[Review of Previous Lecture]
64 Those passages we read from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts show what remarkable fact about the resurrection toward which everybody had looked forward, which was to be the great climax of human history? When it actually happened, what was the reaction of most people to it, including members of the Church and apostles? Did they say, “Hooray, hooray, it has happened at last?” When somebody told them about it, what did they say? You’d expect them to be dancing in the streets.
64 In 1968 they discovered the original version of the First Vision, a text far older than any other. It goes back to 1831-32. I told the person who found it that there would be dancing in the streets when that thing got out, but there was no dancing in the streets. They shoved it under the rug; they didn’t want to have anything to do with it. It was written in the handwriting of Frederick G. Williams at the dictation of the Prophet Joseph when he was twenty-six years old. It is by far the fullest and best account we have of the First Vision. We never even acknowledged that it existed— that’s a strange thing. Well, the same thing happens here in the New Testament. How did the people first accept the news that the Lord had risen? With open arms? With joy? They wouldn’t believe it; even the apostles wouldn’t believe it. When the Marys told the apostles, they said, “You’re crazy.” Nobody would believe it. Did Mary instantly recognize the Lord when she saw him? No, she thought he was the gardener and told him to get to work [laughter]. It was just that commonplace, that ordinary, not the sort of thing people would suggest.
64 Then we went on about the early Christians. The second century was the century of gnosticism, which spiritualized everything. Everything was spiritual in gnosticism. So they were absolutely against physical resurrection. Physical resurrection and physical creation were abominations in their book; they wanted nothing to do with them. And the gnostics were most of the church. But what about these other Christians? We talked about the Apostolic Fathers. Remember, they were the seven that [followed the apostles]. Now, we have a much richer literature of very early writings that talk about the resurrection, etc. But what is the main problem that these Apostolic Fathers had? There were seven of them—Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, and 2 Clement [and others]. They all had the same [problem]. Not only was the church falling away, but the one thing the people would not believe was what? It’s easy to guess by now, isn’t it? How did the people take the resurrection? Remember, we just quoted from Clement and Ignatius of Antioch. He said, if there is no resurrection from the dead, why am I going to Rome to be put to death? None of you say there is a resurrection from the dead; you don’t really believe it. You believe he came in spirit. Of course, this greatly strengthened the position of later church historians, excusing themselves for believing such a thing.