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Was The Denarius A Daily Wage? A Note On The Parable Of The Two Debtors In Luke 7:40–43, Taylor Halverson
Was The Denarius A Daily Wage? A Note On The Parable Of The Two Debtors In Luke 7:40–43, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
This note provides a brief overview of Roman economic history and currency in order to throw light on the value and significance of the two debts illustratively used by Jesus in his parable to Simon the Pharisee. Though we cannot with accuracy make the claim that a Roman denarius was always the daily wage, we can determine that the debtors of Jesus’s parable owed something on the order of a year’s worth of wages and ten years’ worth of wages.
Discipleship Of Yesterday For Today, Matt Gardner
Discipleship Of Yesterday For Today, Matt Gardner
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
What does the Gospel of John say about discipleship? Does early Christian discipleship matter today? Can coming unto Christ be different for each person? Eric Huntsman offers answers to these questions through his excellent scholarly background in Greek, which lends to crisp exegetic interpretations on the fourth gospel. Even more, Huntsman provides valuable hermeneutic applications for a growing diversified membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Indeed, this book delivers a better understanding of how each child of God uniquely comes to know Jesus Christ.
Was Adam A Monotheist? A Reflection On Why We Call Abraham Father And Not Adam, Taylor Halverson
Was Adam A Monotheist? A Reflection On Why We Call Abraham Father And Not Adam, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The three great monotheistic religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) all claim Abraham as father and prototypical monotheist. Though Adam is the putative first father in all of these traditions, he is seldom remembered in Judeo-Christian scriptural, apocryphal, or pseudepigraphic texts as an exemplary monotheist. This essay briefly reviews why Abraham retains the lofty title “Father of Monotheism” while exploring how Latter-day restoration scripture adds to and challenges this ancient tradition vis-à-vis enhanced understanding of Adam’s covenantal and monotheistic fidelity to God.
Messengers Of The Covenant: Mormon’S Doctrinal Use Of Malachi 3:1 In Moroni 7:29–32, Matthew L. Bowen
Messengers Of The Covenant: Mormon’S Doctrinal Use Of Malachi 3:1 In Moroni 7:29–32, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Although not evident at first glance, shared terminology and phraseology in Malachi 3:1 (3 Nephi 24:1) and Moroni 7:29–32 suggest textual dependency of the latter on the former. Jesus’s dictation of Malachi 3–4 to the Lamanites and Nephites at the temple in Bountiful, as recorded and preserved on the plates of Nephi, helped provide Mormon a partial scriptural and doctrinal basis for his teachings on the ministering of angels, angels/messengers of the covenant, the “work” of “the covenants of the Father,” and “prepar[ing] the way” in his sermon as preserved in Moroni 7. This article explores the implications of Mormon’s …
Shazer: An Etymological Proposal In Narrative Context, Matthew L. Bowen
Shazer: An Etymological Proposal In Narrative Context, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In 1 Nephi 16:13–14, Nephi mentions the name Shazer as a toponym the Lehite clan bestowed on a site in western Arabia “four days” journey south-southeast of the valley of Laman. The Lehites used this site as a base camp for a major hunting expedition. A footnote to the first mention of the name Shazer in the 1981 and 2013 Latter-day Saint editions of the Book of Mormon has virtually enshrined “twisting, intertwining” as the presumed meaning of this toponym. However, the structure of Nephi’s text in 1 Nephi 16:12–13 suggests that the name Shazer serves as the bracketing for …
Light And Perspective: Essays From The Mormon Theology Seminar On 1 Nephi 1 And Jacob 7, Kevin Christensen
Light And Perspective: Essays From The Mormon Theology Seminar On 1 Nephi 1 And Jacob 7, Kevin Christensen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The Mormon Theology Seminar has produced two volumes of essays exploring 1 Nephi 1 on Lehi’s initial visions, and Jacob 7 on the encounter with Sherem. These essays provide valuable insights from a range of perspectives and raise questions for further discussion both of issues raised and regarding different paradigms in which scholars operate that readers must navigate.
