The Greek and Russian Orthodox churches still preserve the ring dance around the altar in that most conservative of rites, the wedding ceremony, when bride, groom, and priest all join hands and circle the altar three times; H.
Leisegang connects this definitely with the old prayer circle.29 At the coronation of the Byzantine emperor, everyone danced around the emperor’s table three times.30 The most common representations of ritual dancing in early Christian art show pious damsels dancing around the throne of King David.31 And the Jewish apocryphal writings often depict a situation best described at the opening of the Book of Mormon, where Lehi sees God on his throne “surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God” (1 Nephi 1:8 [1 Ne. 1:3]). Surrounding concourses are concentric circles, and the singing and praising are never static: it is a dynamic picture with everything in motion, as Lehi sees it, and as the cosmic pattern of the thing requires. The prayer circle is often called the chorus of the apostles, and it is the meaning of chorus which can be a choir, but is originally a ring dance, as Pulver designates it in the title of his study. The prayer was a song such as Paul prayed and sang in the darkness of a prison: “About midnight they prayed a hymn to God” (see Acts 16:25 [Acts 10:8]). And if they sang in chorus, would they not dance? Philo says that the true initiate during the rites moves “in the circuit of heaven, and is borne around in a circle with the dances of the planets and stars in accordance with the laws of perfect music”—the music of the spheres.
The most puzzling reference to the dance is also the oldest one, that in Matthew 11:16–17 [Matt. 6:4]: “[This generation] . . . is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.” It was taking liberties with this strange passage “as a pretext” that the early sectaries justified the dancing in their prayer circles, according to Gougaud.
In the text read at Nicaea the Lord says to the circle, “Amen! When grace comes I want to pipe and you all dance.”
John’s Question from Prison; Come Unto Me
From a cell, the forerunner asks whether he was right, and Jesus answers him twice: once with a list of things happening, and once, to the crowd, with a verdict on John that neither the crowd nor John was expecting.
Tap a Gospel to show or hide its column. Narrow to any two to read them side by side.
Note. Matthew and Luke tell one episode, and the Joseph Smith Translation revises them very unequally: Matthew 11 is dense with changes, Luke’s parallel changed only in small words. The largest single restoration is at Matthew 11:25, where a voice out of heaven, absent from the King James, is what Jesus is answering when he says “I thank thee, O Father.”
? How to read this edition
The reading is the Joseph Smith Translation, in the text of the Covenant Christian Edition, carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the CCE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
2Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples 3and said unto him, Are you he of whom it is written in the prophets that should come? Or do we look for another? 4Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John again of those things which you do hear and see, 5how the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached unto them. 6And blessed is he, whosoever John and whoever shall not be offended in me.
7And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went you out into the wilderness to see? A reed Was it a reed shaken with the wind? And they answered him, No. And he said, 8But what went you out to see? A man Was it a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses. 9But what went you out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet; 10for this is the one of whom it is written: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you. 11Truly I say unto you, among them that are born of women, there has not risen a greater than John the Baptist. Notwithstanding, he that is least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.
12And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. But the days will come when the violent shall have no power, 13for all the prophets and the law prophesied that it should be thus, until John. Yea, as many as have prophesied have foretold of these days. 14And if you will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. truly he was the Elias who was to come and prepare all things. 15He that has ears to hear, let him hear.
16But unto what shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their friends, 17and saying, We have piped unto you and you have not danced. We have mourned for you and you have not lamented. 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a devil. 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom But I say unto you, Wisdom is justified of her children.
20Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: 21Woe unto you, Chorazin. Woe unto you, Bethsaida. For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long since in sackcloth and ashes. 22But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you.
23And you, Capernaum, which are exalted unto Heaven, shall be brought down to hell; for if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.
25And at that time, there came a voice out of Heaven. And Jesus answered and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them unto babes. 26Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight. 27All things are delivered unto me of my Father, and no man knows the Son, but the Father. Neither knows any man the Father, save the Son — and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. and to whom the Son will reveal himself, they shall see the Father also.
