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Keep up to date with the latest Practice Information and related Local/National news
New Annual Review Recall System for 2021
Do you have a long-term condition and/or take medication which requires an annual check up?
If so, please note that we are now operating a new recall system in the practice whereby you will be called for your long-term condition and/or medication reviews around the month of your birth rather than at separate points in the year.
We feel this will help patients to remember when their review is due and reduce the number of times you are called in for different parts of your review. For certain conditions/drugs you may be asked to attend more than once a year, but you will be informed of this by the clinician.
Please note, this may mean that this year your review will fall more or less than 12 months after your last review.
Covid-19 Vaccine latest - 19th January 2021
NHS England have sent out letters to patients inviting them to attend one of the mass vaccination sites, the closest to BCP being the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC).
You can book to receive your vaccine at the BIC by following the guidance in the letter. Alternatively, if you would prefer you can wait to be contacted by The Adam Practice and invited to the Ferry Port.
The choice is up to you, although we recommend you do not delay having your vaccine.
For the latest information on our Covid-19 vaccination programme please open the below document of FAQs:
Patient FAQ Sheet Covid-19 v4
Our Covid-19 vaccination programme will commence on Friday 15th January at Poole Ferry Port, and we have now begun contacting eligible priority patients to book their appointment.
We will be following the published Public Health England guidance on the order of people who are priority for the vaccine, this is currently as below:
residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
all those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
all those 75 years of age and over
all those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
The speed of vaccination will depend on vaccine delivery quantities and number of patients in each group. Please wait you turn. PATIENTS WILL BE CONTACTED DIRECTLY WHEN ELIGIBLE TO BOOK IN TO RECEIVE A VACCINE. YOU DO NOT NEED TO CONTACT THE PRACTICE.
For more information please visit -
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation: advice on priority groups for COVID-19 vaccination, 30 December 2020 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Why you have to wait for your COVID-19 vaccine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Patients will be contacted by telephone to be invited for the vaccine.
More sites in Dorset to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations
More GP-led sites will start to vaccinate Dorset's most vulnerable residents against COVID-19.
The new locations, including Poole Ferry Port, are part of the phased roll-out of the NHS vaccination programme in Dorset and will add to the existing 15 sites that have started vaccinating people.
GP-led sites have been developed by primary care networks (groups of local GP practices) who have worked closely together to develop detailed plans to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations in their wider community locations.
People who have been identified nationally by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) as the highest priority will be invited first, particularly people over-80.
Please don't contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, we will contact you. When we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments. If you can't make an appointment let us know as soon as possible and we can then offer the slot to someone else. You will be called again.
Dr David Broadley is a GP Partner at Rosemary Medical Centre and Clinical Director of the Poole Central Primary Care Network, he said "The roll out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is one of the most important and largest challenges the NHS has undertaken and it has seen everyone involved put in an extraordinary amount of effort over the past weeks and months.
We will be offering the vaccination here at Poole Port in line with the national guidance and I would encourage everyone invited to take up the offer and get themselves protected. I thank all our residents for their patience, we will contact you when it is your turn, in line with the government's priority cohorts."
In Dorset, the health and care system is working in partnership to make the vaccine available to the people of Dorset in line with national guidance. This includes delivering it in a number of ways to enable easier access for as many people as possible. The national programme roll-out includes hospital hubs, care homes and GP-led local vaccination services. Across the country, vaccination centres treating large numbers of patients in sporting venues and conference centres will subsequently stand up nationally when further supplies of vaccine become available.
Whilst this is good news, people are reminded to reduce their risk and the possibility of passing it to other people by sticking to the national guidelines https://www.gov.uk/guidance/local-restriction-tiers-what-you-need-to-know.
Sam Crowe, Director of Public Health for Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Councils, said "We're pleased to see the vaccination programme continuing to expand and being offered from more sites across Dorset. However, we are in the early stages of the vaccine rollout, and the recent announcement of another national lockdown should serve as a reminder to everyone that we are still in a very serious situation.
Whilst the vaccine offers us some hope of a return to a more normal way of life, the rise in case rates across Dorset and BCP Council areas is extremely concerning. We must all stay at home unless absolutely necessary to stop the spread, protect the NHS and save lives."
We know that people are very keen to find out about our developing COVID-19 vaccination programme in Dorset and we will share more updates as information becomes available.
Further information on the vaccine is available via the national NHS website.
The latest Government information on priority categories can be found here: Why you have to wait for your COVID-19 vaccine - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Germ Defence Website
We are letting you know about a very useful website called Germ Defence which was created by a team of doctors and scientists to give you advice that has been proven to reduce the spread of viruses in the home. It can help you plan how to protect yourself and members of your family from infection by COVID-19 and 'flu.
It's easy to use and only takes 10 minutes - just click on this link:
www.germdefence.org/index.html?src=J81006
(If this link does not open when you click on it, please copy and paste it into your web browser.)
Please pass details of the Germ Defence website to your friends and family.
There's a button at the bottom of the Germ Defence website for sharing by social media.
If you'd like to know more:
• Over 20,000 people previously took part in research about Germ Defence
• People who followed the advice in Germ Defence had fewer and less severe illnesses - and so did the people they lived with
• Results of the a previous study on Swine Flu were published in The Lancet medical journal
• Germ Defence has been updated with COVID-19 advice to help prevent a wave of COVID-19 and 'flu this Winter
• Information about how the Germ Defence website is being evaluated is available here.
GP Retirements
Message from Dr Graham Moyse:
Some of you will already be aware that I am leaving the Adam Practice after many very busy, but generally happy years. I first came to the Practice in 1986 as a part-time trainee GP for 18 months whilst also being in the Royal Navy and working at Royal Marines Poole. I enjoyed it so much that I re-joined the Practice in 1991 as a partner on leaving the Royal Navy!
I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the people of Hamworthy and meeting some great characters. I have decided to retire however whilst my health is good, and I am able to travel and enjoy life.
I will be taking a 6-month sabbatical from 1st January 2021 and formally retiring on 30th June 2021. It is my intention to continue to keep an interest in medicine by doing some informal locum work and I may therefore be back occasionally!
Dr Chimbwanda has been appointed, starting 1st January 2021 and comes highly recommended.
Best wishes and good health,
Dr Graham Moyse
GP Partner at The Adam Practice
Message from Dr Jenny Webb:
After 21 years as a Partner at The Adam Practice, the time has come for change.
From 1st January 2021, I will be taking sabbatical leave for six months and then I will be retiring on 30th June 2021.
I am delighted to tell you that from the end of December 2020, your care will be expertly taken over by Dr Chimbwanda, who will be joining our practice.
Thank you for sharing experiences with me over the years and for continuing to place your trust in The Adam Practice.
With warm good wishes,
Dr Jenny Webb
GP Partner at The Adam Practice.
Weekend Smear Clinics @ Rosemary Medical Centre
Over the coming months our patients will be able to attend smear clinics at Rosemary Road Medical Centre on Saturday's. These are being run as part of our Primary Care Network (PCN) partnership.
You must be within the eligible age group and due or over due your smear to attend.
To book please contact your registered Adam Practice surgery.
Government advice for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable People
The government have produced advice for the clinically extremely vulnerable patient group which can be
found here COVID-19: guidance on shielding and protecting people defined on medical grounds as extremely vulnerable - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
NEW! Video Group Consultations
We are now hosting Video Group Consultations for patients who have Diabetes or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). For more information please see our dedicated page
Our drive through and walk through clinics for the over 65s and high risk eligible patients are now closed. If you would like to enquire about having a vaccine please email: fluqueries@dorsetgp.nhs.uk or call 01202 836410.
We will be giving Flu vaccines to the all our 50-64 years old patients based on the new government guidance. This is still being planned and we are waiting for further guidance from NHS England. We will be contacting all eligibile patients once we have clinics arranged. We ask that you kindly wait for further instruction.
For more information on eligibility please visit our dedicated Flu webpage.
Our Research Team is Supporting Covid-19 Vaccine Trials
Over 500 people in Dorset have signed up to support the trial of a Covid-19 vaccine. The trial is being supported by our research team. You can find out more information form the following article https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2020-10-14/more-than-500-dorset-residents-to-take-part-in-coronavirus-vaccine-research
Also if you are interesting in signing up to the trial go to www.nhs.uk/researchcontact
Leg Club Update - Opening 15th October
At present we are opening on the 15th October 2020 and aim to continue with the opening every Thursday AM at Upton Social Club. It will run a little different with pre-arranged arrival times and a reduced number of members. So please do not turn up as you would have done previously. Further information is available by contacting the surgery at enquiries@theadampractice.co.uk .
We currently have vacancies, please see our vacancies page for more information.
Book a Coronavirus Test - Call Helpline 119
We advise anyone who has symptoms suggestive of Cornonavirus to have a test, which is free on the NHS.
To book a test please call 119 or visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing-and-tracing/get-a-test-to-check-if-you-have-coronavirus/
National Campaign For Coronavirus Vaccination Volunteers
The NHS is seeking volunteers to be part of a national scheme to support vaccination studies for Coronavirus. This research will help find a way to stop the pandemic whilst being part of a large research study.
