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Reading 1 Nephi With Wisdom, Taylor Halverson
Reading 1 Nephi With Wisdom, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Nephi is the prototypical wise son of the Wisdom tradition. As Proverbs advocates that a wise man cherishes the word of God, so Nephi cherishes the words of the wise. Nephi’s record begins with a declaration of his upbringing in the Wisdom tradition and his authenticity and reliability as a wise son and scribe (1 Nephi 1:1–3). His is a record of the learning of the Jews — a record of wisdom. If the Wisdom tradition is a foundation for Nephi’s scribal capabilities and outlook, perhaps the principles and literary skills represented by the scribal Wisdom tradition constitute the “learning …
Nephi’S Use Of Inverted Parallels, Dennis Newton
Nephi’S Use Of Inverted Parallels, Dennis Newton
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Did Nephi intentionally use chiasmus in his writings? An analysis of fifteen multi-level chiasm candidates in Nephi’s writings demonstrates a high statistical probability (99%+) that the poetic form was used intentionally by Nephi but only during two specific writing periods. This finding is buttressed by further analysis, which reveals a clear and unexpected literary pattern for which Nephi seems to have reserved his usage of chiasmus. The nature of obedience is a major theme in Nephi’s writings, and he regularly employed chiasms to explore the topic early in his writings. After a period during which he discontinued use of the …
Turning To The Lord With The Whole Heart: The Doctrine Of Repentance In The Bible And The Book Of Mormon, Loren Spendlove, Tina Spendlove
Turning To The Lord With The Whole Heart: The Doctrine Of Repentance In The Bible And The Book Of Mormon, Loren Spendlove, Tina Spendlove
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Repentance is considered one of the foundational principles of the gospel. As demonstrated in this article, there is a harmony in how repentance is portrayed in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Book of Mormon. In all three books the principle of repentance is shown to be a two-part process of turning away from sin and returning to the Lord through good works. Just as faith has been called “active belief,” repentance could be called “active remorse,” and must be accompanied by good works to be effective in our lives. The goal and end result of sincere repentance is a …
Reading 1 Peter Intertextually With Select Passages From The Old Testament, Taylor Halverson
Reading 1 Peter Intertextually With Select Passages From The Old Testament, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Literary studies, especially intertextual approaches, are relevant for exploring how scriptures are constructed and interpreted. Reading 1 Peter intertextually reveals the thoughtful way that Peter selected suitable, relevant, and applicable Old Testament scripture to encourage faithfulness for his audience. Peter draws from Isaiah 40 in 1 Peter 1:24-25 to preach comfort; Isaiah 40 is one of the hallmark Old Testament chapters focused on comfort. 1 Peter 2:2-3 quotes from Psalm 34 which is a hymn dedicated to the salvation that God’s servants experience when they faithfully turn to Him during times of distress and persecution. And when 1 Peter 1:16 …
The Scalp Of Your Head: Polysemy In Alma 44:14–18, Matthew L. Bowen
The Scalp Of Your Head: Polysemy In Alma 44:14–18, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The fear that Moroni’s soldier’s speech (Alma 44:14) aroused in the Lamanite soldiers and the intensity of Zerahemnah’s subsequently redoubled anger are best explained by the polysemy (i.e., multiple meanings within a lexeme’s range of meaning) of a single word translated “chief ” in Alma 44:14 and “heads” in Alma 44:18. As editor of a sacred history, Mormon was interested in showing the fulfilment of prophecy when such fulfilment occurred. Mormon’s description of the Lamanites “fall[ing] exceedingly fast” because of the exposure of the Lamanites’ “bare heads” to the Nephites’ swords and their being “smitten” in Alma 44:18 — just …
The Return Of Rhetorical Analysis To Bible Studies, Noel B. Reynolds
The Return Of Rhetorical Analysis To Bible Studies, Noel B. Reynolds
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
There is now a growing consensus that the eighth and seventh centuries produced a distinctive Hebrew rhetoric that enabled writers, even down into New Testament times, to use both words and structures to communicate with readers in ways that have been largely invisible to modern Western interpreters. In this essay, the efforts of two leaders of this movement in Biblical studies to explain and defend their respective versions of this developing approach are reviewed.
