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Lehi’S Dream And The Garden Of Eden, David Calabro

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

Lehi’s dream in 1 Nephi 8 and Nephi’s related vision in 1 Nephi 11–14 contain many features related to the biblical garden of Eden, including most prominently the tree of life. A close reading of the features of Lehi’s dream in light of the earliest Book of Mormon text shows further similarities to the biblical garden, suggesting that the setting of Lehi’s dream is actually the garden of Eden. But the differences are also informative. These include both substantive features absent from the biblical Eden and differences in the language used to describe the features. Many of the variant features …

The Council Of Fifty And Its Minutes: A Review, Stephen O. Smoot

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

The publication of the Council of Fifty minutes is a momentous occasion in modern studies of Mormon history. The minutes are invaluable in helping historians understand the last days of Joseph Smith and his project to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. They offer an important glimpse into the religious and political mindset of early Latterday Saint leaders and shed much light on events once obscured by lack of access to the minutes. The Joseph Smith Papers Project has outdone itself in its presentation of the minutes in the latest volume of the series. The minutes are essential …

“Their Anger Did Increase Against Me”: Nephi’S Autobiographical Permutation Of A Biblical Wordplay On The Name Joseph, Matthew L. Bowen

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

Nephi’s record on the small plates includes seven distinct scenes in which Nephi depicts the anger of his brethren against him. Each of these scenes includes language that recalls Genesis 37:5‒10, 20, the biblical scene in which Joseph’s brothers “hate him yet the more [wayyôsipû ʿôd] for his dreams and for his words” because they fear that he intends to “reign” and to “have dominion” or rule over them (Genesis 37:8). Later, they plot to kill him (Genesis 37:20). Two of these “anger” scenes culminate in Nephi’s brothers’ bowing down before him in the same way that Joseph’s brothers bowed …

Exploring Semitic And Egyptian In Uto-Aztecan Languages, John S. Robertson

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

Review of Brian D. Stubbs, Exploring the Explanatory Power of Semitic and Egyptian in Uto-Aztecan, Provo, UT: Grover Publications, 2015. 436 pp. $30.

Some thirty-plus years ago, toward the beginning of my career as professor of linguistics at BYU, a young Brian Stubbs knocked at my office door to make what was, in my opinion, a wild claim — that he had found a significant number of cognates1 that would link a New World language family (Uto-Aztecan) to an Old World language family (pre exilic Hebrew2 and later others).

On Doubting Nephi’S Break Between 1 And 2 Nephi: A Critique Of Joseph Spencer’S An Other Testament: On Typology, Noel B. Reynolds

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

In 2012 Joseph Spencer published an analysis of 1st and 2nd Nephi that interprets a phrase in 1 Nephi 19:5 as implying the true break in Nephi’s writings is not between the two scriptural books we now use but rather to be found at the end of 2 Nephi 5 and that the spiritual core (the “more sacred part”) of the small plates is in 2 Nephi chapters 6–30. In this essay I have mobilized several arguments from the canons of literary interpretation and basics of the Hebrew language to demonstrate that this starting point for Spencer’s interpretation of Nephi’s …

Apostate Religion In The Book Of Mormon, A. Keith Thompson

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

Nephite missionaries in the first century BC had significant difficulty preaching the gospel among Nephites and Lamanites who followed Zoramite and Nehorite teaching. Both of these groups built synagogues and other places of worship suggesting that some of their beliefs originated in Israelite practice, but both denied the coming or the necessity of a Messiah. T his article explores the nature of Zoramite and Nehorite beliefs, identifies how their beliefs and practices differed from orthodox Nephite teaching, and suggests that some of these religious differences are attributable to cultural and political differences that resonate in the present.

How Joseph Smith’S Grammar Differed From Book Of Mormon Grammar: Evidence From The 1832 History, Standford Carmack

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

Some of the grammar of Joseph Smith’s 1832 History is examined. T hree archaic, extra-biblical features that occur quite frequently in the Book of Mormon are not present in the history, even though there was ample opportunity for use. Relevant usage in the 1832 History is typical of modern English, in line with independent linguistic studies. This leads to the conclusion that Joseph’s grammar was not archaizing in these three types of morphosyntax which are prominent in the earliest text of the Book of Mormon. This corroborating evidence also indicates that English words were transmitted to Joseph throughout the dictation …

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.

