Translated Beings
By John A. Tvedtnes

The concept of bodily translation is well known to Latter-day Saints. Among the ancient prophets whom we acknowledge to have been changed in such a way that they could remain alive for an indefinite period of time are Enoch, Elijah, the apostle John, Melchizedek, the three Nephite disciples, and likely Moses, Alma₂, and Nephi the son of Helaman.

In our day, the term “translate” generally denotes the rendering of a text written or spoken in one language to another language, but this is only part of its wide range of meaning. Earlier generations of English speakers also used the term in the sense of transfer and transmission. [1] Thus, when Hebrews 11:5 says that “By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God,”[2] one must recall that Genesis 5:24 merely says that “Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.” Commenting on the Hebrews passage, Joseph Smith declared,

On a subsequent occasion, the prophet “explained the difference between an angel and a ministering spirit; the one a resurrected or translated body ... the other a disembodied spirit ... Translated bodies cannot enter into rest until they have undergone a change equivalent to death. Translated bodies are designed for future missions” (History of the Church 4:425; cf. D&C129:1-9).

Elijah

The Bible says very little of the translation of human prophets. The most complete biblical description is found in 2 Kings 2:11-12: “And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” A medieval Jewish text, Zohar Exodus 197a, describes the translated Elijah as “an angel among angels.” [3]

A fourth-century A.D. Christian writer, Caius Marius Victorinus, identified the angel in Revelation 7:2 with “Elias [Greek form of Elijah] the prophet, who is the precursor of the times of Antichrist, for the restoration and establishment of the churches from the great and intolerable persecution,” and cited the prophecy of Elijah’s coming in Malachi 4:5-6 (Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John 7.2). [4] It is particularly significant that, in response to a question about “the angel ascending from the east, Revelation 7th chapter and 2nd verse,” Joseph Smith wrote, “And, if you will receive it, this is Elias which was to come to gather together the tribes of Israel and restore all things” (D&C 77:9). The medieval Ethiopic Christian writer Bakhayla Mika’el identified the “fourth angel” of Revelation 16:8 with the prophet Elijah. [5]

Several pseudepigraphic texts describe Enoch being taken to heaven and one of them (3 Enoch) describes him as a heavenly scribe who had been transformed from the mortal Enoch into the angel Metatron.[6] In Martyrdom and Ascension of Isaiah 9:9, the prophet Isaiah, arriving with his angelic guide in the seventh heaven, notes, “And there I saw Enoch and all who [were] with him,” perhaps suggesting that others were taken with Enoch. [7]

Joseph Smith taught that not only Enoch, but Zion, the city he had founded, along with all of its righteous inhabitants were taken to heaven. [8] This is suggested by the story in the pseudepigraphic Jasher 3:23-38, in which God called Enoch to heaven, prompting him to go once again to teach his people. As he rode on a heavenly horse, some eight hundred thousand men followed him, and each day he tried to persuade them to return home. Some accepted his advice, but others vowed that only death would separate them from him. “And it was upon the seventh day that Enoch ascended into heaven in a whirlwind, with horses and chariots of fire,” in the same manner as Elijah would later ascend. After his ascension, the rulers went to the place to see what had become of “the men that remained with Enoch,” but found nothing.

Melchizedek

From Joseph Smith’s revision of the book of Genesis, we also learn that Melchizedek and his people in the city of Salem (Hebrew Shalem), having patterned their lives after the people of Enoch, were also taken — something also suggested in Alma 13:10-14. It is therefore of interest to learn that the Pitron or “commentary” on the Samaritan Asatir (“secrets [of Moses]”) 2:6 says, “And Jared begat Enoch and built a city and called its name Shalem the Great.” [9] From this, one could infer that Melchizedek named his city after Shalem, the city of Enoch (also called Zion). Later Jewish tradition holds that Melchizedek’s Salem was the same as Jerusalem, which is also called Zion in the Bible (2 Samuel 5:7, 1 Kings 8:1, etc.).

In 2 Enoch 71-73, Melchizedek is said to have been taken into paradise, which, in Jewish lore, is said to be situated in the third heaven, as in 2 Corinthians 12:2-3 (see especially 2 Enoch [A] 71:27-29). In Genesis 14:18, Melchizedek, whose name means “king of righteousness” (or “legitimate king”), is termed “king of Salem.” A medieval Jewish text, Zohar Genesis 87a, commenting on this passage, says, “‘Melchizedek’ alludes to the lower world, and ‘king of Salem’ to the upper world; and the verse indicates that both are intertwined inseparably, two worlds like one, so that the lower world also is the whole, and the whole is one.” [10] The passage may reflect an early tradition about Melchizedek’s translation.