“And They Shall Be Had Again”: Onomastic Allusions To Joseph In Moses 1:41 In View Of The So-Called Canon Formula, Matthew L. Bowen
“And They Shall Be Had Again”: Onomastic Allusions To Joseph In Moses 1:41 In View Of The So-Called Canon Formula, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Moses 1:41 echoes or plays on the etymological meaning of the name Joseph — “may he [Yahweh] add,” as the Lord foretells to Moses the raising up of a future figure through whom the Lord’s words, after having been “taken” (away) from the book that Moses would write, “shall be had again among the children of men.” Moses 1:41 anticipates and employs language reminiscent of the so-called biblical canon formulas, possible additions to biblical texts meant to ensure the texts’ stability by warning against “adding” or “diminishing” (i.e., “taking away”) from them (e.g., Deuteronomy 4:2; 5:22 [MT 5:18]; 12:32 [MT …
What’S In A Name? Playing In The Onomastic Sandbox, Kevin L. Barney
What’S In A Name? Playing In The Onomastic Sandbox, Kevin L. Barney
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Name as Key-Word brings together a collection of essays, many of them previously published, whose consistent theme is exploring examples of onomastic wordplay or puns in Mormon scripture in general and the Book of Mormon in particular. Without a knowledge of the meaning of these names, the punning in the scriptural accounts would not be recognized by modern English readers. Exploring the (probable) meanings of these names helps to open our eyes to how the scriptural authors used punning and other forms of wordplay to convey their messages in a memorable way.
The Status Of Women In Old Testament Marriage, Noel B. Reynolds
The Status Of Women In Old Testament Marriage, Noel B. Reynolds
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In his book Marriage as a Covenant, author Gordon Paul Hugenberger begins with the late 20th century Bible-studies insight that in Israel, covenants were devices used to make binding on unrelated persons the same obligations blood relatives owed to each other. So by covenant, marriage partners became one bone and flesh. This thorough study of the Hebrew Bible and related literatures argues that the view of marriage as a covenant in Malachi 2:10‒16 echoes the first marriage in Genesis 2 and is consistent with the other passages in the Bible that have often been mistakenly interpreted to promote a patriarchalist …
“Swearing By Their Everlasting Maker”: Some Notes On Paanchi And Giddianhi, Matthew L. Bowen
“Swearing By Their Everlasting Maker”: Some Notes On Paanchi And Giddianhi, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
This brief article explores Paanchi and Giddianhi as names evidencing the Egyptian onomastic element –anchi/anhi/ʿnḫ(i) and the potential literary significance of these two names in the context of Mormon’s narrative detailing the formation of the oath-bound secret combinations sworn with oath-formulae upon one’s “life” (cf. Egyptian ʿnḫ, “life”; “live”; “swear an oath [by one’s life]”). It also explores the implications for Mormon’s telling of Nephite history during his own time.
Why Did Northern Israel Fall To The Assyrians? A Weberian Proposal, Taylor Halverson
Why Did Northern Israel Fall To The Assyrians? A Weberian Proposal, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
This article is centered on possible causes for the fall of Israel and, secondarily, Judah. The topic is not new. The very destruction of these ancient kingdoms may be the cause for the production of much of the Biblical literature that drives our interpretive enterprise. My proposal is that Max Weber’s socio political theories of power and domination, sometimes called the tripartite classification of authority, may provide a fruitful lens by which to understand some of the reasons Judah persisted for more than a century after the fall of Israel. Specifically, I wish to investigate whether the lack of routinization …
“They Shall No More Be Confounded”: Moroni’S Wordplay On Joseph In Ether 13:1-13 And Moroni 10:31, Matthew L. Bowen
“They Shall No More Be Confounded”: Moroni’S Wordplay On Joseph In Ether 13:1-13 And Moroni 10:31, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In two related prophecies, Moroni employs an apparent wordplay on the name Joseph in terms of the Hebrew idiom (lōʾ) yôsîp … ʿôd (+ verbal component), as preserved in the phrases “they shall no more be confounded” (Ether 13:8) and “that thou mayest no more be confounded” (Moroni 10:31). That phraseology enjoyed a long currency within Nephite prophecy (e.g., 1 Nephi 14:2, 15:20), ultimately having its source in Isaiah’s prophecies regarding Jerusalem/Zion (see, for example, Isaiah 51:22; 52:1– 2; 54:2–4). Ether and Moroni’s prophecy in Ether 13 that the Old Jerusalem and the New Jerusalem would “no more be confounded” …
Isaiah 56, Abraham, And The Temple, Taylor Halverson
Isaiah 56, Abraham, And The Temple, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In the days of the first Israelite temple, only certain individuals were allowed into the temple and sacrificial services; foreigners and eunuchs were excluded. However, in Isaiah 56:1–8, formerly excluded individuals are invited into the presence of God at the temple. This paper will explore how metaphorically connecting Isaiah’s words with Abraham, the eponymous father of the covenant faithful, may demonstrate that even the most unlikely candidates for the presence of God are like Abraham; they too will inherit the ancient covenants according to their faithfulness.