Looking Deeper Into Joseph Smith’S First Vision: Imagery, Cognitive Neuroscience, And The Construction Of Memory, Robert A. Rees

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

Critics of Joseph Smith assert that he invented or imagined the First Vision and then deliberately altered the details in his subsequent f irst-person accounts of the event (also reflected in accounts recorded or related by others) to mislead his followers. That the details of the narrative changed so dramatically between the first version (1832) and the last authorized version (1842) is considered prima facie evidence that Joseph was deliberately inventing and embellishing his narrative to make it more credible. The only thing, say critics, that could possibly explain such divergent, and in some cases, radically different versions of the …

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.

A Lengthening Shadow Is Quality Of Thought Deteriorating In Lds Scholarly Discourse Regarding Prophets And Revelation? Part One, Duane Boyce

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

Many mistakes that occur in scholarly endeavors are understandable. The truth is often difficult to discover, and this makes errors inevitable and expected. And, of course, some mistakes are so insignificant that to complain of them would be mere pedantry. But this is not true of all errors. Some are both obvious and of such significance to their topics that they are egregious. With respect to the gospel, there is reason to be concerned that this is occurring to some degree on the topic of prophets and the Lord’s revelations to them. Erroneous claims and arguments are not difficult to …

Full Issue

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

No abstract provided.

“I Kneeled Down Before My Maker”: Allusions To Esau In The Book Of Enos, Matthew L. Bowen

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

The Book of Enos constitutes a brief literary masterpiece. A close reading of Enos’s autobiography reveals textual dependency not only on 1 Nephi 1:1-2 and Genesis 32–33, but also on earlier parts of the Jacob-Esau cycle in Genesis 25, 27. Enos’s autobiographical allusions to hunting and hungering serve as narrative inversions of Esau’s biography. The narrative of Genesis 27 exploits the name “Esau” in terms of the Hebrew verb ʿśh/ʿśy (“make,” “do”). Enos (“man”) himself incorporates paronomastic allusions to the name “Esau” in terms of ʿśh/ʿśy in surprising and subtle ways in order to illustrate his own transformation through the …

Should We Apologize For Apologetics?, Steven T. Densley Jr.

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

An analysis of the history, scope, and effectiveness of Mormon apologetics is long overdue. Unfortunately, Perspectives on Mormon T heology: Apologetics falls short of providing an in-depth analysis of the f ield and instead provides a very limited history, very little discussion of the scope of Mormon apologetics, and little discussion of the impact of Mormon apologists on Mormon thought. Furthermore, no attempt is made to discuss how apologetics has affected the arguments of critics of Mormonism. While a few articles do approach apologetics in a positive way, the work is largely critical of the activity of defending the Church …

Their Imperfect Best: Isaianic Authorship From An Lds Perspective, Daniel T. Ellsworth

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

For Latter-day Saints, the critical scholarly consensus that most of the book of Isaiah was not authored by Isaiah often presents a problem, particularly since many Isaiah passages in the Book of Mormon are assigned post-exilic dating by critical scholars. The critical position is based on an entirely different set of assumptions than most believers are accustomed to bring to scripture. This article surveys some of the reasons for the critical scholarly position, also providing an alternative set of assumptions that Latter-day Saints can use to understand the features of the text.

The Next Big Thing In Lds Apologetics: Strong Semitic And Egyptian Elements In Uto-Aztecan Languages, Jeff Lindsay

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

Following several articles and presentations over the past two decades on tantalizing finds linking Uto-Aztecan languages with Near Eastern languages, LDS linguist Brian Stubbs has recently published two significant works offering extensive details and documentation. The more comprehensive volume intended for scholars and serious students of language is Exploring the Explanatory Power of Semitic and Egyptian in Uto-Aztecan, a highly technical work providing 1,528 sets of cognates with intricate details linking Uto-Aztecan languages with two versions of Semitic and with Egyptian. This is followed by an analysis of puzzles in Uto-Aztecan explained by Egyptian and Semitic ties as well as …

