Luke brings the child to the temple, where Simeon and Anna know him; Matthew brings wise men from the east to worship him while Herod seeks his life — and the family is carried into Egypt and back, to Nazareth.
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The reading is the Covenant Christian Edition — the Joseph Smith Translation reading — 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.
Each movement Joseph discusses carries a JS link down to his letter; the letter carries a roman-numeral link back up to the movement.
On the eighth day the child is named Jesus; at forty days he is brought to the temple, where Simeon takes him up and Anna gives thanks — two aged witnesses who knew the consolation of Israel had come.
21And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived. 22And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, 23as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord; 24and to offer a sacrifice according to that which is written in the law of the Lord: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
25And behold, there was a man at Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the holy ghost was upon him. 26And it was revealed unto him by the holy ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27And he came by the spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child, even Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, 28then he took him up in his arms, and blessed God and said, 29Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word, 30for my eyes have seen your salvation 31which you have prepared before the face of all people, 32a light to lighten the gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.
33And Joseph and Mary marveled at those things which were spoken of the child. 34And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. 35Yea, a sword shall pierce through your own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, 37and she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, who departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. 38And she, coming in that instant, gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
Wise men follow the star to Jerusalem, seeking the child born Messiah of the Jews; Herod, troubled, learns from the prophets that Bethlehem is the place, and sends them on — and the star leads them to the house, where they worship and give gifts.
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2saying, Where is the child that is born the Messiah of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. 3When Herod the king had heard of the child, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them, saying, Where is the place that is written of by the prophets in which Christ should be born? For he greatly feared, yet he believed not the prophets. 5And they said unto him, It is written by the prophets that he should be born in Bethlehem of Judea, for thus have they said: 6The word of the Lord came unto us, saying: And you, Bethlehem which lays in the land of Judea, in you shall be born a Prince who is not the least among the princes of Judea; for out of you shall come the Messiah who shall save my people Israel.
7Then Herod, when he had called the wise men privately, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child. And when you have found the child, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9And behold, the star which they saw in the east went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother and fell down and worshipped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts: gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Warned in a vision, Joseph carries the child by night into Egypt; and Herod, mocked, slays the children of Bethlehem — the weeping of Rachel for her children.
13And when they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a vision, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and remain there until I bring you word, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14And then he arose, and took the young child and the child’s mother by night, and departed into Egypt, 15and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son.
16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem and all the region thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 18In Ramah there was a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning; Rachel weeping for the loss of her children, and would not be comforted, because they were not.
When Herod is dead, the angel calls them back; fearing Archelaus, Joseph turns aside to Galilee and settles in Nazareth — where, Luke adds, they had returned when the law was fulfilled.
19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a vision to Joseph in Egypt, 20saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for they are dead who sought the young child’s life. 21And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the stead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. But, notwithstanding, being warned of God in a vision, he went into the eastern parts of Galilee, 23and he came and dwelled in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets: He shall be called a Nazarene.
39And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee to their own city Nazareth.
Nibley took the star of Bethlehem seriously — and noted an early tradition that the magi were led to Christ by no ordinary light.
One thinks immediately of the star of Bethlehem, of course, and few Christians would deny it some element of reality, if only on the charts of the magi. It was in the form of a star, according to an early apocryphon, that Michael led the magi to Christ.
The magi’s three gifts were, for Barker, the three symbols of first-temple worship — the gold of its vessels, the frankincense and myrrh of its holy incense and anointing oil — brought to the new Adam.
Gold, frankincense and myrrh were the gifts brought to Jesus by the wise men. They were also the three symbols of worship in the original temple. The vessels and furnishings of the temple were made of gold; frankincense and myrrh were the main ingredients of the two perfumes used in the holy of holies. The specially blended incense - known as the incense of spices … - was based on frankincense, and the specially blended anointing oil … was perfumed mainly with myrrh.
Adam took three treasures from Eden: gold, frankincense and myrrh and hid them in the cave of treasure… The magi brought the symbols of the lost temple to Jesus; they restored the oil… These were the symbols not only of the garden of Eden, but also of the temple, and when the magi brought them to Jesus, it showed that he was the new Adam who would restore the true temple and open the way back to Paradise.
Ellipses mark omissions within Barker’s own sentences.