Though many Jewish texts have the archangel Michael presiding in the heavenly temple, some New Testament passages (especially in Hebrews and Revelation) suggest that it is Christ who serves in that temple. [11]   However, a number of ancient and medieval Jewish and Christian texts indicate that Melchizedek is high priest in the heavenly temple. One of the early Gnostic Christian texts found in 1945 in a large clay pot at Nag Hammadi, Egypt, considers Melchizedek to be an exalted patriarch, priest, and archangel (Melchizedek Tractate IX,1). Melchizedek is considered to be a heavenly priest in two other Egyptian Gnostic texts, 2 Jeu and Pistis Sophia. [12] The Falasha Book of the Angels speaks of Abel, Seth, Noah, and Melchizedek being priests in heaven. [13]

One of the Dead Sea scrolls (4Q401, 11.1-3, 22.1-3) has Melchizedek as a heavenly priest, while another (11QMelch a.k.a. 11Q13) identifies Melchizedek with the God standing in the congregation of God in Psalm 82:1-2 and says that “Melchizedek will exact the ven[geance] of E[l’s] judgments” (cf. Isaiah 61:2). [14] This agrees with the medieval Zohar Genesis 87a, which says that Melchizedek is “God whose throne was then established in its place and whose sovereignty therefore became complete.” [15] These texts lend support to then reading of JST Genesis 14:36, where we read that “Melchizedek ... was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.”

The Apostle John

There was a tradition among early Christians that the apostle John was destined not to die, but to remain until the second coming of Christ. [16] The story is reflected in John 21:20-23:

The Bible passage is noncommittal on the question of whether John was actually translated, and Christians came to believe that he was not. Indeed, several early writers noted that he died at an advanced age in the city of Ephesus. [17] The question intrigued Joseph Smith as he was engaged in his revision of the Bible and came to the passage in John 21. Inquiring of the Lord, he learned that John had written an account on parchment that had been buried. The contents of a portion of that record were revealed to Joseph in these words:

The revelation makes it clear that John was, in fact, translated, in order that he might continue to serve the Lord in the flesh. This was partially confirmed at the general conference held in the forepart of June, 1831, when “the Spirit of the Lord fell upon Joseph in an unusual manner, and he prophesied that John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel who had been led away by Shalmaneser king of Assyria to prepare them for their return from their long dispersion to again possess the land of their fathers.” [18] That this is his role was subsequently confirmed in a revelation given in March 1832 (D&C 77:9, 14).

The Epistle to the Tarsians 3, attributed to Ignatius (died A.D. 107), [19] notes how Peter, James, Paul, and Stephen were killed, but merely notes that “John was banished to Patmos.”[20] Evidently, the writer had no information on the death of the apostle John.

The Acts of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian: About His Exile and Departure has the apostle mysteriously disappearing, leaving the brethren at Ephesus to reflect on Jesus’ words to Peter concerning him.[21] Introducing some of John’s writings in his own work, Hilary of Poitiers wrote, “Let John speak to us, while he is waiting, just as he is, for the coming of the Lord; John, who was left behind and appointed to a destiny hidden in the counsel of God, for he is not told that he shall not die, but only that he shall tarry” (On the Trinity 6.39). [22] In the fourth century, St. Augustine, commenting on John 21:19-25, wrote,

By denying reports that John was still alive, Augustine confirmed that some Christians believed that he was. He continued:

In addition to the story of surviving being buried alive, several early Christian texts indicate that John was both imprisoned and given poison to drink but that these did him no harm. [25] One tradition, reported by Tertullian, has him being whipped in Rome, then cast into boiling oil, from which he emerged unscathed (Against the Heretics 36). [26] We can compare these accounts with the trials endured by the three translated Nephite disciples, who also could not be harmed by imprisonment, burial in the ground, the furnace of fire, or wild beasts (3 Nephi 28:19-22; 4 Nephi 1:30-33).

An Irish pseudepigraphic text preserves the tradition that John lay down in a deep grave prepared for him and prayed, whereupon a brilliant light blinded those who stood by and when they could see again, the apostle had passed on. The text concludes by saying, “As for the body of John, it is in a beautiful golden tomb, and at the end of each year, the best youth, who is without defilement or sin, is chosen, and he goes to cut John’s hair and pare his nails, and when he has completed that task, he partakes of the body and sacrifice of Christ, and he himself ascends to heaven on that day. Thus John’s body remains without putrefaction or corruption. Indeed, it is as if it were in a deep sleep, and it will be thus until Doomsday.”[27] The text hints that John is not really dead and that those who come into contact with his body are taken to heaven.

