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Articles 5371 - 5400 of 25965

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Demythicizing The Lamanites’ “Skin Of Blackness”, Gerrit M. Steenblik Jan 2021

Demythicizing The Lamanites’ “Skin Of Blackness”, Gerrit M. Steenblik

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

Racial bias is antithetical to the Book of Mormon’s cardinal purpose: to proclaim the infinite grandeur of the atonement of Jesus Christ. The book teaches that the Lord welcomes and redeems the entire human family, “black and white, bond and free” — people of all hues from ebony to ivory. Critical thinkers have struggled to reconcile this leitmotif with the book’s mention of a “skin of blackness” that was “set upon” some of Lehi’s descendants. Earlier apologetics for that “mark” have been rooted in Old World texts and traditions. However, within the last twenty years, Mesoamerican archaeologists, anthropologists, and ethnohistorians …

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The Crown Of Creation, David Rolph, Jo Ann H. Seely Jan 2021

The Crown Of Creation, David Rolph, Jo Ann H. Seely

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

The Seelys discuss the well-known concept of the universe as a temple, and link the creation story to the temple drama. They explore how God, in creating the universe, had the same roles the temple drama gives to Adam and Eve as archetypes of each man and woman (that of king, priest, and artisan), and how man, by participating in the temple drama, is raised to be the image of God, thus becoming the real crown of creation, participating in God’s creation by procreation.

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“Wherefore, For This Cause”: The Book Of Mormon As Anti-Type Of The Brass Serpent, Scott Stenson Jan 2021

“Wherefore, For This Cause”: The Book Of Mormon As Anti-Type Of The Brass Serpent, Scott Stenson

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

Nephi1 represents the sacred record that becomes the Book of Mormon as a new brass serpent to heal the nations. Nephi’s typological project is reasonable given that he self-identifies with Moses, his family’s scriptures and compass are made of brass, and he consistently describes reading as an act of seeing, looking, or believing. Nephi understands from Isaiah that the book he (Nephi) prepares — and that he has so much to say about — will become an ensign, or sign, that will be lifted up and heal the nations that have stumbled in blindness. Nephi’s project emerges most fully in …

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Nibley’S Early Education, Zina Nibley Petersen Jan 2021

Nibley’S Early Education, Zina Nibley Petersen

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

In this intimate glimpse of Hugh Nibley’s childhood, written by his daughter Zina, we read of what it was like for Hugh to grow up as a gifted child with Victorian parents and, in turn, what it was like for Zina and her siblings to grow up as a child in the home of Hugh and Phyllis. These poignant, never-before-told stories reveal why, in Zina’s words, “Hugh’s uniqueness lay as much in his inabilities as in his abilities, as much in what he refused to learn as what he refused to allow to remain unexamined.” And though it was obvious …

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“Strong Like Unto Moses”: The Case For Ancient Roots In The Book Of Moses Based On Book Of Mormon Usage Of Related Content Apparently From The Brass Plates, Jeff Lindsay, Noel B. Reynolds Jan 2021

“Strong Like Unto Moses”: The Case For Ancient Roots In The Book Of Moses Based On Book Of Mormon Usage Of Related Content Apparently From The Brass Plates, Jeff Lindsay, Noel B. Reynolds

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

Over 30 years ago, Noel Reynolds compared matching non- Biblical phrases in the Book of Moses and Book of Mormon. Based on this analysis, Reynolds proposed a possible connection between the Book of Moses and hypothetical material on the brass plates that may have influenced some Book of Mormon authors. Reynolds’s work, “The Brass Plates Version of Genesis,” provided potentially plausible explanations for additional relationships between the Book of Moses and Book of Mormon that arose in two later Jeff Lindsay studies: one on the Book of Mormon account of Lehi1’s trail and another on the Book of Mormon’s intriguing …

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Abraham’S Amen And Believing In Christ: Possible Applications In The Book Of Mormon Text, Loren Spendlove Jan 2021

Abraham’S Amen And Believing In Christ: Possible Applications In The Book Of Mormon Text, Loren Spendlove

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

Following the discovery of delocutive verbs and their likely usage in the Hebrew Bible, Meredith Kline proposed that the verb האמין (he’emin) in Genesis 15:6 — traditionally interpreted as a denominative verb meaning “he believed” — should be understood as a delocutive verb meaning “he declared ‘amen.’” Rather than reading Genesis 15:6 as a passive statement — Abraham believed in Yahweh — Kline argued that we should interpret this verse in the active sense, that Abraham vocally declared his amen in Yahweh’s covenantal promise. In this light, I have analyzed various passages in the Book of Mormon that utilize similar …

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Edfu And Exodus, John Gee Jan 2021

Edfu And Exodus, John Gee

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

In this essay John Gee draws a connection between the Egyptian “Book of the Temple” and the book of Exodus, both in structure and topic, describing the temple from the inside out. Gee concludes that both probably go back to a common source older than either of them.

