Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU: Recent Episodes
Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU
We are delighted to announce that the second printing of Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints has now arrived and is available at booksellers, including Amazon.com. The first print run was sold out within only a few weeks of arriving at booksellers. The kindle version of this book has also sold very well (available for only $9.99), but it seems clear that for many the gorgeous artwork makes this a book worth owning in print.
“Ancient Christians helps Latter-day Saint readers orient themselves in an early religious world that has remained mostly unknown to many of us. I am not surprised by the volume’s warm reception—we are excited to offer a second printing.” –Maxwell Institute executive director Spencer Fluhman
We are delighted at how well the book has been received, and how much media attention it has garnered. Here are some links to podcasts, reviews and media coverage for Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints:
Podcasts
Y Religion with Jason Combs (12.2022): https://rsc.byu.edu/media/y-religion/70
Inside Sources with Boyd Matheson (12.15.2022): https://omny.fm/shows/inside-sources-with-boyd-matheson/exploring-the-world-of-ancient-christianity-with-m
Faith Matters with Kristian Heal (1.22.2023): https://faithmatters.org/how-are-we-like-the-ancient-christians-a-conversation-with-kristian-heal/
Wayfare Podcast with Jason Combs (3.12.2023): https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/meet-the-early-day-saints-episode#details
Wayfare Podcast with Kristian Heal (3.19.2023): https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/meet-the-early-day-saints-episode-fb0#details
Wayfare Podcast with Ariel Bybee Laughton (3.26.2023): https://www.wayfaremagazine.org/p/meet-the-early-day-saints-episode-d82#details
Reviews
Ben Spackman, “Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints— A Brief Review.”: https://benspackman.com/2022/11/ancientchristians/
Michael Austin, “Not Your Parents’ Apostasy and Restoration: A Review of Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints.” By Common Consent (11.19.2022): https://bycommonconsent.com/2022/11/19/not-your-parents-apostasy-and-restoration-a-review-of-iancient-christians-an-introduction-for-latter-day-saints-i/ ;
Chad Nielsen, Times and Seasons (11.28.2022): https://www.timesandseasons.org/index.php/2022/11/ancient-christians-an-introduction-for-latter-day-saints/
Conor Hilton, Association of Mormon Letters (12.11.2022): https://www.associationmormonletters.org/reviews/current-reviews/combs-et-al-ancient-christians-an-introduction-for-latter-day-saints-reviewed-by-conor-hilton/
Jana Riess, “6 Ideas for Mormons Studying the New Testament this Year.” Flunking Sainthood, Religious News Service (1.5.2023): https://religionnews.com/2023/01/05/6-ideas-for-mormons-studying-the-new-testament-this-year/
Heide Toth, “Ancient Christians—They’re Just Like Us.” Exponent II (1.13.2023): https://exponentii.org/blog/guest-post-ancient-christians/
Isaac Richards, “Review of Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints.” Humanities Center 2.6.2023: https://humanitiescenter.byu.edu/review-of-ancient-christians-an-introduction-for-latter-day-saints/
Chad Nielsen, “How Was the New Testament Canonized?” 2.16.2023 (Review of Thom Wayment’s chapter): https://www.fromthedesk.org/canonization-new-testament-thomas-wayment/ ; see also: https://www.timesandseasons.org/index.php/2023/02/thomas-wayment-on-new-testament-canonization/
Media Coverage
Jason Combs, “5 Things Latter-day Saints should know about ancient Christians.” LDSLiving 12.14.2022: https://www.ldsliving.com/5-things-latter-day-saints-should-know-about-ancient-christians/s/11211
Tennie Davis, “Introducing Early Christians to modern Latter-day Saints.” The Daily University 2.6.2023: https://universe.byu.edu/2023/02/06/introducing-early-christians-to-modern-latter-day-saints/
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Welcome to The Questions We Should Be Asking, a new season of the podcast from the Maxwell Institute that explores faith-building questions. In this episode, Rosalynde interviews Kimberly Matheson, a scholar at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religion. She asks the question: why do we pray? And what does prayer look like in our lives?
Kimberly Matheson is a Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, with current projects focusing on gender in the Book of Mormon, a materialist theology of prayer, and Moroni 7 as a theological response to modernity. Her research centers more broadly on the Book of Mormon, Christian contemplative practice, and the continental philosophy of religion. Kimberly holds a Ph.D. in theology from Loyola University Chicago, an MTS in philosophy of religion from Harvard Divinity School, and a BA in ancient near east studies from Brigham Young University. She is the author most recently of Helaman: A Brief Theological Introduction (Maxwell, 2020) and sits on the boards of the Book of Mormon Studies Association and the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar.
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BYU Green Week 2023 kicks off tonight with a sustainability-themed family home evening. Join BYU Sustainability and the Maxwell Institute at 7PM to learn about how two professors and disciple-scholars strive to be stewards. Ask questions during a Q+A session, and stay for pizza and greens.
The two speakers will be Dr. George Handley and Dr. Steven Peck.
Dr. George Handley is a professor of interdisciplinary humanities here at BYU, and has taught since 1998. He is the author of The Hope and Nature, and If Truth Were A Child. Dr. Handley’s research, creative writing, and civic engagement all explore the connections between literature, religion, and the environment.
Dr. Steven Peck is an associate professor of biology, and a visiting scholar at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. He is the author of Evolving Faith and Science: the Key to Theology. Dr. Peck’s research focuses on evolutionary ecology, entomology, and in Philosophy of Science.
Both Dr. Handley and Dr. Peck are advocates for sustainability and stewardship over the earth.
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Meet Rosalynde Frandsen Welch, our new host for the MIPodcast. Rosalynde is the Associate Director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, where she coordinates faculty engagement and co-leads a special research initiative. Her research focuses on Latter-day Saint scripture, theology, and literature. She holds a PhD in early modern English literature from the University of California, San Diego, and a BA in English from Brigham Young University. She is the author of Ether: a brief theological introduction, published by the Maxwell Institute, as well as numerous articles, book chapters and reviews on Latter-day Saint thought.
In this episode, Rosalynde introduces The Questions We Should Be Asking, a new season that explores questions that help build faith. The first full-length episode of the podcast will be posted on March 28, 2023.
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Jennifer Lane’s new book, Let’s Talk about Temples and Ritual, was released in February 2023. It is part of the Deseret Book, Let’s Talk about . . . series. This exploration of the meaning of temples follows her earlier work in Finding Christ in the Covenant Path: Ancient Insights for the Modern World, which also drew on her academic study to help clarify the ancient meaning of temple covenants and ordinances and to make them relevant for our lives today.
How long have you been working on this book?
There are several answers to that question. The simple one is that I was asked to write it in Fall 2021 and finished the final line edits to the publication proofs a year later. On another level, I have been researching and studying this topic, learning about the ancient world and ancient temples, since I was an undergraduate and I continued thinking about worship and ritual through my graduate studies and professional research.
What academic insights have been most helpful for you?
Early on I began working on the ancient meaning of covenant and saw how that created a family relationship that made redemption possible. Those connections run through the scriptures. In addition to those scriptural insights, my research during my graduate work in the history of Christianity focused on piety and pilgrimage. As I studied important thinkers about embodiment and ritual such as Pierre Bourdieu and Catherine Bell, I could see that they were describing a way of knowing through practice, lived religion, that tied back to the biblical Hebrew sense of knowing as a relationship and way of being within a covenant relationship. I have written on this elsewhere with more academic details, but the core concepts help me explain how learning through ritual is different than learning through a lecture or reading.
How do you feel about your book being released at the same time there have been changes to the presentation of the endowment?