28Then spoke Jesus, saying, Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavily loaded, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart. And you shall find rest unto your souls, 30for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
18And the disciples of John showed him of all these things. 19And John, calling unto him two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, Are you he that should come? Or do we look for another? 20When the men had come unto him, they said, John the Baptist has sent us unto you, saying, Are you he who should come? Or do we look for another? 21And in the same hour, he cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits, and unto many blind he gave sight. 22Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way and tell John what things you have seen and heard: how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached. 23And blessed are they who shall not be offended in me.
24And when the messengers of John had departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25But what went ye out for to see? A Or a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they who are gorgeously appareled and live delicately are in kings’ courts. 26But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27This is the one of whom it is written: Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who shall prepare your way before you. 28For I say unto you, among those who are born of women, there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist. But he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29And all the people who heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
31And the Lord said, Unto what then shall I liken the men of this generation? And to what are they like? 32They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped for you and you have not danced. We have mourned for you and you have not wept. 33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a devil. 34The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, Behold a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. 35But Wisdom is justified of all her children.
The Greatest Prophet, the Kingdom Taken by Authority, and the Father Revealed
Three Reasons John Was the Greatest Prophet
Verse 11 sets a puzzle: no greater prophet, and yet the least in the kingdom is greater than he. Preaching at the Nauvoo temple, Joseph Smith answered both halves of it, and his three reasons for John’s greatness are none of them miracles. To read the reporters’ own notebooks instead of the prepared text, use the Scribal accounts toggle.
Discourse, 29 January 1843, Nauvoo · History, 1838–1856, vol. D-1, 1458 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Also recorded in Willard Richards’s report prepared for publication; the Times and Seasons extract (May 15, 1843); the published History of Joseph Smith.
His miracles could not have constituted his greatness. First, he was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. Who ever had such a trust committed to him, before or since? No man. Secondly, he was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Who ever had the honor of doing that? Who ever had so great a privilege and glory? Who ever led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove?
Thirdly, John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power. The Jews had to obey his instructions, or be damned by their own law; and Christ himself fulfilled all righteousness in becoming obedient to the law which he had given to Moses on the mount, and thereby magnified it, and made it honorable, instead of destroying it. The son of Zacharias wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven, and these three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a woman.
The Kingdom Taken by Authority
Six months later Joseph Smith preached for an hour and twenty-five minutes on Luke 16:16 and verse 12 of this chapter, and offered his own rendering of the hardest line in it: “the violent take it by force” is not a description of mobs but of authority. Franklin D. Richards notes that he preached it “after reading Matt 11-12 & Luke 16-16.” The polished text later printed in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith was struck from the manuscript History, so Willard Richards’s notes, taken as Joseph spoke, are given; switch to “Scribal accounts” for the other reporters.
Discourse, 23 July 1843, Nauvoo · Joseph Smith Journal, kept by Willard Richards, pp. 15–16 (cf. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 318–19; History of the Church, 5:516–18) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Law & prop[h]ets. &c— suffereth violenc[e] & the viol[e]nt taketh it by force— heavens and earth shall pass away. &c says christ. he was the rock &c—— gave the law 30 Ex. 30.31.— and thou shalt anoint A[a]ron &c. last chap Ex 15.— and thou shalt anoint. them &c.— a tittle of law which must be fulfilled.— provend hereditary.— fixed on the head of aron— down to Zachariahe— the father of John.—— Zachariah had no child— had not god gave him a son? sent his angel to declare a son henc[e] John. with the keys.—— John king and— lawgiver
The Kingdom of heavn suffereth volenc [violence] &— The kingdm of heavn continuith in auth[o]rity. until John. the authority taketh it by absolute power. John having the power— took the kingdom by authority.— How do you know all this g[rea]t knowledge—? by the gift of the H.G. [Holy Ghost] arrested the kingdom fr[o]m the Jews of these stony Gentil[e]s these dogs to raise up childrn unto Abraham
To Whom the Son Will Reveal Himself
The King James ends verse 27 with the Son revealing the Father to whomsoever he will; the Joseph Smith Translation ends it “they shall see the Father also.” Four years before he preached on John the Baptist, Joseph Smith had already described what that promise is and who receives it. (The full teaching is given under The Second Comforter.)