The Adam Practice research team will be supporting these studies and would like to invite you, your family and friends to take part. Please click on the link below to register your interest at becoming a volunteer.
https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/vaccine-studies/
More information can also be found at:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/research/coronavirus-vaccine-research/
The NHS is looking for up to 500,000 members of the public nationally to take part. Once registered your details will be stored by NHS Digital and will be sent to local teams for eligibility checks before commencement of any study.
NEW Dorset Physiotherapy Service - Self Referral
A new Physiotherapy service is now available in Dorset that you can access without visiting your GP first. This service is available to anyone in Dorset who is registered with a Dorset GP surgery. But is only available to patients who are aged 16 and over. Please visit www.mskdorset.nhs.uk to self refer.
Covid -19 Research by The Adam Practice
The Adam Practice is taking part in the study of a Covid-19 treatment.
If you've developed symptoms of COVID-19 which include a fever, a persistent cough and/or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste
during the last 3 days, you may be able to take part in a clinical trial of a new treatment.
We're looking for people who are either 65 years of age or older, or over 50 years of age with a pre-existing medical condition.
For more information about the trial, and details of how to take part visit www.covidtrialathome.com.
Previous Covid-19 information releases can be found via part 1 & part 2
Community Support information can be found here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


NEW YORK — As his 30th birthday neared, struggling composer Jonathan Larson toiled on an autobiographical monologue — a raw, musical rant about the frustrating demands of life as an artist.
A couple of years later, on the cusp of success with another work, a full-scale rock opera called "Rent," Larson set aside the unfinished "Tick Tick ... Boom!"
Tragically, Larson died in 1996, at age 35. He never knew what a stir "Rent" would cause on Broadway that year, nor did he know of its four Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prize and cult of fans that still swarm to see it.
His abrupt death, from an undiagnosed heart ailment, also left his family and close friends with a nagging question: What to do with the five rough drafts and the fragmented song lists of the autobiographical piece, which along with "Rent," comprised most of what remained of Larson's aborted creative life.
This week, that question got a definitive answer: "Tick Tick ... Boom!" opened off-Broadway.
Larson's father, Al Larson, labored over the family's decision to allow the abandoned musical to be brought to the stage.
"It was hard. At first, we couldn't bring ourselves to even think of anybody other than Jonathan performing it. We thought of the play as this extremely personal thing, where one guy is up there saying, 'This is my life,'" Al Larson says.
"We couldn't conceive of (staging) it — until we were sort of pushed about it. And then the question really boiled down to, 'Well, do you want to have Jonathan's other material just buried with him?"
The musical, in its current form, bears only some resemblance to what Jonathan Larson began to work on in the late 1980s. By then, he was already somewhat grizzled by New York's theater grind, having devoted much of his adult life to writing and performing, but with little to show for it. He was still working at a diner, barely making ends meet.
"He very quickly wrote the first draft in 1989. It was so angry. But it was also good. ... It just never quite hit its stride," recalls Victoria Leacock, one of Larson's closest friends, and a co-producer of "Tick Tick ... Boom!"
That early version, called "30/90," was followed by other drafts, some of them staged for friends or his agent, or at small clubs. By 1993, Larson brought yet another revised version to a small audience at New York Theatre Workshop.
It was a frenetic piece of performance art, with Larson singing, acting and directing an accompanying rock band. And more than ever, it was angry in tone, an expression of growing futility in Larson's own life, Leacock recalls.
"I've got to say that the final version was pretty hard to watch — for a close friend of his. He was so frustrated," Leacock says. "You know, the tag line now on the poster says, 'An artist of the verge of exploding.' Well, he certainly was. He had really hit this wall of frustration."
In the coming months, that wall began to crumble. Larson's other work-in-progress, "Rent," was finally taking shape, and he was given a grant to continue working on it. The stark reality that several of his friends had contracted AIDS also pushed him to focus exclusively on "Rent," a modern-day "La Boheme" which depicts, in part, the tragedy of that disease.
With "Rent" firmly in his mind, Larson abandoned the imperfect ``Tick Tick ... Boom!,'' and would never return to it.
No one can say whether Jonathan Larson would have chosen to revive the piece. In some ways, "Tick Tick ... Boom!" explores some of the same themes as ``Rent,'' taking on the troubles of artists trying to find a true, creative path. It's possible Larson might have considered his autobiographical piece immature — simply a precursor to the Broadway hit.
Grappling with those issues, Leacock says that the impulse to produce the play after Larson's death simply grew too strong to ignore. She finally approached Al Larson last year with her idea.
"Al doesn't believe in all this spirit stuff, but I actually think that Jon really has been hovering, and nudging me for a while," Leacock says. "And, finally, I couldn't stand it, and so I said, 'Let's just do this.'"
After getting the family's permission, Leacock enlisted director Scott Schwartz. He, in turn, approached David Auburn, author of this year's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama "Proof," to help with the script.
Both were handed five drafts of the show along with tapes of Larson's early performances.
Since neither knew Larson, Schwartz went to see "Rent" again, sifted through diaries, and interviewed family and friends.
"I felt I really needed to get to know this guy a little bit. I wanted to interpret his work in a way, I hope, he would approve of," Schwartz says. "I found the story very, very compelling ... and I think it's a particularly poignant message given what happened with Jonathan."
Auburn, who was impressed with the beauty of the songs, sought to find a clear narrative through-line in the five drafts while staying true to Larson's vision.
The most obvious change from the original is that the musical now has three actors — not one. The result may be a piece that is more entertaining while evoking less of the anger that Larson's versions did.
"We kept, I think, the quality of what he was after," Auburn says.
Al Larson, for one, is pleased with the result. "They've shown concern for Jonathan's memory," he says.
Even so, he's careful not to lose the bigger picture in the details.
"Most of what you're seeing there on stage is really very personal stuff from Jonathan's life,'' he says. ``I see Jonathan up there, and a very, very good person who really cared about the world."


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Religious Educator Vol. 18 No. 2 · 2017
Joseph Smith and the Recovery of "Eternal Man"
Robert L. Millet
Robert L. Millet, "Joseph Smith and the Recovery of 'Eternal Man'," Religious Educator 18, no. 2 (2017): 72–89.
Robert L. Millet (Robert_millet@byu.edu) was a professor emeritus of ancient scripture at BYU when this article was published.
This address was delivered at the annual Truman G. Madsen Lecture on 3 December 2015 at Brigham Young University, sponsored by the Wheatley Institution.
Knowledge of Eternal Man has come to us through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Such insight is precious and profound, soul satisfying, and spiritually elevating.
Truman Madsen has been a hero of mine for many years, stretching back half a century to when I was serving in the Eastern States Mission. Several of his talks to the New England missionaries and members made their way into our mission. Truman had a way of blending seamlessly his academic training in philosophy and religion and his spiritual knowledge and conviction. He paid a significant price to learn by study and also by faith (D&C 88:118), and it was that concentrated and consecrated effort that allowed him, like his Master, to teach as one having authority (Matthew 7:29; compare John 7:46).
One of the first books I took from my father's bookshelf and read following my mission was Eternal Man. It stirred my soul and sent my mind reeling, and I began at that early date to appreciate that Mormonism was able to hold its own amid the great religions of the world, that it was more than capable of withstanding rigorous study and scrutiny. I absconded with the better part of Dad's library when I left Louisiana (for some reason, he wasn't bothered by that) and transferred to BYU, and one of my most precious possessions was that book, which I now try to read at least once a year.
The Loss of the Knowledge of God and Man
Consider or reconsider the following rather bold, even stunning remark by the Prophet Joseph Smith: "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves."[1] Hence if somehow, by some unfortunate means, people begin to misconstrue God, they never really grasp what man is. (I will use the word man hereafter almost exclusively to refer to humankind, both male and female.) Truman Madsen himself pointed out that "To the extent that this teaching"—that is, the true nature of man—"has been blurred or dismissed, many imponderables and paradoxes have arisen in theological anthropology."[2] Some of these we will now consider.
In the centuries following the Savior's ascension into heaven, the deaths of his Twelve Apostles, and the loss of the keys of the priesthood within the Church of Jesus Christ, questions arose and debates ensued regarding many theological points, particularly the nature of God and the Godhead. Issues that received attention included: What is the relationship between the Father and the Son? Was Christ a "created" being, or was he coeternal with the Father? Is Christ subordinate to the Father, or is he of equal might and power and glory? Who or what is the Holy Spirit, and does that Spirit proceed from God the Father, from God the Son, or from both? Are there three divine Beings, two Gods, or one God?
In an effort to satisfy the accusations of Jews who denounced the notion of three members of the Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) as polytheistic and at the same time incorporate ancient but appealing Greek philosophical concepts of an all-powerful moving force in the universe,[3] the Christian Church began to redefine the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They adopted a strict monotheism, a belief that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three Persons but ontologically one Being; an absolute distinction between mind and created things and the inferiority of created things; the total transcendence of Deity, existing outside time and space; God as incomprehensible and unknowable; the Almighty as incorporeal, without body, parts, or passions; and the immutability of God, a belief that he never changes. In short, centuries of debate on the nature of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit took place at Nicaea (AD 325), Constantinople (AD 381), Ephesus (AD 431), and Chalcedon (AD 451), resulting in creedal statements that eventually became the walk and talk of Christian doctrine.
