Religion Commons^™

Abraham And Osiris, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

Figure 1 of Facsimile 3 of the book of Abraham was interpreted by Joseph Smith as “Abraham sitting upon Pharaoh’s throne, by the politeness of the king, with a crown upon his head, representing the Priesthood, as emblematical of the grand Presidency in Heaven; with the scepter of justice and judgment in his hand.” This interpretation has clashed with those offered by Egyptologists, who have instead identified the figure as the god Osiris. What’s more, two Egyptologists have claimed to arrive at this interpretation from reading the hieroglyphs to the right of figure 1.

Religion And Sexual Orientation As Predictors Of Utah Youth Suicidality, W. Justin Dyer, Michael A. Goodman, David S. Wood

BYU Studies

Adolescent suicide rates have increased substantially over the last two decades; suicide has become the second leading cause of death for adolescents and young adults since 2017. Some areas in the U.S. have experienced particularly large rises in suicide. For example, according to the Utah Department of Health, there was a 136.2 percent increase in suicides among Utah youth age 10–17 from 2011 to 2015, compared to an increase of 24 percent nationally.

Jesus Makes Everything Better, Sam Brown

BYU Studies

I’ve been writing this eulogy in my head for some years now. Several times it has seemed clear that Kate would be leaving us soon. But then she has stayed. And now she is gone.

Book Of Mormon Studies: An Introduction And Guide By Daniel Becerra, Amy Easton-Flake, Nicholas J. Frederick, And Joseph M. Spencer, Matthew B. Christensen

BYU Studies

The aptly titled Book of Mormon Studies: An Introduction and Guide gives readers a welcome, straightforward, and helpful overview of where the field of Book of Mormon studies has been, where it is currently, and where it may go in the future. The book is coauthored by Daniel Becerra, Amy Easton-Flake, Nicholas J. Frederick, and Joseph M. Spencer—all professors of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University.

Utahisms: Unique Expressions, Inventions, Place Names, And More By David Ellingson Eddington, Roger Terry

BYU Studies

This slim volume by Brigham Young University linguistics professor David Eddington should interest anyone who grew up in Utah, lived in Utah, or is curious about the linguistic, geographic, and historical curiosities of the Beehive State. The book offers numerous surprises and debunks several common misconceptions about the origins of Utah names, places, inventions, and novelties.

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Ur Of The Chaldees, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The opening verse of the Book of Abraham places the beginning of the patriarch’s story “in the land of the Chaldeans” (Abr. 1:1). Several references to the city of Ur and “Ur of the Chaldees” are also present in the text (Abr. 1:20; 2:1, 4, 15; 3:1). This location is said to be the “residence of [Abraham’s] fathers” and Abraham’s own residence and “country” (Abr. 1:1; 2:3).

The Priesthood Ban And The Book Of Abraham, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The Book of Abraham preserves an account of the founding of Egypt (Abr. 1:23–27) and mentions the origins of a “curse in the land” (v. 24) pertaining to the priesthood among the descendants of Ham. “The land of Egypt,” the text says, was “first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter of Ham, and the daughter of Egyptus” (v. 23). According to this account, “when this woman discovered the land it was under water, who afterward settled her sons in it; and thus, from Ham, sprang that race which preserved the curse in the land” (v. 24). Before the …

Human Sacrifice, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The Book of Abraham begins with an account of the biblical patriarch Abraham almost being sacrificed to the “dumb idols” and “strange gods” of his kinsfolk (Abr. 1:7–8). The form of sacrifice practiced by Abraham’s kinsfolk in Ur of the Chaldees (vv. 8, 13) was said to be “after the manner of the Egyptians” (vv. 9, 11), and indeed a “priest of Pharaoh” was involved in this procedure (vv. 7–8, 10). This suggests that Abraham’s kinsfolk had adopted Egyptian practices and incorporated these elements into their local (Chaldean) rituals.

