Book of Moses Evidence: Adam’s Prophecy

Adam’s Prophecy in Restoration Scripture

Joseph Smith’s revelations repeatedly depict Adam as having prophetic foreknowledge concerning his posterity and the future history of the world. The first instance occurs in Moses 5:10: “in that day the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam, … And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth” (Moses 5:10).

Adam’s prophecy in the next chapter is more narrowly focused on priesthood authority and recordkeeping in an end-times context: “Now this same Priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also. Now this prophecy Adam spake, as he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and a genealogy was kept of the children of God” (Moses 6:7–8).

The final iteration of Adam’s prophecy is found in Doctrine and Covenants 107, which reveals the original order of the priesthood. In the context of Adam’s impending death, the text delineates the succession of priesthood holders from Adam down until Noah and then states that Adam “predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation” (D&C 107:56).

These descriptions align remarkably well with what Stephen Robinson has described as a “widespread tradition.”1 As presented in the sections below, variations of this tradition turn up in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic sources, often in contexts that are strikingly similar to those present in Joseph Smith’s revelations.

Spiritual Vision and the Opening of Adam’s Eyes (Moses 5:10)

Several traditions report that Adam had an ability to see spiritual things in Eden, a location that seems connected in some way to a premortal spiritual realm. In 2 Enoch 32:1–2 we read that after God created the Garden of Eden and placed Adam therein, God then “created for him an open heaven, so that he might look upon the angels.”2 Other texts suggest that the beings Adam witnessed were actually spirits destined to eventually be born from his posterity. Such sources often emphasize the role of Adam’s eyes in connection with his knowledge of these future generations.

For instance, in a commentary on Psalm 139:16, we read the following in Bereshit Rabbah: “While Adam the first man was placed unformed before Him who spoke and the world came into being, He showed him each and every generation and its scholars, each and every generation and its wise men, each and every generation and its interpreters of the Torah, each and every generation and its leaders, as it is stated: ‘Your eyes saw my unformed parts.’”3

Likewise, according to a text from the Jewish Zohar, “God showed Adam every generation and its students, etc. This does not simply mean that he saw through the spirit of prophecy that they were destined to come into the world, like one who in wisdom foresees the future, but it means that he literally saw with his eyes the form in which they were destined to exist in the world.”4

Concerning Adam’s bestowal of sacred knowledge to his son Seth, as reported in a text known as the Revelation of the Magi, Christopher Landau writes, “The idea that Adam had received foreknowledge of the future and transmitted it to later generations through Seth or some other means occurs in numerous Jewish and Christian noncanonical writings …. This exegetical development most likely derives from the incident of Adam eating from the Tree of Knowledge, which would have provided him with some sort of predictive ability.”5 Landau, here, is specifically alluding to the opening of Adam’s eyes in Genesis 3:7, and indeed this very type of explanation can be seen in a Jewish text known as Sefer Mishkan ha-ʿEdut:

They say that when Adam the Protoplast was introduced therein, he initially did not see them [the spirits destined to enter the world] until the time of which it is written in Scripture: “and the eyes of both of them were opened…” (Gen 3:7). Then they recognized and saw them and became embarrassed before them due to the splendor and status of those souls who were present there. It was there that the Holy One, blessed be He, “showed him each generation and its scholars, etc.” He saw all of them, each in accordance with his service and his burden.6

This passage is rather remarkable because Moses 5:10 likewise alludes to the opening of Adam’s eyes (Genesis 3:7) in immediate connection with his prophecy of future generations: “And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened.”7

Adam’s Impending Death, Family Blessing, and Final Prophecy (D&C 107:56)

The story of Adam gathering his family before his death, blessing his posterity, and then prophesying of future generations is contained in D&C 107. The relevant verses function as a digression, explaining the origin of the priesthood that had been restored in the latter days. Below, key elements are bolded and the prophecy itself is underlined.  

