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Verbal Punctuation In The Book Of Mormon Iii—Behold, John Gee Jan 2025

Verbal Punctuation In The Book Of Mormon Iii—Behold, John Gee

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

As an ancient book, the Book of Mormon employed verbal punctuation rather than typographical punctuation. An example of this verbal punctuation is the word behold, which is used in the Book of Mormon to point things out, to highlight unexpected effects of situations, and to modify a previously expressed proposition. This corresponds to ancient Hebrew usage. Joseph Smith’s usage from the time the Book of Mormon was produced, however, differs in both its frequency and how it was used, even when Joseph Smith was consciously trying to imitate the Book of Mormon.


Perspectives On The Soteriological Problem Of Evil: Nuancing The “Universalist” Theologies Of Henri De Lubac And Joseph Smith, Timothy Gervais Jan 2025

Perspectives On The Soteriological Problem Of Evil: Nuancing The “Universalist” Theologies Of Henri De Lubac And Joseph Smith, Timothy Gervais

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Since the discovery of the new world by Christian European explorers during the age of discovery, the increasingly global community of the modern age has confronted Christian theologians with difficult soteriological questions. These questions have caused many Christian adherents to abandon conceptions of a uniquely Christian salvation in favor of theological positions of religious pluralism. Other Christian theologians have confronted these issues through creative inclusivist theological constructs that expand the offer of salvation to those who may not have professed Christianity in their mortal life. These inclusivist theologies are uniquely suited to address modern concerns about the salvation of non-believers …


A Closer Look At Transliterations In Divine Translations, Spencer Kraus Jan 2025

A Closer Look At Transliterations In Divine Translations, Spencer Kraus

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Book of Mormon contains many words left untranslated by Joseph Smith, such as cureloms, cumoms, senine, and ziff. While some might wonder why these words are left untranslated, a closer examination of the kinds of words that are simply transliterated as well as the frequency at which these phenomena occur provide evidence that Joseph Smith actually had an ancient record that he was translating into English. In this paper, I examine why some words have been transliterated in historical translations of the Bible or other ancient texts and compare these explanations to the Book of …


Looking Again At The Anthon Transcript(S), John S. Thompson Jan 2025

Looking Again At The Anthon Transcript(S), John S. Thompson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The official account of Martin Harris’s visit to Charles Anthon, canonized in the Pearl of Great Price, suggests that Anthon may have been shown more than one transcript by Harris. The differing responses of Anthon to each of these transcripts may shed light on the kinds of characters he was shown and provide additional perspectives that can help clarify a little more what is happening in the historical sources.


“Upon Thy Belly Shalt Thou Go”: The Garden Of Eden Serpent Symbology Based On The Concept Of Seraphim, Noel Hudson Jan 2025

“Upon Thy Belly Shalt Thou Go”: The Garden Of Eden Serpent Symbology Based On The Concept Of Seraphim, Noel Hudson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The concept of the serpentine seraphim from biblical iconography is discussed in the context of biblical serpent symbology. The association of the seraphim with Ancient Near Eastern kings, deities, and temples is noted. The concept of the seraphim as members of the Council of God is explored, and the possibility of the seraph as a symbol of Christ is discussed. These concepts are applied to the story of the snake in the Garden of Eden, and the additional explanatory power of the seraph symbol in connection with the snake is explored. Specific serpentine attributes are discussed in the context of …


“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson Jan 2025

“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In the book of Ether, the prophet Moroni “Christianizes” the Jaredite story, inserting extensive Christian elements into an original text that predates the house of Israel, the Nephite nation, and the Christian era. In this paper, a typological and intertextual method is used to show how Moroni uses the words of Christ in Ether 3 and 4 to exhort his Gentile readers to embrace the Nephite record when it is manifest to them that they might receive even greater things (divine truths). Specifically, Moroni uses the brief account of the brother of Jared atop Mount Shelem to illustrate how Gentiles …


Front Matter Jan 2025

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.


