Who are the Gods in Abraham?

[CommanderSouth]

It seems like a pretty big thing to do doctrinally, but I Haven't heard too much about who the Gods spoken of in Abraham actually are. Does the church have doctrine on this?

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[Hemidakota]

Do you have a verse?

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(late edit)

Do you mean this one? "And they (the Gods)..." [chapter 4] Comparable to Moses chapter 2 where Moses talking about Lord GOD is speaking, which is the FATHER.

GOD the FATHER + Jesus the Christ + Michael

References:
We believe in a Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Who else would have participated in the creation?" (Mark E. Petersen, Abraham, Friend of God, pp. 144-45.)

"It is true that Adam helped to form this earth. He labored with our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a strong view or conviction that there were others also who assisted them. Perhaps Noah and Enoch; and why not Joseph Smith, and those who were appointed to be rulers before the earth was formed? We know that Jesus our Savior was a Spirit when this great work was done. He did all of these mighty works before he tabernacled in the flesh." (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:74-75.)

"Gods, even the sons of God, will be ordained to organize matter. How much matter do you suppose there is between here and some of the fixed stars which we can see? Enough to frame many, very many millions of such earths as this, yet it is now so diffused, clear and pure, that we look through it and behold the stars. Yet the matter is there. Can you form any conception of this? Can you form any idea of the minuteness of matter?" (Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 15:137.)

"A General Assembly, Quorum or Grand Council of the Gods, with their President at their head, constitute the designing and creating power." (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, p. 51.)

"In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods: and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it." (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 349.)

[Wingnut]

Originally Posted by Hemidakota

Do you have a verse?

The Book of Abraham frequently refers to "the gods" creating the Earth, rather than one god. I think the question is more general than one specific verse.

[Moksha]

Are you asking whether the idolatrous Gods Elkenah, Libnah, Mahmackrah and Korash actually existed as Gods in the Egyptian pantheon or anywhere else?

[CommanderSouth]

I'm sorry I should have been a bit more specific, I have a knack for being vague...

I am speaking of the Gods who created heaven and earth. Basically the genesis story with a lot of bonus "s"es thrown in

"In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods: and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it." (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 349.)

That is the sort of thing I am wondering about. Are these the Gods that would come from the regression of God's (an offshoot of the God as man business) or are these different?

[Hemidakota]

Originally Posted by CommanderSouth

I'm sorry I should have been a bit more specific, I have a knack for being vague...

I am speaking of the Gods who created heaven and earth. Basically the genesis story with a lot of bonus "s"es thrown in

"In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods: and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it." (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 349.)

That is the sort of thing I am wondering about. Are these the Gods that would come from the regression of God's (an offshoot of the God as man business) or are these different?

No problem...I am the same way. I expect people to read between the lines and my mind in posting my thoughts.

Here is the full account on what Joseph Smith stated (based on your reference):

I shall comment on the very first Hebrew word in the Bible; I will make a comment on the very first sentence of the history of the creation in the Bible—Berosheit</B>. I want to analyze the word. Baith—in, by, through, and everything else. Rosh—the head. Sheit—grammatical termination. When the inspired man wrote it, he did not put the baith there. An old Jew without any authority added the word; he thought it too bad to begin to talk about the head! It read first, "The head one of the Gods brought forth the Gods." That is the true meaning of the words. Baurau signifies to bring forth. If you do not believe it, you do not believe the learned man of God. Learned men can teach you no more than what I have told you. Thus the head God brought forth the Gods in the grand council.

I will transpose and simplify it in the English language. Oh, ye lawyers, ye doctors, and ye priests, who have persecuted me, I want to let you know that the Holy Ghost knows something as well as you do. The head God called together the Gods and sat in grand council to bring forth the world. The grand councilors sat at the head in yonder heavens and contemplated the creation of the worlds which were created at the time. When I say doctors and lawyers, I mean the doctors and lawyers of the Scriptures. I have done so hitherto without explanation, to let the lawyers flutter and everybody laugh at them. Some learned doctors might take a notion to say the Scriptures say thus and so; and we might believe the Scriptures; they are not to be altered. But I am going to show you an error in them.

I have an old edition of the New Testament in the Latin, Hebrew, German and Greek languages. I have been reading the German, and find it to be the most [nearly] correct translation, and to correspond nearest to the revelations which God has given to me for the last fourteen years. It tells about Jacobus, the son of Zebedee. It means Jacob. In the English New Testament it is translated James. Now, if Jacob had the keys, you might talk about James through all eternity and never get the keys. In the 21st of the fourth chapter of Matthew, my old German edition gives the word Jacob instead of James.

The doctors (I mean doctors of law, not physic) say, "If you preach anything not according to the Bible, we will cry treason." How can we escape the damnation of hell, except God be with us and reveal to us? Men bind us with chains. The Latin says Jacobus, which means Jacob; the Hebrew says Jacob, the Greek says Jacob and the German says Jacob; here we have the testimony of four against one. I thank God that I have got this old book; but I thank him more for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have got the oldest book in the world; but I [also] have the oldest book in my heart, even the gift of the Holy Ghost. I have all the four Testaments. Come here, ye learned men, and read, if you can. I should not have introduced this testimony, were it not to back up the word rosh - the head, the Father of the Gods. I should not have brought it up, only to show that I am right.

In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people it. When we begin to learn this way, we begin to learn the only true God, and what kind of a being we have got to worship. Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to approach him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer. When we understand the character of God, and know how to come to him, he begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us all about it. When we are ready to come to him, he is ready to come to us... (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, P.348-349)

The head GOD is Heavenly Father. The council of the GODs (inner council) was Jehovah , and the Holy Ghost.

[spamlds]

Who are the "Gods"in the Book of Abraham? They are the same beings mentioned in Psalms 8:4-5.

"4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."

The Hebrew word for "angels" above is actually "elohim" or "gods."

The word "gods" also appears in Psalm 82:6, a verse that was quoted by Jesus in John 10:35.

In Genesis we read that the serpent tempted Eve, telling her, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5) A few verses later we read the that the Lord God said, "...Behold, the man is become [U]as one of us, to know good and evil[.../U]:"

Paul summarized the doctrine of "plurality of gods" very nicely when he wrote:

"5 For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)
6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

[deseretgov]

I always thought it meant heavenly beings, meaning God, Jesus, Michael, and all of us. For a long time it had never crossed my mind that it could be taken to mean more than one GOD.

[Gerasim]

Just read D&C 129

[FlaviusHambonius]

Here's an interesting site -- it has been a few years since I have read some of this .

The Divine Council