This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in the following manner: From Adam to Seth, who was ordained by Adam at the age of sixty-nine years, and was blessed by him three years previous to his (Adam’s) death, and received the promise of God by his father, that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth; Because he (Seth) was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father, insomuch that he seemed to be like unto his father in all things, and could be distinguished from him only by his age. … Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation. (D&C 107:41–43, 53–56)

This account parallels a variety of extrabiblical traditions. Several examples will be given below, sometimes with charts used to highlight their similarities. The first set of resemblances comes from a work known as the Life of Adam and Eve.8

Another account, known as the Cave of Treasures, adds several additional parallel elements into the mix:9

Another source, commonly titled The Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, includes even more parallels:10

A similar tradition can be found among Islamic sources. In a compilation of texts known as Bihar Al Anwaar, the time of Adam’s death was drawing near, and he gathered together his family just as in the sources cited above. Of particular interest, in this account, is the Lord’s statement that “I taught you of the names”:

When the time of the expiry of Adam came, Allah the Exalted revealed to him: “I shall be causing you to die, therefore bequest to the best of your sons and he is my gift which I had gifted to you. Bequest to him and submit to him what I taught you of the names, for I love not to keep the earth empty from a knowledgeable one who knows my knowledge and judges by my judgments.”

Adam gathered all his children, from the men and the women, then said to them: “O my children! Allah the Exalted has revealed to me that I am about to pass away, and commanded me that I bequeath to the best of my children, and he is Hibtullah [i.e., Seth], and that Allah chose him for me and for you all after me. Therefore, listen to him, and obey his orders for he is my successor and my caliph upon you all.”11

When viewed in light of related passages from this same collection of Islamic traditions, the phrase “I taught you of the names” appears to involve Adam’s foreknowledge of the names of his own posterity. For instance, another source in Bihar Al Anwaar states that “Allah Mighty and Majestic presented unto Adam the names of the prophets and their ages.”12 Yet another source explains, “Allah Mighty and Majestic presented to Adam, his offspring to his eyes, in the form of particles, a prophet (after) a prophet, a king (after) a king, a momin (after) a momin, and an infidel (after) an infidel.”13 Thus, the revelation Adam passed on to Seth just before Adam’s death in this Islamic source matches up very well with his prediction of “whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation” in D&C 107:56.

In yet other sources, the details leading up to Adam’s prophecy are omitted, but it is still clear that the prophecy is set in the context of his impending death. For instance, a gnostic work known as the Apocalypse of Adam includes Adam’s prophecies of the flood, the division of mankind after the days of Noah, a calamity by fire, and the coming of a Messiah figure known as the Illuminator.14 The text begins by identifying itself as “the revelation (apocalypse) which Adam taught his son Seth in the seven hundredth year” (Apocalypse of Adam 1:1). In a footnote to this passage, George MacRae explains that according to the Greek Septuagint, “The seven hundredth year … is the length of Adam’s life after the birth of Seth; … Thus the apocalypse is a deathbed ‘testament’ of Adam.”15

A separate document, known as the Testament of Adam, also contains Adam’s prediction of future events, in this case focused specifically on the Messiah. Since Adam’s instructions to Seth are explicitly referred to as a “testament” and are given to Seth just before Adam’s death is reported (see Testament of Adam 3:6), this text provides yet another example of a deathbed prophecy delivered by mankind’s primordial patriarch.16  

All in all, the account of Adam’s final blessing in D&C 107 has numerous points of resemblance with ancient sources narrating the same event. When viewed collectively, these parallels include at least the following elements: (1) Adam’s impending death, (2) Adam choosing Seth as his successor, (3) a statement about Seth being “perfect” or being in the likeness of his father, (4) Adam’s promise that his righteous posterity would be preserved, (5) Adam calling for his posterity to gather, (6) the names given of some of Adam’s righteous sons who gathered, (7) Adam blessing his posterity, (8) Adam’s posterity standing up on this occasion, (9) Adam’s posterity blessing or praying for him, (10) a reference to a righteous leader being “at the head” of the people, (11) comfort being administered by God, and (12) Adam’s prediction of future events affecting his posterity.17

