I mentioned a few posts ago that thinking through what a "Jew" was in Book of Mormon terminology was on my mind, so I thought I would at least get some notes down on my thinking so far (which isn't much, unfortunately).
I would love to have a much cleaner and clearer definition in my mind as to Israel, Jews, and Gentiles as it relates to this story. That has proven pretty elusive. I have associated the "Family of Light" with Israel, but I am not sure that is a perfect 1:1 fit (in that in drawing a Venn diagram of that Family and Israel you would have two completely overlapping circles).
Stepping back, the Family of Light I have simply associated with Beings who were part of either Joseph-Asenath's family and/ or Ilmare-Eonwe's family from before this Earth. Joseph and Ilmare-Eowyn would have been children of John-Thingol and Melian (again, under whatever identities they were in a history long ago), while Asenath and Eonwe-Faramir would have been children of Eru (and I guess whomever Eru is married to). At some point, these children, either in preparation to enter this Earth, or afterward in Valinor (or both), they would have become children of the Valar. Joseph and Ilmare-Eowyn would have been the children of Manwe and Varda, while Asenath and Eonwe-Faramir would have been the children of Aule and Yavanna.
I know that probably sounds pretty convoluted, but that is how it maps in my mind presently. After Valinor, all bets are off in terms of who those Beings are born to as this story unfolds, but there are instances of reconnection. For example, Ilmare is said to have been reborn to Thingol and Melian when she became Deseret-Izilba (under magical circumstances), and this would have, given my family tree above, been a restoration of a relationship that existed long before.
As for Israel, I have associated them with Finwe and his House, with that House (and promises made to it) likely going back long before this Earth was created. How ultimately that House relates to the Family of Light remains to be seen, I think, but I believe there is a connection somehow. Meaning, that some/ many/ most of that Family have been born through or been associated with Finwe's House at some point, either in the Great Before, or in Valinor (I am thinking specifically of some of Indis' children, such as Fingolfin and Finarfin, and then their children, like Galadriel).
So, I have some definitions enough where things take a bit of shape, but it is still sufficiently vague where I don't really have my finger on the pulse as much as I would like to. I think that is part of what will come with Stones, stories, and all of that. Families, relationships, and identities will be clarified.
Anyway, so I then had Gentiles starting out as essentially being everyone that is not Israel, but have moved to a more discrete definition of them as perhaps one other Family or group of people, who were historically Israel's (Finwe's) enemy (as in fought against them in that time before our Earth), and who have been perhaps more historically under the sway of Evil influences (but for whom part of this whole story is to release them from - at least as many as will choose to do so).
That is the best I currently have with respect to Israel and Gentiles. But, then there is the term "Jew" that pops up in the Book of Mormon quite a few times.
First off, I think it is important to recognize that some words in the Book of Mormon might mean something different than what we assume they mean. I actually have to give credit to Doug and his Cultural History of the Book of Mormon books for calling this out. Just because a word shows up in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible (and even our current world), doesn't mean we should automatically assume the Book of Mormon's terminology or definition is the same was what we assume it means, or what the Bible suggests it is. As Inigo Montoya said about a word that was repeatedly used by another:
Jerusalem, the city, is one example of this that I have thought through in this little story developing here. Whether Jerusalem as the city Tirion-Tun is true or not (still exploring), it would be an example of a word showing up in the the Book of Mormon that might mean something completely different than the city we know of as Jerusalem presently located in the Middle East. Or it might not. My point in the example is that when we are given names for things in the Book of Mormon, we should feel free to explore alternative meanings for that word or name and challenge existing narratives. Again, my feeling is the Bible is mostly junk, or at least incredibly unreliable, so I don't think we have to be bound to anything it says, which includes common words or names found in the BoM.
So, that is all of the preamble to the term "Jew", which I am going to go out on a limb and say doesn't have much, if anything, to do with Jewish people here, the nation of Israel in the Middle East, or really anything like that.
The basis for this thought, or one current toe-hold in this wall, is Eowyn and her role in bringing forth the Book of the Lamb, as I have written about in a few prior posts, though using that terminology is kind of buried in those posts. For example, in that post on graham crackers and Oreos, I wrote that "Eowyn will have a story perhaps known as the Book of the Lamb, or stories about Jesus, that she shares back".
Further, in going through the "Man among the Gentiles" post, where I've hypothesized Brigham as that man, I wrote a couple bullets on Eowyn and her 'speaking' a book through her Stone - the Ithil Stone:
- I equate the Book of the Lamb as Deseret's Book (the book that Ilmare-Eowyn has been assembling).