The Idolatrous God Elkenah, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The Book of Abraham tells how Abraham’s kinsfolk worshipped false gods. One of these was “the god of Elkenah” (Abr. 1:6). When Abraham preached against the worship of this god, he said that his kinsfolk “hearkened not unto [his] voice, but endeavored to take away [his] life by the hand of the priest of Elkenah” (v. 7). Not only did the priest try to take Abraham’s life, but “this priest had offered upon this altar three virgins at one time, . . . because of their virtue; they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone, …

Sobek, The God Of Pharaoh, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham identifies “the god of Pharaoh” as being one of the idolatrous gods worshipped by Abraham’s kinsfolk (Abr. 1:6, 9, 13, 17). In figure 9 of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham, this god is depicted as a crocodile. Is there any evidence for who this god might have been and whether he was worshipped in Abraham’s lifetime (ca. 2000–1800 BC)?

The Divine Council, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

One thing that differentiates the Book of Abraham’s account of the Creation from the biblical account in Genesis is that the Book of Abraham mentions plural Gods as the agents carrying out the Creation. “And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth” (Abr. 4:1). These Gods are mentioned thirty-two times in Abraham 4 and sixteen times in Abraham 5. Significantly, these Gods are said to have taken “counsel” among themselves during the Creation (Abr. 4:26; 5:2–3, 5).

Ancient Near Eastern Creation Myths, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The Book of Abraham’s Creation account (Abr. 4–5) shares an obvious relationship with the biblical Creation account in Genesis (Gen. 1–2). However, it also shares common features with creation myths from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.

The Ancient Owners Of The Joseph Smith Papyri, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

Thanks to the work of Egyptologists over the past decades, in addition to knowing what texts the extant Egyptian papyri acquired by Joseph Smith in 1835 contain, we also know quite a bit about the ancient owners of the papyri. Because Joseph Smith incorporated Facsimiles 1 and 3 of the Book of Abraham from vignettes or illustrations contained on a papyrus now designated P. Joseph Smith I, XI–X, the identity of the ancient owner of this papyrus may prove especially interesting. “From the names, titles, and genealogies written on the Joseph Smith Papyri, we know” the owner of this papyrus …

The Idolatrous Priest, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

The explanation accompanying figure 3 of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham identifies it as “the idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to offer up Abraham as a sacrifice.” In order to gauge the validity of this interpretation from an Egyptological perspective, assuming this is the approach one wishes to take, a number of factors need to be considered.

Approaching The Facsimiles, Stephen O. Smoot, John Gee, Kerry Muhlestein, John S. Thompson

BYU Studies

As “the only illustrations in our scriptures,” the facsimiles of the Book of Abraham “attract attention not only because of their rough-hewn quality but by their very existence as a visual medium in the midst of the written word.” Latter-day Saint scholars and interested laypersons have offered a number of different approaches to understanding the facsimiles. Some of the more common approaches to the facsimiles include the following.

“The Wind And The Fire To Be My Chariot”: The Anachronism That Wasn’T, John Gee

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

In the Book of Abraham, God tells Abraham in Haran, “I cause the wind and the fire to be my chariot” (Abraham 2:7). While this initially might appear to be an anachronism, as the chariot is normally thought to have been introduced later, archaeological finds of chariots at the site of Harran predate Abraham by hundreds of years.