This has been such a great joy for me. The central point of my book is that the covenants and ordinances of the temple are how we more fully come unto Christ. This is the doctrine that I tried to weave into my scripture courses as I taught for close to 25 years first at BYU then BYU–Hawai’i. It was always implicit in the ordinances, but it took a lot of background to make connections. So, to now see the doctrine of Christ so clearly taught all the way through, to have what was implicit become explicit, is one of the great joys of my life.
What are additional points that you cover in the book that might still be helpful for people who can see that connection more clearly?
I am hopeful that in combining points of historical and scriptural background into the ancient temple and the restoration of temples in our day, that people can appreciate more fully the blessings of worshiping in the temple. I also bring in insights from my own study and teaching that I hope may help people who have questions about topics that might be a source of concern, such as the relationship between Freemasonry practices and modern-day temple rituals, the significance of the temple garments, and why the administration of ordinances has changed over time.
How has your personal life been changed through your studies?
It is hard for me to separate what I have learned spiritually and what I have learned academically. The key to having them connected for me goes back to practice, embodied knowledge. As I’ve tried to live out the insights I’ve gained through my studies I am different. That is a large part of the book as well. I bring personal accounts into the book about what I have learned about the temple through my own temple worship and service as an ordinance worker. The good news of the gospel is that we can be changed by Jesus Christ and I have found that to be true, over and over again. Redemption is a process of spiritual healing and growing closer to God in taking on the divine nature. My writing summarizes what I have learned intellectually, but most importantly it is confessional. It is my witness of the redeeming power of Christ that is available through the covenants and ordinances of the temple.
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Senior research fellow Terryl Givens and his son, Nathaniel Givens, released a new book titled Into the Headwinds on October 18, 2022. Into the Headwinds offers a deeper look at how people individually and collectively form religious beliefs—and what that means for faith in an increasingly secular culture.
Secularism is increasingly a fact of life in Western society. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that faith is harder than it has been before. Even in the past when organized religion enjoyed more widespread cultural acceptance, there were still obstacles to true belief. Today, the obstacles are different, but faith is still viable.
Acclaimed author Terryl Givens and his son, Nathaniel Givens, combine their respective areas of expertise to offer a fresh take on religious belief through the lens of contemporary research on psychology, cognition, and human nature. They also address two of faith’s foremost modern-day antagonists: rationalism, the myth that humans can or should make the majority of their choices based on logical thought, and scientism, the myth that science is the only reliable means of discovering truth. After reckoning with the surprising fact that people often don’t even understand their own beliefs and are influenced in ways they seldom perceive, the authors go on to describe genuine faith as an act of will—an effortful response to the deepest yearnings of the mind and heart—that engenders moral responsibility, the ability to embrace uncertainty, the motivation and means to relate to others, and the capacity to apprehend reality through nonrational means.
Written for truth seekers who may or may not belong to religious communities, Into the Headwinds is less a work of apologetics than an inquiry into the role that faith can and does still play in a society where participation in institutional religion is declining precipitously. Terryl and Nathaniel Givens propose that to reclaim the power of genuine faith we need to first acknowledge the reality that religious belief is hard. It always has been, and it always will be. But perhaps, instead of a hindrance, that is its most important aspect.
Order Into the Headwinds here.
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Every Needful Thing is a new book published by the Maxwell Institute and Deseret Book, edited by Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye and Kate Holbrook. It is a collection of essays from accomplished Latter-day Saint academics and professionals who speak about discipleship not only with their minds but also from their hearts. Instead of pushing us to choose between faith and reason, love and law, truth within the restored gospel and truth in the wider world of God’s children, these writers urge us to seek “anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report” and learn to live in a world of complexity and abundance. With humility and openness that makes their specialized work accessible to a general reader, these authors model how to live life as a whole person. They relate the twists and turns of their intellectual and spiritual journeys, giving readers confidence to make their own ways and to pursue “every needful thing” (D&C 88:119).
“We hope readers will find gems of wisdom in these compelling essays, which are not only about what to learn but how,” the editors state in the introduction of the book. “With humility and candor that belie their significant accomplishments, these authors relate the twists and turns of their intellectual and spiritual journeys, giving readers confidence to make their own ways and pursue every needful thing.”
Marking a milestone of Latter-day Saint gospel scholarship, all twenty-five contributors to this volume are women. Each author relates her own personal experiences, challenges, and accomplishments through relatable and readable short stories based on overarching gospel themes that will inspire readers everywhere.
As shared in the introduction: “This accomplished group claims a diversity of cultural backgrounds, citizenships, native tongues, and personal circumstances. Voices from the Philippines, Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand, Peru, Argentina, Nigeria, the People’s Republic of China, the Seneca and Navajo Nations, Hawaiʻi, and the continental United States speak of the Latter-day Saints as a global people.”
Every Needful Thing is now available in hard copy, eBook, and audiobook at Deseret Book.
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Minerva Teichert (1888-1976), The Sacrament, 1949-1951, oil on masonite, 36 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1969. Book of Mormon Art Contest BYU Students may submit up to three entries (1 per category) to the Book of Mormon Art Contest. Winners will be showcased in the Book of Mormon Art Catalog and receive prize money. Fill out an individual form for each submission. * Name First name Last name * Email * Which College/Department do you belong to?You must be a BYU Provo student to apply. Which College/Department do you belong to?Marriott School of BusinessDavid O. McKay School of EducationIra A. Fulton College of EngineeringFamily, Home, and Social SciencesFine Arts and CommunicationsHumanitiesDavid M. Kennedy Center for International StudiesJ. Reuben Clark Law SchoolLife SciencesNursingPhysical and Mathematical SciencesReligious Education * What is your Major?
* Digital Copy of your Artwork*Accepted file types: jpg, png, pdf.Submit a digital copy of your original artwork here as a .jpg, .png, or .pdf.
- Submission CategorySubmission CategoryBook of Mormon art of underrepresented figuresBook of Mormon art of underrepresented figuresBook of Mormon art highlighting a variety/diversity of different cultures
- Submission Title*
- What Book of Mormon chapter inspired your art?
- Caption for your Artwork* The post Book of Mormon Art Contest appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
After seven years in the position, Hollie and I have decided that I will step down as Maxwell Institute executive director, effective May 1, 2023. We will always treasure our association with so many remarkable scholars, advisory board members, staff, students, university colleagues, and readers. It has been a profound honor to be associated, however indirectly, with the name and legacy of Elder Neal A. Maxwell. Please accept our gratitude for what has been a rich education and fruitful collaboration. We have felt your love and support. We feel blessed to have known and associated with you all and trust you know how much we love you. You have helped us understand, again, what it means to love God and neighbor with all one’s mind and heart.
–
Spencer and Hollie Fluhman
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Kristian Heal’s new book, Genesis 37 and 39 in the Early Syriac Tradition explores the Syriac reception of the story of Joseph and offers an unprecedented glimpse into late antique Syriac literary culture. The story of Joseph inspired the greatest narrative poem written in Syriac, as well as many other diverse and imaginative texts. Heal’s study discusses the retellings of the story of Joseph through a typological lens and how they became an important focus of Christian and Jewish rhetoric. To summarize Genesis 37 and 39 in the Early Syriac Tradition, Heal provided five answers to questions readers may have about his book.
How do you describe this book to your family?
