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New
Testament Footnotes
By John A. Tvedtnes
In preparation for the
2007 Gospel Doctrine class study of the New Testament,
Kevin Barney, John Jenkins, and I have posted our “Footnotes
to the New Testament for Latter-day Saints” at the “Feasting
on the Word” website. Each of us worked on different
parts of the New Testament.
I, for example, prepared
the Johannine material attributed
to the apostle John (the gospel of John, the book of
Revelation, and the three epistles of John). The basic
text is that of the King James version
of the Bible, augmented by notes on the meaning of archaic
English terms and comments on the meaning of the Greek
text, as well as extensive cross-references to other
scriptural passages.
In addition to a general
introduction to the New Testament, there is an introduction
to each of the books in the New Testament, describing
not only the book’s authorship and contents, but additional
facts of interest to Latter-day Saint readers. Here,
for example, is a section drawn from the introduction
to John’s gospel:
Doctrine and Covenants
93
So powerful
was John’s witness that it became the basis of a revelation
to Joseph Smith, recorded in D&C 93. Some have believed
that this section was based on a revelation to John
the Baptist because a portion of it refers to the baptism
of Christ. But knowing that the apostle John was a disciple
of the Baptist and that he had likely been present at
the baptism of Christ makes it likely that he is the
one who declared,
And
I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the
glory of the Only Begotten of the Father... And I, John, bear record, and
lo, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended
upon him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him,
and there came a voice out of heaven saying: This
is my beloved Son. And I, John, bear record that he
received a fulness of the glory of the Father: And he received all power,
both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the
Father was with him, for he dwelt in him. (D&C
93:11, 15-17)
Additional evidence that
D&C 93 is based on the testimony of the apostle
John is that it contains much verbiage from the gospel
of John, including elements found in John chapters 14-16.
This portion of the book deals with events that took
place at the time of the Last Supper, long after the
death of John the Baptist.
John recorded that, at
the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles, “But when
the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye
also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me
from the beginning” (John 15:26-27).
John was obedient to this
commandment, leaving us his testimony in the gospel
account that bears his name. And that name, rendered
in the Greek New Testament as Ioannes,
is Hebrew Yohanan, meaning “God is gracious” — a fitting epithet
for the apostle whom Jesus loved.
The following chart compares
passages in the gospel of John with those found in section
93 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
D&C
93 |
|
John |
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| 1
Verily, thus saith the
Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who
forsaketh his sins and
cometh unto me, and calleth
on my name, and obeyeth
my voice, and keepeth
my commandments, shall see my face and know that
I am; |
|
1:12
...to them that believe on his name
14:21 He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth
them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love
him, and will manifest myself to him. |
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|
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| 2
And that I am the true light that lighteth
every man that cometh into the world. |
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1:9
That was the true Light, which lighteth
every man that cometh into the world. [See also
verse 4.]
9:5 As long as I
am in the world, I am the light of the world.
12:46 I am come a
light into the world . . . |
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|
|
| 3
And that I am in the Father, and the Father in
me, and the Father and I are one |
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10:30
I and my Father are one.
10:38 ...the Father
is in me, and I in him.
14:10 ...I am in
the Father, and the Father in me
14:11 ...I am in
the Father, and the Father in me
14:20 ...I am in
my Father
14:21 That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I
in thee
17:11 that< they may be one, as we are.
17:21 That they all
may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I
in thee |
| |
|
|
| 4
...I was in the world and made flesh my tabernacle,
and dwelt among the sons of men.
5 I was in the world
and received of my Father, and the works of him
were plainly manifest. |
|
1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…
1:10 He was in the
world...
9:5 ...I am in the
world
5:36 ...the works
which the Father hath given me
10:32 ...Many good
works have I shewed
you from my Father
10:37 If I do not
the works of my Father,
believe me not.
[See
also 14:10-12.] |
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|
|
| 6
And John saw and bore record of the fulness
of my glory, and the fulness
of John’s record is hereafter to be revealed.