- In this story then, Eowyn will 'speak' this book through the Stone connection, it will be written on this end by Faramir.
This 'speaking' is the element that I will use to tie back to "Jews" and at least frame up how I am thinking about things.
In Nephi's recorded vision that we have covered a bit already (1 Nephi vision), in the same section where the angel shows Nephi the 'Man among the Gentiles', and the Gentiles who will follow him to the Promised Land, the angel also shows Nephi the book they carry, and gives him some details on it.
Importantly, the angel says that this book "proceedeth out of the mouth of a Jew".
So, one person (singular "a"), and this person will be a Jew. Also, importantly there is no gender description for this Jew. This gives me the freedom to suggest this is a woman (in a few cases of other characters, including the 'seer', I would have gone with a female character solely, but 'he' was used pretty explicitly in describing them).
The book is spoken into being, which maps to the story we have of Eowyn-Ilmare speaking the words that she has pulled together through the Ithil Stone, to Faramir-Eonwe who will receive them through his Stone, and it is all written down.
As the angel explains, the record that Eowyn the Jew will share is:
... a record of the Jews, which contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; and it also containeth many of the prophecies of the holy prophets; and it is a record like unto the engravings which are upon the plates of brass, save there are not so many; nevertheless, they contain the covenants of the Lord, which he hath made unto the house of Israel; wherefore, they are of great worth unto the Gentiles.
Jew and Israel are seemingly used interchangeably in the Book of Mormon in many instances, and in the above excerpt you have Deseret's Book - the Book of the Lamb - described as a record of the Jews, but relating to the house of Israel.
An interesting clue is given in the analogy the angel gives, where he says this Book is like the Brass Plates. The Brass Plates, rather than just being a short form of an uncorrupted Old Testament, is described by Nephi when they recovered them as containing an account of the creation of the world, a record of the Jews, and many prophecies.
I think that Eowyn's record will likewise have an account of the creation of the world, but not just second-hand stories and myths, but actual accounts from the Beings who were involved in its creation. First hand witnesses and accounts.
Twelve specific individuals are mentioned as the ones who will write this down for Eowyn, and it perhaps these Beings who have had that first hand witness of creation. I am not sure if there are more (as in if there is a broader group that is working on this, that is rolling into these twelve individuals), but it seems that these twelve will write everything down. I think this is so, because the angel states that "they [the records] go forth by the hand of the twelve apostles of the Lamb, from the Jews unto the Gentiles."
So, things are written down by these apostles who are also Jews, apparently. I state that by 'apostles' we probably aren't talking about the Beings listed in the New Testament. In fact, based on my own strange words, one guess as to the identity of one of these Beings is Nerdanel, the wife of Feanor, currently perhaps residing in Formenos (surrounded by "spiders", interestingly!) which would obviously be a bit different than your standard Peter, James, and John and company in Judea troupe.
But, whether the list includes Nerdanel or not, we have 12 individuals writing (or maybe already having had written) their stories and accounts. These 'apostles' records are compiled by Eowyn-Ilmare, who in turn then shares them or speaks them through the Stones.
I am off on a bit of a tangent to my original purpose or line of inquiry as to what a Jew is, but the angel tells Nephi in the excerpt above that the this record that will be spoken is not as complete or having had as many writings as the Brass Plates, even though it is like it. What is missing?
One guess is the account or prophecies of Joseph. My guess is perhaps in Joseph's current (sick/ unwell) state, his own account would be missing. Maybe? I don't know. But, that is perhaps where the Sawtooth Stone also comes in. Joseph would have already recorded his own witness and record (including a complete account of things to the end of the world, which will remain sealed) onto that Stone. Thus, when Faramir-Eonwe shares that story back to Eowyn, her account will now be complete, having now Joseph's words (or at least as many as are needed, excluding the future stuff).
Anyway, back to Jews.
So, Eowyn would be a Jew in this story, so we could look to her in trying to understand what that means. It also seems that the individuals who are putting this record - the Book of the Lamb - are Jews. In addition, the record of these Jews has to do with an ancient time, including the creation of this world, and promises to Israel. Recall that I have the promises made to Finwe's House (loosely Israel for now) as predating the creation of this world, so any records that the Jews would have kept of this would have also predated this world. Meaning, the Jews would have captured those promises in real time (back when the promises were made) and kept an accurate record.
I have other thoughts and things to think through or at least frame up a bit, and so this really was just meant to introduce the fact that Jew might mean something different than just an ethnoreligious group out of the Middle East, and that in Eowyn, if I am right that her Book is the same thing as the Book of the Lamb that the Gentiles will carry with them, is an example of a Jew, and might give us clues as to who they are.
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