Religion Commons^™

Johannine Christology Through The Lens Of Three Of Its Dialogues, Gaye Strathearn

Faculty Publications

In comparison with the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the Gospel of John has a very different interpretive lens through which it answers the age-old question “Who is Jesus?” The Gospel itself identifies its purpose: “These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31). While many individuals in the Synoptic Gospels declare Jesus to be the Son of God, there are very few accounts of Jesus himself declaring so until the latter part of his ministry. In this respect, …

Non Abbiamo Una Città Permanente, Ma Cerchiamo Quella Futura” (Eb. 13,14): “Xeniteía” E “Philoxenía” Nella Tradizione Ortodossa, Marcus Plested

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Feminist Ethics: Evaluating The Hookup Culture (Book Chapter), Conor M. Kelly

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Declaration Of God's Power To The Nextgen, Padma P. Tadi Uppala

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Theology, Phenomenology, And The Divine In King Lear, Kent R. Lehnhof

English Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"In what follows, then, I would like to think through Levinas's ideas on transcendence and ethics in such a way as to map out a new pathway for approaching Shakespeare's great tragedy. As unorthodox as it may sound, I propose to shed light on the darkling religiosity of King Lear by turning-not to the theological doctrines of early modem Christians-but to the postmodern ethics of a twentieth-century Jew."

Review Of Real Native Genius: How An Ex-Slave And A White Mormon Became Famous Indians, By Angela Pulley Hudson, Elise Boxer

Mormon Studies Review

Real Native Genius: How an Ex-Slave and a White Mormon Became Famous Indians adds to the growing body of literature that probes the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, and religion in the study of Mormonism. Author Angela Hudson considers how Mormons constructed ideas of “Indianness” and how the reinforcement or subversion of those ideas “influenced nearly every aspect of antebellum culture, often in surprising ways” (p. 3). She uses the lives of “professional Indians” Warner McCary and his wife, Lucy Stanton, as a lens to explore not just how they, as non–Native Americans, accessed indigeneity, but how they constructed and …

Ali, Ali, Twila Bird

TSOS Interview Gallery

At eighteen fate placed Ali and his family in the center of hostilities in northern Afghanistan. Warring militant factions killed hundreds of people in his village. Ali helped identify and bury dozens of his friends and neighbors in a mass grave.

We spent days and nights in the mountains and blocked on the borders. I crossed the mountainous border between Afghanistan and Pakistan walking with my handicap. Then it took us another sixteen hours to cross the border between Pakistan and Iran, also in very high mountains of more than 2500 meters. The Iranian police were killing people on the …

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.

Name As Key-Word, Matthew L. Bowen

Interpreter Foundation Books

During his famous conversation with Kuki Shūzō, German philosopher Martin Heidegger playfully2 connected the name of Hermes, the messenger of the gods in Greek mythology, to the etymology of “hermeneutics,” the formal study of interpretation. In contrast to ancient oracles who acted as simple mouthpieces, announcing divine words verbatim, Hermes took upon himself the additional role of interpreter, commenting on the meaning of the messages in ways that would allow perceptive hearers to act productively.3 Continuing Heidegger’s wordplay,4 Hans-Georg Gadamer elaborated the thinking of his mentor about the role of Hermes:5

Let Us Reason Together: Essays In Honor Of The Life's Work Of Robert L. Millet, Austin A. Tracy

BYU Studies

J. Spencer Fluhman and Brent L. Top, eds., Let Us Reason Together: Essays in Honor of the Life’s Work of Robert L. Millet (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 2016)

Mystery And Dance, Daniel F. Teichert

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

“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 …

Pressing Forward With The Book Of Abraham, Stephen O. Smoot

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

The Book of Abraham continues to attract scholarly attention. New findings in the fields of Egyptology, Near Eastern archaeology, and Mormon history have highlighted the complexity surrounding the origins of the Book of Abraham and its relationship to the Egyptian papyri that came into the possession of Joseph Smith in 1835. A new introductory volume on the Book of Abraham by John Gee, An Introduction to the Book of Abraham, is an excellent resource that may help laypersons and scholars alike navigate this rapidly developing area of study

Front Matter

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

No abstract provided.

Comparing Book Of Mormon Names With Those Found In J.R.R. Tolkien’S Works: An Exploratory Study, Brad Wilcox, Wendy Baker-Smemoe, Bruce L. Brown, Sharon Black

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

The works of Tolkien and the Book of Mormon have been compared in a variety of ways by multiple authors and researchers, but none have looked specifically at the unusual names found within both. Wordprint studies are one tool used in author attribution research, but do authors use specific sounds more than others — consciously or subconsciously — when selecting or inventing names? Some research suggests they may and that their patterns could create a “sound print” or phonoprint. This constitutes a fresh and unusual path of research that deserves more attention. The purpose of this exploratory study was to …

Wandering On To Glory, Patrick Moran

BYU Studies

In my suburban town, commuting is a fact of life, every bit as much as sowing and reaping and harvesting probably were for my agrarian forebears. It’s simply a given that work is far away and that a good portion of every day is spent getting there in the morning and then getting back again later on.

