When the time came for fulfillment of the prophecies of the coming Messiah, heavenly activity was concentrated vigorously on the temple. Granted, it was Herod’s temple, which many Jews considered a mere parody of Solomon’s and which the pious sectaries claimed to be defiled; still it was there that the angel Gabriel came “from the presence of God” to “preach the gospel” in a long discourse to Zacharias behind the veil. This first chapter in Luke is peculiarly relevant to the study of the temple. Zacharias was a priest, and his wife a direct descendant of Aaron (Luke 1:5 [Luke 1:2]). Their condition is described in very un-Greek terms that seem to come right out of the Dead Sea Scrolls in bold relief. They were both “upright before the Lord” (yasarîm lipnê adonai), “walking in all the commandments” (mizwôt) and judgments (mispatîm) of the Lord, observing the law flawlessly in every respect. It had nothing to do with moral turpitude. Like Job, they were “upright and perfect.” The Greek word amemptoi, “blameless” (Luke 1:6 [Luke 1:2]), is equivalent to the Hebrew tamîm.
You would think them the last people in the world to need more religion; yet it was expressly to them that the gospel was given (Luke 1:9 [Luke 1:3]). Zacharias’s activity during his turn of duty entailed making the intense sacrifice, when he would go before the veil in the Holy of Holies while the multitude stood outside in the court in prayer (Luke 1:10 [Luke 1:3]). What happened is described by Luke with clinical precision (Luke 1:14 [Luke 1:3]), matched only by the story of Moroni’s visit to Joseph Smith.
Why did the angel make his special appearance? Explicitly to announce the birth of John the Baptist, which was to bring great joy to the world; John would be filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb and observe a way of life strictly withdrawn from worldly practices (Luke 1:15 [Luke 1:3]). This was to be a restoration: “He would bring back many of the children to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16 [Luke 1:3]); he would precede the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, fulfilling the promise made long before: “to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient”
The Annunciations to Zacharias and Mary
A childless priest and a young virgin receive the same messenger: God answers Zacharias’s prayer in the temple and announces to Mary the Son of the Highest, and Mary’s soul magnifies the Lord.
Note. Luke alone preserves the infancy of the forerunner and the annunciation to Mary; these scenes are his witness only.
? 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.
Each movement Joseph discusses carries a JS link down to his letter; the letter carries a roman-numeral link back up to the movement.
A righteous, childless priest burns incense in the temple; Gabriel promises him a son, John, and strikes him dumb for his unbelief.
5There was, in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah, and his wife — being of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elizabeth — 6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless; 7and they had no child. Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well-stricken in years.
8And while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course priesthood, 9according to the custom of the priest’s office, law — his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord — 10the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the time of incense. 11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12And when Zacharias saw him the angel, he was troubled and fear fell upon him; 13but the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14You shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth, 15for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the holy ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17And he shall go before him the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
18And Zacharias said unto the angel, How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well-stricken in years. 19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God, and am sent to speak unto you, and to show you these glad tidings. 20And behold, you shall be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because you believed not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22And when he came out he could not speak unto them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned unto them and remained speechless; 23and it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24And after those days, his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach from among men.
Six months later the same angel comes to a virgin in Nazareth, and announces the conception of Jesus, the Son of the Highest, whose kingdom shall have no end.
26And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. virgin, who are highly favored of the Lord. The Lord is with you, for you are chosen and blessed among women. 29And when she saw him the angel, she was troubled at his saying, and pondered in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31And behold, you shall conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. 32He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34Then said Mary unto the angel, How can this be, seeing I know not a man? 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: Of the holy ghost and the power of the Highest. Therefore also, that holy thing which child that shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God. 36And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth, she has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren; 37for with God, nothing can be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.
Mary hurries to the hill country; the babe leaps in Elisabeth’s womb, Elisabeth blesses her, and Mary answers with the song that magnifies the Lord.
39And in those days, Mary went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah, 40and entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elizabeth. 41And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the holy ghost, 42and she spoke out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43And whence is this to me why is it that this blessing is upon me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44For behold, as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. are you who believed, for those things which were told you of the angel of the Lord shall be fulfilled.