Review: Latter-Day Saint Art: A Critical Reader Edited By Amanda K. Beardsley And Mason Kamana Allred Oxford University Press, 2024, Maddie Blonquist Jan 2025

Review: Latter-Day Saint Art: A Critical Reader Edited By Amanda K. Beardsley And Mason Kamana Allred Oxford University Press, 2024, Maddie Blonquist

BYU Studies

The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts’ impressive new volume, Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader (Oxford University Press, 2024), makes an ambitious and long-awaited contribution to the fields of religious studies, art history, visual and material culture, and cultural theory. This edited collection is both intellectually and physically substantial, with over 600 pages, nearly 250 reproductions, and twenty-two authors from a myriad of disciplines. Scholars of history, art, film, and media studies share space with artists, museum directors, filmmakers, curators, theologians, and journalists who span the spectrum in their relationship to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The …


Religious Reenactment As A Framework For The Camp Of Israel, Thomas Kendall Buchmiller Jan 2025

Religious Reenactment As A Framework For The Camp Of Israel, Thomas Kendall Buchmiller

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

During the early days of the Restoration, many Saints saw themselves in the stories of the Old Testament. They felt a kinship with God’s ancient people and believed God would deliver them just as he did his ancient saints. As a result, they used those Old Testament stories as models for how to conduct themselves and how to react to their circumstances. We see this principle of narrative reenactment specifically in the events of the Camp of Israel. Though from the outside the Saints were seen as antagonistic and fanatical, they saw themselves as replicating the events of Joshua and …


Joseph Smith Jr. As A Translator: The Book Of Abraham As A Case Study, Stephen O. Smoot Jan 2025

Joseph Smith Jr. As A Translator: The Book Of Abraham As A Case Study, Stephen O. Smoot

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

This paper examines Joseph Smith’s approach to translation, using the Book of Abraham as a case study to explore the interplay between divine revelation and human participation in scriptural production. While the Book of Abraham incorporates both ancient and modern elements, its unique synthesis resists simple categorization as either an unblemished Abrahamic autograph or a purely nineteenth-century pseudepigraphon. Drawing on historical evidence and textual analysis, this paper aims to illuminate Joseph Smith’s role as both translator and revelator, offering insights into how Latter-day Saints might understand the complex process of producing sacred texts.


Full Issue Jan 2025

Full Issue

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

No abstract provided.


Interview With Byu–Hawaii President John Kauwe Iii, Fred E. Woods Jan 2025

Interview With Byu–Hawaii President John Kauwe Iii, Fred E. Woods

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This interview with President Kauwe traces Kauwe’s path from his time as a student at BYU to his appointment as the eleventh president of BYU–Hawaii. Kauwe shares insights into his Hawaiian heritage, academic and professional accomplishments, and his aspirations for the university. He underscores the vital role of faculty inbuilding students’ confidence, the distinct intercultural setting of BYU–Hawaii, and the centrality of the gospel in education. Reflecting on the rapid progression of his career, Kauwe also speaks about the importance of following divine guidance in our lives. The interview captures his dedication to promoting intercultural harmony and his deep testimony …


Full Issue Jan 2025

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.


Front Matter Jan 2025

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.


“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat Jan 2025

“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat

BYU Studies

This case marks the first time Joseph Smith invoked his legal rights to safeguard work connected with his prophetic calling from abuse or exploitation. The case arose from Abner Cole’s1 January 1830 efforts to publish Book of Mormon excerpts in his newspaper The Reflector, which he printed on the same Palmyra, New York, press that the Book of Mormon was being printed on. The case was evidently settled in Joseph Smith’s favor through arbitration, an out-of- court option for adjudication that New York law considered legally binding.2


This Branch Of The Church The Early Development Of Local Administration In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Part 2, The Church In Flux, 1846–1851, Brandon Plewe Jan 2025

This Branch Of The Church The Early Development Of Local Administration In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Part 2, The Church In Flux, 1846–1851, Brandon Plewe

BYU Studies

A primary concern of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the spiritual and physical welfare of its members, and local congregations have always been the primary mechanism for that ministry. However, the structure and leadership of local administrative organizations has changed significantly over the history of the Church, most significantly under its first two presidents, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. During these years, the terms and structures that are familiar to us—wards, presidents, bishops, stakes, and so on—emerged, but so did many practices that did not survive the 1877 Priesthood Reorganization.