My family have been living with this book for many years. My second son is called Joseph and he just turned 24, and that’s almost as old as this book project. So, this book has been the answer to the question of what I’m doing when I’m not at home for a long time. Describing the book to them and others is more fun than having to account for the time that it took to research and write though! My family love stories. They all read a lot—we have the library fines to prove it! So, when I describe my book to them, I describe it as a celebration of the story of Joseph. I think the best way to celebrate a good story is to reread it and then retell it. This is what the Syriac Christians did with the story of Joseph, and they did it again and again for a thousand years. They story is retold in prose and poetry. It is dramatized and expanded. Excerpts of it are retold, and some encounters become lively dialogue poems between two main characters in the story, such as Joseph and Potiphar’s wife and Joseph and Benjamin. In this book, I gather up all these retold stories, and then proceed to explore the variety of ways that they tell the story.
Why the early Syriac tradition?
The story of Joseph has been retold from ancient times until today (think of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, or the Joseph Prince of Dreams movie). It was retold with the Jewish tradition by Philo and Josephus, and retold by such Christians as Ambrose, John Chrysostom, and Romanos. It even appears in the Quran as the twelfth Surah and so was retold in the Islamic tradition. But the most abundant retellings of the Joseph story are found in Syriac. Syriac is the Aramaic dialect used by Christians in the regions now including South East Turkey, northern Syria, Iraq, Iran and Southern India. Christianity flourished in the Middle East and further East from apostolic times until today. And most of these Christians spoke, wrote or worshipped in Syriac. I started studying this language as an undergraduate and have been hooked ever since.
Why do you only focus on Genesis 37 and 39 in this book?
This project was always planned to result in a two-volume study. In the Syriac Christian tradition, the story of Joseph was read as a type of Christ. Read this way, the story of Joseph is a type of the suffering and death of Christ, or his descent, and the glorious resurrection and triumphal return of Christ, or his ascent. In fact, the story of Joseph has two descents, the first from favored son to slave, and the second from favored slave to prisoner. These descent stories are the focus of this first volume. In the next volume, I will treat the ascent of Joseph through to his eventual reuniting with his family (Genesis 40–46)
Why did the book take so long to complete?
Answering this question may get me in trouble! The book began as a PhD thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham in the UK for my PhD degree in Theology. I was working full-time at the Maxwell Institute while I wrote that thesis, so it took 8 years, which is twice as long as normal. When I finished, I was serving at the director of the Institute’s Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts, and so my attention was quickly turned towards projects dealing with manuscripts and with digital humanities projects. However, when I was appointed as a Research Fellow five years ago, I was able to return to the project. In the meantime, a major new source had been published, and many new manuscripts had been digitized in the Middle East by the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library together with their Middle Eastern library partners. I had to translate the new texts, survey the new manuscripts, and produce a completely new description of all of the Joseph sources. I also augmented or rewrote the main chapters to take into account the new information that had come to light since the PhD thesis, and then I wrote a new introduction. I survey nearly three dozen sources in the book, and consulted more than three score manuscripts in this revision process. In other words, I had a lot of fun!
What are you most excited about with this book?
Mostly that it’s done! That’s not entirely true, of course. This book and its companion are thrilling to me for several reasons. I love the retelling of biblical stories, and I love how texts are transmitted in manuscripts and in traditions. The Bible is not monolithic or static, but generative and alive in the Christian tradition. These stories have absorbed ancient Jewish traditions about Joseph, and in turn, they have influenced how Joseph was understood in the Islamic world. I’m thrilled by this idea of a story transcending time, place, language, and religion. Exploring the story of Joseph has been like tracking something vibrant and alive across a millennium of sources and manuscripts. Like Joseph himself though, the story has been hard to grab hold of, illusive and beautiful at the same time!
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Brigham Young University’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Laurie Maffly-Kipp as a visiting scholar and affiliate faculty. She will join our research community beginning in mid-January.
Dr. Maffly-Kipp is the current Archer Alexander Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis’s John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics. After completing her Ph.D. in American History at Yale University, she taught both American and Religious Studies for twenty-four years at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During her distinguished career, she has served as president of the American Society of Church History and the Mormon History Association. Her teaching and research focuses on African American religions, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the history of religion in the United States. In addition to writing the introduction to the Penguin Classics edition of the Book of Mormon, her publications include Setting Down the Sacred Past: African-American Race Histories (Harvard University Press, 2010), Religion and Society in Frontier California (Yale University Press, 1994), and co-edited collections such as Proclamation to the People: Nineteenth-Century Mormonism and the Pacific Basin Frontier (University of Utah Press, 2008).
Maxwell Institute executive director Spencer Fluhman is excited to welcome Dr. Maffly-Kipp to the Institute. “Dr. Maffly-Kipp is a celebrated scholar of religion in the United States and a careful observer of the Latter-day Saint past. Her insights and scholarship continue to enrich our Maxwell Institute scholars and others, far and wide. She will be a great addition to the BYU campus community during 2023.”
Learn more about Dr. Maffly-Kipp here; read her contribution to the Mormon Studies Review here; and enjoy her interview on the Maxwell Institute Podcast here.
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The Maxwell Institute’s 2022 Annual Report is now available to read online. You can also request a free print copy HERE.
IN THIS ISSUE:
—Adam Miller’s 2022 Annual Maxwell Lecture, “The Necessity of God: In the Flesh, Present Tense, Imperative Mood”
—Reports from each Institute scholar on their work in 2022
—Inspiring reflections from student assistants
—Coverage of our publications, public lectures, conferences, and other events from the past year
. . . and more!
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In the latest edition of BYU Studies Quarterly, scholar Kristian S. Heal and his research assistant Zachery Stevenson published an article titled “How the Book of Mormon Reads Ancient Religious Texts”. The article offers value insight into how the Book of Mormon points Latter-day Saints towards the Bible and the connection between the two books.
The coming forth of the Book of Mormon not only shattered the notion of a closed canon but also signaled the imminent arrival of other texts, other voices, and other unknown chapters of world and sacred history. This article contends that the Book of Mormon is not only aware of its situation within a vast library of similar records, but also that it teaches its readers how to receive and attend to the records of which it prophesies.
In both what it says and what it models, the Book of Mormon establishes a series of methods for engaging with ancient texts. First, the Book of Mormon asks that we attend to the production history of a text by acknowledging those who wrote it, those who preserved it, and those who transmitted it. Second, it asks that we mine a text for historical significance before we read it theologically. Third, it demands we recognize the limited perspective of any single text—that we respect the reality of fracture, without reifying that fracture. Fourth, the Book of Mormon encourages us to not lose sight of the eschatological gathering of all texts into one, but to recognize that, eventually, texts will be gathered and the divisions between them healed.
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We are pleased to announce that Ashley Pun Eveson has joined BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute as communications manager, effective January 9, 2023. Ashley is currently a student in the BYU journalism program, set to graduate in April. Her work at the Maxwell Institute will include social media and communications, graphic design, and campus and public outreach. Maxwell Institute executive director Spencer Fluhman considers Ashley’s appointment a successful example of BYU’s “Inspiring Learning” efforts: “Ashley has excelled as a student employee–so much so that she was uniquely prepared to make ongoing contributions to the Institute’s important mission. The university’s emphasis on centering students in research–and virtually every other university activity–has directly enriched the Maxwell Institute and Ashley is a great example.”
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In the nineteenth century, a fascination with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made Mormons and Mormonism a common trope in French journalism, art, literature, politics, and popular culture. Heather Belnap, Corry Cropper, and Daryl Lee bring to light French representations of Mormonism from the 1830s to 1914, arguing that these portrayals often critiqued and parodied French society. Mormonism became a pretext for reconsidering issues such as gender, colonialism, the family, and church-state relations while providing artists and authors with a means for working through the possibilities of their own evolving national identity.