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If God Does Not Exist, Is Everything Permitted?, Daniel C. Peterson Jan 2021

If God Does Not Exist, Is Everything Permitted?, Daniel C. Peterson

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

Can people be good without believing in God? Obviously, yes. They can. Is atheistic naturalism capable of supplying a foundation for morality? That is a separate question, to which more than a few theists have answered No. However, a relatively new book by a very prominent student of religion and society suggests otherwise. A rational morality can, it argues, be founded upon atheistic naturalism — but it will necessarily be a modest and quite limited one, lacking universal scope and without a belief in human rights as objective “moral facts.”

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Global Mormonism In Political Context, Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp Jan 2021

Global Mormonism In Political Context, Laurie F. Maffly-Kipp

Mormon Studies Review

In 1976 Ezra Taft Benson, a long-standing member of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
delivered a fireside address at Brigham Young University in Utah. Benson,
born in Whitney, Idaho, and raised as a farmer in the heart of
Mormon country, represented the conservative wing of his religious
community. He had also spent much of his life working for the LDS
Church and traveling throughout the world, so he had a keen understanding
of the challenges of spreading his religious message in international
contexts. His talk that evening was unequivocal: America …

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Reflection On A Metamorphosis, Cosenza Hendrickson Jan 2021

Reflection On A Metamorphosis, Cosenza Hendrickson

Inscape

No abstract provided.

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Variety And Complexity In The Witnesses To The Book Of Mormon, Daniel C. Peterson Jan 2021

Variety And Complexity In The Witnesses To The Book Of Mormon, Daniel C. Peterson

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

This paper examines the testimonies of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon— not only the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses, but many others who experienced and testified of the reality of the Book of Mormon plates. Together, these testimonies offer impressive support for the claims of Joseph Smith regarding the Book of Mormon and, thus, the Restoration. The variety and complexity of their collective testimony makes finding a single, alternative, non-divine explanation for the witness experiences challenging, indeed.

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That Which You Have Translated, Which You Have Retained, Clifford P. Jones Jan 2021

That Which You Have Translated, Which You Have Retained, Clifford P. Jones

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

I propose that our current Words of Mormon in the Book of Mormon was originally a second chapter of the book of Mosiah following an initial chapter that was part of the lost 116 pages. When Joseph Smith gave the first 116 pages to Martin Harris, he may have retained a segment of the original manuscript that contained our Words of Mormon, consistent with the Lord’s reference “that which you have translated, which you have retained” (D&C 10:41). A comprehensive review of contextual information indicates that the chapter we call Words of Mormon may actually be the first part of …

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The Ark And The Tent: Temple Symbolism In The Story Of Noah, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw Jan 2021

The Ark And The Tent: Temple Symbolism In The Story Of Noah, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

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

Jeffrey M. Bradshaw compares Moses’ tabernacle and Noah’s ark, and then identifies the story of Noah as a temple related drama, drawing of temple mysticism and symbols. After examining structural similarities between ark and tabernacle and bringing into the discussion further information about the Mesopotamian flood story, he shows how Noah’s ark is a beginning of a new creation, pointing out the central point of Day One in the Noah story. When Noah leaves the ark, they find themselves in a garden, not unlike the Garden of Eden in the way the Bible speaks about it. A covenant is established …

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The Past And Future Of The Temple Lot In Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, R. Jean Addams Jan 2021

The Past And Future Of The Temple Lot In Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, R. Jean Addams

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

Fifteen months after the Church of Christ’s inception in April 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation indicating that Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, was to be the “center-place” of Zion and a “spot for a temple is lying westward, upon a lot that is not far from the court-house.” Dedication of this spot for the millennial temple soon followed on August 3, 1831, by Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. A building sketch was prepared in Kirtland, Ohio, and sent to church leaders in Independence in June 1833. Smith also forwarded his plat for the City of Zion, showing 24 temples at …

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Understanding Covenants Anew: Using Ancient Thought To Enrich Modern Faith, Jeffrey Thayne Jan 2021

