Historian of Religion, Science, and Biblical Interpretation
As we begin to study the Old Testament again, this time with multiple translations, we Latter-day Saints tend to ask some of the same questions over and over. “Is it the Father or the Son speaking here? How can I tell them apart? Isn’t Jehovah the premortal Jesus, and so LORD or Jehovah always means Jesus?” Yes. But also… no. And to understand both why we keep asking those question and what the answers really are, we need to start with… the Nicene Creed.
I sometimes hear criticism of my work or approach which seeks to shunt it aside by labeling it as “scholarly,” “academic,” or “educational.” These critics imply that to make use of such materials in preparing lessons inappropriately turns Seminary or Come Follow Me into an “academic” setting instead of a “doctrinal” or “discipleship” setting. They argue that discipleship has no need of any scholarship. I find this false dichotomy somewhat frustrating, and I’ll address it more in part 2. Continue reading
(Part 1 here)
Just in time for Old Testament, the Church has reshaped its policy around Bible translations. While the KJV remains the official Bible of the English-speaking Church, Latter-day Saints are now strongly encouraged, it seems, to use other translations as well. This has the effect of making scripture more accessible and understandable, and increases the joy and enthusiasm of scripture study. It helps us communicate better with our Christian neighbors, who are unlikely to use the KJV, and helps us avoid the problems that come from only reading the KJV. (See this article in Religious Educator.)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re aware of an announcement of changes to the Church Handbook about use of (and attitudes towards) non-KJV translations. I’m thrilled about this; I’ve also been on planes and deprived of sleep for the last two days, but finally had a good night’s sleep, so let’s try this while it’s still timely. Caveat: written quickly, unrevised, and under sleep deprivation.
And for anyone new here, I read daily in Greek and Hebrew, and have published on Bible translation.
Much of the conversation around translations can be sidestepped by making sure we’re all operating with the conceptual understanding, which is this:
There’s no such thing as THE Bible.
Logos has two sets of study Bible notes I recommend on sale. I don’t know how long these will last: the Jewish Study Bible notes, and the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible notes, both of which I highly recommend. Per the demo video on this post, you can link these (or others) together to whatever translation(s) you want for your daily reading.
As it turns out, you can legitimately download the former for free in PDF now, though the price is offset by the format. Go here and click on PDF.
Well, it’s going to be a heck of a semester. Continue reading
One model of revelation we invoke often is “the still small voice,” which phrasing comes from Elijah in 1ki 19:12. But scripture and history often provide us with multiple models, and I think there’s another one we should consider.
This is one of several posts I will update and repost each year at the appropriate season. This was originally a Sacrament Meeting sermon I preached.
Christmas is a season of generosity, of new beginnings, of babies, family… and ghosts of the past who haunt our lives and our minds. Sometimes they are of our own creating. Remembering them can help us change.
Continue reading
I chat with a lot of missionaries, and have heard this question repeatedly recently. I also heard a lesson from a recent RM who expressed puzzlement as a sidebar to his lesson. So, let’s talk about Jesus-as-the-Father.
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