“Arise From The Dust”: Insights From Dust-Related Themes In The Book Of Mormon Part 2: Enthronement, Resurrection, And Other Ancient Motifs From The “Voice From The Dust”, 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. Further examination of this connection points to the significance of the theme of “dust” in Lehi’s words and the surrounding passages from Nephi and Jacob, where it can involve motifs of covenant keeping, resurrection, and enthronement. Recognizing the usage of dust-related themes in the Book of Mormon can enhance our understanding of the …
“He Is A Good Man”: The Fulfillment Of Helaman 5:6-7 In Helaman 8:7 And 11:18-19, Matthew L. Bowen
“He Is A Good Man”: The Fulfillment Of Helaman 5:6-7 In Helaman 8:7 And 11:18-19, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Mormon, as an author and editor, was concerned to show the fulfillment of earlier Nephite prophecy when such fulfillment occurred. Mormon took care to show that Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, fulfilled their father’s prophetic and paranetic expectations regarding them as enshrined in their given names — the names of their “first parents.” It had been “said and also written” (Helaman 5:6-7) that Nephi’s and Lehi’s namesakes were “good” in 1 Nephi 1:1. Using onomastic play on the meaning of “Nephi,” Mormon demonstrates in Helaman 8:7 that it also came to be said and written of Nephi the …
Not Leaving And Going On To Perfection, Matthew L. Bowen
Not Leaving And Going On To Perfection, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In his most recent book, First Principles and Ordinances: The Fourth Article of Faith in Light of the Temple (hereafter First Principles), Samuel M. Brown observes that “the Plan of Salvation [is] fundamentally about relationships.”1 This recognition drove the prophet Joseph Smith and early Church members to “forge communities [of saints] that could endure beyond the veil of death” (151). Today, the importance of the temple and its ordinances to family relationships, eternal in their design, are clear to most Latter-day Saints. However, our collective view of the meaning of the principles and ordinances that precede the temple — and …
A Redemptive Reading Of Mark 5:25-34, Julie M. Smith
A Redemptive Reading Of Mark 5:25-34, Julie M. Smith
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In what is surely one of the saddest tales in the Bible, Jephthah vows that if granted success in battle, he will sacrifice the first person to cross the threshold of his home upon his return. Tragically, it is his only child, a daughter, who hurries out to meet him (Judges 11:29-34). New Testament scholar Mary Ann Beavis shows that this harrowing text has many similarities to the story of Jairus and his daughter in the Gospel of Mark (5:21-24 and 35-43).1 Mark’s story, however, has a joyous outcome: Jairus intercedes for his daughter, and Jesus raises her from the …
Psalm 82 In Contemporary Latter-Day Saint Tradition, Daniel O. Mcclellan
Psalm 82 In Contemporary Latter-Day Saint Tradition, Daniel O. Mcclellan
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The nature and function of Psalm 82 has long been a subject of debate within biblical scholarship.1 The text is rather brief and has no real significant textual instabilities,2 but it stands out within the Hebrew Bible as a text particularly steeped in mythological imagery. Precritical exegetes understood the gods of the narrative to be human judges, but subsequent textual discoveries and concomitant lexicographical advances, combined with more critical methodologies, have largely undermined that reading.3 A divine assembly setting has become widely accepted since the middle of the twentieth century,4 and more contemporary scholarship focuses on the psalm’s possible distinction …
Place Of Crushing: The Literary Function Of Heshlon In Ether 13:25-31, Matthew L. Bowen, Pedro Olavarria
Place Of Crushing: The Literary Function Of Heshlon In Ether 13:25-31, Matthew L. Bowen, Pedro Olavarria
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The name Heshlon, attested once (in Ether 13:28), as a toponym in the Book of Mormon most plausibly denotes “place of crushing.” The meaning of Heshlon thus becomes very significant in the context of Ether 13:25–31, which describes the crushing or enfeebling of Coriantumr’s armies and royal power. This meaning is also significant in the wider context of Moroni’s narrative of the Jaredites’ destruction. Fittingly, the name Heshlon itself serves as a literary turning point in a chiastic structure which describes the fateful reversal of Coriantumr’s individual fortunes and the worsening of the Jaredites’ collective fortunes. Perhaps Moroni, who witnessed …