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It’s Christmas! This may feel like an awkward lesson to have in the discussion of the Old Testament, it’s at least how I felt. But in considering the topic more deeply, I can’t think of a better way to prepare for celebrating the Savior’s birth. We’ve spent the year reading the scriptures that He read and recognizing the ways that ancient Israel expected a Savior to redeem them. We discuss the Old Testament in light of the Promised Lamb of God in this episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast.”
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Finding Christ in the Covenant Path offers a fresh but faithful focus on the journey of covenants and discipleship through the double lens of ancient words and medieval images. The first part of the book helps us see Christ’s identity as our Redeemer by exploring the ancient words that connect covenants, redemption, worship, the presence of the Lord, and sitting down enthroned in God’s presence as his children and heirs.
The second part of the book reveals Christ as our ransom by exploring medieval images, particularly the image of Christ. With personal anecdotes, historical background, and scriptural analysis, this section uses devotional images and late medieval practices of contemplation as a strategy to come unto Christ. By using medieval images as a counterpoint to Restoration practices and ordinances, we can more fully appreciate the gift of God’s Son and see that gift with fresh eyes.
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In 2007, the Museum at Eldridge Street opened at the site of a restored nineteenth-century synagogue originally built by some of the first Eastern European Jewish immigrants in New York City. Visitors to the museum are invited to stand along indentations on the floor where footprints of congregants past have worn down the soft pinewood. Here, many feel a palpable connection to the history surrounding them.
Beyond the Synagogue argues that nostalgic activities such as visiting the Museum at Eldridge Street or eating traditional Jewish foods should be understood as American Jewish religious practices. In making the case that these practices are not just cultural, but are actually religious, Rachel B. Gross asserts if one looked outside of traditional institutions and practices, such as attendance at synagogue or membership in Jewish Community Centers, they would see that the embrace of nostalgia provides evidence of an alternative, under-appreciated way of being Jewish and of maintaining Jewish continuity.
Tracing American Jews’ involvement in a broad array of ostensibly nonreligious activities, including conducting Jewish genealogical research, visiting Jewish historic sites, purchasing books and toys that teach Jewish nostalgia to children, and seeking out traditional Jewish foods, Gross argues that these practices illuminate how many American Jews are finding and making meaning within American Judaism today.
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One of the most interesting days of my life took place a few years ago when I co-conducted a tour of the Jordan River Temple in Utah for non-Latter-day Saint specialists in American religion. As we walked from room to room, my co-tour guide, my second mission president, did his best to anticipate questions that my scholarly friends may have had. He did a great job! The most interesting part of the tour, though, came well after we left the temple’s doorways. My friend Bob asked “what does the temple DO for Latter-day Saints?” I answered about eternal kinship networks, the binding of families, and more. No, he said, pointedly, what does the temple DO for individuals like you? That questions took me back–as you can tell, I still reflect on it several years later. I think, if I were to think of how to describe what the temple does in the lives of everyday Latter-day Saints is flourishing. The flourishing of relationships, of personal peace and reflection, of revelatory capacity, and of my faith in Jesus Christ. As we discuss Haggai and Zechariah today, let’s keep that question in mind: what does the gospel DO for Latter-day Saints? Why are we so anxious to build temples and invite all we can to participate in their sacred rituals and spiritual splendor?
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In Adam S. Miller’s lecture, “The Necessity of God: First person, Present Tense, Imperative Mood” Miller talks about Tim Farnsworth, a man who cannot stop walking from the fictional book The Unnamed.
Miller said that everyone has different crosses to bear, and although we cannot change them, like Farnsworth cannot stop walking, we have to learn how to love and accept these challenges in order to connect to God.
Link to view the Annual Lecture here: https://youtu.be/N1L_ctSw2pk
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Adam S. Miller, philosopher and professor at Collin College gave this year’s Maxwell Institute lecture. Adam S. Miller’s lecture, “The Necessity of God: First person, Present Tense, Imperative Mood” is now available for viewing on YouTube.
In his lecture, Miller talks about Tim Farnsworth, a man who cannot stop walking from the fictional book The Unnamed.
Miller said that everyone has different crosses to bear, and although we cannot change them, like Farnsworth cannot stop walking, we have to learn how to love and accept these challenges in order to connect to God.
Link to view the Annual Lecture here: https://youtu.be/N1L_ctSw2pk
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The Book of Mormon Art Catalog seeks to provide unprecedented access to visual imagery inspired by the Book of Mormon through a comprehensive, open access, and searchable digital database.
In this role, the Book of Mormon Art Catalog supports research and education, aids scholarly and artistic work, promotes a greater knowledge of artists worldwide, provides a study and devotional resource for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other interested individuals, and creates opportunities for increased understanding and collaboration.
You can view Jenny’s lecture introducing the catalog on the Maxwell Institute’s YouTube channel HERE: https://youtu.be/c1m_JnFrGXo
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Annual Summer Seminar on Latter-day Saint Theology*
“The Demands of Justice: Reading Alma 34”***In the summer of 2023, the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar, in partnership with the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies and the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University, will sponsor a summer seminar for graduate students and faculty devoted to reading Alma 34.
The seminar will be hosted by David Holland at Harvard Divinity School in Boston, Massachusetts, from June 5–16. Travel arrangements, housing, and a $1250 stipend will be provided for admitted participants. The seminar will be led by Adam Miller and Joseph Spencer, directors of the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar.
This eighth annual summer seminar will again adopt the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar’s practice of facilitating intense, exploratory, interdisciplinary, and collaborative readings of Latter-day Saint scripture in a live two-week format.
During the first week, the seminar will meet daily to work word by word through the text of Alma 34:7-27 from a variety of disciplinary perspectives (philosophical, historical, literary, anthropological, rhetorical, political, archeological, sociological, etc.) in order to promote theologically rich readings of the text.
The second week will workshop conference papers based on the previous week’s collaboration and will culminate in a one-day conference, open to the public, on June 16, 2023. The conference proceedings will then be gathered and edited for publication.
The seminar welcomes applications from a wide variety of academic disciplines, cultural backgrounds, and geographic locations. Graduate students, junior faculty, and scholars based outside the U.S. are especially encouraged to apply, though applications from senior and independent scholars are also welcome.
Applications should be submitted by January 15, 2023. Notifications will be sent by February 1, 2023. Application materials should include (1) a full curriculum vitae, (2) a 200 word statement regarding the applicant’s interest in the seminar, and (3) a 500-750 word essay that demonstrates the applicant’s ability to offer a close, creative, and theologically substantial reading of Alma 34:7.
Questions and application materials should be directed to Maxwell_Institute@byu.edu
For more information about the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, visit: www.mi.byu.edu
For more information about the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar, visit: www.ldstheologyseminar.org
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Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints is a historical and theological window on Christianity’s first six centuries and beyond. It invites Latter-day Saints to encounter ancient followers of Jesus Christ, to hear what they heard, see what they saw, understand how they worshipped, and learn what they believed. Readers will come to see early Christian women and men as our sisters and brothers, fellow disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ancient Christians is available now on Amazon in hard cover and e-book formats.
Informed by the questions and interests of Latter-day Saints, each chapter explores the history of important ancient Christian beliefs and practices. Readers will also experience the ancient Christians’ material world, their art, architecture, and manuscripts, through beautiful images that adorn the text. Together, their writings and art stand as a witness to the profound faith and devotion of these followers of Christ.
Latter-day Saints are connected with early Christians through Joseph Smith’s restoration project and what he called “the primitive church.” Yet the lives of these spiritual forebears are often overlooked, and their faith is sometimes misunderstood. In this book, readers are invited to learn from these venerable ancient Saints, feel their love of God, and rejoice in their testimonies of the Savior of the world.
Order Ancient Christians here.
