Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Shema Shema Bo Beema

Note bene (Latin for "Listen up, y'all"): The coincidence of the following four items may give you pause:
  • Consider first, Judaism's most important prayer, the Shema Yisrael ("Hear, O Israel, the Lord God is One God." Deut. 6:4-9 et. seq.)
  • Compare it to the prayer offered by Adam at the altar. ("O God, Hear the Words of My Mouth." See D&C 43:23)
  • Now contemplate the Savior's oblique reference to one or both of those prayers at Mark 29:29 ("And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.")
  • Finally, we commend unto you the profession of the unity of God, as related by Joseph Smith in the first vision ("One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" JSH 1:17)
This "hmmmmmm" moment brought to you by The Practical Mormon