Father Is A Man: The Remarkable Mention Of The Name Abish In Alma 19:16 And Its Narrative Context, Matthew L. Bowen
Father Is A Man: The Remarkable Mention Of The Name Abish In Alma 19:16 And Its Narrative Context, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The mention of “Abish” and a “remarkable vision of her father” (Alma 19:16) is itself remarkable, since women and servants are rarely named in the Book of Mormon text. As a Hebrew/Lehite name, “Abish” suggests the meaning “Father is a man,” the midrashic components ʾab- (“father”) and ʾîš (“man”) being phonologically evident. Thus, the immediate juxtaposition of the name “Abish” with the terms “her father” and “women” raises the possibility of wordplay on her name in the underlying text. Since ʾab-names were frequently theophoric — i.e., they had reference to a divine Father (or could be so understood) — the …
Eye Of The Beholder, Law Of The Harvest: Observations On The Inevitable Consequences Of The Different Investigative Approaches Of Jeremy Runnells And Jeff Lindsay, Kevin Christensen
Eye Of The Beholder, Law Of The Harvest: Observations On The Inevitable Consequences Of The Different Investigative Approaches Of Jeremy Runnells And Jeff Lindsay, Kevin Christensen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In his Letter to a CES Director, Jeremy Runnells explains how a year of obsessive investigation brought about the loss of his testimony. In an LDS FAQ, LDS blogger Jeff Lindsay deals with all of the same questions, and has done so at least twenty years and has not only an intact testimony, but boundless enthusiasm. What makes the difference? In the parable of the Sower, Jesus explained that the same seeds (words) can generate completely different harvests, ranging from nothing to a hundredfold increase, all depending on the different soil and nurture. This essay looks at how different expectations …
The Case For The Documentary Hypothesis, Historical Criticism, And The Latter-Day Saints, Colby J. Townsend
The Case For The Documentary Hypothesis, Historical Criticism, And The Latter-Day Saints, Colby J. Townsend
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Bokovoy’s new volume substantiates the claim that faithful Latter-day Saint students of Holy Scripture can apply the knowledge and methods gained through academic studies to the Bible.
The Inevitability Of Epistemology In Historiography: Theory, History, And Zombie Mormon History, Alan Goff
The Inevitability Of Epistemology In Historiography: Theory, History, And Zombie Mormon History, Alan Goff
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Fundamental changes have occurred in the historical profession over the past thirty years. The central revolutionary change is that workers in the historical profession can no longer ignore theory and philosophy of history. A built-in resistance to theory causes historians to abjure philosophical analysis of their discipline at a time when such analysis is recognized to be indispensable. If one doesn’t have an explicit theory, one will appropriate one uncritically, without the felt need to articulate and defend the theory. The dominant theory in history over the past century has been positivism, a conception of disciplinary work that ruled history …
Reading The Scriptures Geographically: Some Tools And Insights, Taylor Halverson
Reading The Scriptures Geographically: Some Tools And Insights, Taylor Halverson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The purpose of this article is to provide several examples of how meaning, understanding, and interpretation of scriptures may be enhanced when scriptures are read in their geographical context. Many scholarly articles seek exclusively to break new ground in meaning and meaning-making, to essentially produce new knowledge. This article hopes to break new ground both in terms of new knowledge (insights) as well as in the pragmatics of giving readers additional tools and opportunities for exploring the scriptures in fresh ways. In particular, this article will also highlight several free geographical tools that can improve one’s learning with the scriptures, …
Founded Upon A Rock: Doctrinal And Temple Implications Of Peter’S Surnaming, Matthew L. Bowen
Founded Upon A Rock: Doctrinal And Temple Implications Of Peter’S Surnaming, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The famous Petros/petra wordplay in Matthew 16:18 does not constitute Jesus’s identification of Peter as the “rock” upon which his church would be built. This wordplay does however identify him with that “rock” or “bedrock” inasmuch as Peter, a small “seer-stone,” had the potential to become like the Savior himself, “the Rock of ages.” One aspect of that “rock” is the revelation that comes through faith that Jesus is the Christ. Other aspects of that same rock are the other principles and ordinances of the gospel, including temple ordinances. The temple, a symbol of the Savior and his body, is …