The Ever-Present Nature Of Christ In The Title Of Jehovah, Dan Belnap Jan 2025

The Ever-Present Nature Of Christ In The Title Of Jehovah, Dan Belnap

Faculty Publications

In January 2000 the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bore testimony to the world of the reality, humanity, and divinity of Jesus Christ in a document titled “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles.” Among its many truths was the following: “He [Christ] was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament.”1 Though this was not the first time Church leadership had declared Christ to be Jehovah, the pronouncement does reemphasize this teaching. It also emphasizes the centrality of Christ in the Old Testament. In fact, the …


Designing For Relational Ethics In Online And Blended Learning: Levinas, Buber, And Teaching Interfaith Ethics, Michael Hubbard Mackay, Jason K. Mcdonald, Andrew C. Reed Jan 2025

Designing For Relational Ethics In Online And Blended Learning: Levinas, Buber, And Teaching Interfaith Ethics, Michael Hubbard Mackay, Jason K. Mcdonald, Andrew C. Reed

Faculty Publications

Online and blended learning (OBL) overemphasize the process of creating artifacts, producing strategies, or otherwise utilizing a “making” orientation in education. As an alternative to this making-orientation, we offer a model for relational course design founded in the philosophies of Emmanuel Levinas and Martin Buber. We examine an OBL course design focused on interfaith leadership and ethics that lends itself to the need for relational pedagogy. The focus on asymmetrical and symmetrical relationships that separate Levinas and Buber’s philosophies enable rich ways of designing relational pedagogies and for resisting the making orientation. By focusing on human relationships, we demonstrate design …


I Have Learned For Myself Teaching The First Vision To The Rising Generation, Jess Jones Jan 2025

I Have Learned For Myself Teaching The First Vision To The Rising Generation, Jess Jones

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Latter-day Saint youth learning about Joseph Smith’s First Vision can draw inspiration and courage from his example to “ask of God,” as James directs, and seek heavenly wisdom. But Joseph’s faith did not end with that singular experience in the grove—world-changing though it was. Instead, here lied on scripture, personal sacred memories, and family relationships to build the spiritual resilience that sustained him throughout his life. Those who leave the Church may draw on narrative arcs from their abandoned religious past, finding parallels in Joseph’s feelings of confusion, discontent, discord, and uncertainty about the truth. Therefore, teachers must emphasize that …


Full Issue Jan 2025

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.


The Chosen: Insights For Latter-Day Saints, John Hilton Iii, Julie Hollenbaugh Jan 2025

The Chosen: Insights For Latter-Day Saints, John Hilton Iii, Julie Hollenbaugh

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article explores the impact of the television series The Chosen through the lens of Latter-day Saint theology, education, and interfaith connection. Highlighting its unprecedented global reach, the article examines how the series can deepen viewers’ understanding of Jesus Christ. It recounts the miraculous circumstances through which The Chosen gained access to the Church’s Jerusalem set in Goshen, Utah, and underscores the production’s ecumenical spirit, involving Evangelical, Catholic, and Latter-day Saint collaborators. The article further outline show The Chosen can strengthen interfaith dialogue and be used in gospel classrooms and homes as a tool for spiritual growth.


Nurturing Religious Education Using Artificial Intelligence, Matt Gardner Jan 2025

Nurturing Religious Education Using Artificial Intelligence, Matt Gardner

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This essay focuses on helping teachers, parents, and students understand and become familiar with artificial intelligence (AI)—specifically, its capabilities and how it will affect our homes and classrooms. In doing so, teachers, parents, students, and children will learn to use certain gospel-approved principles to most successfully use and operate these new technologies to bless the lives of God’s children.


