John W. Welch changed the face of Book of Mormon studies 41 years ago when he discovered the complicated literary form called chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Twenty years ago Welch made another startling discovery in the Book of Mormon. Welch, a professor at J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University, spoke at BYU on Friday at "A Conference on Third Nephi: New Perspectives on an Incomparable Scripture." He told how at one time many saw the presence of the Sermon on the Mount in the Book of Mormon as an easy target for critics. But that has all changed. In Jan. 1988 Welch was examining the text of 3 Nephi 12-14. "I was struck like a bolt out of the blue by the importance of the temple setting in the (Book of Mormon's version of the) Sermon on the Mount in Third Nephi," Welch said. "Jesus chose to speak in Bountiful at the temple. That clue is a plain and precious detail restored by the Book of Mormon. It offers a captivating insight the otherwise perplexing nature of the Sermon on the Mount you find in Matthew chapters 5 through 7." Welch called the Nephite version of the Sermon on the Mount the "Sermon at the Temple" to emphasize that "the mount" described in Matthew 5 was like a temple. "Mountains, of course, were prototypes of the temple in Israelite religion as well as in ancient near-eastern thought generally," Welch said. Temple themes in the scriptures are not as obvious to modern readers because they are not familiar with the rituals of the ancient temple. Welch said by analogy that Mormons would easily recognize modern temple allusions if someone used the terms "recommend," "garments" and "Holiness to the Lord." Ancient people, according to Welch, would find temple allusions in words like light, salt, rain, rock, washing, anointing, the name of God, throne, sonship, garments, bread, forgiveness, commandments, covenants, oaths, treasure, wisdom, judgment, seeing God, eternity and peacemaking. All of these are words in the Sermon on the Mount. "My work identifies over 120 such elements and temple themes in the Sermon on the Mount," Welch said. Welch said the Sermon at the Temple in the Book of Mormon also highlights covenant making. Baptism, commandments and covenantal promises are throughout Third Nephi. This insight from the Book of Mormon also illuminates the temple covenant making aspects of Matthew's account. Much of the language in the Sermon on the Mount comes from the Psalms. According to Welch, the Psalms were integral parts of ancient temple worship. "Each allusion to the Psalms in the Sermon on the Mount adds corroboration to its temple genre," Welch said, "and thus supports its temple setting in Third Nephi." Welch said he now sees the overall structure of the Sermon on the Mount as a "marvelous ritual ascent text." The sermon begins by placing its hearers in a lowly state and then guides them upward to its end, being welcomed into the presence of God. The path begins with a concern about others (Matthew 5), continues toward a concern about personal and secret virtues (Matthew 6) and culminates with qualities of God and holiness (Matthew 7). "Notice this pattern: Others, self then God," Welch said. The subject of prayer in the sermon follows this pattern according to Welch. First, in Matthew 5 is the admonition to pray for others including enemies, in Matthew 6 we pray for ourselves and in Matthew 7 we ask for gifts from our Father in heaven. Other subjects, such as "generosity" and "love," also follow this pattern. "Through these three degrees there comes fulfillment of the law of Israel, perfection of the individual and ultimately hearing the Lord say, 'Enter my presence,'" Welch said. This emphasis on the influences of the temple in early Christian thought is not limited to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Welch referred to other scholars who are "waking up to the importance of the temple Jesus' world." "When I first noticed the temple pattern in the overall structure of the Sermon at the Temple in January of 1988 it was an overwhelming, all consuming experience. Time stood still all that day as its pieces fell in place," Welch said. Welch was president of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) back then. Elder Neal A. Maxwell had asked him to let him know if anything important ever came up. After showing his wife what he had found, they decided to call Elder Maxwell. "Isn't it interesting," Elder Maxwell said according to Welch, "how the Lord can turn what people have seen as the Book of Mormon's greatest weakness into one of its greatest strengths."
John Welch's book on this subject, "The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount" can be read online at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute Web site. He also has a new work targeted at general New Testament scholars called, "The Sermon on the Mount in the Light of the Temple," which will be published next spring by Ashgate publishers in London.
E-mail: mdegroote@desnews.com