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One of my favorite sermons in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a sermon delivered by President Hugh B. Brown at BYU. It’s entitled God is the Gardner; I’m confident that many of you have heard this before. But I love the part at the end where, when dealing […]
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Throughout the scriptures, the Lord and His prophets teach of covenants, the ability for us to bind ourselves to God through the power of the priesthood. Sometimes, though, we forget that we are also in covenant relationship to those we hold most dear. Indeed, that not only are we covenentally bound to our family members, […]
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Andrew Jenson undertook a lifelong quest to render the LDS historical record complete and comprehensive. As Assistant Church Historian of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jenson tirelessly carried out his office’s archival mission and advocated for fixed record keeping to become a duty for Latter-day Saints. Reid L. Neilson and Scott D. […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #152: Andrew Jenson and Latter-day Saint History, with Reid L. Neilson and Scott D. Marianno appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Isaac Richards, a research assistant at the Maxwell Institute recently won the George H. Brimhall contest with his essay "Parable of the Cane". Richards currently works for scholar Taunalyn Ford at the Institute.
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We are blessed to live in a time of prophets. I define this in two ways. The first is that we are fortunate to live in a time where the priesthood has been restored and that the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints speaks for the Lord under priesthood authority. The […]
The post Abide: Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Latter-day Saints recognize the Book of Mormon as the “keystone of our religion,” a book that will bring a person closer to Christ than by any other book. How do non-Latter-day Saints read the Book of Mormon, though, especially in their academic work? To answer that question, we’ll speak to Dr. Rosalynde Frandsen Welch, Research […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #151: The Book of Mormon and Literature Studies, with Rosalynde Frandsen Welch appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In last week’s episode, we discussed how Jeremiah introduces ideas about seemingly disparate events, including the apocalyptic here-and-now and the hope of a better future for all of humankind. As we continue into our second episode on Jeremiah, we take a turn to earthy practicalities. How do we commit ourselves to God’s work? How do […]
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This post was written by Kylie Nielson Turley, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar. You know this story: Enos is a hunter who goes to the forest, remembers what his dad says, and then prays for himself, his friends, and his enemies. Read the whole story? Check. Understood the story? Check. Applied […]
The post Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar: “Behold! the beginnings of love” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints is a historical and theological window on Christianity’s first six centuries and beyond. It invites Latter-day Saints to encounter ancient followers of Jesus Christ, to hear what they heard, see what they saw, understand how they worshipped, and learn what they believed. Readers will come to see early Christian women and men as our sisters and brothers, fellow disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The post Ancient Christians to be Released November 23, 2022 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
This post was written by Benjamin Keogh, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar. Throughout the history of Christian theology theologians have repeatedly turned to a conception of God as conversation. Cashed out with Christoph Schwöbel one understands “the Father is the Speaker, the Son the spoken Word, and the Holy Spirit the […]
The post Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar: “God can encompass the whole range of human communication” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In June 2022, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship and the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding hosted a conference based upon Patrick Mason’s and David Pulsipher’s new book Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict. Participants–scholars and non-scholars alike–reflected together on the interpersonal, ethical, and social dimensions of Christian discipleship and the […]
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We are excited to announce that the Book of Mormon Art Catalog is now live! This new freely available digital database provides unprecedented access to visual art inspired by the Book of Mormon, a range of powerful search tools, and a wealth of information and resources about the art.
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Today we are joined by Dr. Joseph Spencer, a philosopher, theologian and Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture here at Brigham Young University. Dr. Spencer is the editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies and a leading scholar of the Book of Mormon. He is a prolific author, and among his recent works are […]
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This post was written by Sharon Harris, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar. The format of the theology seminar produces the effects of a compactor and muse simultaneously. I lived in New York City for eight years and was thrilled to return to my old home. Even so, I told almost none […]
The post Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar: “the joy and rigor of wrestling before the Lord” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
This post was written by Mike Hansen, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar. By my count, the LDS Theology Seminar was roundly successful. As I have reflected on these successes, I think they must have stemmed from a few different factors. The seminar was smartly designed. In the first week, our frequent […]
The post Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar: a “mutual respect for the chosen text” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Listen to Pastor Derwin Gray and Vicki Gray speak on Derwin’s new book, Healing Our Racial Divide: What the Bible Says, and the First Christians Knew, About Racial Reconciliation!Link to book: Amazon
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #149: Healing Our Racial Divide, with Derwin and Vicki Gray appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Jesus promises in the Gospel of John that he will not leave us comfortless, but that He will come to us. He promises in Matthew that he will give us rest when we are weary and heavy-laden. In my experience, though, that isn’t at the first instance of pain, whether it’s physical, mental, spiritual, or […]
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This post was written by Rebekah Call, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint theology seminar. Over a decade ago, I learned about favorite cafés of great thinkers in recent centuries. These thinkers, along with groups of intellectual friends, would gather and discuss in these cafés, often daily, for hours on end. This small-group discussion […]
The post Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar: “Enos came to life” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Richard Bushman once told me that “panic precedes revelation.” Dr. Bushman was discussing the process by which Joseph Smith received the First Vision (recall the line from the Pearl of Great Price that “at that moment of great alarm” that the Father and Son appeared to the boy prophet). While reading, Isaiah, though, I think […]
The post Abide: Isaiah 13-14; 24–30; 35 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
This post is from Liz Brocious, a participant in the 2022 Latter-day Saint theology seminar. Intellectual work requires a certain “mind space” in which one can be immersed in particular texts and ideas. The 2022 LDS Theology Seminar, by carrying us away to New York City and away from the distractions of our regular lives, […]
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Isaiah. Latter-day Saints have a special relationship to this Old Testament prophet. Not only do we recognize prophets across all dispensations, but his words were carried by Lehi’s family to the Americas. How do we think about Isaiah? What should we know about the construction of the book of Isaiah? We discuss this, and much […]
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The Neal A. Maxwell Institute is excited to welcome Tim Farrant and Ryan Tobler as postdoctoral fellows. Maxwell Institute scholars work together to produce religious scholarship that inspires Latter-day Saints and engages the broader world of religious ideas. Dr. Farrant completed a D.Phil. at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he was mentored by Rev. Dr. Andrew […]
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This post was written by Adam Miller and Joseph Spencer, co-directors of the Latter-day Saint theology seminar. Thanks to the generous support of the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Studies, and the Institute’s Executive Director, Spencer Fluhman, we were again able to direct a […]
The post Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar: Directors’ Report appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Richard Bushman once told me that “panic precedes revelation.” Dr. Bushman was discussing the process by which Joseph Smith received the First Vision (recall the line from the Pearl of Great Price that “at that moment of great alarm” that the Father and Son appeared to the boy prophet). While reading, Isaiah, though, I think […]
The post Abide: Proverbs and Ecclesiastes appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Kate Holbrook, PhD (1972–2022) was a leading voice in the study of Latter-day Saintwomen and Latter-day Saint foodways. As managing historian of women’s history atthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints history department, she wrote, studied,and interpreted history full-time. Her major research interests were religion, gender,and food. Her primary professional activity was to discover, […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #148: The Weight of Legacy, with Kate Holbrook appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
A book has many lives. It’s thought, it’s edited, it’s printed, it’s reprinted, it’s commentated on, and this repeats, if the book merits it, ad infinitum. This is certainly true for the Bible as a whole, but, I suggest, for the Psalms in particular. How do we think about Psalms as an ancient text conveyed […]
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Terryl L. Givens has won the 2022 Evans Biography Award from the Mountain West Center for Regional Studies at Utah State University for his book Stretching the Heavens: The Life of Eugene England and the Crisis of Modern Mormonism. Givens, Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, […]
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In the decades before the Civil War, Americans appealed to the nation’s sacred religious and legal texts – the Bible and the Constitution – to address the slavery crisis. The ensuing political debates over slavery deepened interpreters’ emphasis on historical readings of the sacred texts, and in turn, these readings began to highlight the unbridgeable […]
The post (Reuploaded) Maxwell Institute Podcast #147: Slavery, Sacred Texts, and Historical Consciousness, with Jordan Watkins appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In the decades before the Civil War, Americans appealed to the nation’s sacred religious and legal texts – the Bible and the Constitution – to address the slavery crisis. The ensuing political debates over slavery deepened interpreters’ emphasis on historical readings of the sacred texts, and in turn, these readings began to highlight the unbridgeable […]
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One of the first things I tell my students, and that I repeat throughout a semester, is that texts do not interpret themselves. Every time a person reads scripture they see it with new eyes and with shifting perspectives. The words on the page may be the same, though, of course, with the Bible, those […]
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Psalms! There’s over 150 of them marked in the book by the same name in the Old Testament. How can we read them? Are they more useful as a narrative thread, or as a spice to season our spiritual diet? We’ll discuss that and much more on today’s episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast.”