Full Issue Jan 2025

Full Issue

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.


Visions Of Salvation: What The Visions Of Joseph Smith Reveal To Us About How To Inherit Heaven, Mark A. Mathews Jan 2025

Visions Of Salvation: What The Visions Of Joseph Smith Reveal To Us About How To Inherit Heaven, Mark A. Mathews

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

As the Prophet Joseph Smith sought answers to profound questions concerning salvation and the afterlife, he received instruction through a series of visions. This article explores Joseph Smith’s evolving understanding of salvation as revealed through key visions, including the First Vision, encounters with angelic beings, and revelations on the kingdoms of glory and salvation for the dead. These visions unfolded a comprehensive doctrine of salvation rooted in faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. They also expanded the concept of salvation to include kingdoms of glory and salvation for the dead, making a degree …


This Branch Of The Church The Early Development Of Local Administration In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Part 1, The Emergent Church, 1830–1845, Brandon Plewe Jan 2025

This Branch Of The Church The Early Development Of Local Administration In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Part 1, The Emergent Church, 1830–1845, Brandon Plewe

BYU Studies

It is easy for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to read the Doctrine and Covenants, or most basic histories of the Church, and assume that the Church has always operated like it operates today, if a bit simpler. By the mid-1830s, most significant local and general offices and titles of Church leadership that we recognize today were in place, and it is possible to interpret historical texts through a modern understanding. Occasional inconsistencies can be easily dismissed as the vagaries of frontier language.


What Are We To Make Of The Gold Plates?, Richard Lyman Bushman Jan 2025

What Are We To Make Of The Gold Plates?, Richard Lyman Bushman

BYU Studies

During the winter of 2020–2021, I worked on the manuscript that was eventually published as Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates: A Cultural History (Oxford University Press, 2023). The book was an attempt to describe the many ways the plates had been imagined from the time they were first described as a “Golden Bible” in the June 1829 Wayne Sentinel1 down to the Sunday School and missionary lessons today. I marveled at the enduring interest in the plates over time, not only among Latter-day Saints but also among other American writers. In my lifetime, the plates had appeared in the Book of …


Full Issue Jan 2025

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.


Mosiah 18:21 And Prophetic Help With The Messiness Of Unity, Nicholas W. Gentile Jan 2025

Mosiah 18:21 And Prophetic Help With The Messiness Of Unity, Nicholas W. Gentile

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

This article explores Latter-day Saint Apostles’ teachings in general conferences from April 2020 through October 2023 about how to achieve unity within the increasing diversity of the global Church. It asserts that diverse disciples can experience the joy of unity by focusing on (1) Jesus Christ, (2) their shared identity as children of God, (3) the two great commandments, and (4)becoming one in spiritual purpose.


Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer Jan 2025

Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Joseph Smith’s use of a seer stone and hat in producing the Book of Mormon has been a point of confusion, dismay, and even embarrassment among some believers. These feelings may reflect a lack of understanding of the functions of these objects in enabling Joseph to receive divine revelation. As the term was used in the Bible and commonly used in Joseph Smith’s day, a seer was a “seer” of visions. Accordingly, a seer stone was a stone used for seeing visions. Joseph was reported to have used seer stones to receive the translation of the Book of Mormon in …


Spiritual Implications Of The Timing Of The Death Of Jesus Christ, C. Thomas Black Jan 2025

Spiritual Implications Of The Timing Of The Death Of Jesus Christ, C. Thomas Black

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Centuries-long speculation continues regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of the Savior. Whether he died sooner than would have been expected, as some scholars believe, or lived longer than expected, statements from the scriptures and modern-day prophets indicate that the Lord died at the exact moment of his choice. According to the Gospels and historical accounts, that moment coincided with the sacrifice of the later of the two daily tamid sacrifices. The tamid had been instituted by Jehovah and symbolized the future atoning sacrifice of the Savior. Each of the other offerings throughout the sacrificial day between the two tamid …