Joseph paid tribute to the Bible

[_zeezrom]

While it is tempting to be disgusted by stories such as Nephi chopping off the head of a drunken man, our hearts are softened by an effort to raise something much greater. Joseph's re-telling of the Goliath story in Nephi-Laban gives us a tribute to the work in the Bible. I look at Joseph's attempt as a parallel to a beginning artist attempting to re-construct the work of a master artist. The Master Artist is the group of Biblical authors. Truly, the Bible is a work of art on the scale of other giants like the Odyssey. Joseph made a heartfelt attempt at a tribute to these masters. Let us find inspiration from the greater work through the attempts of Joseph Smith. We are given a stepping stone to something greater, if you will.


Orazio Gentileschi (1563–1639)
Title David Contemplating the Head of Goliath