46And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord, 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed, 49for he who is mighty has done to me great things, and holy is his name I will magnify his holy name 50And his mercy is on them that for his mercy on those who fear him from generation to generation. 51He has shown strength with his arm. He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 52He has put down the mighty from their high seats, and exalted them of low degree. 53He has filled the hungry with good things, but the rich he has sent away empty. 54He has helped his servant Israel in remembrance of his mercy mercy, 55as he spoke to our fathers — to Abraham and to his seed for ever. 56And Mary abided with her with Elizabeth about three months and returned to her own house.
Zacharias Wrestles in the Temple for a Son
Called the Son Because of the Flesh
The Lectures on Faith were given to the elders’ school in Kirtland in the winter of 1834–35 and printed in 1835 as the first part of the Doctrine and Covenants, whose preface Joseph Smith signed with the rest of the committee that compiled it. The fifth lecture answers the question the angel’s words to Mary raise: the child “shall be called the Son of God” (v. 35), and the lecture says he “is called the Son because of the flesh.” Its catechism then puts the question outright. (The 1835 printing cites the verse as Luke 1:33; it is Luke 1:35.)
Lectures on Faith, Lecture Fifth, ¶2 and question 11, in Doctrine and Covenants (Kirtland, 1835), pp. 52–53, 57 · canonized in the CCE as Teachings and Commandments 110 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Also recorded in Teachings and Commandments 110, Lecture 5:2; question 11 of the same lecture; page 57 of the 1835 printing, where the question stands.
There are two personages who constitute the great matchless, governing and supreme power over all things—by whom all things were created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or invisible: whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout the immensity of space—They are the Father and the Son: The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fulness: The Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, a personage of tabernacle, made, or fashioned like unto man, or being in the form and likeness of man, or, rather, man was formed after his likeness, and in his image;—he is also the express image and likeness of the personage of the Father: possessing all the fulness of the Father, or, the same fulness with the Father; being begotten of him, and was ordained from before the foundation of the world to be a propitiation for the sins of all those who should believe on his name, and is called the Son because of the flesh—and descended in suffering below that which man can suffer, or, in other words, suffered greater sufferings, and was exposed to more powerful contradictions than any man can be. …
Q. Why was he called the Son? A— Because of the flesh. Luke 1:33. That holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. …
Blessed Is She That Believed
The seventh lecture, on the effects of faith, reaches for this chapter twice: for Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary (v. 45) and for Zacharias struck dumb (v. 20). Both promised births, it says, were the fruit of faith.
Lectures on Faith, Lecture Seventh, ¶17, in Doctrine and Covenants (Kirtland, 1835), p. 71 · canonized in the CCE as Teachings and Commandments 110 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Also recorded in Teachings and Commandments 110, Lecture 7:17.
… That it was a system of faith—it begins with faith, and continues by faith; and every blessing which is obtained, in relation to it, is the effect of faith, whether it pertains to this life or that which is to come.— To this, all the revelations of God bear witness. If there were children of promise, they were the effects of faith: not even the Savior of the world excepted: Blessed is she that believed, said Elizabeth to Mary, when she went to visit her;—for there shall be a performance of the things which were told her of the Lord; Luke, 1:45: Nor was the birth of John the baptist the less a matter of faith; for in order that his father Zacharias might believe he was struck dumb. And through the whole history of the scheme of life and salvation, it is a matter of faith: every man received according to his faith: according as his faith was, so were his blessings and privileges; and nothing was withheld from him when his faith was sufficient to receive it.
Noah, Who Is Gabriel
In an instruction on the priesthood in the summer of 1839, Joseph Smith named the messenger who came to Zacharias in the temple and then to Mary: Gabriel is Noah, who stands next to Adam in the priesthood. The words are as Willard Richards copied them into his Pocket Companion.
Instruction on priesthood, between circa 26 June and circa 4 August 1839, Commerce, Illinois · Willard Richards, Pocket Companion, p. 63 (cf. History of the Church 3:385–386; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗The Priesthood was. first given To Adam: he obtained the first Presidency & held the Keys of it, from genration to Generation; he obtained it in the creation before the world was formed as in Gen. 1, 26:28,— he had dominion given him over every living Creature. He is Michael, the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures,— Then to Noah who is Gabriel, he stands next in authority to Adam in the Priesthood; he was called of God to this office & was the Father of all living in his day, & To him was Given the Dominion. These men held keys. first on earth, & then in Heaven.—
Zacharias Pleading in the Temple
In a Sunday meeting in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith read the second and third chapters of Malachi, taught that the priesthood came to the sons of Levi by lineage, and brought up Zacharias, pleading with the Lord in the temple for seed so that the priesthood might be preserved. William P. McIntire’s brief minutes are the only record of that line.