Adam’s Genealogy and Written Records

Of the three examples of Adam’s prophecy in Joseph Smith’s revelations, the instance in Moses 6:7–8 is perhaps the least obvious. In the excerpt below, key elements are bolded and the prophecy is once again underlined:

And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and he called his name Seth. And Adam glorified the name of God; for he said: God hath appointed me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And God revealed himself unto Seth, and he rebelled not, but offered an acceptable sacrifice, like unto his brother Abel. And to him also was born a son, and he called his name Enos. And then began these men to call upon the name of the Lord, and the Lord blessed them; And a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration; And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled. Now this same Priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also. Now this prophecy Adam spake, as he was moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and a genealogy was kept of the children of God. And this was the book of the generations of Adam, saying: In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; (Moses 6:2–8)18

Although the text doesn’t reveal when Adam delivered this prophecy, a case can be made for it being uttered during his final blessing upon his people, as outlined in D&C 107:40–56. This is due to the fact that both texts cover much of the same ground, including (1) Seth’s appointment as Adam’s successor, (2) a delineation of Adam’s righteous posterity, (3) an explicit reference to the order of the “priesthood,” (4) a prophecy spoken by Adam, and (5) the fact that the prophecy was delivered under the influence of the Holy Ghost. If a shared context is assumed, Adam’s statements in these passages can be seen as two different components of the same prophecy.

Recognizing how Moses 6:7–8 relates to the corresponding passages in Genesis 4–5 may also be crucial. Adam’s prophecy in the Book of Moses is part of a revelatory expansion sandwiched between the last verse of Genesis 4 (namely verse 26) and the first verse of Genesis 5. To help better grasp this relationship, the relevant passages in Genesis have been placed in the left column of the following chart, with the corresponding and expanded material from Moses 6 in the right column.19

What is truly remarkable is the fact that various extrabiblical sources likewise depict Adam uttering a prophecy concerning his future descendants in immediate connection to Adam’s genealogical record. In fact, several rabbinic texts (some of which were cited in previous sections) report the prophecy when commenting specifically on Genesis 5:1—the very same verse that follows Adam’s prophecy in the Book of Moses!20 The relevant rabbinic texts are presented below with the key elements bolded.

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Bereshit 32

(Gen. 5:1:) THIS IS THE BOOK…. What did the Holy One do to Adam? He cast a sleep upon him and showed him Noah and all the unblemished, Abraham and all the proselytes, Isaac and all who sacrifice burnt offerings, Jacob and all tent dwellers, Moses and all the humble, Aaron and all the priests, Joshua and all the community leaders, David and all the kings, [Solomon and all the Judges]. Then, when he had seen them all, he awakened from his sleep. The Holy One said to him: Have you seen [these? By your life], all these righteous [are] coming forth from you. When he had told him this, his spirit was at rest.21

Bereshit Rabbah 24

“Your eyes saw my unformed parts” (Psalms 139:16). Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: While Adam the first man was placed unformed before Him who spoke and the world came into being, He showed him each and every generation and its scholars, each and every generation and its wise men, each and every generation and its interpreters of the Torah, each and every generation and its leaders, as it is stated: “Your eyes saw my unformed parts, [and in Your book they were all written]” – the unformed ones whom Your eyes saw, they were already written in the book of Adam the first man. That is, “this is the book of the descendants of Adam.”22

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 40

(Genesis 5:1) “This is the book of the generations of Adam.” Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said: Before Adam, the first man, was placed before the One who spoke and the world came into being, He showed him generation by generation and its sages, generation by generation and its scribes, generation by generation and its leaders, generation by generation and its governors. This is what is written (Psalm 139:16): “Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all of them were written…”23

