The Crandall Museum

This week I went to the Crandall Museum for the second time and it was just as interesting as it was the first time.  The men who run that museum are so adorable and so passionate about every aspect of printing.  That love for their work is contagious.  You want to find out every piece of knowledge they have on this subject, and that’s quite  a bit of information.

I love the story of Gutenberg and learning about the incredible amount of things he had to invent to make printing the written word possible and the amount of years his inventions were the most advanced is absolutely unbelievable.  He created his printer and method of printer in the 1400’s and they were still using almost all the same technology in the early twentieth century.  The whole time I was listening to Gutenberg’s story I just kept thinking “how did he have the time and the brilliance to come up with so many different things?!”  I mean, he came up with the grape press as the basis of the printing press, he came up with the modifications to the machine that would make printing possible, he invented all the tools to create letters and molds, including the formula  for the type of metal used for the letters, and the formula for the sticky ink that had to be used.  I can’t even fathom coming up with that type of technology at that time in the world.  There is not another person I can think of that came up with that advanced of technology and that much technology.  The impact of that technology too, so huge.

One of the coolest part of the museum is the American room that is completely focused on how Gutenberg’s inventions effected the founding of America.  It’s crazy to realize that the America we know today would probably not exist without Gutenberg’s printer.  It was fun to have Benjamin Franklin tell us about everything.  In the America room you start to realize just how inspired Gutenberg must have been, as well as the Founding Fathers.  Like Benjamin Franklin, who was one of the biggest printers in America at the time.  Things like the pamphlet, Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, were so influential to the founding of America but would never have happened without the printing press.

The final room makes it clear how inspired the printing press was.  It’s a room based on the exact room the Book of Mormon was printed in.  It’s completely dedicated to how the Book of Mormon was printed as well as bound.  It’s incredible how little Palmyra, New York was the site of a master printer as well as a master bookbinder.  I know that it was all God’s doing.  He made history fall into place just the way it had to for the Restoration to be possible.

It’s just such a cool little place because it gives such a testimony of God’s hand in this world and the inspiration he provides.  I love the idea that all the missionaries will get to go through it.  I would definitely go back to refresh my memory on all that great information.

Christ's Birth

Unlike Mark, both Matthew and Luke tell the story of Jesus’ birth. There is a huge difference in the way they each tell it though. Matthew’s description of the birth seems hurried and the focus ends up being on Herod and the political turmoil that surrounds the birth of a Messiah. This is the entirety of Christ's birth story in Matthew:

18 ¶ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Luke, on the other hand, is the story traditionally told at Christmas time because of the detail used in the telling. Where Matthew’s entire description is eight verses, Luke’s covers almost two entire chapters. Another aspect of Luke’s story that contrasts with Matthew’s is the introduction of Zacharias and Elisabeth’s involvement. He not only uses it as a prelude to Christ’s story, but it is in a way, a comparison. Mary’s reaction to the angel’s news in contrast to Zacharias’ reaction.

Luke

Though only mentioned three times in the New Testament, Luke’s influence on the book includes an entire gospel as well as the whole of Acts.  A huge chunk of the New Testament.  What do those scriptures say about Luke?

• Colossians 4:14 “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”
  
• 2 Timothy 4:11 “Only Luke is with me.  Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”
  
• Philemon 1:24 “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.”
  

Not the most informative bunch.

So what do we know from these three scriptures?

• Luke is a physician, apparently beloved.
  
• He seems to be a companion of Paul and was the only one with him during his second Roman imprisonment.
  

Besides these small insights we can get from the scriptures, who was Luke?  There are a few instances in some scripture passages that we can assume the person being described is Luke.  In Acts 16:10, we know that Luke is the author so when he begins to say how “we” did this and “we” did that, we can assume he is included in the group he is describing.  From these small insights we know that Luke was a convert to the church, was sometimes the traveling companion of Paul, and he met James, the brother of Jesus, in Galilee so was able to receive information about Jesus’ early life. 

Another way we can find out about Luke is to, of course, read his writings.  The knowledge that he was indeed a doctor helps us to understand the way he presents his narrative of Christ’s life in the Gospel of Luke.  He obviously thinks in a linear fashion, this, plus this, equals that.  He is also one of the first historians because history comes from medical history.  Luke is also interesting in the way he describes and incorporates women.  Gentiles were known for their contempt for women so Luke must have been fascinated by Jesus’ treatment of women.  He usually doubles up parables so that there are two related parables that have to do with a man and then a woman, one after the other, probably to show that Jesus treated both equally.  One of his comparisons is that of Zacharias and Elisabeth and Mary and Joseph.  Though both Zacharias and Mary are righteous people, only one of them faithfully trusts in God when the time comes for them to be tested.  Surprisingly it is the young Mary instead of the wise, temple worker Zacharias.  Luke seems to be reminding us not to judge whomever God may call.

Even though we may have to assume a lot about Luke and who he was, it is obvious to me that he was a disciple of Christ and a faithful follower, whether he actually saw the Savior in the flesh or not.  It is even thought that he died as a martyr, spreading the word of Christ.

The Death of Christ in Mark

Christ’s death and resurrection is the climax, the point, the culmination of the entire Bible.  The significance of it is too monumental for words and all we have recorded of it is in the four short gospels and they are all very similar in the amount of information they give.  So what do we know...

We know that Jesus died on a Friday, the night of Passover.  Why would Jesus not celebrate the Passover?  As Dr. Holzafel mentioned, the last supper was a Passover dinner possibly without the lamb.  At the last supper Christ instituted the sacrament and prophesied of the betrayals his apostles would commit against him the following day.  Mark 14:18, “Jesus said, ‘Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.’”  In Mark 14:27 Jesus told them, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night.”  Mark expresses the denial of the apostles, especially Peter’s.  In Mark 14:29 Peter says, “Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.”  Christ tells him in 14:30 that “this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

After the supper is finished, Christ took Peter, James, and John to the Garden of Gethsemane where he tried to explain what was to happen to him and ask them to wait and watch for him.  As he suffered for the sins of the world, his three disciples fell asleep, three times.  When he was finished and had woken Peter, James, and John, they saw Judas come upon them followed by a large entourage of soldiers and priests.  Judas kissed Jesus because he had told the group that whomever he kissed would be Jesus.  It would be the first and probably most monumental betrayal of the night.  The men with Judas took Christ and began to take him away but one of the men with Christ took his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of one of the high priests.  Today in class we discussed what happened next.  The apostles who went with Christ to the garden originally stood to defend him, as mentioned before, but when they realized he wasn’t going to defend himself, they fled.

What followed next were trials full of false witnesses and Pilate asking the people to choose between Jesus and Barabbus, an enemy of the government.  The people chose Christ to die and Barabbus was set free.  During all this, as Peter was questioned multiple times, he denied Christ all three times.  Mark 14:72, “And when he [Peter] thought thereon, he wept.”  Finally, Christ was put on the cross and he cried, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”  Unlike the other gospels, Jesus’ last words are not given in the book of Mark but we know that a centurion who watched cried, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”  It’s interesting to realize that chapter sixteen is not all Mark.  What we do know is that Mark at least implies that Christ had risen three days later.