What was the result doctrinally? One Christian scholar observed that "the classical theological tradition became misguided when under the influence of Hellenistic philosophy; it defined God's perfection in static, timeless terms. All change was considered an imperfection and thus not applicable to God."[4] Or as one group of evangelical Christian scholars has written, "The inevitable encounter between biblical and classical thought in the early church generated many significant insights and helped Christianity evangelize pagan thought and culture. Along with the good, however, came a certain theological virus that infected the Christian doctrine of God, making it ill and creating the sorts of problems mentioned above. The virus so permeates Christian theology [today] that some have come to take the illness for granted, attributing it to divine mystery, while others remain unaware of the infection altogether."[5]
The redefinition of God that had been formalized and codified through Christian councils created quite naturally a very different view of man. Christian theologian Emil Brunner spoke of the divide between God and man: "There is no greater sense of distance than that which lies in the words Creator-Creation. Now this is the first and fundamental thing which can be said about man: He is a creature, and as such he is separated by an abyss from the Divine manner of being. The greatest dissimilarity between two things which we can express at all—more dissimilar than light and darkness, death and life, good and evil—is that between the Creator and that which is created."[6]
It is only natural for those who believe that God and humanity are basically of a different substance and thus a different race, to also believe that God is a totally unattached and uncreated being, to conclude that there was a time when only God existed and thus that the Creation had to be ex nihilo, out of nothing. For there to be anything in the universe to which God would turn or upon which he would rely in constructing the worlds, for example, is to suggest the unthinkable—that element was as eternal as he was, which notion theologians could never even entertain. Unfortunately, as Karen Armstrong pointed out, the adoption of such doctrine "represented a fundamental change in the Christian understanding of the world." This doctrinal view "tore the universe [and the children of God] away from God," she said, "thus transforming the inhabitants of planet earth into "an entirely different nature than the substance of the living God."[7]
Accompanying a belief in an ex nihilo creation was another teaching that arose in the early Christian centuries that broadened and deepened the God-man chasm. This was the doctrine of Human Depravity. It postulates that as a result of the rebellion and Fall of our first parents, the human family inherits genetically the sin of Adam and Eve and a nature so bent, so warped, that humans do not really have the capacity on their own to choose the right or do good. This tenet, still fundamental to much of Christendom, was elaborated and codified by Augustine and then resurrected by Luther and Calvin and other leaders of the Reformation as one of the fundamentals of the faith.
That distance between Deity and humanity certainly persisted, and perhaps even expanded, by Joseph Smith's day. My friend and colleague Richard J. Mouw of Fuller Theological Seminary observed the following:
While Joseph [Smith] and Mary Baker Eddy espoused very different—indeed opposing—metaphysical systems, with Joseph arguing for a thorough-going physicalism and the founder of Christian Science insisting on a thorough-going mentalism—they each were motivated by a desire to reduce the distance between God and human beings. . . .
These two reduce-the-distance theologies emerged in an environment shaped significantly by the high Calvinism of New England Puritanism. I think it can be plausibly—and rightly, from an orthodox Christian perspective—argued that New England theology, which stressed the legitimate metaphysical distance between God and his human creatures, nonetheless at the same time fostered an unhealthy spiritual distance between the Calvinist deity and his human subjects.[8]
You will recall that young Joseph found himself unable to find either comfort or clarity through a study of the Bible, given the various competing interpretations of the biblical text. Richard Bushman has offered the following perceptive assessment of the challenge Joseph faced:
At some level, Joseph's revelations indicate a loss of trust in the Christian ministry. For all their learning and their eloquence, the clergy could not be trusted with the Bible. They did not understand what the book meant. It was a record of revelations, and the ministry had turned it into a handbook. The Bible had become a text to be interpreted rather than an experience to be lived. In the process, the power of the book was lost. . . . It was the power thereof that Joseph and the other visionaries of his time sought to recover. Not getting it from the ministry, they looked for it themselves.
Bushman continues:
To me, that is Joseph Smith's significance for our time. He stood on the contested ground where the Enlightenment and Christianity confronted one another, and his life posed the question, Do you believe God speaks? Joseph was swept aside, of course, in the rush of ensuing intellectual battles and was disregarded by the champions of both great systems, but his mission was to hold out for the reality of divine revelation and establish one small outpost where that principle survived. Joseph's revelatory principle is not a single revelation serving for all time, as the Christians of his day believed regarding the incarnation of Christ, nor a mild sort of inspiration seeping into the minds of all good people, but specific, ongoing directions from God to his people. At a time when the origins of Christianity were under assault by the forces of Enlightenment rationality, Joseph Smith returned modern Christianity to its origins in revelation.[9]
Thankfully, the Almighty did not intend for things to remain in a spiritually disrupted condition, for he provided a medicine for the malady. Among other things, Joseph Smith was charged to restore a correct knowledge of God and man. To assist humanity in accomplishing this near-impossible task, God had been about the business of orchestrating things in preparation for that revolution we call the Restoration. This marvelous work and a wonder was not to take place without immense and intricate preparation by divine Providence. People would be in place. Concepts and points of view would be in the air. Hearts would be open to a new revelation in an unprecedented manner. Nothing was to be left to chance.
The Knowledge of God Restored
The First Vision in the spring of 1820 is essentially the beginning of the revelation of God to man in this final dispensation. Brother Joseph learned that the Father and the Son were separate and distinct personages, separate Gods, and thus that the creedal statements concerning a triune Deity were incorrect. While Unitarians believed that the first and second members of the Godhead were distinct beings, most Christians subscribed to the doctrine of the Trinity. Only eleven days before his death, the Prophet stated: "I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods."[10]
From the Prophet Joseph, we learn that God is more than a word, an essence, a force, a law, or the Great First Cause; he has form, shape, an image, a likeness. He is a he; he has gender. We are uncertain what the young prophet learned at the time of the First Vision relative to the corporeality or physical nature of God the Father. Joseph certainly may have been taught or recognized that God has a physical body at that time, but he did not say so. On the other hand, note the following from Joseph Smith's new translation of Genesis, now in the sixth chapter of Moses (November–December 1830): "In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; in the image of his own body, male and female, created he them, and blessed them." (Moses 6:8–9; emphasis added.)
The doctrine of divine embodiment is inextricably linked to such doctrines as the immortality of the soul, the Incarnation of Christ, the literal resurrection, eternal marriage, and the continuation of the family unit into eternity. We are given to understand from Brother Joseph and his successors that in his corporeal or physical nature, God can be in only one place at a time. His divine nature is such, however, that his glory, his power, and his influence, meaning his Holy Spirit or what we call the Light of Christ, fills the immensity of space and is the means by which he is omnipresent and through which law and light and life are extended to us (see D&C 88:6–13).
Joseph Smith certainly did not believe that God's physical body limited the Father in his divine capacity or detracted one wit from his infinite holiness, any more than Christ's resurrected body did so (see Luke 24; John 20–21). The risen Lord said of himself, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). "In LDS theology," Truman Madsen noted, "the physical body is not the muffling and imprisoning of the spirit. The body is the spirit's enhancement. It is an instrument of redemption; and the instrument itself is to be redeemed."[11] "In Joseph's view," Richard Bushman pointed out, "making God corporeal did not reduce Him: Joseph had little sense of the flesh being base. In contrast to conventional theologies, Joseph saw embodiment as a glorious aspect of human existence."[12] Research by Professor David Paulsen of the BYU Philosophy Department demonstrates that God's corporeality was taught in the early Christian Church into the fourth and fifth centuries, before being lost to the knowledge of the people.[13]
I have been very interested in the work of scholars outside our own faith who have dared to explore the notion of God having a physical body. James L. Kugel, professor emeritus of Hebrew literature at Harvard, has written that some scholars' "most basic assumptions about God," including the idea "that he has no body but exists everywhere simultaneously," are not "articulated in the most ancient parts of the Bible." In time, the God who spoke to Moses directly "became an embarrassment to later theologians. It is, they said, really the great, universal God" who is "omniscient and omnipresent and utterly unphysical." He asks, "Indeed, does not the eventual emergence of Christianity—in particular Nicene Christianity, with its doctrine of the Trinity—likewise represent in its own way an attempt to fill the gap left by the God of Old?"[14]
Christian theologian Clark Pinnock has written that if we "are to take biblical metaphors seriously, is God in some way embodied? Critics will be quick to say that although there are expressions of this idea in the Bible, they are not to be taken literally. But I do not believe that the idea is as foreign to the Bible's view of God as we have assumed. In tradition, God is thought to function primarily as a disembodied spirit but this is scarcely a biblical idea. . . . Having a body is certainly not a negative thing [since] it makes it possible for us to be agents. Perhaps God's agency would be easier to envisage if He were in some way corporeal. Add to that the fact that in the theophanies of the Old Testament God encounters humans in the form of a man. . . . Add to that that God took on a body in the incarnation and Christ has taken that body with Him into glory. It seems to me that the Bible does not think of God as formless."[15]
The late Dr. Stephen Webb, a Roman Catholic scholar and previous Truman Madsen lecturer, pointed out that "far from being nothing, matter, for the [Latter-day] Saints, is the very stuff of the divine. . . . Joseph Smith rejected the philosophical move, stretching all the way back to Plato, of dividing the world into immaterial and material substances." Webb observed that William Tyndale "was just as controversial [in his day] as Smith was in his. Tyndale wanted to get the Bible into the hands of everyday believers, while Smith wanted to open the ears of ordinary people to divine revelation. Reformers like Tyndale broke the Catholic Church's political and religious power in Europe and let loose a host of social changes that they could not have anticipated and were not able to control." Webb then poses this rather fascinating question: "Could it be that Smith, who had virtually no formal education, put in motion ideas that will overthrow the consensus of Western theological immaterialism?"[16]
I cite these scholars and religious thinkers who are not of the LDS faith, not because Mormons seek or require some kind of academic imprimatur to hold to such doctrine, but to demonstrate that a theological concept revealed to the Prophet in the formative years of Mormonism may not be as strange or radical as many traditional Christians make it out to be.