Zohar, Lech Lecha 30

See now what R. Simeon has told us, in explanation of the verse “This is the book of the generations of Adam”, that God showed Adam every generation and its students, etc. This does not simply mean that he saw through the spirit of prophecy that they were destined to come into the world, like one who in wisdom foresees the future, but it means that he literally saw with his eyes the form in which they were destined to exist in the world.²⁴ 

An even earlier Jewish document from the Dead Sea Scrolls, known as 4QInstruction, may preserve a similar prediction. Matthew Goff has translated several passages of this somewhat fragmentary text as follows:

With the mystery that is to be [God] spread out its foundation and indeed made it with wisdom and, regarding everything, with cleverness he fashioned it. The dominion of its deeds for all … and all with all … He has laid out for their understanding every deed so that one may walk in the inclination of his intelligence, and he spread out for Adam … for … and with precision of intelligence were made known the secrets of his plan, together with his walking for (he is) perfect in all his deeds. … Engraved is the statute and ordained is all the punishment because engraved is that which is ordained by God against all the iniquities of the sons of Sheth. And the book of remembrance is written before him for the ones who keep his word—that is, the vision of meditation of the book of remembrance. He bequeathed it to Adam (אנוש) together with a spiritual people because according to the likeness of the holy ones he fashioned him.25

 Although somewhat mysterious, the text seems to refer to a comprehensive mystery of all the deeds of God and mankind, from the creation to the end of time.26 Significantly, this revelation is presented to Adam in connection with a record known as the “book of remembrance” which was apparently bestowed by God upon Adam and his righteous posterity.27 This connection is astonishing when one considers that the scripturally rare reference to a “book of remembrance” also shows up in conjunction with Adam’s prophecy in Moses 6:5–8.  

Another connection along these lines turns up in the previously cited Islamic source Biḥār al-anwār, which emphasizes the concept of remembrance in relation to a letter (or heavenly writing) that was presented to Adam. In a conversation reported among scholars, one asked another “‘about the first letter written in the earth’. He said: ‘Yes. Allah Mighty and Majestic presented to Adam, his offspring to his eyes.” Several passages later in the same source we read, “Write upon him (Adam) a letter, for he would be forgetting.”28

This divine record was intended to help Adam remember his agreements or covenants with the Lord. Not only does this correlate with the “book of remembrance” in Moses 6:5–8, but also with the discussion of writing revealed from heaven in Moses 6:46: “For a book of remembrance we have written among us, according to the pattern given by the finger of God.” Thus, just as in the Islamic source, the writing—or pattern of writing—in the Book of Moses was revealed from heaven in connection with Adam’s prophecy.

Traditions Accessible in Joseph Smith’s Environment

It should be acknowledged that some versions of Adam’s prophecy were potentially accessible to Joseph Smith in 1830. For instance, in his Antiquities of the Jews, the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote of “Adam’s prediction that the world was to be destroyed at one time by the force of fire, and at another time by the violence and quantity of water.” In the wake of this prophecy, Seth’s posterity reportedly engraved records onto pillars, “one of brick, the other of stone,” to preserve the sacred teachings.29

Because the writings of Josephus were popular in early America and had been translated into English well before 1830, it is possible that Joseph Smith was exposed (either directly or indirectly) to this tradition.30 However, other than the generic concept of Adam knowing of future calamities and the comparatively loose connection to a written record, nothing in this prophecy matches the specific contexts highlighted in the preceding sections of this article.

More relevant material comes from the revelation given to Adam in the final two chapters of John Milton’s Paradise Lost, an English epic published more than a century before Joseph Smith was born. In this account, the angel Michael shows Adam a vision of future events affecting his posterity, all the way up until the flood. After this, Michael narrates future human history up until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. As in the Book of Moses and early Jewish sources, emphasis is given on the opening of Adam’s eyes and the vision of his posterity.31 So there are indeed some meaningful parallels here that overlap with the context found in Smith’s revelations, especially in Moses 5:10.