A late fourth-century Christian document, the Discourse on Abbaton, confirms that John had been translated. The preface speaks of “the Holy Apostle Saint John, theologian and virgin, who is not to taste death until the thrones are set in the Valley of Jehoasaphat.” [28] The text itself has the resurrected Jesus saying, “And as for thee, O My beloved John, thou shalt not die until the thrones have been prepared on the Day of the Resurrection ... I will command Abbaton, the Angel of Death, to come unto thee on that day ... Thou shalt be dead for three and a half hours, lying upon thy throne, and all creation shall see thee. I will make thy soul to return to thy body, and thou shalt rise up and array thyself in apparel of glory.” [29]

A Syriac Christian text includes a vision given to the apostle John in which “our Lord sent to him a man in white raiment” who told him, “John, behold thou hast been set by our Lord to preach the Gospel of Salvation, along with the three that perform the truth; but ye also shall not be deprived of this gift.” [30] The text does not explain who these three others were, but because the word “ye” denotes plural, it suggests that the four were to be allowed to continue preaching. Latter-day Saints would readily understand the passage to refer to the three Nephites.

TheThree Nephites

During one of his visits to the twelve Nephites disciples, the Savior inquired about what they desired. Nine of them asked to be received into the Lord’s presence when they died, but three remained silent.

Alma and Moses

The Book of Mormon suggests that the younger Alma and the Old Testament prophet Moses were translated:

The Bible states that “Moses the servant of the Lord died” and was buried by the Lord (Deuteronomy 34:5-6). But from the evidence of Alma 45, cited above, there seems to have been a tradition that he had been translated or taken away. This may be suggested in D&C 84:25, where we read that the Lord “took Moses out of their midst.” Only one text known in Joseph Smith’s day suggested that Moses had not died.  It is found in Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4.8.48:

Josephus is not the only Jewish source for the translation of Moses. The Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 13b) indicates that some said Moses had never died but was alive and serving on high — an idea repeated in other texts such as Midrash ha-Gadol, Zot habberakhah 4:5, Sifre to Deuteronomy 357, Memar Marqah, and Midrash Leqah Tob. [31]

The medieval Zohar reflects the same tradition. Zohar Genesis 37b says that “Moses did not die, but he was gathered in from the world. [32] In Zohar Exodus 88b-89a, we find that “In this time of satisfaction and goodwill Moses, the holy, faithful prophet, passed away from this world, in order that it should be known that he was not taken away through judgment, but that in the hour of grace of the Holy Ancient One his soul ascended, to be hidden in Him. Therefore ‘no man knows of his sepulchre unto this day.’” [33] In Zohar Leviticus 59a, Moses is compared to Elijah: “If a man rides on the horse of an earthly king he is put to death, but God let Elijah ride upon His, as it is written: ‘And Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven’; and He also took Moses into the cloud, though it is written here, ‘in the cloud I shall appear on the mercy seat.’”[34] Zohar Exodus 174a, speaking of Moses, notes that

A similar tradition is held by the Samaritans and early Christians. The fourth-century A.D. Samaritan document, Tibat Marqa 269a, supports the story told by Josephus and the Zohar: “When he got to the top of the mountain, a cloud came down and lifted him up from the sight of all the congregation of Israel.” [36] St. Ambrose (died A.D. 397), in his On Cain and Abel 1.2.8, wrote of Moses, “‘No one knows his burial place to this day’ — this you ought to understand in the sense of being borne on higher rather than that of burial.” [37] From Cassiodorus’s Latin translation of Clement of Alexandria, we find that Clement wrote of Jude 1:9, “Here he confirms the assumption of Moses.” [38]

It is interesting that both Moses and Elijah ascended to heaven from the same region. Moses ascended Mount Nebo, opposite Jericho and overlooking the Dead Sea and the Jordan River Valley (Deuteronomy 32:49; 34:1). Elijah left Jericho and crossed the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:4-22) to the place from which the Lord took him away.