The Saints may have been teaching and discussing God's physical body as early as 1835–36. Professor Milton Backman brought to light many years ago a description of Mormonism by a Protestant clergyman in Ohio. Truman Coe, a Presbyterian minister who had for four years lived among the Saints in Kirtland, published the following in the 11 August 1836 Ohio Observer regarding the beliefs of the Mormons: "They contend that the God worshipped by the Presbyterians and all other sectarians is no better than a wooden god. They believe that the true God is a material being, composed of body and parts; and that when the Creator formed Adam in his own image, he made him about the size and shape of God himself."[17]
The earliest reference in a sermon by Joseph Smith to the corporeality of God now in our possession seems to be 5 January 1841. On that occasion, William Clayton recorded the Prophet as saying: "That which is without body or parts is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones."[18] Six weeks later, "Joseph said concerning the Godhead [that] it was not as many imagined—three heads and but one body; he said the three were separate bodies."[19] On 9 March 1841 he declared that "the Son had a tabernacle and so had the Father."[20] Finally, it was on 2 April 1843 in Ramus, Illinois, that Brother Joseph delivered instructions on the matter that are the basis for D&C 130:22–23: "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost . . . is a personage of Spirit."[21]
Mortal or Fallen Man
I have been asked a question many times through the years by persons of other faiths: "What is the LDS concept of the nature of man?" It seems that what they want to know is this: Do we believe men and women are basically good or basically evil? I generally respond with a question of my own: "To which man do you have reference—do you have reference to fallen or mortal man or are you speaking of eternal man?" Let me explain my response.
How would Joseph Smith have learned about humanity—whether men and women are depraved or divine? It seems to me that his first serious entry into theological anthropology—the nature of humanity—would have come through his exposure to the teachings of Book of Mormon prophets. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery would have learned through the translation of the golden plates that because Adam and Eve transgressed by partaking of the forbidden fruit, they were cast from the Garden of Eden and from the presence of the Lord; they experienced spiritual death. The result was blood, sweat, toil, opposition, bodily decay, and finally, physical death. Even though the Fall was a vital part of the great plan of the Eternal God—as much a foreordained act as Christ's intercession—our state, including our relationship to and contact with God, changed dramatically. Even though the Book of Mormon presents what is often called a "fortunate fall"—that Adam fell that men might be (2 Nephi 2:25)—the prophets within that record proclaim fearlessly that all humanity are "in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever will be save they should rely on this Redeemer" (1 Nephi 10:5–6). Again, the coming of the Redeemer presupposes the need for redemption.
We learn that although God forgave our first parents their transgression, although there is no "original sin" entailed upon Adam and Eve's children, and although "the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children" (Moses 6:54), that is not the whole story. To concede that we are not accountable for or condemned by the Fall of Adam is not to say that we are unaffected by it. No, we do not believe, with Augustine or the Reformers, in the moral depravity of humanity; that human beings, because of intrinsic or genetic carnality, do not even have the power to choose good over evil; or that children are born in sin.
Yet the Book of Mormon prophets knew very well that "since man had fallen, he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance" (Alma 22:14). President Brigham Young, who declared that everything he had learned about the restored gospel he learned from Joseph Smith, taught: "It requires all the atonement of Christ, the mercy of the Father, the pity of angels and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to be with us always, and then to do the very best we possibly can, to get rid of this sin within us, so that we may escape from this world into the celestial kingdom."[22]
Eternal Man
Now let's point ourselves in a different direction. Joseph Smith learned also by revelation that man is an eternal being. Of man's divine capabilities, Joseph noted: "We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction, and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin."[23]
The doctrine of the premortal existence of man comes surprisingly early in the Prophet Joseph's ministry. It appears that the first mention of such an idea within the restored gospel is found in the Book of Mormon, in the 13th chapter of Alma. Here we read of men being prepared and ordained (we would say foreordained) to the priesthood "from the foundation of the world" (Alma 13:3–4). Orson Pratt indicated, however, that this passage in the Book of Mormon simply didn't register with him, and that it was not until he encountered the Prophet's inspired translation of the early chapters of Genesis (what we now have as the Book of Moses) that he could recognize the doctrine.[24] This may have been the case with Joseph Smith, as well.
Between June and October 1830, the Bible translators (Joseph and Oliver) made their way deliberately through those early chapters of the Bible until they came to the end of the Creation of the heavens and the earth. Then these words appear in the new translation: "I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air" (JST, Genesis 2:4–6; Moses 3:4–5; emphasis added). Soon thereafter we read in the inspired translation of the Council in Heaven wherein Jehovah was chosen to be the Savior and Redeemer, the chief proponent and advocate of the Father's plan of salvation, while Lucifer's nefarious and amendatory offer was refused, and he and his minions were cast down to earth (JST, Genesis 3:1–5; Moses 4:1–4).[25]
Within a matter of weeks, a revelation spoke of a much larger group in the council, that "a third part of the hosts of heaven turned [Lucifer] away from me because of their agency; and they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels" (D&C 29:36–37; emphasis added). Then, within three months, Joseph and the Saints learned via the Bible translation that God "called upon Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh" (JST, Genesis 6:52; Moses 6:51; emphasis added).
In section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants (6 May 1833), we read the following: "And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn; and all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn" (D&C 93:21–22; emphasis added). Herein is contained the scriptural basis for the Latter-day Saint belief that Jehovah was the firstborn spirit child of the Father, a teaching alluded to in the New Testament (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15). An official proclamation in 1909 affirmed: "Jesus . . . is the firstborn among all the sons of God—the first begotten in the spirit, and the only begotten in the flesh. . . . [W]e, like Him, are in the image of God."[26]
Section 93 continues: "Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth. . . . Man was in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be" (D&C 93:23, 29; emphasis added). Clearly there is something within the human being—call it intelligence or ego or some primal essence—that has always lived—indeed, had no beginning. Most Christians wrap their minds around the fact that we will continue to live after this mortal life comes to an end, that there is in fact a post-death immortality of the soul, that because Jesus rose from the tomb, so will each and every one of us (1 Corinthians 15:21–22). What Jesus made possible for each of earth's inhabitants is the inseparable union of body and spirit that comes with the resurrection. In other words, we know that even if the resurrection did not take place, we would continue to live forever, for we are beings who are without beginning or end.[27]
This revelation to Joseph Smith adds, however, a unique and profound insight into the Christian concept of immortality, a perspective that is singularly Latter-day Saint—namely, that we have been, are, and will forevermore be immortal persons. As Truman put it, "Man as a self had a beginningless beginning. He has never been identified wholly with any other being. Nor is he a product of nothing."[28]
The Prophet Joseph Smith continued to turn the key of knowledge and pull back the veil concerning the eternal nature of men and women in his King Follett Discourse, delivered in Nauvoo on 7 April 1844. In speaking of "the mind of man—the immortal spirit," the Prophet said:
Where did it come from? All learned men and doctors of divinity say that God created it in the beginning; but it is not so: the very idea lessens man in my estimation. . . . I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it had a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic. That which has a beginning may have an end.[29]
In short, Brother Joseph taught that this property, called by philosophers aseity, or necessary self-existence, is an innate characteristic of both Deity and humanity.
Joseph responded to the universally accepted Christian notion of an ex nihilo creation by declaring that the Hebrew word translated as "create" really means "to organize," implying that Deity drew upon already existing matter. He taught, "We infer that God had materials to organize from—chaos, chaotic matter. Element had an existence from the time he [God] had. The pure principles of element are principles that never can be destroyed; they may be organized and reorganized, but not destroyed."[30]
Truman trumpeted the distinctive LDS perspective on who we are and what we may become in these words: "What the Eternal Father wants for you and with you is the fullness of your possibilities. And those possibilities are infinite. He did not simply make you from nothing into a worm; he adopted and begat you into his likeness in order to share his nature. And he sent his Firstborn Son to exemplify just how glorious that nature can be—even in mortality. That is our witness."[31]
About thirty years ago, I stepped outside my front door to retrieve the newspaper. As I bent down, I noticed also a small plastic bag containing a paperback book. I opened the package, noticed the title, and sensed what kind of book it was. After reading the first page I recognized it as an anti-Mormon publication that, I later learned, was distributed to about five thousand LDS homes that morning. It was written by an ex-Mormon, now a Protestant pastor, to invite Mormons to save themselves from deception and leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as soon as possible, as well as to warn other unwary persons of the evils of this cultish clan. During the next few days, I browsed the book, stopping occasionally to read carefully certain sections that appeared particularly interesting.
