The gift of Aaron

[Jonah]

Would someone clarify this section.

"Therefore, doubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall hold it in your hands, and 
do marvelous works; and no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands, for it 
is the work of God".

I saw on the church's website and it said this gift of Aaron was a divining rod.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/oliver-cowderys-gift?lang=eng

"The Old Testament account of Moses and his brother Aaron recounted several instances of 
using rods to manifest God's will (see Exodus 7:9–12; Numbers 17:8). Many Christians in 
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery’s day similarly believed in divining rods as instruments 
for revelation. Oliver was among those who believed in and used a divining rod."

What marvelous works did Mr. Cowdery perform with this rod?

What prominent Christians in Joseph Smith's day believed in divining rods as instruments
of revelation?  Did any of the living 15 Apostles in the last hundred years use divining rods?

[Vort]

How long, mods?

[NeuroTypical]

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics/divining-rods?lang=eng

 

Quote

Joseph Smith and his contemporaries lived in a culture steeped in biblical ideas, terminology, and practices. Biblical accounts, such as the story of Moses and his brother Aaron, described the use of physical objects such as rods to manifest God’s will (see Exodus 7:9–12 and Numbers 17:8). Many Christians in Joseph Smith’s day similarly regarded divining rods as instruments for revelation. They believed these rods could help them find underground water or minerals.1

Early versions of the revelation in Doctrine and Covenants 8 state that Oliver Cowdery had “the gift of working with the sprout” or the “rod of nature,” indicating that he used a divining rod at some point. The Lord acknowledged Cowdery’s gift, declaring that “there is no other power save God that can cause this thing of Nature to work in your hands.” When Church leaders prepared this revelation for inclusion in the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835, they called Cowdery’s gift “the gift of Aaron,” reflecting its similarity to Aaron’s rod.2

Other sources likewise suggest that Oliver Cowdery, as well as Joseph Smith Sr. and Joseph Smith Jr., had likely used divining rods. But the revelation does not clarify how Cowdery employed his rod. It does indicate this was only one of several gifts available to Cowdery. In addition, the revelation taught Cowdery how to obtain the gift of translation through study, prayer, and the aid of the Holy Ghost.

Quote

Church Resources

Jeffrey G. Cannon, “Oliver Cowdery’s Gift: D&C 6, 7, 8, 9, 13,” in Matthew McBride and James Goldberg, eds., Revelations in Context: The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2016), 15–19.

“Revelation, April 1829–B [D&C 8],” Historical Introduction, josephsmithpapers.org.

Bibliography

The following publication provides further information about this topic. By referring or linking you to this resource, we do not endorse or guarantee the content or the views of the author.

Larry E. Morris, “Oliver Cowdery’s Vermont Years and the Origins of Mormonism,” BYU Studies, vol. 39, no. 1 (2000), 106–29.

 

 

Edited September 29, 2020 by NeuroTypical

[NeuroTypical]

2 minutes ago, Vort said:

How long, mods?

No really Vort, if Jonah wants to turn Thirdhour into a searchable database of well-answered topical issues, that's his business.  

[Vort]

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

No really Vort, if Jonah wants to turn Thirdhour into a searchable database of well-answered topical issues, that's his business.  

I'm not questioning the vast wisdom of the TH mods. Really. But just out of curiosity, do the mods believe for even a fraction of a second that "Jonah"'s questions are honest and of pure intent?

[NeuroTypical]

Jonah seems to be someone with endless anti cut-and-paste material, and the brains to phrase it in a way that doesn't overtly violate forum rules.   D&C 71 means I don't have to care what his motives are. 

Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private; and inasmuch as ye are faithful their shame shall be made manifest.  Wherefore, let them bring forth their strong reasons against the Lord.  Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you—there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper;  And if any man lift his voice against you he shall be confounded in mine own due time.  

And honestly, after his year of posting here, he seems to be proving the scripture true.

 

(I like that 'vast wisdom' stuff though - you get one free brownie point.  Good at Baskin Robins.)

Edited September 29, 2020 by NeuroTypical

[Fether]

If we just gave him what he wanted would he go away?

Hey @Jonah, whenever we turn 12 we get a divining rod and it gives us power to speak to angels. With one wave an army of angels comes and teaches us the mysteries of the universe. It also spawns cheese burgers.

Now we can’t prove it to you because it doesn’t work, which means the church is false and you have all the proof you need. You can now leave this site and tell all your friends of your discovery.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Fether

[NeedleinA]

1 hour ago, Fether said:

If we just gave him what he wanted would he go away?

What he ultimately wants, we won't give him.
@NeuroTypical is right, his posts all originate from a cut and paste library of anti material. It is lame to say the least.