Critical Discourse Analysis Of Student Responses To Teacher Feedback On Student Writing, Hee-Seung Kang, Julie Dykema

Journal of Response to Writing

This study explores student written responses to teacher feedback and analyzes these responses through the framework of critical discourse analysis (CDA). Drawing on CDA, we examined the structural, interactional, and interdiscursive features of 21 students’ paragraph-length comments on formative teacher feedback on their first assignment draft in a first-year composition class and investigated relations between the text, interaction, and context. The structural analysis indicates that the students’ comments demonstrate their emerging academic literacy skills. Our interactional analysis shows that most students took on an active role as a good student and a hardworking writer, but some students exerted their agency …

The Latter-Day Saint Reimagining Of "The Breath Of Life" (Genesis 2:7), Dana M. Pike

BYU Studies

The creation and flood accounts in Genesis in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament) contain variations on a phrase commonly translated “the breath of life.” This phrase additionally occurs in some uniquely Latter-day Saint materials relating to creation. After overviewing and analyzing this phrase and its meaning in the Bible, this paper then examines the occurrences of the phrase “the breath of life” in important early Latter-day Saint texts. The purpose of this study is to illustrate and explain how and why many Latter-day Saints have come to often employ the phrase “the breath of life,” transforming its traditional …

Pieces Of April: From The Life And Journal Of Lance Larsen, Lance Larsen, Casualene Meyer

BYU Studies

Lance Larsen, BYU professor of English, completed in May 2017 a five-year appointment as Utah’s poet laureate. BYU Studies is pleased to present a series of journal entries from Professor Larsen, preceded by a conversation between Larsen and BYU Studies poetry editor, Casualene Meyer.

The Experience Of Love And The Limitations Of Psychological Explanation, Brent D. Slife

BYU Studies

BYU Studies has a long history of publishing the annual lecture given by the recipient of the Karl G. Maeser Distinguished Faculty Lecturer Award, BYU’s highest faculty honor. It is with great pleasure that BYU Studies Quarterly publishes this year’s lecture by Dr. Brent D. Slife, a clinical psychologist and professor of psychology. His speech was delivered as a forum address on May 16, 2017, at Brigham Young University.

Joseph Smith Translating Genesis, Kent P. Jackson

BYU Studies

Joseph Smith’s revision of the Bible was one of his signature projects as founder and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (originally called the Church of Christ). He began it sometime in June 1830, just three months after the first copies of the Book of Mormon came out of the bindery of the Howard and Grandin Company in Palmyra, New York. The Bible project lasted three years, until July 1833, when he dictated the last pages and declared the work finished. The venture was formidable, eventually producing seven manuscripts totaling 446 pages. Two of those manuscripts …

"We Believe The Hand Of The Lord Is In It": Memories Of Divine Intervention In The Zion's Camp Expedition, Matthew C. Godfrey

BYU Studies

On February 23, 1834, Joseph Smith attended a high council meeting in Kirtland, Ohio, and heard Lyman Wight and Parley P. Pratt explain how over a thousand members of the Church of Christ—now The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—had been violently ejected from their homes in Jackson County, Missouri. The Saints had been forced to leave the county—which had been previously identified by revelation as Zion—by irate Missouri citizens who saw Church members and their beliefs as a political and ideological threat. Hearing this report, Smith arose from his seat and declared “that he was going to Zion …

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

“To Seek The Law Of The Lord” Essays In Honor Of John W. Welch, Paul Y. Hoskisson, Daniel C. Peterson, James R. Rasband, Stephen E. Robinson, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, James E. Faulconer, Kevin L. Barney, John Gee, Kent P. Jackson, Louis Midgley, Robert L. Millet, Steven L. Olsen, Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, Dana M. Pike, Noel B. Reynolds, Stephen D. Ricks, David R. Seely, Andrew C. Skinner, John A. Tvedtnes, Royal Skousen, Robert F. Smith, Richard E. Turley Jr., Stephen O. Smoot