It should be noted, however, that Milton was most likely basing these details on rabbinic traditions with which he was familiar.32 Thus, although it could be assumed that Smith was simply plagiarizing from Milton, another possibility simultaneously presents itself: Milton could have been tapping into the same genuinely ancient tradition that was revealed to Joseph Smith.33 The fact that Paradise Lost, as a potential source of derivation, can’t account for most of the parallels highlighted throughout this article suggests the latter option should be preferred.34

Perhaps there were other texts readily accessible to Joseph Smith from which he could have derived additional details about Adam’s ancient prophecy, but the efforts on the part of Scripture Central staff to find such sources turned up empty-handed. Even if such sources were potentially available, any theory which posits Smith as widely studying scholarly or arcane texts to fabricate his early revelations should be viewed with significant skepticism.35

Conclusion

On three different occasions (Moses 5:10; Moses 6:7–8; D&C 107:56), the Book of Moses depicts Adam as uttering a prophecy concerning future generations. The first instance recorded in Moses 5:10 is set after Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden and immediately connects Adam’s prophecy to the opening of his eyes, alluding to Genesis 3:7. Adam’s prophecy in Moses 6:7–8 is placed alongside references to a “book of remembrance” and the “book of the generations of Adam.” The final version of the prophecy, given in D&C 107:56, is set in the context of Adam’s impending death and final blessings upon his posterity. As noted previously, it seems quite probable that Moses 6:7–8 and D&C 107:56 actually share the same contextual backdrop (Adam’s final testament and blessing).

Nothing in the Bible gives any indication that Adam ever uttered a future-oriented prophecy, much less that he did so in any of these specific settings. That being the case, it is remarkable that accounts of Adam’s prophecy are abundantly attested in ancient and medieval sources, often in contexts that mirror those found in the Book of Moses.36 Of particular significance are the occurrences of this prophecy in Moses 6:7–8 and D&C 107:56.

It is astonishing, for example, that multiple rabbinic sources present Adam’s prophecy in immediate connection to Genesis 5:1, just as does Moses 6:7–8. Equally, if not more impressive, is the fact that Adam’s foreknowledge in these same Book of Moses passages is specifically connected to a “book of remembrance,” just as is seen in a text from the Dead Sea Scrolls (4QInstruction). Since the only reference to a “book of remembrance” in the entire Bible is found in Malachi 3:16, it is uncanny that this particular book title is mentioned in this particular context in each source.

Of comparable significance is Adam’s final testament and blessing in D&C 107, which has at least a dozen points of resemblance with extrabiblical versions of this story that appear to have been unavailable to Joseph Smith. That Smith depicted Adam as prophesying in this authentic context, and that multiple ancient sources do the same, is quite telling.

Further corroboration comes from the immediate connection between Adam’s prophecy and his statement concerning the opening of his eyes in Moses 5:10, since these ideas also turn up together in various ancient and medieval traditions. Although this particular detail could possibly have been derived from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Milton himself likely borrowed it from Jewish lore, opening up the possibility that Smith and Milton were drawing upon the same ancient tradition—the former through revelation and the latter through scholarship.

What emerges from this collective data is startlingly consistent. Over and over again, the particular contextual details surrounding Adam’s prophecy in Joseph Smith’s revelations are thoroughly corroborated by ancient and medieval sources. And yet, for the most part, these converging lines of evidence can’t be explained by an appeal to Joseph Smith’s 19th century environment. There doesn’t appear to be any single source—or even a combination of sources—in that setting which can fully account for these parallels. Nor does it seem reasonable to attribute them to sheer luck or coincidence. Several parallels, even on their own, would seem to defy that conclusion, due to their peculiar specificity.

Overall, the iterations of Adam’s prophecy contained in the Book of Moses and Doctrine and Covenants offer powerful evidence of the antiquity of Joseph Smith’s revelations, as well as the truth of his prophetic calling.37