The post Abide: Psalms Part One appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Job, as a literary and biblical figure, gives us a lot to think about. He goes from riches to rags to riches again. He loses his family but begins another. He’s at the center of a contest between god and a devilish character. He relies on his friends but those same friends accuse him of […]
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In Original Grace, Adam S. Miller proposes an experiment in Restoration thinking: What if instead of implicitly affirming the traditional logic of original sin, we, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, emphasized the deeper reality of God’s original grace? What if we broke entirely with the belief that suffering can sometimes be deserved and claimed that […]
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The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of Ancient Christians: An Introduction for Latter-day Saints. Co-edited by Jason R. Combs (BYU Religious Education), Mark D. Ellison (BYU Religious Education), Catherine Gines Taylor (Maxwell Institute), and Kristian S. Heal (Maxwell Institute), Ancient Christians is a […]
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Can one be directed by God when one doesn’t know that one is being directed? The answer, of course, is yes. We learn about how God directed Esther in ways that may not have been recognizable to her, to ancient Israelites, and in ways that still surprise us today. We’ll discuss that, and more, in […]
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If an eighteenth-century cleric told you that the difference between “civilization and heathenism is sky-high and star-far,” the words would hardly come as a shock. But that statement was written by an American missionary in 1971. In a sweeping historical narrative, Kathryn Gin Lum shows how the idea of the heathen has been maintained from the […]
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We are thrilled to introduce Nicole Issac as a member of Research Staff at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship! She is a recent graduate from Brigham Young University with her BS in Public Health. She will be working with Dr. Taunalyn Ford and their work focuses on the history of Latter-day Saints […]
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The Neal A. Maxwell Institute is excited to welcome Dr. Rachael G. Johnson as a postdoctoral fellow. Guided by the Institute’s mission, faculty and staff at the Maxwell Institute work to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints” and engage “the world of religious ideas.” Dr. Johnson studies the historical and theological foundations of embodiment in the […]
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How do we learn from failure? Especially the end of an organization as large as a kingdom? What if two kingdoms fall? Today, as we look at the end of both Kingdoms of Israel, I hope that we can explore what it means to understand a people’s historical failures and recognize that modern people are […]
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BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is excited to welcome Dr. Kimberly Matheson as a research fellow. She joins a talented group of faculty who pursue the Maxwell Institute’s mission to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints” and engage “the world of religious ideas.” Dr. Matheson holds a Ph.D. in theology from Loyola University […]
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Elijah and Elisha are well-known to Latter-day Saints. The prophecy that Elijah would return was foretold in each of the four books of the Latter-day Saint canon. Indeed, Elijah visited the Prophet Joseph Smith and his counselor, Sidney Rigdon, in the Kirtland Temple, restoring the keys of the sealing power to the earth. Elisha may […]
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Dr. Rosalynde Frandsen Welch has accepted an appointment as a research fellow at Brigham Young University’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Dr. Welch will also serve as the Institute’s associate director, replacing Dr. Philip Barlow, who returns after years of dedicated administrative service to the Institute’s regular faculty. Welch’s tenure officially begins on […]
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Solomon’s reign was glorious, but what he gained in wealth, wives and infrastructure he lost in spiritual standing. He had not been faithful to the God of Israel. Instead, he adopted a cosmopolitanism that accommodated the religious preferences of his wives. However, God kept faith with David and Solomon, and the kingdom was split in […]
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The post Abide: 2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Spiritual experiences are famously transformative. They sometimes inspire dramatic effects of conversion and healing, of vision and new life direction. But even in their more quotidian forms they expand our cognitive and emotional capacities, help cultivate virtues, and intensify our feelings of closeness to God, others, and things we deem ultimate. For Matthew Wickman, spiritual experience […]
The post Maxwell Podcast Episode #144: A Spiritual Life in Literature, with Matthew Wickman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In Mosiah 29, Mosiah says that “if it were possible that you could have bjust men to be your kings, who would establish the claws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father dBenjamin did for this […]
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The Old Testament names more women, and has more books named for women, than any of the other texts in the Latter-day Saint canon. They fulfill their roles as disciples, family members, and in following their personal integrity with living up to their commitment within community relationships. How do they fulfill those roles? And how […]
The post Abide: Ruth; 1 Samuel 1-3 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
There’s a difficulty in reading the scriptures. I’m not referring to words on the page. I’m also not referring to the habit of scripture reading, though that could certainly apply, too. No, I’m referring to making the scriptures, whose figures and narratives are familiar to many Latter-day Saints, new and refreshing and insightful. In today’s […]
The post Abide: Judges 2-4; 6-8; 13-16 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
“This Church will stand, because it is upon a firm basis. … The Lord has shown it to us by the revealing principle of the Holy Spirit of light.” Lorenzo Snow, April 1900 That quotes embodies much of what is going on in the third volume of SAINTS, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #143: Saints in a Modernizing World, with Lisa Olsen Tait and Scott Hales appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Scholars spend entire careers debating texts, their origins, their impact, and the most valuable contributions they make to broader understanding. At the Maxwell Institute, we participate in these debates, but recognize that a text’s value cannot be narrowed down to observable fact–the long-lasting test of scripture is how it shapes the readers’ or hearers’ faith. […]
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Deuteronomy is the final book in the Pentateuch, containing Moses’ last sermons, as well as poetry regarding Israel’s future. Moses pleads with Israel not to repeat their past mistakes, such as falling into idolatry. They must keep their covenants and keep the law given by Yahweh, or else they will lose the Promised Land. What […]
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Elder Neal A. Maxwell once preached, “Faith also includes trust in God’s timing, for He has said, “All things must come to pass in their time.” (D&C 64:32.) Ironically, some who acknowledge God are tried by His timing, globally and personally!” We certainly see that in the Book of Numbers. The Israelites were thirsty but […]
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The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is pleased to announce the 2022 slate of writing grant recipients of the Living Faith Women Authors Initiative (for previous winners, see here). The Initiative is designed to promote women’s voices and to support excellence in academic and religious writing. Andrea Lystrup is a licensed marriage and […]
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When someone brings up Leviticus, my mind turns almost automatically to the Law of Moses. Which, I admit, doesn’t always seem like the most applicable thing to my life. However, when reframing it to think about the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I can’t think of anything more important for Latter-day Saints to know […]
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Knowing how to transform conflict is critical in both our personal and professional lives. Yet, by and large, we are terrible at it. The reason, says longtime mediator Chad Ford, is fear. When conflict comes, our instincts are to run or fight. To transform conflict, Ford says we need to turn toward the people we […]
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Often, when we speak about matters of religion, we discuss belief. “I know the Church is true. I have received a witness for myself that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I have had these experiences and share them in Sunday school and other venues. For me, though, faith also takes place in the […]
The post Abide: Exodus 24; 31-34 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
President Spencer W. Kimball said in 1976 that “Few men have ever knowingly and deliberately chosen to reject God and his blessings. Rather, we learn from the scriptures that because the exercise of faith has always appeared to be more difficult than relying on things more immediately at hand, carnal man has tended to transfer […]
The post Abide: Exodus 18-20 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute is excited to welcome Dr. Joseph Stuart as our newest postdoctoral fellow. Guided by the Institute’s mission statement, faculty and staff at the Maxwell Institute work to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and [engage] the world of religious ideas.”Stuart joins […]
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Easter. A time for Christians to consider the life, atoning sacrifice, and miraculous resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. How can we use our knowledge of the Old Testament to deepen our Easter experiences? And how can understanding how other religions approach Easter help us commit to being better Christians and Latter-day Saints.