7 And he bore record,
saying: I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning,
before the world was; |
|
1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
1:14
...and we beheld his glory...
1:16
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
1:17
...grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
17:5 ...O Father,
glorify thou me with thine
own self with the glory which I had with thee
before the world was.
17:24
...that they may behold my glory, which thou hast
given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world. |
| |
|
|
| 8
Therefore, in the beginning the Word was, for
he was the Word, even the messenger of salvation.
[See also verses 21, 23, 29.] |
|
1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. [See also verse
2.] |
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|
|
| 9
The light and the Redeemer of the world; the Spirit
of truth, who came into the world, because the
world was made by him, and in him was the life
of men and the light of men.
10. The worlds were
made by him; men were made by him; all things
were made by him, and through him, and of him. |
|
1:3
All things were made by him; and without him was
not any thing made that was made.
1:2 The same was
in the beginning with God.
1:4 In him was life;
and the life was the light of men.
[See also D&C
93:23, below.] |
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|
|
| 11
And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory,
as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father,
full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth,
which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among
us.
12
And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness
at the first, but received grace for grace.
13
And he received not of the fulness
at first, but continued from grace to grace, until
he received a fulness |
|
1:14
...(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth
1:16
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
1:17
...grace and truth came by Jesus Christ
[See
also D&C 93:23, below.] |
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|
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| 14
And thus he was called the Son of God, because
he received not of the fulness at the first. |
|
Of
the 48 times the title “Son of God” occurs in
the New Testament, 19 of these occurrences are
in the writings of John — as many times as in
all three synoptics together. See John 1:34, 49; 3:18; 5:25; 6:69;
9:35; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31 ; 1 John 3:8;
4:15; 5:5, 10, 12-13, 20 ; Revelation 2:18. |
| |
|
|
| 15
And I, John, bear record, and lo, the heavens
were opened, and the Holy Ghost descended upon
him in the form of a dove, and sat upon him, and
there came a voice out of heaven saying: This
is my beloved Son.
16
And I, John, bear record that he received a fulness
of the glory of the Father; |
|
1:32
And John [the Baptist] bare record, saying, I
saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,
and it abode upon him.
1:33
And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize
with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou
shalt see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on him, the same is
he which baptizeth with
the Holy Ghost.
1:34
And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son
of God. |
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|
|
| 17
And he received all power, both in heaven and
on earth, and the glory of the Father was with
him, for he dwelt in him. |
|
14:10
...the Father that dwelleth
in me, he doeth the works.
[Cf.
Matthew 28:18.] |
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|
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| 18
And it shall come to pass, that if you are faithful
you shall receive the fulness of the record of John. |
|
1:16
And of his fulness have
all we received... |
| |
|
|
| 19
I give unto you these sayings that you may understand
and know how to worship, and know what you worship,
that you may come unto the Father in my name,
and in due time receive of his fulness. |
|
4:22
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship:
for salvation is of the Jews.
4:23
...the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh
such to worship him.
4:24
...they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth. |
| |
|
|
| 20
For if you keep my commandments you shall receive
of his fulness, and
be glorified in me as I am in the Father; therefore,
I say unto you, you shall receive grace for grace. |
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[See
D&C 93:11-14, above.] |
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|
|
| 21
And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning
with the Father, and am the Firstborn |
|
[See
D&C 93:7-8, above.] |
| |
|
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| 22
And all those who are begotten through me are
partakers of the glory of the same, and are the
church of the Firstborn |
|
1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power
to become the sons of God
[Cf.
1 John 5:18, “We know that whosoever is born of
God sinneth not; but
he that is begotten of God keepeth
himself” and 1 John 3:1-2, “...that we should
be called the sons of God... now are we the sons
of God.”] |
| |
|
|
| 23
Ye were also in the beginning with the Father;
that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth; |
|
4:23
...the true worshippers shall worship the Father
in spirit and in truth
4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must
worship him in spirit and in truth.
