Thomas B. Marsh, St. Peter, and the Keys of the Kingdom

In past posts I've alluded to the possibility that Thomas B. Marsh is Simon-Peter re-incarnated.  Kind of a strange thought, but I think it works on a few levels.  So let's get into it, or at least dip our toes into the thinking.

I have also attached Marsh with the character of Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and other imagery associated with that story, including the Giraffe running loose in the Catholic Church in the movie Wonka.  We are going to cover how all of this might tie into the person of Peter.  I think this might be a couple of posts, or otherwise it will get long, convoluted, and I will get tired.

Let's first start with names, as I sometimes like to look into.  What better evidence to look to in such an important matter as to that provided by Hollywood?  

Charlie Bucket in the original film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was played by the actor Peter Ostrum.  Well, I mean, there is our first clue right there:  Peter!  Case closed pretty much.  But let's see what else we have.

Ostrum, of course, is going to turn into an Elvish word, and a relevant one, and we shouldn't be surprised at this.

Ost = Fort, stronghold, city, etc.

Rum = secret, mystery

So, together we have a "secret fortress or city".  This seems like it would be a good description for Tirion at the moment - a hidden city that needs to be found.  It could also describe another city that used to exist but was destroyed:  Turgon's hidden city of Gondolin, which translates as the "Hidden Rock", interestingly enough, and might be interesting for potentially further exploration of the character or Being of Marsh-Peter.  For example, we still need to understand a bit more of how Turgon, Tuor, Idril, and company fits in with this whole mess at some point so maybe we keep that in mind for the future.  In other words, I won't be exploring that link of Gondolin and its characters with any of this right now, but it might be something that also ties in with Peter, who was also called the Stone or Rock.  We'll see if that goes anywhere, but it isn't my focus here.

In any case, Turgon modeled Gondolin after the manner of Tirion and Valinor, in my opinion, even going so far as to create two images of the Two Trees of Valinor, one Gold and one Silver, just like those original Trees.  They were even said to give their own glow.  Again, this notion of Gold and Silver in relation to Trees and Keys is important to keep in mind, I think.  These are the images that keep recurring.

But, Gondolin being modelled after Tirion allows us to, for now, keep our focus on Tirion in relation to "Ostrum" and Marsh-Peter's role involving the search for and discovery of that city.

One additional thing related to "Rum".  If anyone looked that word up as well on Eldamo already, you would have also seen that this word also translated directly to another city that is of particular interest in the context of Peter:  Rome.  Rum also translates into Rome, which contains Vatican City and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. 

The Catholic Church and Keys

There are almost 1.4 billion baptized Catholics in the world, which is just a staggering number to me.  For some reason I didn't realize it was so large.  I mentioned earlier that I view Catholicism and Mormonism as two sides of the same coin (though one is a couple orders of magnitude bigger than the other one), and Peter is one of the connection points that hold them together.

The following account by an early LDS apostle by the name of Orson F. Whitney used to be in wider circulation and knowledge among Mormons, but I think it has fallen out of favor.  It was captured in a book by LeGrande Richards called A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, that at one point (at least back in my day) all LDS missionaries would have on their approved reading list.  I don't know if it still is, though.  This account has to do with the concept of Keys, and the relative positions of the Mormon and Catholic Churches as institutions:

Many years ago a learned man, a member of the Roman Catholic Church, came to Utah and spoke from the stand of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. I became well-acquainted with him, and we conversed freely and frankly. A great scholar, with perhaps a dozen languages at his tongue’s end, he seemed to know all about theology, law, literature, science and philosophy. One day he said to me: ‘You Mormons are all ignoramuses. You don’t even know the strength of your own position. It is so strong that there is only one other tenable in the whole Christian world, and that is the position of the Catholic Church. The issue is between Catholicism and Mormonism. If we are right, you are wrong; if you are right, we are wrong; and that’s all there is to it. The Protestants haven’t a leg to stand on. For, if we are wrong, they are wrong with us, since they were a part of us and went out from us; while if we are right, they are apostates whom we cut off long ago. If we have the apostolic succession from St. Peter, as we claim, there is no need of Joseph Smith and Mormonism; but if we have not that succession, then such a man as Joseph Smith was necessary, and Mormonism’s attitude is the only consistent one. It is either the perpetuation of the gospel from ancient times, or the restoration of the gospel in latter days.’”

