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PrevPrevious EpisodeIntro to Adam-God Doctrine (Part 3 of 8)
Next ExpisodeGod in a Box or Pyramid? (Part 5 of 8)Next

Documentary Hypotheses & Adam-God (Part 4 of 8)

Table of Contents: Documentary Hypotheses & Adam-God (Part 4 of 8)

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The Adam-God doctrine identifies Elohim and Jehovah as separate beings.  However, the Documentary Hypothesis states that these two names were used interchangeably for the same god in the Old Testament.  I asked 2 members of Christ’s Church how they dealt with that issue with regards to the Documentary Hypothesis.  Apostle David Patrick and Seventy Benjamin Shaffer share how they deal with this issue.

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GT:  As I understand the Documentary Hypothesis, the idea is the first five books of Moses were written by four different authors.

Benjamin: Right.

GT:  The J author refers to God as Yahweh; E [author refers to] Elohim because this is the point that I want to make here. I might be getting this backwards. In the Northern Kingdom, they referred to God as Elohim and then in the Southern Kingdom they referred to God as Jehovah.[1] And then the editors according to the Documentary Hypothesis combined them all. Really Jehovah and Elohim are really two names for the same for the one and only God. And if you go to the Hebrew, they basically alternate behind between Jehovah and Elohim as the same person. And so Mormons are heretical, because we say that Jehovah and Elohim are two different people but historically, especially in the in the five books of Moses (I hope I’m getting this right) the Southern Kingdom referred to Jehovah, the Northern Kingdom referred to Elohim but they’re really the same person. So how would you respond to that issue?

Benjamin: Textual criticism is a big rabbit hole to go down, a big gospel tangent.

GT:  Sure.

Benjamin:  And it is complicated, but I do have a couple things that I could say to that. First of all, we do believe in this unity of godliness. Jehovah is in Elohim as in El, right? These are different titles as David [Patrick] is explaining. Right? You can use those titles. Sometimes you can use those titles somewhat interchangeably. This is actually another evidence for the Adam-God Doctrine. If Michael is a title of God with God right in the name right there then you could call any of them by any of those titles without being incorrect.[2]

[1] I got it backwards.  Southern Kingdom called God “Elohim” while Northern Kingdom called God “Jehovah” according to Documentary Hypothesis.

[2] It should be noted that El means “god” in Hebrew.  Therefore the name Michael could be written as Micha-El, which includes El (God) as part of Michael’s name.

Benjamin talks further about how the Documentary Hypothesis might support the idea that Laban was helping put together the Torah under King Josiah.  What do you think of his explanation?  We’ll also talk about how Christ’s Church deals with evangelicals who like to ambush Mormons at places like the Manti Pageant over the Adam-God doctrine.  Check out our conversation….

Documentary Hypothesis - Documentary Hypotheses & Adam-God (Part 4 of 8) - Mormon History Podcast
Mormons believe Elohim & Jehovah are 2 different beings, while the Documentary Hypothesis says Elohim & Jehovah are 2 names for the same god.

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More Podcasts with these Guests:

  • Learning from Mormon Cousins (Part 3 of 5)
  • Why Adam-God is Controversial (Part 8 of 8)
  • "Forever Families" a Hurtful Doctrine?
  • Why Polygamists are a Threat to LDS Church (Part 6 of 8)
  • God in a Box or Pyramid? (Part 5 of 8)

Get more information on the people and things discussed in this episode:

  • Guest: Ben Shaffer, Benjamin Shaffer, David Patrick
  • Denomination: Christ's Church
  • Theology: Adam-God Theory, Mormon Scripture, Old Testament, Theology
  • Science Topics Covered: Documentary Hypothesis
  • Historical Mentions Joseph Smith, Mormon History
  • Tags: Adam-God controversy, Adam-God Doctrine, Adam-God Theory, Ben Shaffer, Benjamin Shaffer, Brigham Young, Christ’s Church, David Patrick, disputed doctrine, Documentary Hypothesis, Elohim, GT Podcast, iTunes, Jehovah, Joseph Smith, monotheism, Mormon schisms, polytheism, The Branch, The Righteous Branch, Torah, trinity

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PrevPrevious EpisodeIntro to Adam-God Doctrine (Part 3 of 8)
Next ExpisodeGod in a Box or Pyramid? (Part 5 of 8)Next
  • Date: March 29, 2020
  • Guest: Ben Shaffer, Benjamin Shaffer, David Patrick
  • Denomination: Christ's Church
  • Theology: Adam-God Theory, Mormon Scripture, Old Testament, Theology
  • Science Topics Covered: Documentary Hypothesis
  • Historical Mentions Joseph Smith, Mormon History
  • Tags: Adam-God controversy, Adam-God Doctrine, Adam-God Theory, Ben Shaffer, Benjamin Shaffer, Brigham Young, Christ’s Church, David Patrick, disputed doctrine, Documentary Hypothesis, Elohim, GT Podcast, iTunes, Jehovah, Joseph Smith, monotheism, Mormon schisms, polytheism, The Branch, The Righteous Branch, Torah, trinity
  • Posted By: RickB

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Rick Bennett is the friendly, independent historian at the heart of Gospel Tangents LDS Podcast: The Best Source for Mormon History, Science, and Theology. When he isn't interviewing Mormon scholars, prophets, and others, he is teaching math and statistics at Utah Valley University. He also freelances as a research biostatistician in the fields of Dermatology and Traumatic Brian Injuries, as well as in the network television/cable T.V. industries as a sports statistician. Rick holds a Master of Statistics Degree from the University of Utah.

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