14:16-17
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give
you another Comforter …the Spirit of truth...
15:26
...the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father . . .
16:13
...the Spirit of truth... will guide you into
all truth
[Cf.
1 John 4:6, Hereby know we the spirit of truth,”
and 1 John 5:6, “the Spirit is truth”] |
| |
|
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| 24
And truth is knowledge of things as they are,
and as they were, and as they are to come; |
|
18:38
Pilate saith unto him,
What is truth? |
| |
|
|
| 25
And whatsoever is more or less than this is the
spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from
the beginning. |
|
8:44
...the devil... was a murderer from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth, because there is no
truth in him... he is a liar, and the father of
it. [Cf. 1 John 2:22.] |
| |
|
|
| 26
The Spirit of truth is of God. I am the Spirit
of truth, and John bore record of me, saying:
He received a fulness
of truth, yea, even of all truth;
27
And no man receiveth
a fulness unless he
keepeth his commandments. |
|
1:16
And of his fulness have
all we received...
14:15
If ye love me, keep my commandments... [Cf. 1
John 2:3; 5:2-3.]
15:10
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in
my love [Cf. 1 John 3:22.] |
| |
|
|
| 28
He that keepeth his
commandments receiveth
truth and light, until he is glorified in truth
and knoweth all things.
29
Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence,
or the light of truth, was not created or made,
neither indeed can be.
30
All truth is independent in that sphere in which
God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence
also; otherwise there is no existence. |
|
3:21
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light... |
| |
|
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| 31
Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is
the condemnation of man; because that which was
from the beginning [i.e., Christ] is plainly manifest
unto them, and they receive not the light.
32
And every man whose spirit receiveth
not the light is under condemnation. |
|
1:5
And the light shineth
in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it
not. |
| 33
For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and
spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive
a fulness of joy;
34
And when separated, man cannot receive a fulness
of joy. |
|
4:24
God is a Spirit... |
| |
|
|
| 35
The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man
is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever
temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple. |
|
2:19
...Destroy this temple, and in three days I will
raise it up.
2:21
...he spake of the temple
of his body. |
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|
| 36
The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other
words, light and truth.
37
Light and truth forsake that evil one.
38
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning;
and God having redeemed man from the fall, men
became again, in their infant state, innocent
before God.
39
And that wicked one cometh
and taketh away light
and truth, through disobedience, from the children
of men, and because of the tradition of their
fathers.
40
But I have commanded you to bring up your children
in light and truth. |
|
[See
D&C 93:23, above.] |
It
is our sincere hope that making this in-depth on-line
study of the New Testament available to Latter-day Saints
will improve their understanding of the marvelous teachings
of Jesus Christ and his disciples in the meridian of
time.
To
access the contents of “Footnotes to the New Testament for Latter-day Saints,” go to: http://feastupontheword.org/Site:NTFootnotes.
Click
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© 2005 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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| About
the Author |
John
A. Tvedtnes
John
A. Tvedtnes, senior resident scholar at the Institute for the
Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts, Brigham Young
University, earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the
University of Utah in 1969. He received a master's degree in linguistics
and Middle East Studies (Hebrew), with minors in Arabic, anthropology,
and archeology, from the University of Utah. Tvedtnes also completed
much of his course work for a Ph.D. in Egyptian and SEmitic languages
at the Hebrew University
Tvedtnes is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature, the
World Union of Jewish Studies, and the International Society for
the Comparative Study of Civilizations. Tvedtnes has prepared
papers at conferences sponsored by many societies and organizations,
including the Society for Early Historic Archaeology, the Society
of Biblical Literature and the Deseret Languages and Linguistics
Society.
Born in North Dakota, Tvedtnes has lived in Montana, Washington,
France, Switzerland, and Israel. He served a full-time mission
for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in France
and Switzerland. He has also served as a stake and district missionary
in Salt Lake City and Jerusalem. Tvedtnes has six children and
several grandchildren. His wife's name is Carol.
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