Where did Peter's Keys go?

The Catholic Church holds that they are the "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic" church.  In Mormon speak, in other words, they also believe they are the one, true church.  Their 'authority' or claims would come through Peter, and from him to Jesus.  Some scholars hold that Peter was the first Bishop of Rome (Peter's tomb is said to be directly below St. Peter's Basilica), but regardless of whether Peter was in Rome or not, The Catholic Church holds that the Pope is a successor of Peter.  I have used the official seal of the Holy See in past posts to talk about Stones and Keys:

To Catholics, in my understanding, these two keys represent the "Keys of the Kingdom", as mentioned in Matthew 16:19 where Jesus is said to confer keys onto Peter:

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven

The Two Keys portrayed are said to relate to this binding and loosening power in heaven and on earth that Peter held, and which presumably in their view have been passed to his successors, which today would be Pope Francis.  Though not completely, I guess, as Peter is commonly said to guard the Gates of Heaven, still holding those keys.

The imagery and usage of these Keys is important, in other words.  In St. Peter's Basilica, the State of St. Peter has Peter giving a blessing while also holding the Two Keys in his left hand.  Here is that statue:

As a quick aside, I just noticed that Peter is wearing a 'plate' on his head!  Recall my dream of the Lightning McQueen helmet, and that it first appeared to me as a type of plate to which I objected there was no way I could wear that as a helmet on my head, and to which the equipment manager replied by showing me a more traditional looking baseball helmet, only shaped now like McQueen.  I just had to quickly call that out, because that was interesting for me to see right there.  And again, in that post, I had come to the conclusion at the end that the dream must have been through the eyes of Thomas B. Marsh, or Peter.  Here is part of my recounting of that dream in case you don't want to click the link and sort through the post (which is long-ish):

I was in what I guess was the equipment area and the manager began describing the helmet's features - it was lightweight, fast, and some other things about it that I can't remember.  It was supposed to be awesome.  As he we describing this to me, he was holding something that looked like a blue plate.  It was flat-ish, meaning it kind of appeared to be a helmet, but not really - it was clearly too flat to wear around my head.  I remarked that there was no way I was going to be able to get the plate on my head.

Anyway, back onto Keys, for those not too familiar with Mormonism, Keys are important to them as well, and they would also claim them from Peter.  Although not documented (which is interesting), the claim of the Mormon church is that the apostles Peter, James, and John appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them the "Melchizedek Priesthood", which included Peter's Keys, by default, basically.

Here is a video that does a good job of summarizing the LDS Church's view of Keys, or at least their claim to authority.  You will hear and see from some of the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as to their view that they hold the exact same Keys that Peter held.  At one point, you will even see President Russell M. Nelson grab on to the keys that a statue of Peter in Rome is holding for a photo op.  

This is what the story above by Elder Whitney was meant to convey:  that the Keys are important to both organizations, and that in their worldview or framework they either remained with the Catholic Church through the succession of the Popes, or they were 'lost', and had to be restored, as Mormons claim.

My own view is that neither of these is correct.  I choose Door #3, in other words.  And that door says that the Keys remained with Peter, and that they have always been his.  [Note added:  I didn't make this link with Marsh as explicit at the conclusion of this post as intended - Peter holds Keys, he was the one chosen to have them, and this was reconfirmed to him once again in the form of Thomas B. Marsh].  No leader today in either the Catholic Church or the LDS Church has them in the way they are saying they do.  They were not given to anybody else to hold, use, or whatever.

In saying this, however, I am potentially confusing the issue.  I have said before that the Gold and Silver Keys were potentially symbolic of the Anor and Ithil Stones, which Faramir and Eowyn will use, not Peter, at least in that setting.  Stones and Names as Keys.   So, if true, how could Peter hold these Keys?

I don't have a definitive answer that satisfies me at the moment.  I lean toward two factors.  First, is there are multiple Keys involved in this story.  I used the seal of the Holy See to generate the thought of the Anor and Ithil Stones, but it may be that the seal more directly relates to the Keys or authority that would be in Peter's possession.  There are lots of examples where things are 'types' or examples of other things, and so Peter's Keys are just that - similar to the Keys I am describing with Faramir and Eowyn.