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“When we begin to see ourselves as the prodigal in that famed biblical parable, we are better able to minister to that prodigal daughter or that prodigal father. When we see them as in process and recognize the same in ourselves, we can forgive their wandering because we know we must.”
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #140: Prodigals All, with Spencer Fluhman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In some ways, Israel has to be feeling pretty great in Exodus 14-17. They’re finally escaping enslavement and have been delivered by God through His prophet. On the other hand, they are also between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. Spoilers: they escape. But they didn’t know that until the moment of deliverance–they had to […]
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God delivers us. That’s one of the central takeaways of Exodus’s story. But what do we do to ensure that we remember that takeaway? In this episode of Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast, we discuss what it means to hold on in the face of adversity, to remember the actions that ensure our temporal and […]
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Exodus: a movement of the people. As we move into the second book of the Tanak, or Old Testament, we have more than a movement of people. We have a flurry of new people, ideas, and we see Jehovah’s miraculous work through ancient Israelite eyes. But how can we be moved? How can we learn […]
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Throughout the Old Testament we learn much about the relationships of tribes, clans, and family groups. We began discussing Israel’s family in the last episode, focusing on Joseph, the favored son sold into Egypt whose meteoric rise in Egyptian politics through the spiritual gift of interpreting dreams ultimately provided a land inheritance that would keep […]
The post Abide: Genesis 42-50 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Proclaim Peace Conference In June 2022, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship and the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding are hosting a conference based upon Patrick Mason’s and David Pulsipher’s new book Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict. You can learn more about the book HERE and […]
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The version of Joseph in Egypt I got growing up was shaped heavily by Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Despite the delightful music and vivid color, there’s far more to the Joseph narrative than even Donny Osmond can share in 90 minutes. In today’s episode of Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast, we explore several […]
The post Genesis 37-41 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Volume 5 of the Revelations and Translations series from the Joseph Smith Papers Project presents all extant fragments of the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon. For the first time ever, researchers have access to a photograph and color-coded transcripts of each fragment of the manuscript, showing every change made and which scribe made […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #139: The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, with Robin Scott Jensen appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Readers of the Tanak or Old Testament see that The Lord marks Israel as a chosen people. Modern Latter-day Saints identify with being a “peculiar people.” But what does it mean to be a chosen people? And how does one’s peculiarity mark boundaries of values, identity, and peoplehood? Chosenness does not mean a life without […]
The post Abide: Genesis 28-33 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
As Genesis marches on we are introduced to new people, whose lives are in some ways different than our own, but in many ways are similar. In this episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast,” we meet Isaac and Rebekah, who push us to think about what our responsibilities are in our families, and how […]
The post Abide: Genesis 24-27 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Today, Dr. Elisa Eastwood Pulido joins us to discuss her book, The Spiritual Evolution of Margarito Bautista: Mexican Mormon Evangelizer, Polygamist Dissident, and Utopian Founder, 1878-1961 (Oxford University Press, 2020). Dr. Pulido’s book is the first full-length biography of Margarito Bautista (1878-1961), a celebrated Latino Mormon leader in the U.S. and Mexico in the early […]
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The Maxwell Institute’s 2021 Annual Report is now available to read online. You can also request a free print copy HERE. IN THIS ISSUE: —Jennifer Reeder’s 2021 Annual Maxwell Lecture, “A Hair Wreath, A Bald Head, and a Usable Past: The Stuff of Discipleship” —Janiece Johnson’s Biennial Laura F. Willes Book of Mormon Lecture, “Documenting […]
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The Lectures on Faith teaches that, “…a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation.” But how much can we be asked to sacrifice? For Abraham, he seemed to have been asked to sacrifice in a myriad of ways. […]
The post Abide: Genesis 18-23 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We are pleased to announce that Grace Soelberg has joined the Maxwell Institute as a member of our research staff! Grace Soelberg is a recent Honors graduate from Brigham Young University in History. Her work centers on race relations in the United States and the way these interactions and tensions are reflected in popular media. […]
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The post Abide: Genesis 12-17 and Abraham 1-2 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Have you ever had anyone ask you “what is scripture?” For such a short question it has the possibility to open up into thousands of answers. For Latter-day Saints, it can be defined as “whatsoever [God’s representatives] shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost.” This definition is somewhat broader than many other Christian […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #137: BH Roberts, the Bible, and the Book of Mormon, with Matthew Bowman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Introduction: The world of the Old Testament, like our own day, is swimming in violence. From the direct and intimate violence of person-to-person interaction to the structural violence that reinforce hunger, war, and inequality, each of us is affected by others’ use of force. Despite this reality, or perhaps because of it, the Lord commanded […]
The post Abide: Genesis 6-11 and Moses 8 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Moses 7 features Enoch, a figure that receives scant attention in Genesis, but has an overwhelming impact on the Pearl of Great Price. Importantly, Enoch’s experience with God also shapes how we view the Father, His relationship to us, and recognize his character and disposition. In today’s episode of Abide, we discuss Moses 7 and […]
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The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #136: Documenting a Relationship: Early Latter-day Saints and the Book of Mormon, with Janiece Johnson appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
A lot of time passes in Genesis 5. We see fathers and sons’ names and their ages when sons were sired. They lived a lot longer than we do now! In Moses 5 we receive far more detail about post-Eden life but without the connections to genealogy beyond Adam, Abel, Cain, and Lamech. What are […]
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Please enjoy Dr. Jennifer Reeder’s 2021 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture! You can watch the address, with Dr. Reeder’s slides, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo7GR8ql_xY.