[mikbone]

Yeah I read that too. Were you gonna plagiarize the whole thing for us—you have any thoughts of—of your own on this matter? Or do—is that your thing, you come into a bar, you read some obscure passage and then you pretend, you pawn it off as your own—your own idea just to impress some girls, embarrass my friend?

 

[laronius]

If someone is not argumentative or contentious in asking questions about our core doctrines I have no problem responding to them whoever they are. But if the question is about something obscure or on the fringe I am less inclined to respond in part because without a testimony of the more critical parts of the gospel this knowledge will generally do little good and also because there is a good chance I don't know the answer and don't really care to look it up because it's not critical to my testimony. Some of Jonah's questions have been the former and others such as this are the latter. I will choose which to respond to and ignore the rest. It's as simple as that.

[Just_A_Guy]

From Joseph Smith:  Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Bushman:

Quote

P. 50 [in context of Joseph Smith's money-digging activities generally]:  Money-digging was epidemic in upstate New York.  Stories of spirits guardian buried treasure were deeply enmeshed in the region's rural culture.  In Vermont, too, buried treasures and lost mines were detected through dreams, divining rods, or stones.  From 1800 to 1802, the Nathaniel Woods family in the Wells-Putney area of Vermont set out with one Winchell, who used a "St. John's" rod to find treasure guarded by a hostile spirit.  The father of one of Joseph's later associates, Oliver Cowdery, lived in the Woods's neighborhood and may have picked up some of this lore.  

Buried treasure was tied into a great stock of magical practices extending back many centuries.  Eighteenth-century rationalism had failed to stamp out belief in preternatural powers aiding and opposing human enterprise.  Enlightened newspaper editors and ministers scoffed at the superstitions of common people but were unable to erase them.  Ordinary people apparently had no difficulty blending Christianity with magic.  Willard Chase, the most vigorous of the Manchester treasure-seekers, was a Methodist class leader at the time he knew the Smiths, and in his obituary was described as a minister.  At the time he employed Joseph to use his stone to find Spanish bullion, Josiah Stowell was an upright Presbyterian and an honored man in his community.  The so-called credulity of the money-diggers can be read as evidence of their general faith in invisible forces.  Christian belief in angels and devils blended with belief in guardian spirits and magical powers.

P. 73 [re Joseph and Oliver Cowdery working jointly to produce the Book of Mormon]:  Cowdery was open to belief in Joseph's powers because he had come to Harmony the possessor of a supernatural gift alluded to in a revelation as the "gift of Aaron," or "gift of working with the rod."  Most likely, Cowdery used a rod to discover water and minerals.  The revelation spoke of divine power causing "this rod of nature, to work in your hands."  His family may have engaged in treasure-seeking and other magical practices in Vermont, and, like others in this culture, melded magic with Christianity.  For a person with his cultural blend, an angel and gold plates had excitement and appeal.  The revelation said nothing to discourage Cowdery's use of his special powers.  "Behold thou has a gift, and blessed art thou because of thy gift.  Remember it is sacred and cometh from above."  Rather than repudiate his claims, the revelation redirected Cowdery's use of his gifts.  "Thou shalt exercise thy gift, that thou mayest find out mysteries, that thou mayest bring many to the knowledge of the truth." [/quote]

As to the OP's specific questions:

What marvelous works did Mr. Cowdery perform with this rod?  None are documented that I'm aware of.  I understand, from other sources, that "divining rods" could be used to try to get a paranormal answer to binary (i.e. "yes/no") questions.  In the context of the revelation, it may have been that Cowdery was supposed to work out the translation and then use the divining rod to figure out if it was acccurate.  

What prominent Christians in Joseph Smith's day believed in divining rods as instruments of revelation?  I think the quotation above (from Richard Bushman of Columbia University, and himself a practicing Mormon) addresses this.  The "educated" classes had pretty much rejected the practice; but locally in certain regions, pious Christians had no problem dabbling in this kind of thing.  

Did any of the living 15 Apostles in the last hundred years use divining rods?  I'm not aware of *anyone* in LDS history using a divining rod (or having a reputation for such proficiency) besides Cowdery himself.  (Though the idea of a local "water witch" who could use a divining rod to figure out the best place to dig a well, is a recurring trope in literature of the Old West; and I wouldn't be surprised if it included Territorial Utah.)  In a more general sense, I think there are some statements by Brigham Young about the use of seer stones generally and about the theoretical prerogative of anyone endowed with the Holy Spirit to find and use such a stone; and Smith's own seer stone made its last public appearance when it was consecrated on an altar of the Manti Temple during that structure's dedication in the 1880s.  But I think a cultural shift away from using physical objects to channel divine revelation was well under way during Smith's own lifetime; he gave away most of his seer stones some time before his death because (he said) he was now perfectly capable of receiving revelation without them.