“Possess The Land In Peace”: Zeniff’S Ironic Wordplay On Shilom, Matthew L. Bowen
“Possess The Land In Peace”: Zeniff’S Ironic Wordplay On Shilom, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The toponym Shilom likely derives from the Semitic/Hebrew root š-l-m, whence also the similar-sounding word šālôm, “peace,” derives. The first mention of the toponym Shilom in Zeniff’s record — an older account than the surrounding material and an autobiography — occurs in Mosiah 9:6 in parallel with Zeniff’s mention of his intention to “possess the land in peace” (Mosiah 9:5). The language and text structure of Mosiah 9:5‒6 thus suggest a deliberate wordplay on Shilom in terms of šālôm. Zeniff uses the name Shilom as a point of irony throughout his brief royal record to emphasize a tenuous and often …
A Modern Translation Of Genesis 1–11 In The Traditional Sense, Dominic Kent
A Modern Translation Of Genesis 1–11 In The Traditional Sense, Dominic Kent
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Samuel L. Bray and John F. Hobbins have recently released a new translation of Genesis chapters one to eleven. The highlight of the work is their extensive notes that provide insight into not just their translation process, but on the process of Bible translation as a whole. The book offers a great deal to interest Bible readers, scholars, and translators.
“Their Anger Did Increase Against Me”: Nephi’S Autobiographical Permutation Of A Biblical Wordplay On The Name Joseph, Matthew L. Bowen
“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 …
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Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
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“I Kneeled Down Before My Maker”: Allusions To Esau In The Book Of Enos, Matthew L. Bowen
“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 …
Their Imperfect Best: Isaianic Authorship From An Lds Perspective, Daniel T. Ellsworth
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.
Deuteronomy 17:14–20 As Criteria For Book Of Mormon Kingship, Taylor Halverson
Deuteronomy 17:14–20 As Criteria For Book Of Mormon Kingship, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Deuteronomy 17:14–20 represents the most succinct summation in the Bible of criteria for kingship. Remarkably, the Book of Mormon narrative depicts examples of kingship that demonstrate close fidelity to the pattern set forth in Deuteronomy 17 (e.g., Nephi, Benjamin, or Mosiah II) or the inversion of the expected pattern of kingship (e.g., king Noah). Future research on Book of Mormon kingship through the lens of Deuteronomy 17:14–20 should prove fruitful.
Janus Parallelism In The Book Of Job: A Review Of Scott B. Noegel’S Work, Jeff Lindsay
Janus Parallelism In The Book Of Job: A Review Of Scott B. Noegel’S Work, Jeff Lindsay
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Janus parallelism is a recently discovered tool evident in ancient Hebrew poetry. Like the two-faced Roman god Janus, Janus parallelism employs a Hebrew word with two meanings that faces two ways. One meaning of the word relates to the preceding text while the other meaning of the word relates to the following text. Examples of such wordplays have been found in many parts of the Old Testament, though the Book of Job appears to be especially rich in these sophisticated puns.1 A valuable tool for exploring the richness of Janus parallelism is Scott B. Noegel’s detailed work, Janus Parallelism in …
Meeting Zoram, Collin Charles Russell
Meeting Zoram, Collin Charles Russell
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Zoram, the servant of Laban, is a character from the Book of Mormon who is only mentioned a few times and on whom little information is given. This article analyzes what information is given in the Book of Mormon and contextualizes its historical background, all coupled with the observations of Latter-day Saint Church leaders and scholars. Insight is provided concerning Zoram’s Hebraic descent in the tribe of Manasseh and his working duties under Laban’s command, along with how all this affected his role in assisting Lehi’s family. The meaning of his name in Hebrew and possible correlations to the meaning …
Jacob’S Protector, Matthew L. Bowen
Jacob’S Protector, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The name Jacob (yaʿăqōb) means “may he [i.e., God] protect,” or “he has protected.” As a hypocoristic masculine volitive verbal form,1 it is a kind of blessing upon, or prayer on behalf of the one so named that he will receive divine protection and safety (cf. Deuteronomy 33:28). Textual evidence from Nephi’s writings suggests that his brother Jacob’s protection was a primary concern of their parents, Lehi and Sariah. Lehi saw Nephi as the specific means of divine protection for Jacob, his “first born in the wilderness.” Moreover, the term “protector” is used twice in LDS scripture, in both instances …
“He Did Go About Secretly”: Additional Thoughts On The Literary Use Of Alma’S Name, Matthew L. Bowen
“He Did Go About Secretly”: Additional Thoughts On The Literary Use Of Alma’S Name, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Mormon describes Alma the Younger’s “go[ing] about secretly” to destroy the church that his father, Alma the Elder, had established (Mosiah 27:8–10), this as a narratalogical inversion of that period when Alma the Elder “went about privately” teaching the words of Abinadi and establishing a church “that it might not come to the knowledge of the king” (Mosiah 18:1–6). In Mosiah 27:10, Mormon subtly reworks Alma the Younger’s autobiographical statement preserved in Alma 36:6, adding in the former passage a word rendered “secretly” to create a midrashic or interpretive pun on the name Alma, echoing the meaning of the Semitic …