I settled on one segment in which the author was attempting to prepare readers for the coming of the Mormon missionaries to their door. He warned them to be certain not to listen to anything these young people had to say, and certainly not to allow them into their home. If, however, the missionaries were somehow able to mischievously make their way into the readers' living rooms, he said, the missionaries would deliver their message and prevail upon the readers to pray about it. The author said, essentially: "This you must not do. Do not get on your knees and do not pray." He then explained why. Because our natures are so corrupted with evil, our minds so polluted with sin, and our feelings so twisted and scarred by satanic influences, there are three things men and women can never trust in determining the truthfulness of a religious claim: We cannot trust our thoughts. We cannot trust our feelings. And we cannot trust our prayers. If we do, we will be deceived! There is only one thing in this life that we can trust, he hastened to add: we can trust the Holy Bible.
I did smile for a few seconds but then found myself filled with sadness. How tragic. How terribly unfortunate for a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ to discourage anyone from thinking, feeling, and praying about matters of eternal import. It reminded me of what Nephi had taught—that God always encourages his children to pray, while it is the evil spirit that "teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray" (2 Nephi 32:8). I also shook my head, almost in disbelief, wondering how a person could possibly trust the Bible and its teachings if he or she could not think, feel, or pray without fear of deception! I also had a shiver run down my spine as I reflected on a poignant remark of Joseph Smith: "None but fools will trifle with the souls of men."[32]
Less than two months before his martyrdom, Joseph the Seer remarked concerning the work he had set in motion: "I calculate to be one of the instruments of setting up the kingdom of [God foreseen by] Daniel by the word of the Lord, and I intend to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world."[33] Bold? Certainly. Audacious? Perhaps, at least in the minds of many. Indeed, the work of the Restoration was destined to be revolutionary in every way.
If asked to describe the nature of humanity, the Christian world generally, particularly its more conservative branches, will do so in terms of Fallen Man, the person desperately in need of divine grace and pardoning mercy. As I have tried to point out, we are not totally in disagreement with our brothers and sisters of other faiths on this matter; the Fall of Adam and Eve was very real and takes a measured toll on us physically and spiritually. Joseph Smith did, however, confront and denounce the concept of human depravity if that means that men and women do not even have the power to choose good, or, by extension, cannot trust their thoughts, feelings, and prayers. The scriptures of the Restoration teach otherwise (2 Nephi 2:16, 26–27; Helaman 14:30; D&C 68:27–28). Through the intercession of the Messiah, fallen men and women become redeemed men and women. The Fall and man's fallen state are necessary ingredients in the plan of God the Father. In the words of Elder Orson F. Whitney, "The fall had a twofold direction—downward, yet forward. It brought man into the world and set his feet upon progression's highway."[34] The Fall opens the way for the Atonement, and as C. S. Lewis observed wisely, redeemed humanity will rise far higher than unfallen humanity.[35]
Knowledge of Eternal Man has come to us through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Such insight is precious and profound, soul satisfying, and spiritually elevating. And yes, it is, without question, revolutionary. Our late friend and colleague Rodney Turner, never one hesitant to speak his mind, wrote the following some years ago:
To know what God is, is to know what man is—and what he may become. The loss of this knowledge goes far to explain the present plight of humanity. Man, like water, cannot rise higher than his beginnings. If an ever-increasing number of men and women are choosing to wallow in the mire of carnality, we must not forget that they are taught that the human race was spawned in mire. We have little desire to reach for the stars if we do not believe that we came from the stars. That we did is the message of the restored gospel. This is why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints testifies that—where the valiant are concerned—the origin of man is the destiny of man.[36]
Why would we dare take any other course, given that, according to the Bible, we have been created in the very image and likeness of Deity? In speaking of the image and likeness of God, our beloved friend Truman Madsen declared, "One can ascribe to the children of God more than rationality and creativity. In an embryonic state, other divine attributes and powers inhere in human nature. We are theomorphic." Further, and by logical extension, "The ultimate intent and meaning of Christ's life and death is theosis: the universal transformation of the whole of human nature and the whole of the human family."[37] In short, in this mortal condition, our second estate, we are, as set forth in the Hebrew text of Psalms 8:4–6, "a little lower than the Gods."
Our discussion tonight is not at all about lowering a high and holy God to the level of lowly and languishing humanity. It is about worshipping a Being with whom we can identify; one who may be known, understood, and approached; one with body, parts, and passions; one who, like his Beloved Son, may be "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews 4:15). If it is, as Jesus prayed, life eternal to know God, to know Jesus Christ (John 17:3), how disappointing to find that the wonders and ways of the Godhead have been shrouded in mystery, never to be understood. Nor is our conversation tonight about identifying and worshipping the god that resides within each of us, as some mistakenly believe; rather, it is very much about having a correct view of the character and attributes of God, which then automatically opens the door to understanding man's nobility and potentiality.
Let's now end where we began. Joseph Smith declared, "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves."[38] President Brigham Young simply turned things about and pointed out that "to know and understand ourselves and our own being is to know and understand God and His being."[39] Or, as Truman Madsen put it so beautifully, "One begins mortality with the veil drawn, but slowly he is moved to penetrate the veil within himself. He is, in time, led to seek the 'holy of holies' within the temple of his own being."[40] Elder Neal A. Maxwell commented on those poignant encounters with forever: "Brothers and sisters, in some of those precious and personal moments of deep discovery, there will be a sudden surge of recognition of an immortal insight, a doctrinal déjà vu. We will sometimes experience a flash from the mirror of memory that beckons us forward toward a far horizon."[41]
These things are true. They matter. They are not merely the product of clever or whimsical theological explorations. They mark the path to understanding the God we worship and the Redeemer we seek to emulate, which is the path to life eternal (John 17:3). When received humbly and gratefully, these teachings are liberating and exhilarating. They point us to an infinite past and a never-ending future. In understanding and accepting them, we begin to turn the pages of our book of eternal possibilities.
[1] Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2007), 40; cited hereafter as Joseph Smith.
[2] Truman G. Madsen, "The Latter-day Saint View of Human Nature," in On Human Nature: The Jerusalem Center Symposium, ed. Truman G. Madsen, David Noel Freedman, and Pam Fox Kuhlken (Ann Arbor, MI: Pryor Pettengill Publishers, 2004), 95.
[3] The Christian slide toward Hellenization was what could be described as syncretism, a union or reconciliation of otherwise opposing perspectives. From another angle, some Greeks saw in the growing Christian movement evidence of a providential hand, a divinely orchestrated expansion of the divine. I am indebted to Professor Thomas Wayment for this helpful insight.
[4] Gregory A. Boyd, God of the Possible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 17.
[5] Clark Pinnock et al., The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 9–10.
[6] Emil Brunner, Man in Revolt: A Christian Anthropology, trans. Olive Wyon (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1947), 90, cited in Keith Norman, "Ex Nihilo: The Development of the Doctrines of God and Creation in Early Christianity," BYU Studies 17, no. 3 (Spring 1977): 294.
[7] Karen Armstrong, The Case for God (New York: Doubleday Anchor, 2010), 105.
[8] Richard J. Mouw, "The Possibility of Joseph Smith: Some Evangelical Probings," presentation delivered at the November 2006 AAR/SBL meetings in Washington, DC, manuscript, 9–10; in Joseph Smith: Reappraisals after Two Centuries, ed. Reid L. Neilson and Terryl L. Givens (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 195.
[9] Richard Bushman, "A Joseph Smith for the Twenty-First Century," BYU Studies 40, no. 3 (2001): 167–68; emphasis added; see also Reid L. Neilson and Jed Woodworth, eds., Believing History: Latter-day Saint Essays (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004), 274.
[10] Joseph Smith, 41–42.
[11] Madsen, "The Latter-day Saint View of Human Nature," 100–101.
[12] Richard Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling: A Cultural Biography of Mormonism's Founder (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 420.
[13] See David L. Paulsen, "Early Christian Belief in a Corporeal Deity: Origen and Augustine as Reluctant Witnesses," Harvard Theological Review 83, no. 2 (1990), 105–16; David L. Paulsen, "The Doctrine of Divine Embodiment: Restoration, Judeo-Christian, and Philosophical Perspectives," BYU Studies 35, no. 4 (1996): 7–94.
[14] James L. Kugel, The God of Old: Inside the Lost World of the Bible (New York: Free Press, 2003), xi–xii, 5–6, 61, 195; see also 81, 104–6, 134–35.
[15] Clark Pinnock, Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God's Openness (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2001), 33–34.
[16] Stephen Webb, Mormon Christianity: What Other Christians Can Learn from the Latter-day Saints (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 81–82. For a comprehensive treatment of divine embodiment, see also Stephen Webb, Jesus Christ, Eternal God: Heavenly Flesh and the Metaphysics of Matter (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012), specifically chapter 9, which investigates the teachings of the Latter-day Saints.
[17] Milton V. Backman Jr., "Truman Coe's 1836 Description of Mormonism," BYU Studies 17, no. 3 (Spring 1977): 347, 354; emphasis added.
[18] Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo Discourses of the Prophet Joseph (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, 1980), 60.
[19] Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, 63.
[21] Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, 173.
[22] Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. (Liverpool: F. D. Richards & Sons, 1851–86), 11:301.
[23] Joseph Smith, 210–11.
[24] Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 15:249.
[25] It is noteworthy that there is no mention in this account of any of the children of God being in attendance at this council other than Jehovah and Lucifer. We learn this detail from the account in the Book of Abraham (3:22–28).
[26] "The Origin of Man," by the First Presidency of the Church, November 1909, in James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965–75), 4:203.
