Unlearning

It’s quite possible that by the time we are done with this semester that you will know less about the Old Testament than when we started.

~Bro. Harper, my Old Testament teacher

          I noticed something funny when this semester started. Each class that I went to spent a couple of hours discussing what we already knew about the course subject. As soon as we put those understandings out there, each teacher started to deconstruct those misconceptions and understandings that we had gained slowly over the years. It seemed as though we had to ‘unlearn’ so that we could have a solid foundation to start building upon.

          I have begun to realize how many things I have 'knew' about the Old Testament, Jews, or Muslims are generalizations, assumptions or misconceptions. It is only after we ‘unlearn’ some of the things that we think we know that we can gain true understanding.

          One example of this is the assumption I had that the 5 books of Moses were written by Moses. It turns out that this is very unlikely. There is even a theory to explain a common explanation of the way that the first 5 books were put together, called the documentary hypothesis. The documentary hypothesis proposes that the first five books of the Bible were not written personally by Moses but rather composed from four main sources that were compiled centuries after Moses lived. Here is a little bit about it:

          These four sources are identified as the Yahwist narrative, the Elohist source, Deuteronomy, and the Priestly Document. Some of the differences between these sources are the different ways they refer to God, duplications and repetitions in accounts, variations in vocabulary and style, and evidence of editorial activity. Some examples of this are repetition in the Noah’ Ark stories (Genesis 6,7) and the Abraham and Sarah stories (Genesis 12 and 20). You begin to see different geographical and political perspectives, especially when reading about Saul, David and Solomon, and the divided kingdom that follows. When looking at the text in Hebrew, it is pretty clear that there is variation in vocabulary and literary style throughout. It would be like reading Shakespeare and then switching to Mark Twain (you get the idea). Thus, each source reflects the period, culture and region in which it may have been written, not necessarily the exact account of the story how it occurred. This method would be similar to the way the Book of Mormon was composed. We know that many records, such as the Large Plates and Small Plates, were written by various authors throughout the history of the people, and then abridged, edited, rearranged, and compiled by Mormon many years later. Just as the Nephite and Jaredite histories were recorded in different times by different hands and placed together much later, so might the first five books of Moses be a compilation of different records kept by different people at different times. We just don’t know who those people are, or what their motives are.
          Though the Torah describes the primeval story (Adam and Eve), the ancestral period (the Patriarchs), and early Israel, the documentary hypothesis asserts that the Torah (or the first 5 books of Moses) was written beginning in the monarchy period (Saul, David and Solomon) and took its present form in the period of early Judaism (probably during the Babylonian exile, so just after Lehi and his family left Jerusalem). The idea that the record was compiled from many sources would account for some of the times when the Bible contradicts itself. It may also explain, if it is indeed a correct hypothesis, why Christ is not as clear part of the Old Testament as in other books of scripture. Each of these sources can be seen to have its own agenda, which could explain why some things are emphasized in some books and not others. For example, the priestly source that this hypothesis describes would help to explain why there are such exact instructions regarding the temple sacrifices and tabernacle.  

          ‘Unlearning’ can be uncomfortable. After learning about this theory, I wondered why we study the Old Testament, and why we consider it scripture. No worries, my testimony wasn’t in any danger, but it did cause me to rethink some things that I thought I knew. The eighth Article of Faith reads that “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God”. In our classes, we have learned just as much about the restored scriptures as we have about the Old Testament. When you read the Old Testament with the understanding that it may not have always been translated correctly, and apply the understanding the Book of Mormon and the Pearl of Great Price gives us, we can learn so much about God’s love for his children.

All it takes is a walk through this city to increase my gratitude for that clarification that so many live without.

          I have begun to see how important it is to be able to explain not only what I know, but how I know it. There a lot of understandings or explanations of some of the more complex passages of scripture that are passed around that may be accurate, but we cannot say that we know one way or another. This may reduce the number of the things we can say we know, but it is a solid knowledge of eternal truths that are the most important thing. If we can build our testimony on a rock solid knowledge of a few things, we will be able to be open minded about many possibilities or explanations. As much as I have learned, the one important thing I will take away from this is the understanding that it is okay, and even sometimes necessary to say “ I don’t know,” so that when the true understanding is given to us someday it will not rock my testimony.

          In the last conference, Elder Scott asked, “Do you use all of the standard works, including the Old Testament? I have found precious truths in the pages of the Old Testament that are key ingredients to the platform of truth that guides my life and acts as a resource when I try to share a gospel message with others. For that reason, I love the Old Testament. I find precious jewels of truth spread throughout its pages.” I have learned so much about the Old Testament already, and I too have developed a love for this book. I am so grateful for the truths that it teaches, and that revelation continues today.