 

Edited September 30, 2020 by Just_A_Guy

[NeuroTypical]

Just a reminder folks, lets not make things personal, even though this or that poster might have a giant target on them that says "make it personal, I dare you".  

If someone is violating forum rules, report them and the mods will act.  Otherwise, if someone just ticks you off to high heaven, well, ignoring folks is free.

[NeuroTypical]

15 hours ago, laronius said:

If someone is not argumentative or contentious in asking questions about our core doctrines I have no problem responding to them whoever they are. But if the question is about something obscure or on the fringe I am less inclined to respond in part because without a testimony of the more critical parts of the gospel this knowledge will generally do little good and also because there is a good chance I don't know the answer and don't really care to look it up because it's not critical to my testimony.

25 years ago, I and my fledgling testimony decided to seek out criticisms of my faith and it's members, to see if such criticisms existed, and if they were answerable.  For 5 years, I lurked silently, reading forums and materials where criticisms were advanced, and answered.  I evaluated the answers, and found my testimony grew in depth, breadth, and strength.  Because the answers were sound.

I'll always be grateful to those critics, for advancing the criticisms.  Grateful to the people answering the criticisms too, but I never would have encountered either, if those who sought to tear down my church hadn't spoken up first.  

One of my more favorite quotes (besides Vort's earlier mention of wise moderators): Though argument does not create conviction, the lack of it destroys belief. What seems to be proved may not be embraced; but what no one shows the ability to defend is quickly abandoned. Rational argument does not create belief, but it maintains a climate in which belief may flourish.
Austin Farrer, "The Christian Apologist," in Light on C. S. Lewis , ed. Jocelyn Gibb (New York: Harcourt and Brace, 1965), 26.

 

[Carborendum]

On 9/29/2020 at 11:24 AM, Jonah said:

I saw on the church's website and it said this gift of Aaron was a divining rod.

This is a lie. 

On 9/29/2020 at 11:24 AM, Jonah said:

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/oliver-cowderys-gift?lang=eng

Nowhere in this link that you provided does the phrase "gift of Aaron" appear.  You got this off of your anti-Mormon website that you've been cutting and pasting.

The Church webpage you linked to specifically stated that Cowdery's "gift" was REVELATION.

Quote

“Behold thou hast a gift,” the Lord stated in revelation, “and blessed art thou because of thy gift. Remember it is sacred and cometh from above.” His gift was the gift of revelation, and by it he could “find out mysteries, that [he may] bring many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, convince them of the error of their ways.”

You could have pointed to other passages or other pages where there is discussion about that.  But, no.  You pointed to this one.  And it doesn't say what you purported it to say.  This is what happens when you go and trust other people's research to give you the truth.  You find out that you're blatantly wrong trying to pick up the pieces and justify your own deception.

You didn't read it on your own on the Church website.  You read it on a different website.  You lied.

[Vort]

True, but it doesn't matter. You can't shame the shameless. For Jonah, the principle learned is, "Pay more attention next time so you don't get your lies mixed up."

[askandanswer]

 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

(Old Testament | Numbers 20:11)

Sounds a little bit similar to what happens with divining rods.

Edited October 4, 2020 by askandanswer

[Carborendum]

On 10/3/2020 at 4:44 PM, Vort said:

True, but it doesn't matter. You can't shame the shameless. For Jonah, the principle learned is, "Pay more attention next time so you don't get your lies mixed up."

I realize that.  But I wasn't actually writing it for his benefit.  I was writing it to follow NT's guidance from D&C 71.  I was writing it for the benefit of the lurkers out there.

[NeuroTypical]

[waves at all the lurkers]

[Jonah]

On 10/3/2020 at 3:18 PM, Carborendum said:

This is a lie. 

Nowhere in this link that you provided does the phrase "gift of Aaron" appear.  You got this off of your anti-Mormon website that you've been cutting and pasting.

The Church webpage you linked to specifically stated that Cowdery's "gift" was REVELATION.

You could have pointed to other passages or other pages where there is discussion about that.  But, no.  You pointed to this one.  And it doesn't say what you purported it to say.  This is what happens when you go and trust other people's research to give you the truth.  You find out that you're blatantly wrong trying to pick up the pieces and justify your own deception.

You didn't read it on your own on the Church website.  You read it on a different website.  You lied.

I didn't consider it a lie or something anti-mormon. It seems like a logical connection based
on what I read.

D&C 8:8

"Therefore, doubt not, for it is the gift of God; and you shall hold it in your hands, and 
do marvelous works; and no power shall be able to take it away out of your hands, for it 
is the work of God".

From https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/oliver-cowderys-gift?lang=eng

 

Edited October 6, 2020 by Jonah