[27] To be sure, if there were no resurrection there would be no Atonement, no forgiveness and cleansing from sin. Thus, each of us would be forever unclean and unworthy and, as Jacob taught, eternal captives of the devil (2 Nephi 9:8–9; compare 1 Corinthians 15:12–17).
[28] Truman G. Madsen, Eternal Man (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1966), 24.
[29] Joseph Smith, 209–10; emphasis added. Matthew L. Davis heard a sermon by the Prophet in which the latter said, "I believe that God is eternal, that he had no beginning, and can have no end. Eternity means that which is without beginning or end. I believe that the soul is eternal and had no beginning; it can have no end." Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, 33; punctuation corrected.
[30] Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, 359; punctuation corrected.
[31] Truman G. Madsen, The Highest in Us (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1978), 5–6.
[32] Dean C. Jessee, comp., Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002), 436.
[33] Joseph Smith, 512.
[34] Forace Green, comp., Cowley and Whitney on Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1963), 287.
[35] C. S. Lewis, Miracles (New York: Touchstone, 1996), 162.
[36] Rodney Turner, "The Visions of Moses," in Studies in Scripture, Volume 2: The Pearl of Great Price, ed. Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City: Randall Book, 1985), 45; emphasis added.
[37] Madsen, "The Latter-day Saint View of Human Nature," 104, 107; emphasis added.
[38] Joseph Smith, 40.
[39] Brigham Young, in Journal of Discourses, 13:312.
[40] Madsen, Eternal Man, 20.
[41] Neal A. Maxwell, "Meeting the Challenges of Today," 1978 BYU Devotional Speeches of the Year (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1979), 156.


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text:
Bills take season opener over the Jets, 21-12
The Bills offense goes off for 408 total yards to grab their first win of the season
September 10, 2017 - 12:38 pm
After another long offseason, the Buffalo Bills were back in game action on Sunday against the New York Jets at New Era Field.
With a chance to grab an early lead in the AFC East, the Bills took advantage of a Jets team that is expected to be one of the worst teams in the National Football League this season. The Bills offense combines for 408 yards and three touchdowns on the ground to beat the Jets, 21-12.
The Bills offense took the field first, and was able to get into the Jets' redzone early in the game. The drive was continued with a couple of nice plays from LeSean McCoy both in the air and on the ground. The drive was also highlighted by a couple of nice runs from Mike Tolbert.
However, the first drive would be soiled when Taylor threw a high pass intended for tight end Charles Clay at the goal-line. The pass tipped off the hands of Clay and into the arms of cornerback Juston Burris. Burris returned the ball 48-yards to the Jets' 42-yard line.
The Jets did not do anything with their first offense as they went three-and-out.
Both the Bills and Jets exchanged three-and-out drives before the end of the quarter, as the game remained scoreless heading into the second quarter.
On the first drive of the second quarter for the Bills, the offense moved the ball down the field once again to get themselves in scoring position. Once again, McCoy and Tolbert carry the Bills down the field with big first down plays to extend the drive.
The Bills get up the Jets' 1-yard line and put up their first points of the game with a touchdown reception from Charles Clay. The offense spread out on 3rd and goal and Taylor got the ball to Clay quick for the six points. Stephen Hauschka was successful on his extra-point attempt to put the Bills up 7-0.
The Jets respond by moving the ball down the field, getting themselves into Buffalo territory. McCown converted on a couple of third down plays to extend the drive, but was only able to get the Jets to the Bills' 30-yard line. New York ended up getting three points on the board from a 48-yard Chandler Catanzaro field goal.
Buffalo turned around on the next offensive drive and drove the ball down field and into Jets territory again. The Bills got as far as the Jets' 20-yard line, but a holding penalty backed up the Bills and put them in position for a 46-yard field goal.
However, Hauschka missed the field goal as the kick took a late hook to the left.
The Jets immediate take the ball back into Bills territory, but the Buffalo defense puts the pressure on McCown and forces a 52-yard field goal from Catanzaro.
The Bills had one more chance to get on the board before the end of the half, but the Bills drive stalls after a six-yard sack on second down and an incompletion on third down with time running out in the half.
Both teams headed into the locker room with the Bills continuing to hold the one-point advantage.
The half started with three straight three-and-out drives, two from the Jets and one from the Bills.
Buffalo's second drive of the half started with a 47-yard catch and run from new Bills wide receiver Jordan Matthews that got the Bills to the Jets' 17-yard line. Four plays later, the Bills are back in the endzone with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Taylor to Andre Holmes. Hauschka's extra-point gives the Bills an eight-point lead with 6:52 to play in the quarter.
The Jets answer with an eleven-play drive capped off by a 1-yard quarterback sneak by McCown on 4th down. The Jets attempted to tie the game with a two-point conversion, but McCown is picked off in the endzone by Ramon Humber.
The Bills take advantage of the missed opportunity by the Jets and drive the ball back down the field. McCoy continued to advance the ball with a couple of nice catches, along with a run to get the ball down to the 1-yard line. On the next play, Tolbert plowed his way into the endzone for his first touchdown as a Bill.
The concern after the touchdown was for McCoy, who came off the field in pain and being attended by trainers. After being evaluated in the injury tent on the sidelines for a wrist injury, McCoy was cleared and he returned to the bench.
During the next Jets drive, Bills cornerback E.J. Gaines went down with a shoulder injury. Gaines was evaluated by the trainers and did not return to the game.
McCoy returned to action on the next offensive drive, but the Bills ended up going three-and-out deep in their own end.
The Jets returned Colton Schmidt's punt into Bills territory, and were set up in good position to get back within two. Three plays later, the Jets turn the ball over for the first time as McCown throws an interception to safety Jordan Poyer at the Buffalo 22-yard line.
The Bills can't turn the turnover into any points as they go three-and-out again.
The Jets got the ball back with one more chance to put some points on the board under two minutes to play. However, McCown throws his second interception of the game on the first play from scrimmage to safety Micah Hyde.
The Bills kneeled down the clock to grab the 21-12 win and their first win of the 2017 season.
Check out the full box score and stats of the game below:
First Quarter:
0-0 TIE (9:02) - Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is picked off in the endzone by cornerback Juston Burris. Burris returns the interception 48-yards to the Jets' 42-yard line.
Second Quarter:
7-0 Bills (11:30) - Tyrod Taylor throws a quick pass on 3rd and goal to tight end Charles Clay for a 1-yard touchdown reception. Stephen Hauschka's extra-point is good.
Drive info: 13 plays, 77 yards, 5:31
7-3 Bills (6:39) - Jets kicker Chandler Catanzaro converts a 48-yard field goal attempt to get the Jets on the board.
Drive info: 9 plays, 45 yards, 4:52
7-3 Bills (4:03) - Bills kicker Stephen Hauschka misses a 46-yard field goal wide left.
7-6 Bills (1:49) - Catanzaro is successful on a 52-yard field goal attempt to cut the Bills' lead to one.
Third Quarter:
14-6 Bills (6:55) - Taylor finds wide receiver Andre Holmes for a 1-yard touchdown reception. Hauschka's extra-point is good.
14-12 Bills (2:06) - Jets quarterback Josh McCown sneaks the football into the endzone for a 1-yard touchdown on 4th down. New York's two-point conversion attempt is no good.
Fourth Quarter:
21-12 Bills (12:51) - Mike Tolbert punches the football into the endzone from 1-yard out. Hauschka's extra-point attempt is good.
21-12 Bills (6:44) - McCown's pass attempt to Robby Anderson is intercepted by safety Jordan Poyer at the Buffalo 22-yard line.
21-12 Bills (1:44) - McCown throws his second interception of the game with time running out to safety Micah Hyde. Hyde returned the ball 12-yards to the Jets' 47-yard line.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Buffalo Bills:
Tyrod Taylor: 16 for 28, 224 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
New York Jets:
Josh McCown: 26 for 39, 187 yards 2 INTs
LeSean McCoy: 22 carries, 110 yards
Mike Tolbert: 12 carries, 42 yards, 1 TD
Tyrod Taylor: 8 carries, 38 yards
Bilal Powell: 7 carries, 22 yards
Matt Forte: 6 carries, 16 yards
Josh McCown: 2 carries, 0 yards, 1 TD
Jordan Matthews: 2 receptions, 61 yards
Charles Clay: 4 receptions, 53 yards, 1 TD
LeSean McCoy: 5 receptions, 49 yards
Nick O'Leary: 1 reception, 22 yards
Zay Jones: 1 reception, 21 yards
Mike Tolbert: 1 reception, 12 yards
Patrick DiMarco: 1 reception, 5 yards
Andre Holmes: 1 reception, 1 yard, 1 TD
Jermaine Kearse: 7 receptions, 59 yards
Will Tye: 3 receptions, 34 yards
Eric Tomlinson: 2 receptions, 25 yards
Robby Anderson: 4 receptions, 22 yards
Matt Forte: 3 receptions, 20 yards
Bilal Powell: 5 receptions, 17 yards
ArDarius Stewart: 2 receptions, 10 yards
Tre'Davious White: 2 passes defended
Jordan Poyer: 1 sack, 1 INT, 2 passes defended
Micah Hyde: 1 INT, 1 pass defended
Shaq Lawson: 1 pass defended
Juston Burris: 1 INT
Darron Lee: 1 sack
Total Yards:
Bills: 408
Jets: 214
Passing Yards:
Rushing Yards:
Jets: 38
First Downs:
Bills: 23
Bills: 6 for 50 yards
Jets: 5 for 62 yards
Time of Possession:
Bills: 33:04
Jets: 26:56
Tyrod Taylor
LeSean McCoy


text:
← Poet and the Roots
Alsace/Germany Celebrating Common Ground with Newcomer Wines and Vine Trail (Part 2 – Germany) →
Alsace/Germany Celebrating Common Ground with Newcomer & Vine Trail (Part 1 – Alsace)
Newcomer Wines and Vine Trail came together on 15 April at Fare, on Old Street, London, to show five Alsace producers and five German producers from their respective ranges. I'm not sure that the common ground extended only to geography and grape varieties (to a degree). All of the producers here, without exception, show a commitment to excellence which comes through in the wines, which is common enough ground for me. With this tasting being jointly put on by two of my favourite merchants I was walking down Old Street in the unusually summery temperatures we had back before Easter with a particular spring in my step. The tasting lived up to expectations, despite the heat.
