New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Book of Mormon; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
And the things which he prayed cannot be written, and the multitude
did bear record who heard him. And after this manner did they
bear record: "The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard
before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus
speak unto the Father, and no tongue can speak, neither can there
be written by any man, neither can the heart of man conceive so
great and marvelous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak;
and no one can conceive of the joy which filled our souls at the
time we heard him pray for us unto the Father." [16]
Fourth: Relative to teaching the people, that many men and women were
resplendent in their glory and were already dwelling with God, the Book
of Mormon mentions the circumstance of Jesus taking very great pains to
have recorded in the Nephite annals the fact that many of the ancient
Saints arose from the dead and appeared unto many and ministered
unto them; [17] and from the whole tenor of his instructions to the
Nephites, as found in III. Nephi, it is clear that there was ever
present in his thought the fact of redeemed and glorified immortals
dwelling with God in his kingdom.
Fifth: The reference in the quotation to the departure of the man-God
for another land is paralleled in the Book of Mormon account of Jesus,
where he is represented as declaring the existence of the lost tribes
of the house of Israel, and the declaration of his intention to visit
them. "Now," said he, "I go unto the Father, and also to show myself
unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father,
for he knoweth whither he hath taken them." [18]
IV.
_Topilitzen Quetzalcohuatl._
This personage appears under different names in the native traditions
of various countries of America. In the Popol Vuh of the Quiches he is
known under the title of Gucumatz; [19] in Yucatan he appears under
the name of Cukulcan; [20] in Oajaca (despite some difficulties and
contradictions) as Huemac; and in Mexico, par excellence, as Toplitzin
Quetzalcohuatl. Respecting this character, various opinions are held.
By some he is regarded as the Apostle St. Thomas, whom they credit with
coming to America and preaching the Christian religion. "In support
of their opinion," says Bancroft, "that he [Quetzalcohuatl] was no
other than the apostle, they allege that the hero-god's proper name,
Topilitzen Quetzalcohuatl, closely resembles in sound and signification
that of 'Thomas, surnamed Didymus;' for 'to' in the Mexican name,
is an abbreviation of Thomas, to which 'pilcin,' meaning 'son' or
'disciple,' is added; while the meaning of Quetzalcohuatl (in the Aztec
language) is exactly the same as that of the Greek name 'Didymus,' 'a
twin,' being compounded of 'quetzalli,' a 'plume of green feathers,'
metaphorically signifying anything precious, and 'coatl,' a serpent,
metaphorically meaning one of two twins." [21]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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