Or (and potentially "and"), Peter's authority is such that even the use of Faramir's Key, for example, on this Earth would need to be done or performed under Peter's authority and his own Key or role as the Doorkeeper of this world.  All access to Heaven from this world may flow through Peter, no matter who you are (even Jesus).  This thought seems consistent with how some things are laid out in the D&C.  The Apostles (Peter-Marsh being at the head of these) are called a Travelling Quorum that have jurisdiction over all the lands that do not fall within "Zion".  D&C 107 does an interesting job of distinguishing the High Presidency or a High Council from the 12 Apostles.  They are called 'equal in authority', but have different jobs and different jurisdictions.  In a quote attributed to him, Joseph Smith clarified this further in 1835 to say:

The apostles have no right to go into Zion or any of its stakes where there is a regular high council established, to regulate any matter pertaining thereto: But it is their duty to go abroad and regulate and set in order all matters relative to the different branches of the church of the Latter Day Saints. No standing high council has the authority to go into the churches abroad and regulate the matter thereof, for this belongs to the Twelve.  (Minutes of the Grand High Council, 1835)

In other words, if my guess is right, and we are dealing with multiple worlds and Zion is not on this one, the jurisdiction for this Earth falls with Peter.  Faramir would have no right to depart or go home to Tirion without the approval and involvement of Peter to open the door for him and enable that departure.  And Peter would have no right to enter into Tirion, at least with respect to 'official business' without Faramir's approval.  In this sense, they themselves - Faramir and Peter - are also Two Keys in this whole mess, at least with respect to any sort of gathering home.  Peter's authority lies with this Gentile world, and any land that doesn't fall within 'Zion', in terms of how affairs will be managed there, including any departure from the place.  And Faramir's would include the management of the place to which they are gathered, or at least one of them (Tirion).

In this sense, Peter's traditional keys to the "Gates of Heaven" are just that:  anyone who would wish to leave this world and enter into "Heaven" does so with Peter's blessing or under his authority.

If you think about this, this notion fits perfectly well with the elevator/ rocket scene from Willy Wonka.  I am including the video here again.  Wonka-Faramir explains to Charlie-Marsh-Peter that he has pushed every button except for one - the button that allows them to break through the glass ceiling.  That button has been saved for Charlie to push.  Wonka doesn't push it.  It is under Charlie's actions (and authority) that they rise up to the sky.  Wonka could have pushed it, I guess, but that would have been against the order that had been set up.  Charlie-Peter was the one that had the right to push it, and if he didn't, the elevator wasn't going to head to the sky.

Anyway, I think that makes sense, but I will have to think on it a bit more.  It just seems like many people will have different Keys, Gifts, Authority, whatever, in this story, and so having some sort of semblance of order or being able to avoid chaos with that might be important.  Thus, there could be something to this notion of "Keys of the Kingdom" of Peter's to both belong to him and the Twelve (and not be given away to anyone else), as well as having to do with how, when, and where "Doors" are open for people to use.

However we should think about these Keys, they seem to be clearly about doors - unlocking them, allowing people to pass through them, and shutting them against others who are not to pass through.  If we here on this Earth are prisoners, then the binding and loosening aspects of Peter's Keys are extremely relevant.  To bind means "to make captive", and to loose means "to set free".  Some, many hopefully, would be set free using Peter's Door, while it would remain closed or inaccessible to others, and they would remain in captivity.  This all has to do with the gathering out of this world, and perhaps from other lands, to Xanadu.

Thomas B. Marsh and his Keys

In D&C 112, the Voice speaking through Joseph confirmed that Marsh was the man who held the Keys of the Kingdom:

Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I come.

Verily I say unto you, my servant Thomas, thou art the man whom I have chosen to hold the keys of my kingdom, as pertaining to the Twelve, abroad among all nations

The first sentence reinforces the notion that these Keys are given to individual Beings as theirs to have, and not to pass on to someone else.  Joseph was said to have Keys that would not be taken from until the "Lord" comes, which would suggest they are his even through Death.  Likewise for Thomas, I believe.  He retained his Keys and using language probably not really understood by him in his Salt Lake address, asserted that those Keys, which involved his role as "Doorman", remained his.  He went there to abase himself, and I believe the Heaven inserted some words and thoughts into his mind and mouth say that his role was still his, and that it was an 'exalted' one.