Discourse, circa 21 March 1841, Nauvoo · William P. McIntire, Notebook, p. [17] (Words of Joseph Smith, p. 67) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Sabath Meeting— Joseph Read the 2 & 3d. Chapters of Malichi & stated that there was a priestHood Confered upon all the sons of Levi throughout the Jeneration of the Jews & he also said they beCome heirs to that pristHood By Linage or Decent [descent] & held the Keys of the first principles of the Gospel— for this— he quoted concerning Jesus coming to John to be Baptized of John that he (Jesus) might Enter into the Kingdom as John held the Keys suffer it to be so now &c he also Brought up Zacharias pleading with the Lord in the temple that he might have seed so that the preistHood might be presurved …
The Only Lawful Administrator in His Day
Joseph Smith returned to Zacharias the priest most fully on July 23, 1843, when he traced the priesthood by lineage down to Zacharias, the only lawful administrator of his day, who, being childless, went into the temple to wrestle with God for the son by whom the line would be preserved. The reading is James Burgess’s notebook, which alone records this part of the sermon at length; switch to “Scribal accounts” for Willard Richards’s and Franklin D. Richards’s notes.
Discourse, 23 July 1843, Nauvoo · James Burgess, Notebook, pp. 12–13 · Joseph Smith Papers ↗The preisthood was given to Aron and his posterity throughout all generations we can trace the leanage [lineage] down to Zachariah he being the only Lawfull administrator in his day and the Jews knew it well for they always acknowledged the preisthood. and Zachariah having no children, knew that the promise of God must fail, consequently he went into the Temple to wrestle with God according to the order of the preisthood to obtain a promise of a son, and when the Angel told him that his promise was granted he because of unbelief was struck dumb.
And when the set time was come John came forth and when he took up his preisthood, 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 Spirit and Power of Elias
Gabriel promises that John will go before the Lord “in the spirit and power of Elias,” the name the King James Version, the JST and the CCE all keep here. In March 1844, a little over three months before his death, Joseph Smith set the spirit of Elias, a forerunner’s, apart from the sealing power of Elijah, and said of anyone who truly holds the first: “he will not transcend his bounds. John did not transcend his bounds.” Switch to “Scribal accounts” to read the reporters’ notes.
Discourse, 10 March 1844, Nauvoo · History, 1838–1856, vol. E-1, p. 1919 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 335–336) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗… my ordination was a preparatory work, or a going before, which was the spirit of Elias; for the Spirit of Elias was a going before, to prepare the way for the greater, which was the case with John the Baptist, he came bawling through the wilderness “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight,” and they were informed if they could receive it, it was the Spirit of Elias, and John was very particular to tell the people “he was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light.” He told the people that his mission was to preach repentance and baptize with water; but it was he that should come after him, that should baptize with fire, and the Holy Ghost. If he had been an impostor, he might hae gone to work beyond his bounds, and undertook to have performed ordinances which did not belong to that office and calling, under the Spirit of Elias.
The spirit of Elias is to prepare the way for a greater revelation of God, which is the priesthood of Elias; or the priesthood that Aaron was ordained unto; and when God sends a man into the world to prepare for a greater work holding the keys of the power of Elias, it was called the doctrine of Elias, even from the early ages of the world. …
What I want to impress upon your minds is, the difference of power in the different parts of the Priesthood, so that when any man comes among you saying “I have the spirit of Elias” you can know whether he be true or false, for any man that comes having the spirit and power of Elias, he will not transcend his bounds. John did not transcend his bounds, but faithfully performed that part belonging to his office, and every portion of the great building should be prepared right, and assigned to its proper place, and it is necessary to know who holds the keys of power, and who does not, or we may be likely to be deceived.
Gabriel Behind the Veil
Luke’s first chapter, Nibley observed, is steeped in the temple: the annunciation begins in the holy place, where the angel comes from God’s own presence to the priest behind the veil.
Mary as the Lady of the Temple
Barker hears the old royal and temple theology in Gabriel’s words to Mary (Mary as the Lady, Wisdom, bearing the Holy One who is Son of God) and reads the Magnificat against Isaiah’s restored Jerusalem.