Discourse, between about 26 June and 2 July 1839, Commerce, Illinois · History, 1838–1856, vol. C-1, addenda p. 9 (cf. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 149–151; Words of Joseph Smith, 14–15) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more or less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself, and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter, that when any man obtains this last Comforter he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him or appear unto him from time to time, and even he will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, and this is the State and place the Ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious vision— Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the third heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly and Church of the First Born &c
This Is What Is Meant by the Meekness and Lowliness of Jesus
On January 2, 1843, Joseph Smith was in Springfield, Illinois, waiting on the court that would hear the Missouri extradition case, and spent the evening at the home of William Sollars. When some of the company said he was not a very meek prophet, he answered with verse 29, “I am meek and lowly in heart,” and then showed them what he took it to mean. The History’s text is given; switch to “Scribal accounts” for Willard Richards’s entry in Joseph’s journal, made at the time.
Remarks, 2 January 1843, at the home of William Sollars, Springfield, Illinois · History, 1838–1856, vol. D-1, p. 1434 (History of the Church 5:218; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 270); Joseph Smith Journal, kept by Willard Richards, p. 44 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Some of the company thought I was not a very meek prophet, so I told them “I am meek and lowly in heart” and will personify Jesus for a moment to illustrate the principle, and cried out with a loud voice “Wo unto you ye Doctors, Wo unto you ye Lawyers, Wo unto you, ye Scribes, Pharisees and Hypocrites” &c But you cannot find the place, where I ever went that I found fault with their food, their drink, their house or their lodgings, No never, and this is what is meant by the meekness and lowliness of Jesus.
Piping and Not Dancing: The Passage Read as One Thing
Nibley takes verses 7 through 19 not as detached sayings but as a single address, and reads the children in the marketplace against the early Christian round dance and the sectaries of the desert. The parable of the piping, he argues, is Jesus’ verdict on a generation that would answer neither John’s music nor his own.
But in a circle where they are already singing, the dancing is only to be expected in view of old Jewish customs— and this episode takes place in the upper room at the Last Supper, the Passover. Why should that playful game be introduced on that most solemn of occasions? In Matthew 11:7 [Matt. 6:2], Jesus is speaking about John the Baptist’s followers and begins, “concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see?” This is a challenge to the desert sectaries. They were out there, as the Manual of Discipline so clearly tells us,34 to “prepare the way” (see Matthew 11:10 [Matt. 6:2]). He speaks of John’s great mission as the herald of a dispensation, an “Elias, which was for to come” (Matthew 11:14 [Matt. 6:3]), and then addresses the initiates: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (v. 15), describing the present generation as those rejecting John’s message (v. 12)—they would accept neither John nor the Lord (vs. 18–19): they refused to dance to their playing, nor would they mourn with them for the sins of the world (vs. 16–17). The knowledge is properly guarded—”he that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (v. 15), a hint to the initiated that it is meant only for them. In the Acts of John, the Lord says, “Grace is dancing. I would pipe: Dance all of you. I would mourn: mourn all of you!” The connection with Matthew is undeniable, and again the limitation of the real meaning to the inner circle: “He that does not move in the circle knows not what is happening. Amen.” An important clue is the likening to little children in Matthew 11:16 [Matt. 6:4]. The Kasr al-Qazz fragment says, “We made a circle and surrounded him and he said, ‘I am in your midst in the manner of these little children,’ he added, ‘Gather to me, O holy members of my body, and when I recite the hymn, you say Amen.'”