Understanding Covenants Anew: Using Ancient Thought To Enrich Modern Faith, Jeffrey Thayne

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

In the first half of her book, Lane takes us on a tour of ancient worlds by introducing us to ancient words, such as bĕrît (covenant), gā’al (redemption), pānîm (presence of the Lord), and so forth, while deftly weaving linguistic and historical insights with personal narratives that ground these insights in the practical affairs of day-to-day living. In the second half of the book, Lane takes us on a tour of medieval art and images, centering on how art has been used to portray the Savior and His mission. Throughout the entire book, Lane centers the attention of the reader …

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The Word Of The Lord As A Metonym For Christ, Loren Spendlove Jan 2021

The Word Of The Lord As A Metonym For Christ, Loren Spendlove

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

The word of the Lord and the word of God are common expressions in the Bible. Frequently, these phrases refer to the written or spoken covenantal words of God to his people as given through the prophets. However, exegetical study of these expressions has revealed that they also serve as metonyms, or substitutions for the name of God himself. In this paper I explore these metonymous usages of the Word of the Lord and the Word of God as stand-ins for Christ in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon.

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Christmas And A Condescending God, Daniel C. Peterson Jan 2021

Christmas And A Condescending God, Daniel C. Peterson

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

As religious holidays go, Christmas has been domesticated unusually well — and effectively commercialized — among people and even whole cultures that don’t accept (or even care about) the central theological claim that Christmas asserts. After all, who doesn’t like cute little babies, at least when they’re not crying? But that theological claim is stunning. Radical. It’s radical in the strictest sense of that word, because it goes down deep, to the very root (Latin radix). Beyond the pleasant and comfortable sentimentality of favorite holiday foods, scenes of carolers in snowy villages, and warm family gatherings, Christmas dramatically distinguishes Christianity …

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Midnight Drive, Cosenza Hendrickson Jan 2021

Midnight Drive, Cosenza Hendrickson

Inscape

No abstract provided.

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Heed The Warnings, Brianne Anderson Jan 2021

Heed The Warnings, Brianne Anderson

Inscape

No abstract provided.

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The Book Of Mormon’S Complex Finite Cause Syntax, Stanford Carmack Jan 2021

The Book Of Mormon’S Complex Finite Cause Syntax, Stanford Carmack

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

This paper describes and compares the Book of Mormon’s 12 instances of complex finite cause syntax, the structure exemplified by the language of Ether 9:33: “the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more.” This is not King James language or currently known to be pseudo-archaic language (language used by modern authors seeking to imitate biblical or related archaic language), but it does occur in earlier English, almost entirely before the year 1700. In the Book of Mormon, the syntax is always expressed with the modal auxiliary verbs should and shall. Twenty-five original examples of this …

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Vast Prairies And Trackless Wilds Of Snow: A Good Test Of Sincerity, Daniel C. Peterson Jan 2021

Vast Prairies And Trackless Wilds Of Snow: A Good Test Of Sincerity, Daniel C. Peterson

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

Embarking roughly six months after the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the 1830–1831 “mission to the Lamanites” faced challenges that we pampered moderns can scarcely imagine. Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer Jr., Parley P. Pratt, Ziba Peterson, and, eventually, Frederick G. Williams demonstrated beyond reasonable dispute the depth of their commitment to the Restoration and to the promises extended by the Book of Mormon to the surviving children of Lehi. Given that Cowdery and Whitmer were witnesses of the golden plates, this demonstration of their genuine belief seems significant.

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The First Days And The Last Days, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw Jan 2021

The First Days And The Last Days, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

Interpreter Foundation Books

Like a perfectly formed pair of bookends, the Book of Moses and Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of Matthew 24 (JS—Matthew) bracket within their pages the essential survival guide for our times. In the “first days,” Adam and Eve looked forward to Christ’s coming; in the “last days,” we look backward to Christ’s mortal life and forward to His return in glory. In the beginning, Enoch learned the ordinances and covenants that would allow his people to dwell in the presence of God; to the end, we will treasure the same ordinances and covenants. Through faith in Jesus Christ and faithfulness …

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Hugh Nibley Observed, Jeffren M. Bradshaw, Shirly S. Ricks, Stephen T. Whitlock Jan 2021

