The Birth and Naming of John the Baptist
Elizabeth bears the promised son; at the naming his father’s tongue is loosed, and Zacharias — filled with the Holy Ghost — sings the Benedictus over the child who will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.
? How to read this edition
The reading is the Restoration Edition — the Joseph Smith Translation reading — carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the RE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
Each movement Joseph discusses carries a JS link down to his letter; the letter carries a roman-numeral link back up to the movement.
Elizabeth is delivered of a son; on the eighth day, against all the kindred, both parents insist on the name the angel gave — and at the writing of it Zacharias’s mouth is opened.
57And now Elizabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a son. 58And her neighbors and her kinsmen heard how the Lord had shown great mercy unto her, and they rejoiced with her. 59And it came to pass that on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they called him Zacharias after the name of his father. 60And his mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John. 61And they said unto her, There is none of your kindred that is called by this name. 62And they made signs to his father and asked him how he would have him called. 63And he asked for a writing table and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they all marveled. 64And his mouth was opened immediately, and he spoke with his tongue and praised God. 65And fear came on all who dwelled round about them, and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be? And the hand of the Lord was with it.
Filled with the Holy Ghost, the father blesses the God of Israel for the horn of salvation in David’s house, and turns to the child: the prophet of the Highest, who will give knowledge of salvation by baptism and guide his people’s feet into the way of peace.
67And its father Zacharias was filled with the holy ghost and prophesied, saying, 68Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, 69and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, 70as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets ever since the world began, 71that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us, 72to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, 73the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74that he would grant unto us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives. 76And your child shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, 77to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by baptism for the remission of their sins, 78through the tender mercy of our God whereby the daybreak from on high has visited us, 79to give light to them who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts until the day of his showing unto Israel.
John, Ordained at Eight Days Old
The Lesser Priesthood Continued Until John
Teachings & Commandments 82:14 (D&C 84:26–28) · Sept. 1832 · scriptures.info ↗On the eighth day the child is named (v59); and the song over him gives knowledge of salvation “by baptism for the remission of their sins” (v77). A revelation given to Joseph Smith joins the two — the office of John was conferred on that same eighth day, and it is exactly the preparatory gospel of repentance, baptism, and remission of sins.
And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holds the key of the ministering of angels, and the preparatory gospel, which gospel is the gospel of repentance, and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron, among the children of Israel, until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the holy ghost from his mother’s womb.
For he was baptized while he was yet in his childhood, and was ordained by the angel of God at the time he was eight days old unto this power: to overthrow the kingdom of the Jews, and to make straight the way of the Lord before the face of his people, to prepare them for the coming of the Lord, in whose hand is given all power.
Of the last verse — “the day of his showing unto Israel” — Joseph Smith spoke when, on 23 July 1843, he traced the priesthood by lineage down to Zacharias and the son born to him here. Once that child took up the office given him at eight days old, he came forth as the Benedictus foretold:
Discourse, 23 July 1843, Nauvoo (HC 5:516–518; TPJS, pp. 314–317) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗And when the set time was come, John came forth; and when he took up his priesthood, he came bounding out of the wilderness, saying, “Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” He having received the holy anointing, was the only lawful administrator, and the Jews all knew it.
- The kindred press for the family name; Elizabeth and Zacharias both insist on “John,” the name the angel gave. What does it cost, and what does it open, to name a child by the word of God rather than the expectation of men?
- Zacharias is struck dumb for unbelief and his speech is restored only when he writes the promised name and praises God. How does obedience loose what doubt had bound?
- The JST writes “by baptism” back into the Benedictus, and a revelation says John was ordained to that very office at eight days old. Why does the forerunner’s whole life narrow to one preparatory work — repentance, baptism, the remission of sins?