In both the Acts of John and the Apocryphon of John, Jesus appears at the same time as a grown man and a little child; and in a famous infancy account when he and John embrace as small children, they fuse into one.36 Is it a mere coincidence that he repeatedly speaks of the little children and the dancing when declaring unity with John?
The central act of the prayer circle was prayer, and it was “as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1–2 [Luke 8:10]; italics added).
Nibley reads verse 12 as describing rejection (“those rejecting John’s message”), where Joseph Smith reads it as authority. The two are not the same reading; both are given here as each author left them.
Wisdom Justified, and the Four Signs
Barker reads the answer Jesus sends back to the cell as a deliberate composite of Isaiah, and reads the closing line about Wisdom and her children as a survival of the Mother in heaven whom the second temple’s scribes worked to remove.
There are significant word patterns in [Isaiah] 35:5-6: the blind, the deaf, the lame and the dumb are healed in the renewal of the creation, but the names of these four are also those of four types of angel. . . . How these supernatural beings were connected to these disabilities is not clear, but it is surely no coincidence that Jesus used the curing of these four types as his sign. John the Baptist asked if Jesus was the one expected (Luke 7:20 [Luke 5:16]ff), and the reply was an amalgam of these verses and Isaiah 61:1 [Isa. 23].... In the Gospels, the defeat of what these creatures represented is seen as a sign of the kingdom of God.
Barker’s point is that there was a specific expectation that the Messiah should demonstrate his power over these specific manifestations of evil. John’s disciples asked, “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?” By way of response Luke says that “in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.” Then, after performing these particular miracles, “Jesus … said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” The answer through specific action shows rather than tells, and therefore makes sense only in light of a preexisting expectation.
Recall that John the Baptist had identified Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” so the title that Nephi uses in his prophecy of these events may be significant: “And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.”
Return, my son, to your first Father, God, and to Wisdom your Mother... Wisdom summons you in her goodness saying ‘Come to me, all of you, O foolish ones, that you may receive a gift, the understanding which is good and excellent. I am giving you a high priestly garment that is woven from every wisdom... Clothe yourself with wisdom like a robe, put knowledge upon you like a crown, and be seated upon a throne of perception. From now on, my son, return to your divine nature...’ In the [now almost] lost The Gospel of the Hebrews has Jesus calling the Holy Spirit his Mother. Modern translations hide the Mother. Spirit is a feminine noun in Hebrew, and so the children of the Spirit should be understood as the children of the Mother in heaven, Romans 8.16, 29. . Wisdom is justified, edikaiōthē, by all her deeds/children, Matthew 11.19 [Matt. 6:4]/Luke 11.35 [Luke 8:15]. ‘The verb represents a form of the Hebrew ṣādhōq, meaning ’to put right’, or ‘to heal’. The Mother healed through her children. St Luke hid the Mother in heaven in his Nativity story, Luke 2.1-20 [Luke 2:1-3]: Mary was a Virgin who gave birth to her firstborn son, she wrapped him around. ‘Manger’ was wordplay on the old name for Jerusalem: ’ēbhûs, manger, and yebhûs, Jebus. Before Jesus ascended, he said: ‘Stay in the city until you are clothed, enduō, with power from on high’ (Luke 24.49 [Luke 14:7]). This was the Mother clothing her children.
Provenance, stated plainly. The Older Testament is not in the local Barker corpus; that passage survives here as the block quotation of Barker reproduced in Kevin Christensen’s Paradigms Regained, p. 60 n. 48, and should be checked against the printed book before being leaned on. The second entry is Christensen himself, writing about that passage and quoted under his own name: the Book of Mormon passage he sets beside it is 1 Nephi 11:31, and the comparison is his, not Barker’s. The third is from a lecture handout, so it is terse by nature; the internal quotation marks are Barker’s own.