“Arise From The Dust”: Insights From Dust-Related Themes In The Book Of Mormon Part 1: Tracks From The Book Of Moses, Jeff Lindsay
“Arise From The Dust”: Insights From Dust-Related Themes In The Book Of Mormon Part 1: Tracks From The Book Of Moses, Jeff Lindsay
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In light of Noel Reynolds’ hypothesis that some material in the Book of Moses may have been present on the brass plates that Nephi used, one may wonder if Nephi or other authors might also have drawn upon the use of chains in the Book of Moses, particularly Satan’s “great chain [that] veiled … the earth with darkness” (Moses 7:26) and the “chains of darkness” (Moses 7:57). Though the phrase “chains of darkness” is not used in the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 1:23, quoting Lehi, combines chains and obscurity, where obscurity can have the meaning of darkness. In fact, …
Onomastic Wordplay On Joseph And Benjamin And Gezera Shawa In The Book Of Mormon, Matthew L. Bowen
Onomastic Wordplay On Joseph And Benjamin And Gezera Shawa In The Book Of Mormon, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The Book of Mormon contains several quotations from the Hebrew Bible that have been juxtaposed on the basis of shared words or phrases, this for the purpose of interpreting the cited scriptural passages in light of one another. This exegetical technique — one that Jesus himself used — came to be known in later rabbinic times as Gezera Shawa (“equal statute”). In several additional instances, the use of Gezera Shawa converges with onomastic wordplay. Nephi uses a Gezera Shawa involving Isaiah 11:11 and Isaiah 29:14 twice on the basis of the yāsap verb‑forms yôsîp/yôsīp (2 Nephi 25:17 and quoting the …
Alma — Young Man, Hidden Prophet, Matthew L. Bowen
Alma — Young Man, Hidden Prophet, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The biographical introduction of Alma the Elder into the Book of Mormon narrative (Mosiah 17:2) also introduces the name Alma into the text for the first time, this in close juxtaposition with a description of Alma as a “young man.” The best explanation for the name Alma is that it derives from the Semitic term ǵlm (Hebrew ʿelem), “young man,” “youth,” “lad.” This suggests the strong probability of an intentional wordplay on the name Alma in the Book of Mormon’s underlying text: Alma became “[God’s] young man” or “servant.” Additional lexical connections between Mosiah 17:2 and Mosiah 14:1 (quoting Isaiah …
You More Than Owe Me This Benefit: Onomastic Rhetoric In Philemon, Matthew L. Bowen
You More Than Owe Me This Benefit: Onomastic Rhetoric In Philemon, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Wordplay and punning involving the names Philemon (Φιλήμων, “affectionate one”) and Onesimus (Ὀνήσιμος, “useful”) and their meanings, with concomitant paronomasia involving the name-title Χριστός (Christos) and various homonymic terms, constitutes a key element in Paul’s polite, diplomatic, and carefully-worded letter to Philemon, the Christian owner of a converted slave named Onesimus. Paul artfully uses Philemon’s own name to play on the latter’s affections and to remind him that despite whatever Onesimus may owe (ὀφείλει, opheilei) Philemon, Philemon more than owes (προσοφείλεις, prosopheileis) his very self — i.e., his life as a Christian and thus his eternal wellbeing — to Paul. …
Nephi’S Good Inclusio, Matthew L. Bowen
Nephi’S Good Inclusio, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
As John Gee noted two decades ago, Nephi is best explained as a form of the Egyptian word nfr, which by Lehi’s time was pronounced neh-fee, nay-fee, or nou-fee. Since this word means “good,” “goodly,” “fine,” or “fair,” I subsequently posited several possible examples of wordplay on the name Nephi in the Book of Mormon, including Nephi’s own autobiographical introduction (1 Nephi 1:1: “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents … having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God”). It should be further pointed out, however, that Nephi also concludes his personal writings on …
“They Were Moved With Compassion” (Alma 27:4; 53:13): Toponymic Wordplay On Zarahemla And Jershon, Matthew L. Bowen
“They Were Moved With Compassion” (Alma 27:4; 53:13): Toponymic Wordplay On Zarahemla And Jershon, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
As in Hebrew biblical narrative, wordplay on (or play on the meaning of) toponyms, or “place names,” is a discernable feature of Book of Mormon narrative. The text repeatedly juxtaposes the toponym Jershon (“place of inheritance” or “place of possession”) with terms inherit, inheritance, possess, possession, etc. Similarly, the Mulekite personal name Zarahemla (“seed of compassion,” “seed of pity”), which becomes the paramount Nephite toponym as their national capital after the time of Mosiah I, is juxtaposed with the term compassion. Both wordplays occur and recur at crucial points in Nephite/Lamanite history. Moreover, both occur in connection with the migration …