Interpreter Foundation Books

John W. Welch is an LDS religion and law scholar who is credited with discovering the many instances of the ancient literary form of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, a realization he had as a young missionary in Germany. From his undergraduate work on chiasmus, to his 1979 founding of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), to his influential role in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism and the Joseph Smith Legal Papers, and to his almost 25+ year editorship of BYU Studies, Jack has been asking—and encouraging others to ask— hard questions faithfully. This Festschrift honors him …

“This Son Shall Comfort Us”: An Onomastic Tale Of Two Noahs, Matthew L. Bowen

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

From an etiological perspective, the Hebrew Bible connects the name Noah with two distinct but somewhat homonymous verbal roots: nwḥ (“rest”) and nḥm (“comfort,” “regret” [sometimes “repent”]). Significantly, the Enoch and Noah material in the revealed text of the Joseph Smith Translation of Genesis (especially Moses 7–8) also connects the name Noah in a positive sense to the earth’s “rest” and the Lord’s covenant with Enoch after the latter “refuse[d] to be comforted” regarding the imminent destruction of humanity in the flood. The Book of Mormon, on the other hand, connects the name Noah pejoratively to Hebrew nwḥ (“rest”) and …

The Divine Council In The Hebrew Bible And The Book Of Mormon, Stephen O. Smoot

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

The Book of Mormon purports to be a record that originates from the ancient Near East. The authors of the book claim an Israelite heritage, and throughout the pages of the text can be seen echoes of Israelite religious practice and ideology. An example of such can be seen in how the Book of Mormon depicts God’s divine council, a concept unmistakably found in the Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament). Recognizing the divine council in both the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Mormon may help us appreciate a more nuanced understanding of such theological terms as “monotheism” as …

Joseph Smith: Monogamist Or Polygamist?, Brian C. Hales

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

In the past decades much of the debate regarding Joseph Smith and plural marriage has focused on his motivation — whether libido or divine inspiration drove the process. Throughout these debates, a small group of observers and participants have maintained that Joseph did not practice polygamy at any time or that his polygamous sealings were nonsexual spiritual marriages. Rather than simply provide supportive evidence for Joseph Smith’s active involvement with plural marriage, this article examines the primary arguments advanced by monogamist proponents to show that important weaknesses exist in each line of reasoning.

Moldova: To Be Or Not To Be Establishing A National Identity Before And After Independence: 1989-1993, Brittney Grandy

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

This difference is all too clear in the former Soviet satellite of Moldova. In 1989, Moldova had a population of 4,335,360 (,21,eMOCKon Weekly 2013), with a variety of nationalities living within its borders that threatened to divide the state. Moldovans were the largest ethnic group, accounting for roughly 65 percent of the population. Ukrainians (13.8 percent), Russians (13 percent), Gaguaz (3.5 percent), and Romanians (0.06 percent) were just a few of the other ethnic minorities (,21,eMocxon Weekly 2013). While other former Soviet states dealt relatively effectively with a variety of ethnic minorities within their borders, this issue tore at the …

A Peculiar People: Split-Ticket Voting Among Latter-Day Saint Millennials, Sarah Curry, Cassidy Hansen

Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

For the first time in fifty years, Utah was a competitive state in the presidential election. Moreover, there was a viable third party candidate in Utah. Mid-October polling saw a three-way statistical tie between Republican Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton, and Independent Evan McMullin (Y2 Analytics 2016). Although voters in other states behaved in new or unexpected ways, 2016 was a particularly odd year for Utah voters. As demonstrated by their voting behavior, Utah's voting population is unique in two ways.

Transformations Of National Culture In Bron|Broen And The Bridge, Lynge Stegger Gemzøe

The Bridge

In the fifth episode of the American television show The Bridge (FX, 2013-14) a serial killer is on the loose on the US-Mexico border. “What the hell is a serial killer?,” a Mexican drug lord asks one of his employees. The employee explains to the drug lord that a serial killer commits murder out of desire and sometimes lust rather than need. The paradox that a murderous Mexican drug lord might not know what a serial killer is can be seen as a humorous introduction to the rough world of Mexican drug cartels. In their world, killing is a natural …