The Language Of The Original Text Of The Book Of Mormon, Royal Skousen

BYU Studies

When I began the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project in 1988, my initial goal was to determine the reading of the manuscripts of the Book of Mormon. There are two manuscripts: (1) the original manuscript (referred to as O), the manuscript the scribes wrote down as Joseph Smith dictated the text (the majority of the dictation was done in 1829); and (2) the printer’s manuscript (referred to as P), the copy of O that the scribes produced from August 1829 through January 1830 and took into the Grandin print shop in Palmyra, New York, for typesetting the first edition …

The Rise And Fall Of Portugal's Maritime Empire, A Cautionary Tale?: Forgotten Pioneers Of The Age Of Expansion, Discoverers Of Two-Thirds Of The World For Europe, Ambassadors Of The West, Interpreters Of The East, Who For A Century And A Half Governed The Lands And Controlled The Riches Flowing Into Europe From Africa, Persia, Arabia, India, Sri Lanka, China, Japan, Oceania, And Half Of South America, Then Lost Much Of Their Empire To Britain, France, And Holland; With Some Comments About Columbus And The Spread Of Christianity, Frederick G. Williams

BYU Studies

In the United States, we automatically think of England as the great maritime nation on whose overseas possessions the sun never set. We also identify Spain as a great maritime power, whose American colonies, especially Mexico and Peru, produced immense wealth for the kingdom. However, we forget, or more likely never knew (because we were never taught), that it was Portugal that invented the ship and developed the maritime technology that allowed for the first open-sea travel during the European Age of Exploration, begun by Portugal in 1415 (fig. 1). It was Portugal that discovered more than two-thirds of the …

Autobiography Of Jane Elizabeth Manning James, James Goldberg, Veronica J. Anderson

BYU Studies

The following transcription of Jane Manning James’s autobiography is provided in light of the essays and reviews found in this issue on the recent film Jane and Emma, so that readers can examine a major primary source on which the filmmakers relied. A transcription of this autobiography was previously published by Qunicy D. Newell. The following transcription and annotation are taken from James Goldberg’s “The Autobiography of Jane Manning James: Seven Decades of Faith and Devotion.” BYU Studies staff verified the transcription, added sections that had been omitted, and modified the annotation to fit our desired format. As in Goldberg’s …

Mountain Meadows Massacre: Collected Legal Papers, Iantha Haight

BYU Studies

Mountain Meadows Massacre: Collected Legal Papers Edited by Richard E. Turley Jr., Janiece L. Johnson, and LaJean Purcell Carruth

Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2017

Front Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

At The Pulpit: 185 Years Of Discourses By Latter-Day Saint Women, Jennifer Hurlbut

BYU Studies

Jennifer Reeder and Kate Holbrook, eds., At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2017)

End Matter

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Jeanusnat, Jeanusnat, Tsos

TSOS Interview Gallery

Jeanusnat’s father, who was chief of a Nigerian community, was murdered by an enemy community. The murderer intended to kill Jeanusnat and his mother as well, but they fled to neighboring Niger. There, Jeanusnat parted ways with his mother, who stayed at the church with a family, and Jeanusnat crossed into Libya in the back of a truck. But once in Libya, danger persisted. He was confronted by some robbers who stabbed him with a knife and beat him, leaving injuries on his legs and shoulder. In Tripoli, a man offered him temporary refuge, where Jeanusnat stayed until he decided …

Semantics And The Study Of Religion, G. Scott Davis

Religious Studies Faculty Publications

This essay argues that the approach to meaning articulated by Donald Davidson supplies all the student of religion needs to know about this subject. By focusing on interpretation as understood by Davidson, we can understand, for example, the beliefs and practices of a people such as the Dogon of Mali. By adding to this the evidence of ethnography and history, students of religion can give a compelling account of change and adjudicate between competing analyses.

Intercultural And Interreligious Bonds In The Language Of Colors, Lucy Soucek

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the interfaith elements of the artwork of three south Asian visual artists, The Singh Twins, Siona Benjamin, and Arpana Caur. All coming from various religious backgrounds, living in multicultural societies, and navigating the borders and boundaries between different religious thought, these artists create meaningful artwork which explores what it means to live in a pluralistic society. All three artists invite viewers to think differently, formulate opinions, rethink assumptions, and spark associations. They use art as a way to ignite interfaith understanding, reaching broader audiences and asking us to question how we understand our neighbors and ourselves.

From Antagonists To Protagonists: Muslims On The Hollywood Screen, Brooke K. Gentry

Honors Theses

I investigate the depictions of Muslims in Hollywood film. Have the Muslim protagonists been reduced to antagonists? Are the depictions historically and culturally relevant? How can films psychologically impact viewers? What kinds of stereotypes pervade even the most innocuous of films? What context to these stereotypes rise out of? What impact do Hollywood images of Muslims have on the ideas, actions, and politics of the American public? How do non-Hollywood films portray Muslims, and what impact do these films have on viewers? This paper finds that Hollywood’s negative portrayal of Muslims is not an accident. It reflects the geopolitical atmosphere …

Providing A Premarital Education Seminar For The Single Young Adults Of Abuakwa Seventh-Day Adventist Church In Ghana, Daniel Opoku-Adjei

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

In my years of service as a gospel minister, I noticed that a sizeable number of church members are censured or disfellowshipped on marriage or family issues, including divorce, adultery or fornication. The reasons for these unfortunate situations in our changing society could be linked to misunderstanding about marriage and the needed preparations. The major root cause of these problems on the part of both the young adults and the older people is inadequate premarital education. This results in wrong selection of life partners, short circuiting the courtship process and misunderstanding of what constitute marital satisfaction and marital stability. …

Training Selected Churches In The Iowa-Missouri Conference Of Seventh-Day Adventists To Minister To Cohabiting Couples, Jared S. Miller

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The number of cohabiting couples has dramatically risen over the last several decades. Even a significant amount of Seventh-day Adventist Church members, both young and old, have chosen to live together apart from a committed marriage. Living together without the covenant of marriage comes with many risks and many negative effects on both adults and children. With the prevalence of cohabitation increasing, the church is faced with a new ministry challenge and opportunity. Churches need to be educated about the biblical theology of sexual intimacy and the dangers and damage that come with cohabitation. Furthermore, churches need biblical strategies …