in the full biblical sense. In the Bible testament means covenant.
The Old Testament is the old covenant whilst the New Testament
is the new covenant "in my blood". The Old Testament is not the
Old Testimony and neither is the New Testament the New Testimony.
In consulting Vine's Expository Dictionary we found the
following simple entry under the word Testament: For TESTAMENT
see COVENANT
Easton's Bible Dictionary helpfully clarifies the NT use
of the word:
Testament: occurs twelve times in the
New Testament (Heb. 9:15, etc.) as the rendering of the Gr. diatheke,
which is twenty times rendered "covenant" in the Authorized Version,
and always so in the Revised Version. The Vulgate translates incorrectly
by testamentum, whence the names "Old" and "New Testament," by
which we now designate the two sections into which the Bible is
divided.
Nave's Topical Bible gave the following information:
TESTAMENT: A will: Heb 9:16-18 The new: Mt 26:28; Mr 14:24; Lu
22:20; 1Co 11:25
See COVENANT
Testament occurs in the following verses in the NT:
Mat 26:28; Mar 14:24; Luke 22:20; 1Cr 11:25; 2Cr 3:6; 2Cr 3:14;
Heb 7:22; Heb 9:15; Heb 9:16; Heb 9:17; Heb 9:18; Heb 9:20; Rev
11:19 .
We will look at four key verses:
Matt.26:28 and Luke 22:20 recount how the Lord, the night before
he died, "took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new Covenant
(testament) in my blood".
1 Cor. 11:25 is Paul's account of that same event, an account
he claims he "received from the Lord" (v.23) in which he repeats
the words, "This cup is the new covenant (testament) in my blood".
2 Cor. 3:6 is Paul's account of his ministry wherein he refers
to himself and his companions as "competent as ministers of a
new covenant (testament)…"
In each instance the Greek word used is diatheke which
commentators already quoted translate covenant. Interestingly,
there is an instance in Revelation where Jesus himself uses the
word testimony in its true meaning (Rev:22:16). The Greek word
used here is martureo which means to testify. The Old Testament,
therefore, is the Old diatheke, the New Testament the New
diatheke. The Book of Mormon, on the other hand is no diatheke
but a martureo, and cannot, then be another Testament.
Again we have here an example of Mormon doublespeak. It is clear
that the addition of "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" to the
title of the Book of Mormon is designed to help people associate
the Book of Mormon with the Bible, i.e. the Old Testament, the
New Testament, and Another Testament. It is clear from the introduction
to the Book of Mormon that this other testament is meant to be
viewed as "a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible".
Yet the Mormon word testament means testimony while the biblical
word testament means covenant. This is, once again, an attempt
on the part of the Mormon Church to appear orthodox that, when
closely examined, shows anything but an orthodox, Bible based
religion.
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