Of course, there are differences between these producers too. We have the philosophical demeanour of Rudolf Trossen, the big personality of Marc Tempé, the vibrant enthusiasm of young Hannes and Olympia at Weingut Roterfaden, and of course the extreme viticulture of Bruno Schloegel at Domaine Lissner. But at the end of the day, even tasting in a crowded room lit by a wall of sun-heated glass, the sheer joy and quality of all these wines came through loud and clear.
For your ease of reading I plan to split this into two parts. This first part covers the Alsace producers and the second will cover the German crew. There's no real reason for splitting it up this way aside from it being the order of the tasting booklet. In any case, if I'd confined this to one article you'd be getting towards 7,000 words, which is even over my acceptable limit.
I think trying to make too many comparisons between Alsace and the German regions covered would be pushing it a bit too far down the road of generalising. But I hope you enjoy reading about these wines as much as my enthusiasm will show that I enjoyed tasting them.
DOMAINE LISSNER, WOLXHEIM
Bruno Schloegel makes wine in that up-and-coming Alsace sub-region north of Mutzig and Molsheim, just west of Strasbourg. I say "makes wine", but maybe he'd prefer to suggest he gently encourages it to make itself. This Domaine is "Bio" in every sense, being focused on both biodynamics, and "biodiversity", and minimal intervention here includes no added sulphur at the ten hectare domaine, and nothing is pumped, nor otherwise mechanically manipulated. Bruno possibly practises the most extreme form of "leave alone" viticulture I know, the closest being in the methods of Jason Ligas (following the principles of Masanobu Fukuoka) on the slopes of Mount Piako in Northern Greece.
The vines at Domaine (they say "Maison") Lissner are allowed to grow "wild and free", meaning that there is no vineyard management in the way that most vine farmers would use the term. There is no cutting back of vegetation in the summer, and this includes no pruning (maybe a little shoot-repositioning). There is a "winter cut", but vine branches are left where they fall. An equilibrium has been established (it took about eleven years) which also produces an environment full of biodiversity, both of flora and fauna. Bruno says there are plentiful rabbits, deer, birds, lizards, and more than two hundred species of insects.
Dionysiuskapelle Sylvaner 2017 – Like all the Lissner wines, this undergoes a gentle pneumatic press. It's a very good value opener in a fresh style, with characteristic acidity which doesn't, however, go too far as it can with less expensive Sylvaners. It also has a nice mineral mouthfeel, which adds considerable interest.
Pinot Gris 2017 – There's a CO2 freshness to this Pinot Gris. Initially you are surprised by how beautifully lively it is, but its initial simplicity is countered by a smoky note which slowly creeps in. It comes off quite light soils. The finish is a hint of textured pear. Very nice.
Macération Pinot Gris 2017 – this goes a step beyond the classic ramato, or perhaps I should say oeil de perdrix, colour from the grape's pinkish hue (some might call it "onion skin"), but to me it's far more red than that (though the photo below does accentuate the colour). The texture here is ramped up, which initially obscures the variety a little, but it becomes more obvious as you swirl and sip. A lovely wine, the label (as with the Pinot Gris above) is from a manuscript at the Abbey of Mont Saint-Odile, up in the hills to the southwest. The abbey had vines in Wolxheim in the twelfth century.
Wolxheim Riesling 2017 – This Riesling was bottled early and kept in a cold cellar to preserve its natural CO2, which Bruno said was a key component in this village cuvée. The overall effect is perhaps to enhance the unusual degree of florality here, a floral beauty which reflects the uncut vineyard of vines and wild flowers on white chalk. It's a Riesling to drink at perhaps three to five years old.
Altenberg de Wolxheim Riesling Grand Cru 2017 is a very different kind of wine. It needs a minimum of a decade to mature. The bouquet is far more muted than the wine which follows, but on the palate it tastes so alive in its youth.
Altenberg de Wolxheim Riesling Grand Cru 2011 gives an idea what is coming. This is only seven or so years old, but its indescribably beautiful bouquet is quite astonishing. The palate is beginning to round out and it is softer than the 2017, now. Hoping not to sound pretentious, and certainly making this comment outside the boundaries of a bland qualitative assessment, the wine is unquestionably profound. Yep, give that 2017 time!
Bruno Schloegel is undoubtedly a deep thinker. For example, he can be critical of some natural winemaking. He sees the failings of the AOP system, yet he sees their boundaries as a positive, not a straightjacket. That makes him gently at odds with others pursuing a similar path. Yet to my mind, these wines (which I had never come across before) were some of the most truly interesting in the tasting. I would dearly love to visit Bruno and to see his vineyard. Bruno was happy to explain his methods at length, but as he rightly said, you need to stand in the vines to understand what he's trying to achieve.
A little Lissner fauna for you…
BERNARD & ARTHUR BOHN, REICHSFELD
Alsace is full of its well known villages and its Grand Crus, isn't it. Few people know Reichsfeld, but its steep slopes, up in the hills to the southwest of Andlau, were famous for their wines in the Middle Ages, when the vineyards here were owned by the Counts of Andlau. The Bohn family vines are all between 330-to-400 metres altitude, and you can tell. The wines that result have a genuine freshness, but then at the same time no sulphur is added at this domaine (since 2010), so none of the wines are dulled by SO2. I tasted four wines.
L'Indigène Sylvaner 2017 – is a maceration wine which sees three weeks on skins. There's a full texture and body not always associated with the variety, very much contrasting with the Lissner version. The firmness of the wine probably reflects the terroir, a mix of volcanic "redstones" and schist. The vines are seventy years old. Elevage is simple, in stainless steel with a little remontage. One to try with food.
Schieferberg Zéro Riesling/Pinot Gris 2016 – obviously off schist, skin maceration of the Pinot Gris gives the wine a pleasant pinkish tone. The aromatics are very interesting, with something like red fruits creeping in. It has great mouthfeel and mineral bite, more of the terroir than varietal flavours. The Schieferberg is arguably a unique (for Alsace) terroir of Pre-Cambrian shale/schist, with significant heat retention aiding ripeness. The name derives from the fact that this was Bernard's first zero sulphur cuvée. It is just beginning to show well, still needing time, but I hope the briskness of the acids remains.
Muenchberg Riesling Grand Cru 2017 – this Grand Cru lies between Nothalten and Itterswiller, the latter being the first place I stayed in Alsace very many years ago. The soils here are pink-red sandy volcanic, which are said to warm up quickly in the morning. The site is pretty well known because quite a few prominent producers have vines there, including two personal favourites, Ostertag and Julien Meyer. The Bohn wine has a nice structure, elegant and fine. The minerality isn't overplayed. The elegant bouquet of white flowers contrasts with a more exotic fruit palate.
Par Arthur Pinot Noir 2017 – Arthur looks very young, but he's a fully trained oenologist, and presumably (I didn't ask) this wine is his doing. I don't think many reading this will have failed to notice how Alsace Pinot Noir has catapulted from (mostly) mediocrity to majestic in little over a decade. Climate change has seen dramatic changes in Alsace. I think Alsace reds are most successful when they attempt to emphasise the grape variety's simpler side. It's possibly pointless trying to reproduce Burgundy when you can make something like this: pale, bright, and lovely, with red fruits and cherry ripely filling the mouth.
If anyone finds themselves driving through the hills above the main wine route and comes to Reichsfeld, the Bohm residence is not easy to miss, the big pale blue chalet. A great tasting will surely await.
Bernard in grey, Arthur behind, in blue
FLORIAN & MATHILDE BECK-HARTWEG, DAMBACH-LA-VILLE
This is another zero-sulphur producer, based at Dambach, around the middle of the Alsace vignoble, just north of Sélestat. Florian has been working full time at the estate since 2009 and took over from his father, Michel, when he retired in 2010. The domaine is small, just six hectares, including holdings within the town's Grand Cru, Frankstein.
We began here with a wine so lovely that I heard several people describe it as their wine of the day, and it certainly burnt a hole on Instagram, so many times did its photo appear that evening. Tout Naturellement Pétillant 2018 is an unusual blend of Pinot Noir and Muscat. It's cloudy (unfiltered, as with wines made from the méthode ancestrale), and is packed with exuberant red fruits, a tiny floral touch and a gentle fizz. It comes in at 12% abv, but tastes more like 8-10 degrees. Drink cool (and almost certainly swiftly).