Other Possible Translations

Jewish tradition holds that other Old Testament characters were also translated. Among these are: Methuselah, son of Enoch and grandfather of Noah; Eliezer, the servant of Abraham; Sarah, daughter of Asher, who is held to have been a prophetess; Bithia, the daughter of Pharaoh, who rescued Moses from the water and raised him; Phinehas, grandson of Aaron; three sons of Korah who rejected their father’s wickedness; Jabez, often identified with the judge Othniel; Chileab, the son of David; Hiram, the builder of Solomon’s temple; Hiram, king of Tyre, who provided materials for the temple; the prophet Jonah; Jonadab the Rechabite and his descendants; Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian servant of King Zedeiah, who helped the prophet Jeremiah; Baruch, scribe to the prophet Jeremiah; Ezra, who led a group of Jews returning to Jerusalem from the Babylonian captivity; an unnamed resident of the city of Luz and his neighbors; and some postbiblical rabbis and others. [39]

According to Judges 20:28, Phinehas, grandson of Aaron, was still serving as high priest, though the events recorded in that chapter occurred many generations after the time his father Eleazar was made high priest in the time of Moses (Numbers 20:28; Deuteronomy 10:6). A second-century A.D. Aramaic translation of Numbers 25:12-13 has the Lord saying that Phinehas would live forever to proclaim redemption in the last days (Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Numbers 25:12-13). Midrash Rabbah Numbers 21:3, written in the latter part of the fourth or the beginning of the fifth century A.D., declares that Phinehas was “still alive,” something also affirmed in Sifrei Numbers 131. The Biblical Antiquities (Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum), composed in the first century A.D. and mistakenly attributed to the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, has this to say about Phinehas:

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus 6:18 identifies Phinehas with the prophet Elijah, who was also translated. Indeed, each is said to have been “zealous” or “jealous” (the same Hebrew word is used in the relevant passages) for the Lord (Numbers 25:11; 1 Kings 19:10, 14). The Pseudo-Philo passage has God sending an eagle to feed Phinehas, just as he later sent ravens to feed Elijah (1 Kings 17:4-6), and indicates that Phinehas has power to shut up and open the heavens, as did Elijah (1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 18:41-45). Other prophets who were translated also had the power to control the elements. These include Enoch (Moses 7:13), Melchizedek (JST Genesis 14:26-36), and Nephi, son of Helaman (Helaman 10:4-10; 11:1-18). Nephi later left the land of Zarahemla and was never seen again (3 Nephi 1:2-3) — something also said of his predecessor Alma₂, giving rise to the speculation that he had been translated (Alma 45:18).

The Purpose of Translation

From the scriptures, there seem to be several different reasons for which individuals might be translated.  In the case of the people of Enoch and Melchizedek, their removal from the earth seems to have been to separate these righteous souls from the wickedness of the world. We noted earlier that Joseph Smith declared that all translated beings — including, apparently, some from other planets — are taken to “a place prepared for such characters [to be] held in reserve to be ministering angels unto many planets” (History of the Church 4:210).

Sometimes, the translated individual returned in later dispensations to restore keys.  This was the case with Moses and Elijah (called Elias in the New Testament), who appeared on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-5), where, according to Joseph Smith, they gave priesthood keys to Peter, James, and John (History of the Church 3:387). On 3 April 1836, these same ancient prophets appeared in the Kirtland temple, where they restored keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (D&C 110:11-16), in fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi 4:4-6.

Similarly, the translation of the apostle John gave him the opportunity to be the “Elias, who, as it is written, must come and restore all things” (D&C 77:14). In 1830, he, in company with Peter and James, restored the keys of the higher priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, ordaining them apostles (D&C 27:12).[41] But John’s work, as we have noted, also extended to working with the lost ten tribes of Israel to prepare them for their return. This is essentially a missionary calling, as we read in Jesus’ words to the three Nephites whom he allowed to tarry (3 Nephi 28:6-9, cited earlier).

Though they would have pain because of the sins of mankind, they must surely have experienced great joy in those who accepted their message. Elsewhere, the Lord told Joseph Smith, “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!” (D&C 18:15-16).

Similar statements are found in a couple of early Christian documents. For example, in chapter 30 of the Ethiopic document known as The Testament of Our Lord and Our Savior Jesus Christ, Christ tells his apostles, “my Father has delighted in you and in those who will believe in me through you. Truly I say to you, such and so great a joy has my Father prepared (for you).” [42] In the fifth-century Pistis Sophia 104, the resurrected Jesus tells the apostle John, “He who shall keep in Life and save only one soul, besides the dignity which he possesseth in the Light-kingdom, he will receive yet another dignity for the soul which he hath saved, so that he who shall save many souls, besides the dignity which he possesseth in the Light he will receive many other dignities for the souls which he hath saved.” [43]

The same idea is found in Jewish lore. According to Abot de Rabbi Nathan 31, he who saves a soul is as though he had saved a whole world. Zohar 208b attributes these words to the prophet Elijah: “Whoever preserves one soul in the world merits life and is worthy to lay hold of the tree of life.” [44] Zohar Exodus 129a speaking of the angel who guards the images of the righteous in heaven says:

From this survey, we can see that early Jewish and Christian texts confirm what we have received through the prophet Joseph Smith regarding translated beings.

Notes