Hugh Nibley Observed, Jeffren M. Bradshaw, Shirly S. Ricks, Stephen T. Whitlock

Interpreter Foundation Books

Our purpose in creating this volume is twofold. For readers who are already familiar with the life and work of Hugh Nibley, we hope this book will provide a more full account of the story behind the writings—their biographical, historical, literary, and scholarly contexts. For the many more who have never read anything by him, we hope that the fascinating, mostly secondhand accounts in this book will provide encouragement for them to read Nibley’s own works. To read these works is to understand the man — and to better understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and the cause of his …

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Tracing Ancient Threads In The Book Of Moses, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David Rolph Seely, John W. Welch, Scott A. Gordon Jan 2021

Tracing Ancient Threads In The Book Of Moses, Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, David Rolph Seely, John W. Welch, Scott A. Gordon

Interpreter Foundation Books

After nearly two years of research and preparation by the conference organizers, presenters, staff, and their supporting organizations, we are pleased to bring you the proceedings of the two “Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses” conferences, held on September 18–19, 2020 and April 23–24, 2021. The conferences were sponsored by the Interpreter Foundation, Brigham Young University Religious Education, Book of Mormon Central, and FAIR. For more information on the conference, including links to videos of the presentations, see https://interpreterfoundation.org/ conferences/. There you will also find a bibliography of books and articles on the Book of Moses, as well …

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Full Issue Jan 2021

Full Issue

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

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Front Matter Jan 2021

Front Matter

Mormon Studies Review

No abstract provided.

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Mormons And Politics In New Zealand, Peter Lineham Jan 2021

Mormons And Politics In New Zealand, Peter Lineham

Mormon Studies Review

In the contemporary world, the long tail of colonialism has left deep discomfort within the Protestant missionary movement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often reflects the position of traditional Protestants, for in so many ways the Utah-based church sought to impose its very White and colonial values on its non-White and non-American converts. It did not easily evade the charge of aiding and abetting American political goals in foreign places. But if this was the intent of the Latter-day Saint missionary movement, it could be subverted by the peculiarity of particular contexts. New Zealand was such a …

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Provincializing Secularism: On Protohomonationalism And Its Counterpossibilities, Tisa Wenger Jan 2021

Provincializing Secularism: On Protohomonationalism And Its Counterpossibilities, Tisa Wenger

Mormon Studies Review

This is a book you will want to sit with, think with, mull over, and then read over again. It was not until my second reading that I saw the double entendre of the title—Make Yourselves Gods—and how well it captures the layers of Coviello’s analysis. The phrase is first of all a quote from Joseph Smith, and it signals the expansive ambitions for divinization that early Mormons embraced with a prophetic fervor that culminated in the practice of polygamy. Despite the patriarchal order that came to define polygamy, Coviello argues, early Mormon women too reached for the embodied ecstasies—prophecy, …

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Review: Darren Parry. The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History. Salt Lake City: By Common Consent Press, 2019., David W. Grua Jan 2021

Review: Darren Parry. The Bear River Massacre: A Shoshone History. Salt Lake City: By Common Consent Press, 2019., David W. Grua

Mormon Studies Review

Darren Parry’s The Bear River Massacre is a poignant retelling of the January 1863 killings of approximately four hundred Shoshone men, women, and children near the Bear River (Boa Ogoi), present-day southern Idaho, by Colonel Patrick E. Connor’s California Volunteers. More than a history of the event itself, though, Parry’s book presents a broad narrative of the impact of the killings on the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, of which Parry is the chairman. He includes in his narrative the conversion of many of the Shoshone survivors to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1873. Parry’s …

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Review: P. Jane Hafen And Brenden W. Rensink, Eds. Essays On American Indian And Mormon History. Salt Lake City: University Of Utah Press, 2019., Christen Mucher Jan 2021

Review: P. Jane Hafen And Brenden W. Rensink, Eds. Essays On American Indian And Mormon History. Salt Lake City: University Of Utah Press, 2019., Christen Mucher

Mormon Studies Review

The past few years in Mormon studies have seen an increase in scholarly turns to critical race, gender analytics, and, even more recently, decolonial approaches.1 Essays on American Indian and Mormon History, edited by P. Jane Hafen (Taos Pueblo) and Brenden W. Rensink, definitively adds Indigeneity to that list of critical terms. The result of a 2015 seminar at the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies, Brigham Young University,the collection aims to bring together scholarship on Mormon-Indigenous relations with that on Indigenous Mormons to examine the influence of Mormonism on Indigenous peoples and identities, as well as to highlight the …

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