Part two of a two-part post
Timothy's Ancient Christian "Discourse on Abbaton", continued
The Pre-creation, Pre-Mortal Jesus, approaches his father regarding this impasse :
And I said unto My Father, “Put breath into him; I will be an advocate for him.” And My Father said unto Me, “If I put breath into him, My beloved son, Thou wilt be obliged to go down into the world, and to suffer many pains for him before Thou shalt have redeemed him, and made him to come back to primal state.” And I said unto My Father, “Put breath into him; I will be his advocate, and I will go down into the world, and will fulfil Thy command.”
And He put breath into him in this way; He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life three times, saying, “Live! Live! Live! According to the type of My Divinity.” And the man lived straightway, and became a living soul, according to the image and likeness of God. And when Adam had risen up he cast himself down before [My] father, saying, “My Lord and my God! Thou hast made me to come into being [from a state in which] I did not exist.” (i.e. from simple spirit to mortal)
Again, in the Earlier Historic Christianity represented by Abbaton, Jesus IS the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, rather than “the Lamb slain as a result of the fall of Adam”, as in most Alethian Christianities. The role of the willing and volunteering pre-creation Jesus is not only the one who opened the way for man to return, but he is the “opener of the ways” for he spirits of men to come to earth. Alethian Christianities rarely comprehend but a portion of these pre-creation histories, yet ancient Christianity and LDS restorative theology is not only full of it, but it is these histories which allow the atonement to make more profound sense. Even the concept of pre-mortal existence of man’s spirit is a parallel to LDS teachings and ancient Christianity, but it is rarely found in Alethian type of theories. The role of Adam for example, in the early Christians interpretations was not that of a fool, but he was honored (as he is in some Dead Sea Scroll theologies). He is the all-important one who will inaugurate mortality for all others. Compare this ancient view with Alethian Histories.
Abbaton relates that, After the Fall of man, Adam is promised that he will have a savior, but that, upon Adam’s death, he will be placed into “Amente” (the spirit world, Hades, the “in between place) before redemption and resurrection. In the early Christian version, he tells Adam :
“.... because of thy deeds. Thou shalt eat thy bread by the sweat of thy face, and all those who shall come out of thee shall do likewise. Behold, thou shalt die from this day onwards, because thou art earth, and thou shalt return again to the earth. Thou shalt live in the world a life of nine hundred and thirty years, and when death cometh upon thee thou shalt turn to the earth again. Thy soul shall abide in Amente, (Hades, or the spirit world) and thou shalt sit in black darkness for four and a half thousand of years . . .”
Again the parallels with ancient Christian histories and LDS doctrines are replete. How much information are Alethian Christianities endowed with regarding the time after death and before resurrection? Modern Christianities must compete for speculation after speculation but they do not have the firm doctrinal stance of Ancient Christianity represented by such early Christian descriptions. However, contrast this with the deep parallels to LDS doctrine regarding this part of the atonement. The first time I read the Book of Mormon, I was struck with deep and profound doctrinal parallels to such ancient teachings. (And that was long before I’d read the D&C.)
Jesus continues the description of what Adam is told:
“...And when five and a half thousand of years are fulfilled I will send My beloved son into the world, and he shall abide in a virgin womb, (her name shall be Mary). She shall give Him birth on the earth in lowliness and humility . . .he shall pass thirty-three and a half years in the world, and He shall receive every attribute of humanity, sin alone excepted.”
Again, Though the earliest Christian apologist Chrysostom claims the Jews removed some scriptures that would have made plain, that Jesus was the Messiah the Jews had awaited, Alethia Christianities have produced little new proof to support these historical claims. They must look either to the earliest Christian Histories, or to the LDS claims and supporting data. Thought the early Christian histories such as “Abbaton” and “Lives of Adam and Eve” prove the obvious early Christian belief that Adam was taught regarding his redeemer, and the LDS have parallel data and histories, what are the Alethians left with in this regard? How does this lack of data affect their theories regarding the Atonement. The ancient Christians understood far more than the modern versions.