Dambach-la-Ville Riesling 2016 is fairly simple stuff, but very good. It's off granite, and in its freshness there's real salinity, and energy too.
Granit 2017 blends Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from the same terroir. It's a juicy wine where none of the grape varieties seem to dominate the blend. Its another wine where you get pure terroir coming through, rather than varietal character. It's very textured, mineral and direct, with lime-fresh acidity. Certainly ageable.
Pinot Gris Gand Cru Frankstein 2016 – this is Dambach's special Grand Cru site, an arena of decomposed granite with high mica content with a south-to-southeast exposure, on the way to the Château de Bernstein. Pinot Gris here is quite plump and rich, with amplitude, but dry…it has good acids for a bigger style of Pinot Gris. There's a bit of florality, and even more smokiness, and it's surprisingly pure. But certainly a wine for food, quite rich food perhaps. As with almost all the Alsace Grand Cru wines, they are intended to age, so don't treat them like Nouveau.
Riesling Grand Cru Frankstein 2016 – if Frankstein is the heart of the Beck-Hartweg vineyard, this wine may be the core of the range. With the Pinot Gris from this site you do get a tiny bit of salinity. Here, with the Riesling, you notice it a lot. It gives the wine a nice edge. It's a Riesling of presence, a serious wine (not to suggest others are not serious). Again, you get the terroir…it has a granitic structure and a mouthfeel inescapably reminiscent of rocky texture. The bouquet of acacia flower and, unusually, fresh mint, rides above all this, for a wine of elegance and finesse, but which nevertheless requires cellaring.
DOMAINE MARC TEMPÉ, ZELLENBERG
Marc has a big personality and a strong following. He was surrounded several deep by young admirers and despite his wife, Anne-Marie, doing her level best to pour me samples at a long stretch, I was only able to taste three of his wines on this occasion. A shame.
Marc started his domaine at Zellenberg (between Riquewihr and Hunawihr) in 1993 after working for the INAO, first in the Lab, and then as part of the team delineating the Alsace Grand Cru sites. He immediately converted to biodynamics, and his attention to detail includes seeking out second hand oak from other biodynamic producers (such as Leflaive). Focus is 100% on quality at every stage. There's just something a little different about Marc Tempé's wines (I mean that very much as a compliment), and I think that despite the man's laissez-faire and laid back demeanour, it's that attention to the tiny details which help the wines stand out.
Zellenberg Pinot Blanc 2016 is in fact a blend of Pinot Blanc and its Pinot Auxerrois variant. It comes from the slopes around the village, a large handful of different plots with different exposures, perhaps a little over two hectares in total. The wine is made in large old oak. It has a lovely lift and hints of tropical fruit (maybe mango and honey to my palate), but it is grounded by a dry, mineral touch. I've said before how when in Alsace I'm gravitating more and more to drinking PB with lunch, and I'd snap this up if I saw it on a Weinstube's wine list.
Zellenberg Riesling 2016 is rich, with just the faintest hint of sweetness via the ripe Riesling fruit. This, again, is a result of the terroir. Marc's description of the terrain here is worth repeating (from his web site): "The vines that cluster around the calcareous sandstone nipple are planted on a clay-marl soil of lias, consisting of dark gray (sic) schistose marls with fine white limestone beds, as well as carbonate and ferruginous elements" (excuse my translation). Complex! Winemaking is by pneumatic press followed by 24 hours juice settling. Ageing is 24 months in foudre. A tiny bit of sulphur is added at bottling.
Grafenreben Riesling 2013 comes from a site in the direction of Ribeauvillé. There's a base of clay and sandy marl here, with sandy limestone up to a metre down, the soils being hard to work according to Marc. He has two Riesling plots here totalling just under three hectares, one plot planted in 1977 and the other in the 1950s. There's real depth here, a nice rounded wine with apricot and mango fruit flavours, but as with all of these Rieslings, that is set off against texture and zippy acidity (even at over five years old). Vinification differs to the Zellenberg Riesling cuvée in that this one sees a 36-hour débourbage, whilst élevage is in used barrique, on lees, for three years. Depending on vintage, a wine to peak in ten years minimum from release.
Losing my Tempé a little – a popular guy inundated with questions
MATTHIEU BOESCH, WESTHALTEN
This producer will be better known from the label as Domaine Léon Boesch. The domaine itself, with its new Cave built in 2010, really sits between Westhalten and Soultzmatt, looking up to the slopes of the steep Grand Cru, Zinnkoepflé. The microclimate here is special as it has the protection of Alsace's two great "Ballons" (Grand and Petit) which enhance the Vosges' already significant rain shadow effect. Matthieu farms 14.5 hectares of vines all in this locale.
La Cabane 2017 – is a Pinot Blanc (70% Auxerrois) which produced a fresh, floral scent, with stone fruit (white peach and apricot, plus pear) and stony texture on the palate. Fresh and tasty, this has a lively attack but finishes with a lick of creamy texture which I really like.
This might be a good place to comment on the 2017 vintage, from which many of the wines at this tasting came. Matthieu says it produced very precise wines here in the south of the region, with a good sized crop. Late frosts in early April struck many, but the valley here was well protected. There was little rain, but Marc believes that his biodynamic methods have enabled his vines to cope better with water stress.
Les Grandes Lignes 2016 is Riesling grown on a 1.7 ha chalky plot, mostly planted in the early 1980s, in the valley. It has a fresh simplicity to its bouquet, quite open with apricot and a little cinnamon spice. But I'd hesitate to call it a simple wine just because its so drinkable.
Luss 2017 is also Riesling, and is the Boesch wine I have drunk by far the most times. It comes off limestone terroir which shows in its mineral bite and brightness. In fact this gorgeous 2017 is so bright it's blinding. It's a tiny site, under half a hectare planted between 1974 and 1989, and I believe may be the furthest vines from the winery. Like all the wines here, élevage is in old wood. This has mainly citrus aromas now, but time will develop them whilst (in my experience) that freshness of the limestone will take years to tone down (thank goodness).
Breitenberg Riesling 2016 is a lieu-dit on the edge of the Zinnkoepflé Grand Cru, the furthest west in the Ohmbach Valley, with a southerly exposure. The soils are on sandstone, the top of the hill being close to the Vosges themselves, at 470 metres. The wine is totally different to Luss. The nose begins rounder and softer, but the palate is very big in flavour. Yellow fruits, still stony but not as bright as the former wine, and there's a hint of orange citrus there as well, not your usual lemon or lime. At 12.8% abv, that's also half a degree more than Luss.
Zinnkoepflé Gewürztraminer Grand Cru 2017 – Matthieu only grows this variety on the Grand Cru. He makes this dry version and the VT we ended with (below). This 2017 version is still ample and weighty, with an exotic floral bouquet, but despite the richness on the nose (stone fruit, citrus and deeper bass notes of caramelised sugar…just a hint…) there's a lightness and finesse, and the more you sniff, the more subtly complex it becomes. And it only comes in at 12.2% abv, which (I won't lie) is such a relief these days where Gewürztraminer is concerned.
Pinot Noir "Les Jardins" 2017 has warm, pale cherry fruit. It's a wine I'd serve a little chilled so it warms in the glass. It does have a bit of texture, but it's basically a wine that is quite "gluggy". It's one of the Alsace reds you can bank on for summer drinking, really nice, not complicated, but with just enough tannin to ground it.
Zinnkoepflé Gewürztraminer Vendanges Tardives Grand Cru 2015 – This hits 14% alcohol on the label (tech sheet says 13.4%), and contains 121.4 g/l of residual sugar, in reality somewhere between VT and SGN. Golden in colour, the nose is explosively rich in all manner of exotic fruits, but with a touch of spice running on top of everything. It's sweet, for sure, but not at all cloying. In fact, for the variety and for a VT, the freshness approaches "magnificent". The other point to note is that the alcohol doesn't really show, which proves it is well balanced. A stunning wine, though I confess to something of a crush on VT Gewürz, despite drinking it fairly rarely.
This is altogether a rather nice note on which to end Part 1 of this tasting. Matthieu Boesch's wines are fairly easy to find in many retailers (though the labels don't really stand out, do they), both in London and Paris. I don't think I've had a bottle I've failed to enjoy and they have always been a sure bet in restaurants, so it was nice to have a chance to try seven in one go. Part 2, on the five German producers at the tasting, will appear, I hope, during the early part of next week.
This entry was posted in Alsace, biodynamic wine, Natural Wine, Wine, Wine Agencies, Wine Merchants, Wine Tastings and tagged Altenberg de Wolxheim, Bernard & Arthur Bohn, Bohn Muenchberg Riesling, Bruno Schloegel, Celebrating Common Ground Tasting, Domaine Léon Boesch Westhalten, Domaine Lissner, Extreme Viticulture, Florian & Mathilde Beck-Hartweg, Frankstein Grand Cru, Marc Tempé Zellenberg, Matthieu Boesch, Newcomer Wines Tasting, Tout Naturellement Pétillant 2018, Vine Trail Tasting, Vineyard Biodiversity at Lissner, Zinnkoepflé Gewürztraminer. Bookmark the permalink.
1 Response to Alsace/Germany Celebrating Common Ground with Newcomer & Vine Trail (Part 1 – Alsace)
Mark Carrington says:
I've included the Boesch VT in an Alsace look-a-like tasting for later in the year. Seems I made a good choice.


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