A few years ago there appeared in the Ensign Magazine and article that I regarded at the time as highly speculative, if not bordering on the supersticious. I wondered how it ever found place in the Church magazine -- which assiduously tries to avoid soctrinal speculation. The author purported to find astonishing cycles in church history going back to Adam, arguing that many, if not all, major events in religious history occurred on the same date centuries -- even millenia -- apart.
I was asked to prepare the Sunday School lesson for Easter Sunday, 1998. In the course of preparing he class, a number of somewhat startling events came to mind: for one thing, this year we celebrated Easter the day after the Jewish Passover. Just a couple of days earlier in the week, Muslims celebrated Id al Adha -- the feast of the sacrifice, when according to Islamic belief Abraham was commended to sacrifice Ishmael (not Isaac, as in Judeao-Christian belief). The Chinese New Year (and Spring festival) had occurred just a few days earlier. And Latter-day Saints were holding their Annual Conference, which always includes April 6, the day on which Mormons believe Christ was born (and put to death).
Casting my mind back to the earliest days, I was reminded that the first religious act of Father Adam when he was driven from the Garden, was to build an altar. He then called on the Lord in prayer, at which time an angel appeared asking what he was doing. Adam said, "I know not, save that the Lord commanded me." The angel then instructed him to sacrifice a lamb, saying that this would be in similitude of the sacrifice of the coming Savior. At what time of the year are lambs born? In the spring, of course. So it is entirely likely that Adam was instructed to offer blood sacrifice in the spring.
As High Nibley instructs us, religion spread around the world for the most part by cultural diffusion. Among the oldest traditions is that of the Chinese Emperor offering thespring sacrifice on Chinese New Year (the spring equinox). Similar traditions of spring sacrifice existed from China to the Indus Valley, to Mesopotamia, Greece, Egypt, the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas. Could these all be in the Adamic tradition, intended as mnemotics attached to the spring equinox, all looking forward to Christ's crucifixiion? I came up with eight great world religious festivals, all taking place within a few days of each other (this year, most occurred the same week) which suggest this might indeed be so -- that God had inspired his prophets to all peoples on all continents tot engage in a similar symbolic sacrifice in order -- so far as possible, given mankind's procilivity to corrupt and distort -- to preserve the understanding that there would eventually be sent a Savior to redeem all mankind (not just Christians) from sin and error. I no longer consider the greatt mnemotic calendar either superstitious or overly specuclative. I put forward this list of date-related events as of possible interest.
First act of worship -- construction by Adam of an altar (certainly in early spring)
First act of blood sacrifice - angel's instruction to do this "in similitude of the coming Savior"
Abraham's act of sacrificing Isaac (stopped by an angel who instructed him to substitute a lamb
Spring Festival ritual sacrifices in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, and elsewhere
Passover, commemorating the "passing over" by the angel of death of Hebrew children when the firstborn sons of the Egyptians were slain. (Always celebrated in the spring near Easter)
The crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord -- always in the Spring, late March or April
Muslim Id al Adha -- the Feast of the Sacrifice (of Ishmael) at the end of the Hajj -- spring
The great festival of the Restoration -- April 6, Annual Conference commemorating Christ's birth, death, and resurrection and the organizatiton of the rrestored church -- commanded to take place on this specific date. D. B. Timmins
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