A Note On Chiasmus In Abraham 3:22-23, Julie M. Smith
A Note On Chiasmus In Abraham 3:22-23, Julie M. Smith
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Chiasmus, or inverted parallelism, is well-known to most students of Mormon studies;1 this note explores one instance of it in Abraham 3:22-23:
“What Thank They The Jews”? (2 Nephi 29:4): A Note On The Name “Judah” And Antisemitism, Matthew L. Bowen
“What Thank They The Jews”? (2 Nephi 29:4): A Note On The Name “Judah” And Antisemitism, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The Hebrew Bible explains the meaning of the personal and tribal name “Judah”—from which the term “Jews” derives—in terms of “praising” or “thanking” (*ydy/ ydh). In other words, the “Jews” are those who are to be “praised out of a feeling of gratitude.” This has important implications for the Lord’s words to Nephi regarding Gentile ingratitude and antisemitism: “And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them?” (2 Nephi 29:4). Gentile Christian antisemitism, like the concomitant doctrine of supersessionism, can be traced (in part) to widespread misunderstanding and misapplication of Paul’s words regarding Jews and …
Sorting Out The Sources In Scripture, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
Sorting Out The Sources In Scripture, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
To date, LDS scholars have largely ignored the important but rather complex questions about how primary sources may have been authored and combined to form the Bible as we have it today. David Bokovoy’s book, one of a projected series of volumes on the authorship of the Old Testament, is intended to rectify this deficiency, bringing the results of scholarship in Higher Criticism into greater visibility within the LDS community. Though readers may not agree in every respect with the book’s analysis and results, particularly with its characterization of the Books of Moses and Abraham as “inspired pseudepigrapha,” Bokovoy has …
Can A Man See God? 1 Timothy 6:16 In Light Of Ancient And Modern Revelation, James Stutz
Can A Man See God? 1 Timothy 6:16 In Light Of Ancient And Modern Revelation, James Stutz
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Joseph Smith’s First Vision is a favorite target of critics of the LDS Church. Evangelical critics in particular, such as Matt Slick of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, seek to discredit the First Vision on biblical grounds. This article explores biblical theophanies and argues that Joseph’s vision fits squarely with the experience of ancient prophets, especially those who are given the rare blessing of piercing the veil of light and glory within which God dwells, the Hebrew kabod.
“And There Wrestled A Man With Him” (Genesis 32:24): Enos’S Adaptations Of The Onomastic Wordplay Of Genesis, Matthew L. Bowen
“And There Wrestled A Man With Him” (Genesis 32:24): Enos’S Adaptations Of The Onomastic Wordplay Of Genesis, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In this brief note, I will suggest several instances in which the Book of Mormon prophet Enos utilizes wordplay on his own name, the name of his father “Jacob,” the place name “Peniel,” and Jacob’s new name “Israel” in order to connect his experiences to those of his ancestor Jacob in Genesis 32-33, thus infusing them with greater meaning. Familiarity with Jacob and Esau’s conciliatory “embrace” in Genesis 33 is essential to understanding how Enos views the atonement of Christ and the ultimate realization of its blessings in his life.
Vindicating Josiah, William J. Hamblin
Vindicating Josiah, William J. Hamblin
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Margaret Barker has written a number of fascinating books on ancient Israelite and Christian temple theology. One of her main arguments is that the temple reforms of Josiah corrupted the pristine original Israelite temple theology. Josiah’s reforms were therefore, in some sense, an apostasy. According to Barker, early Christianity is based on the pristine, original pre- Josiah form of temple theology. This paper argues that Josiah’s reforms were a necessary correction to contemporary corruption of the Israelite temple rituals and theologies, and that the type of temple apostasy Barker describes is more likely associated with the Hasmoneans.