การศึกษาเปรียบเทียบติตถิยปริวาสกับการรับเข้าอุปสมบทในวัดป่านานาชาติ จังหวัดอุบลราชธานี, ปรีชา ทิวัฑฒานนท์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาวิเคราะห์และเปรียบเทียบติตถิยปริวาสในพระไตรปิฎกกับการรับเข้าอุปสมบทในวัดป่านานาชาติด้วยการศึกษาจากตัวบทและภาคสนาม ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ประเพณีทั้งสองมีความมุ่งหมายคัดกรองบุคคลนอกพุทธศาสนาที่มีความตั้งใจจริง เคารพศรัทธาในพระรัตนตรัย มีคุณสมบัติเหมาะสมที่จะอุปสมบทเป็นพระภิกษุ และสามารถปรับตัวเข้ากับวิถีชีวิตในคณะสงฆ์ เพื่อเป็นพระภิกษุตลอดชีวิต ในขณะเดียวกันก็เป็นโอกาสให้ผู้ขออุปสมบทได้ศึกษาหลักธรรมคำสอนและปรับตัวกับวิถีชีวิตของพระภิกษุด้วย ความแตกต่างสำคัญคือบุคคลที่เข้ามาอุปสมบทในวัดป่านานาชาติเป็นชาวต่างชาติซึ่งไม่คุ้นชินกับวัฒนธรรมพุทธศาสนาไทย กระบวนการรับเข้ามีเป้าหมายเพื่อให้ความรู้และเคยชินกับการใช้ชีวิตตามแนวทางของวัดป่าในไทยซึ่งต้องอยู่อย่างเรียบง่าย ภายใต้อาณัติของพระอาจารย์ จึงต้องใช้ระยะเวลานานกว่าติตถิยปริวาสและไม่แน่นอน ขึ้นอยู่กับคุณสมบัติของแต่ละบุคคล ขั้นตอนที่ซับซ้อนในวัดป่านานาชาติแสดงถึงการประยุกต์ประเพณีในพระไตรปิฎกและประเพณีไทยให้เข้ากับสถานการณ์ปัจจุบัน เพื่อเปิดโอกาสให้บุคคลภายนอกวัฒนธรรมพุทธศาสนาที่ต้องการเข้ามาอุปสมบทได้ทดลองการใช้ชีวิตพระภิกษุในพุทธศาสนา เพื่อประโยชน์ของคณะสงฆ์และบุคคลที่ขออุปสมบทเอง

Organizational Implications Of Pope Francis’ Integral Ecology, Frank J. Barrett, Ryan G. Duns

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

We explore Pope Francis's “integral ecology” in the encyclical Laudato Si (Francis, 2015) as it provides us with an agenda for a planetary virtue ethic that should inspire the field of Organizational Development to reconsider the moral implications of our work. We begin by offering the framework of virtue ethics as a way of understanding Laudato Si (LS). We then summarize the argument in LS as it focuses on four ecological issues—climate change, pollution, water, and the plight of the poor as we tease out the document's implicit virtue ethic. Finally, we propose how OD practitioners can become more aware …

Our Foremothers' Offering Of Salvation, Taylor Johnston

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

“No Matter Where You’Re From, We’Re Glad You’Re Our Neighbor”: Enacting Justice Initiatives And Community Formation In Faith-Based Organizations, Jenna M. Smith

Senior Independent Study Theses

Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in the United States offer a variety of services and influence social dynamics within their communities, specifically in northeast Ohio. Churches, service agencies, and ministries often pursue immigration advocacy initiatives and ground their work in religious doctrine, using frameworks such as ‘hospitality’ and ‘welcoming the stranger’ to motivate their own initiatives and connect with uninvolved or antagonistic populations. Due to current climates of political polarization and dehumanizing rhetoric in immigration dialogues, this study seeks to analyze the ways in which religious actors define and enact community and explore the contributions of the groups in which they serve. …

Eusebian Canon Ten In Codex Fuldensis, James W. Barker

Faculty/Staff Personal Papers

Eusebius of Caesarea innovated a system for locating Gospel parallels by sorting hundreds of sections into ten canons. Two centuries later, Victor of Capua produced Codex Fuldensis, a Vulgate New Testament replacing the separate Gospels with a harmony and the Eusebian apparatus. Whereas Eusebius’s Canon X demarcated unparalleled material, Victor’s scribe repeatedly wrote Canon X within episodes occurring in other Gospels. I argue that these paratextual solecisms illuminate the production of the codex. Victor occasionally wrote a single section number in the margin of his Vorlage to direct his scribe. The scribe then mislabeled the passage as Canon X. In …

Gender Inequality: An Examination Of The Islamic Religious Affiliation And Female Infant Mortality Rates Among Muslim Wives In Nigeria, Jodie Denise Sanders

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Muslim-majority countries of low socioeconomic status have higher rates of poor health and infant mortality. Among the six regions of Nigeria, Islamic religious affiliation is more common in the country’s Northern region. Gender inequality is one of the most critical issues in the Muslim community. Female children are more likely to die because of gender inequality. Previous research has been conducted on gender inequalities and religion; however, researchers have not determined if a relationship exists between Islamic religious affiliation and female infant mortality rates among Muslim wives across the six regions of Nigeria. This study used a quantitative correlational research …