Hebrew words are written only with consonants. If you pronounce them one way they can mean one thing, and if you pronounce them another way, they can be something entirely different. In Hebrew, ‘the mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth’ was written in the same way as ‘Mother of the holy ones and the anointed ones’ but it meant the exact opposite. There are many examples of this wordplay in the lead books, and many parallels can be found in the Hebrew Bible, for example in the Book of Isaiah (e.g. Isaiah 5.7 [Isa. 1:13]). .
In Hebrew, an anointed one is a Messiah, and a holy one is an angel. Gabriel told Mary that her child would be a holy one called Son of God, and that he would sit on the throne of David (Luke 1.32-35 [Luke 1:5-6]). This was the old royal theology, and Mary here is the Lady on earth, giving birth to a Holy One who is Son of God. In the old temple, the Lady Wisdom was the Mother of the Messiah, and her children were called the branches of her tree. One of the titles for the Messiah was the Branch or the Shoot (e.g. Jeremiah 23.5-6; Zechariah 5.12), and this is why Isaiah said that a new branch would grow up from the stump of the tree (Isaiah 11.1 [Isa. 5:4]). The story of the Lady was always told in images like this.
There are pairs of words in the pattern that show the Messiah and the Branch. There are two Hebrew words for Branch that are used to describe the Messiah. Some patterns on the page have only one meaning, some have two and some have three: there is the pair ‘Branch and counsels’, where the three letters for Branch can be read from another apex of the triangle to be Messiah. Both have partner words: Branch and knowledge; Messiah and witness.
The other word for Branch also means ‘guardian or preserver’, and the partner word is ‘my witness’. This is the word used on Jesus’ cross, which did not say ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ but ‘Jesus the Branch/guardian or preserver’ (John 19.19 [John 10:12]).
The Lady was the genius of Jerusalem, and from the beginning, Mary was presented as the suffering city. The themes of the Magnificat are those of Isaiah to his people in exile: the Lady/city whose time of humble status is over (Isa. 40.2 [Isa. 13:17]);83 the Servant and the children of Abraham (Isa. 41.8–9 [Isa. 15:3]). The Magnificat as a whole would not be out of place as a psalm of praise sung in Isaiah’s Jerusalem: ‘He has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden . . . He has helped his servant Israel . . . as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity for ever’ (Lk. 1.43, 54–55).84 Isaiah promised the desolate city: ‘As a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you’ (Isa. 62.5 [Isa. 24:1]a). Is this not the origin of the city/Bride imagery in Revelation, where the Lady marries her Son (Rev. 12.5 [Rev. 4:1]; 21.9)? The Lady was the holy of holies, that gave birth to the Son of God. In the Litany of Loreto, Mary’s title ‘House of Gold’ sums up several of her titles in the Akathistos Hymn: ‘Enclosure of God who cannot be enclosed’ (Ikos 8); ‘Best of dwellings of him who is above the seraphim’ (Ikos 8); ‘Tabernacle of God the Word’ (Ikos 12); ‘Greater holy of holies’ (Ikos 12). In the Kanon of the Akathist she is: ‘Dwelling place of the Master of creation’, ‘Spacious tabernacle of the Word’ (Ode 5, Troparion); and ‘Dwelling-place of light’ (Ode 8, Troparion). Again, the Litany of Loreto and the Akathistos Hymn attest a common tradition, but independently of each other.
In the Litany of Loreto, Mary is the Door of Heaven, ianua Coeli, which may refer to Bethel, the Gate of Heaven where Jacob saw the ladder up to heaven and the Lord upon it. The place was formerly called Luz, which means ‘almond tree’, and the almond tree was a symbol of the Lady (Gen. 28.10–19 [Gen. 9:20-21]). In the Akathistos Hymn, Mary is the ‘Mystical staff that blossomed’ (Ode 7, Troparion), a reference to Aaron’s rod that bore blossoms and almonds (Num. 17.8–11 [Num. 9:12]); she is also the ‘Heavenly Ladder by which God came down’ (Ikos 2). Thus Mary as Bethel was part of the tradition, and these titles could have been summarised as ‘Door of Heaven’. Neither the Vulgate nor the Vetus Latina, however, has ianua; the word is porta.
Ellipses mark omissions within Barker’s own sentences.