After describing the suffering and death of Jesus as he accomplishes the redemption and atonement for men, Adam is told :
“...He shall rise from the dead on the third day. He shall go down into Amente, He shall shatter the gate of brass, and break in pieces the bolts of iron, and shall bring thee up therefrom together with all those who shall be held there in captivity with thee. For thy sake, O Adam, the son of God shall suffer all these things until He hath redeemed thee, and restored thee to Paradise, unto the place whence thou didst come, for He made Himself to be thy advocate (or, protector), when thou wast clay, before He put spirit (or, breath) into thee.”
(Again, notice the deep, and obvious LDS parallels to the ancient Christian views of how the atonement will progress.)
Jesus explains to the Apostles :
... “It was I, the Son of God, Who suffered all these things until I delivered man from the hand of the Devil. And you have seen all these things with your eyes, O my holy Apostles. It was in this wise that My Father expelled Adam and Eve from Paradise . He shut the gate [thereof], and He placed a mighty being of fire to watch the gate of Paradise , so that no one might enter therein until all those things which He had proclaimed concerning Adam had been fulfilled. “
Jesus then explains the conditions and covenant the Father made to him even before Jesus was sent to Earth to accomplish the atonement. Jesus’ Father covenants with (or Promises) Jesus :
“ I will make thy soul to return to thy body, and thou shalt rise up and array thyself in apparel of glory, like unto that of one who hath stood up in the marriage chamber. Ye shall judge the world, according to what I have ordained for you, and ye shall sit upon thrones and shall judge the Twelve Tribes of Israel.”
After telling the Apostles regarding the Authority and Power that is Given him of his Father, Jesus Further explains to the Apostles:
“I shall look upon all My clay [i.e. mankind that is HIS by adoptive redemption], and when I see that he is going to destruction I shall cry out to My Father, saying, ‘My Father, what profit is there in My Blood if he goeth to destruction?’ And straightway the voice of My Father shall come unto Me from the seventh heaven, and none shall hear it except Myself, for I and My Father are one, saying ‘Power belongeth unto Thee, O My Son, to do whatsoever Thou pleaseth with Thy clay.’ And in that day I shall say, I rejoice...”
If we are truly going to discuss true and authentic "ancient christian doctrines", then we should discuss "true and authentic christian doctrines" written by the earliest Christians rather than a bible quote that is "squeezed" through biased interpretation of what ancient christians believed.
Though I believe that the ancient version of Christian Atonement is much more correct than any Alethian type of Christian version, the point that I am trying to make is that when one reads the bible such as Alethia has done and interprets scriptures, they develop a “model” as to what is going on. It may be a good and accurate model, or it may be a terribly inaccurate and naive model of how the ancients themselves interpreted the written scriptures.
I do NOT think that the modern Alethians are more correct than the version of Christianity taught nearer to the time of Christ in most cases.
The second point is that as I approach the LDS doctrines from the standpoint of comparisons to ACCURATE and AUTHENTIC ancient Christianity, I was astounded the first time I was exposed to LDS doctrines and remain in wonderment and amazement of
the vast parallels and principles the LDS share with the ancient and more original Christianity. Like Alethia, I came up with many reasons as to why such parallels could exist that excluded Revelation from Heaven to restore such principles. However, at some point, the increasing number of mental contortions and justifications I had to create started (in order to deny restoration) began to number in the hundreds
and became more far-fetched, contorted in their logic and more unbelievable than the simple LDS claim of "restoration".
If the early Christians represented by repeating Christian histories such as Abbaton
are correct, then, the parallel and equivalent LDS doctrines are also correct. If Alethians are correct in their versions, then the earlier Christians are INCORRECT. I simply believe in the more original Doctrines Jesus taught. If the more modern versions such as Alethia's theories claim to be more correct, then
the Alethians should point out why they are superior to the more ancient and original version of the atonement.
I have to stop here, I’ll be busy the next couple of days and then am flying to another area for a few days, If I have internet, I’ll “phone home” to R.F. If not, I’ll pick up where ever I find the thread has gone.
Clear
eixtzsixtz92op
This translation is from Budge (Coptic Martyrdoms, Vol. IV) 