Economic Models Of Church Life: Three Nudges Towards Better Behaviour, Stephen Bullivant

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

Economic ideas have long shed light on diverse spheres of social and cultural life. Religion is no exception and has spawned a large and thriving subfield. However, whereas recent decades have famously witnessed a ‘behavioural’ turn in economics – with Nobel prizes going to two pioneers of the field, Daniel Kahneman in 2002 and Richard Thaler in 2017 – there has yet to be significant work done in the ‘behavioural economics of religion’. This is a shame; there are good reasons for thinking that behavioural-economic theories and findings might be particularly well suited to illumine several areas of practical church …

St. Patrick's Gift To Australia: Catholic Universities, Glenn J. Morrison

Theology Papers and Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Risk Or Contra-Political Correctness With Distrust Towards Muslims In The U.S. Military, Benedict Uzoma Iheanacho

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Muslims are viewed by many in the United States with great anxiety and distrust. This mistrust encompasses Muslims in the U.S. military, especially since 9/11. The trust deficit has implications to U.S. security and military readiness in a global threat environment. Whereas the notion of Islamophobia has generated significant literature in modern public policy, there is a dearth of research on public perception towards Muslims serving in the U.S. military. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and perspectives of non-Muslim U.S. military personnel on the mistrust towards Muslim military personnel in the post-9/11 era. Theories of …

A Study Of The Language Shifts In The Book Of Daniel : A Comparative Narrative Analysis Of Daniel 1 And 2, 7 And 8, Laura K. Morrow

Dissertations

Problem

The problem this dissertation seeks to address is the use of bilingualism in the book of Daniel. Previously, scholars have utilized diachronic methods to explain the phenomenon of bilingualism in Daniel and have concluded that it is the product of compositional redaction. However, such studies have not produced a consensus in scholarship. In the last 40 years, several studies have emerged that conclude the use of bilingualism in the book of Daniel may best be explained as a rhetorical device. In contrast to the diachronic methodologies of prior studies, these examinations utilized methodologies that addressed rhetorical elements. Chapter One …

Strengthening Mission Through Strategy: An Analysis Of The Mission-Driven Excellence Strategy, Osvaldo Souza Santos Jr.

Dissertations

The Office of Strategy and Research (OSR) for the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) churches in the North America Division (NAD) is beginning to implement a new strategy that focuses on mission. The OSR designed the strategy, created tools and materials to support the churches in implementing the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy. MdX combines planning and direction that helps church leaders to think strategically. MdX is a combination of pre-events, processes, and resources combined with local church strategies toward mission. The purpose of this study was to suggest strengths and improvements to the Mission-driven Excellence (MdX) strategy by seeking to better understand …

"You Must Prophesy Again": The Mission Of God's People In Revelation 10-14, Adenilton Tavares De Aguiar

Dissertations

The primary task of this study was to delineate the theology of mission in the book of Revelation, with a focus on chaps. 10–14 and special attention to the people of God as participants in the mission of God. The historical survey demonstrated that the theology of mission conveyed by the book of Revelation is a topic broadly neglected in recent scholarship and, hence, requires an in-depth treatment. The object of research was addressed from a biblical-theological perspective by means of an exegetical analysis of relevant passages and key terms that were identified on the basis of a semantic field …

القدس: مشروع بناء ضخم في فترة المفوضين الرومان / Monumental Building Project In Jerusalem In The Time Of The Roman Governors, Nahshon Szanton, Moran Hagbi, Joe Uziel, Donald T. Ariel

Cornerstone: Journal of Archaeological Sites (حجر الزاوية)

For over a century and a half, segments of Jerusalem’s Early Roman-period street network have been uncovered in excavations in the city, particularly the street that wended its way from the southernmost gate of the city, near Siloam Pool, to the Temple Mount. The importance of this street is evident from its dimensions, as well as from the quality of its construction, which undoubtedly required expansive workforce and skilled laborers and craftsmen. Based on archaeological and historical data, the establishment of the street has variously been attributed to the Herodian period, the reign of Herod the Great, or the days …