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #135: The Stuff of Discipleship, with Jennifer Reeder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
“Adam fell that men might be. And men are that they might have joy.” Lehi’s declaration in 2 Nephi 2 is transformative in Latter-day Saint theology, transforming an event portrayed often in negative terms throughout Abrahamic faiths into something fulfilling and meaningful. That isn’t the only way that Latter-day Saints understand the Fall differently than […]
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The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #134: Proclaim Peace with Patrick Mason and David Pulsipher appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In October 1995 at the General Relief Society meeting of LDS General Conference, then President Gordon B. Hinckley presented “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.” It was the 5th of 6 proclamations–we now have 7. the most recent being the Proclamation on the Restoration in 2020. Church communications come in a variety of modes. […]
The post Abide #25: The Family: A Proclamation to the World appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Spencer W. Kimball, his counselors, and their fellow apostles prayed about the revelation that Latter-day Saints have canonized as Official Declaration 2 in June 1978. They immediately let it be known that the Lord had told them that all worthy people, of any race, color, creed, or nationality, would be eligible for temple blessings and […]
The post Abide #24: Official Declaration Two appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In September 1890, Wilford Woodruff, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, met with his counselors with a vexing problem. How could they, as prophets and the First Presidency of the Church, prevent their religion from being squashed by the federal government over the practice of plural marriage? They ultimately decided that […]
The post Abide #23: Official Declaration One appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Though raised as a Latter-day Saint in Utah, Samuel M. Brown was an atheist from an early age and proud of it. Yet, by his own account, God became an undeniable presence in his life. Now a faithful Latter-day Saint, this practicing research physician narrates some of the waypoints on his journey into believing and […]
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The post Abide #22: Doctrine and Covenants 137-138 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Constitution of the United States guarantees that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Despite that promise, Latter-day Saints in the nineteenth century sometimes found themselves as victims of legal and extralegal violence against their leaders and lay members alike. When Joseph Smith ran for President […]
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The post Abide #20: Doctrine and Covenants 133-134 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In today’s episode of “Abide: A Maxwell Institute Podcast,” we are studying four of Joseph Smith’s revelations. Three of them, Sections 129-131 are written in Joseph Smith’s own style, you can hear him teaching the Saints. This makes sense; they are quite literally teachings from Joseph Smith in both personal and public settings, compiled and […]
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The Neal A. Maxwell Institute’s Executive Director, Spencer Fluhman, spoke at the 2021 BYU Women’s Conference on loving and serving someone going through a crisis of faith. His message is entitled “Prodigals All.” You can watch the video at the Maxwell Institute’s YouTube channel HERE.
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Following the Latter-day Saints’ expulsion from Missouri and while they worked to make a new home in Nauvoo, IL, Joseph Smith received several revelations that brought divine insight into earthly problems. For instance, what to do for those who could not afford to live in Nauvoo, or who desired to live in small cities surrounding […]
The post Abide #18: Doctrine and Covenants 125-128 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
From acting as a scribe for the translation of the Book of Mormon to founding the Relief Society, Emma Hale Smith was a key figure in the Restoration. She was also her husband’s anchor and the love of his life. But how much do we really know about her role, teachings, and leadership? Drawing upon […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #131: An Elect Lady, with Jennifer Reeder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
On January 19, 1841 Joseph Smith voiced a revelation that declared Nauvoo as the new gathering place for the Saints. Much had happened since we left Joseph in section 123. After the expulsion from Missouri, 5,000 Saints scattered traveling east across Missouri to safety in Illinois, 200 miles east of Far West, Missouri 1838, with […]
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Everything changed for Joseph Smith and the Latter-day Saints in a few short months in 1838. 5000 Saints gathered in the burgeoning city of Far West, Missouri to celebrate the 4th of July. Confident and secure in their main settlement, Sidney Rigdon declared that if a mob came again, it would be a “war of […]
The post Abide #16: Doctrine and Covenants 121-123 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Eugene England was many things: a scholar, a theologian, an essayist, a husband, father, and teacher. But, above all, he defined himself as a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Today, we speak with Terryl Givens, a Senior Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #130: Stretching the Heavens with Eugene England appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Sections 116-120 reveal a Church and prophet trying desperately to make the best of a bad situation. By the date of the last revelation a third of the Quorum of the Twelve would apostatize. The Lord directed that the Church move its headquarters from Ohio to Missouri. The Latter-day Saints changed their main county of […]
The post Abide #15: Doctrine and Covenants 116-120 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In July of 1836 JS Hyrum Smith OC SR travelled to Salem, MA. They arrived on 5 August and rented a house on Union Street for the next 3 weeks. The revelation in section 111 might have been received there, BUT There is no contemporary evidence that tells us why they were there. THe contemporary […]
The post Abide #14: Doctrine and Covenants 111-115 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
How do we understand the lives of women who lived in ancient times? Where do historians and scholars go for evidence when there’s relatively little available in written records? In this episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, we will talk with Dr. Catherine Gines Taylor, a Nibley Postdoctoral Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute, […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #129 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #13: Doctrine and Covenants 109-110 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
In early 1835 the first Quorum of the 12 of the Restored Church were called and that spring were tasked with travelling “through the Eastern States, to the Atlantic Ocean, and hold conferences in the vicinity of the several branches of the Church for the purpose of regulating all things necessary for their welfare.” As […]
The post Abide #12: Doctrine and Covenants 107 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have taken the Lord’s call to “have a record kept among [them]” since the commandment was given in the first days of the Church. One of the ways that the Church accomplishes this is through the Joseph Smith Papers Project. In this episode, we will […]
The post Maxwell Institute Podcast #128: Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Volume 12 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #11: Doctrine and Covenants Sections 102-106 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Charles Inouye writes, “I am Japanese but was born and raised in rural central Utah. At first, my parents were afraid that our involvement with the Church would weaken our grounding in Japanese tradition. As it turned out, it only reinforced my interest in animism, Buddhism, and other aspects of Japanese culture. As a scholar […]
The post MI Podcast #127: ZION EARTH ZEN SKY appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #10: Doctrine and Covenants 98-101 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #9: Doctrine and Covenants 94-97 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute is excited to welcome Taunalyn Ford as a postdoctoral fellow. Guided by the Institute’s mission statement, each faculty and staff member at the Maxwell Institute work to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and [engage] the world of religious ideas.” Dr. […]
The post New Postdoctoral Fellow appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #8: Doctrine and Covenants 90-92 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #8.2: Doctrine and Covenants 93 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal of Pembroke College, Oxford University, will join the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship as a Visiting Scholar for the Fall 2021 semester. Rev. Dr. Teal is an expert in theology and is a longtime, invested interfaith bridge-builder. In 2020, he published a book entitled, Inspiring Service: Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, […]
The post Reverend Dr. Andrew Teal Joins the Maxwell Institute as Fall 2021 Visiting Scholar appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We have partnered with Roble del Sur to present several firesides on The Book of Mormon: brief theological introductions for Spanish-speaking audiences. The presentation, made in English but presented with Spanish subtitles, is now available on the Maxwell Institute’s Spanish-language YouTube channel! You can find the link HERE.
The post Fireside on The Book of Mormon: brief theological introductions for Spanish speakers now on YouTube appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #7: Doctrine and Covenants 89 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Living Faith books are for readers who cherish the life of the mind and the things of the Spirit. Each title offers an example of faith in search of understanding, the unique voice of a practicing scholar who has cultivated a believing heart. See the full collection here. The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship […]
The post Announcing the Living Faith Author Initiative for Women (Due January 31, 2022) appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is thrilled that Dr. Mark Wrathall will join us as a short-term research grant recipient for August 2021. Dr. Wrathall received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a J.D. at Harvard Law School. He is now Professor of Philosophy at the University […]
The post Short-Term Grant Recipient: Mark Wrathall appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #6: Doctrine and Covenants 88 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
I’m thrilled to announce the 2021 issue of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, which constitutes the thirtieth volume of the Journal! I’m especially pleased to introduce this particular issue because it is the first of three successive special issues of the Journal. This issue is largely given to a roundtable discussion of what […]
The post 2021 Issue of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies now Available appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #5: Doctrine and Covenants 85-87 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #4: Doctrine and Covenants 84 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We are pleased to have three short-term research grant recipients join the Maxwell Institute this summer. Learn more about their backgrounds and research below. Rebekah Perkins Crawford has a Ph.D. in Health Communication and is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Social and Public Health at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Her research centers […]
The post 2021 Short-Term Research Grant Recipients appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #3: Doctrine and Covenants 81-83 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
We will be discussing each week’s block of reading from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” curriculum. We aren’t here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the scripture block that we believe will help fulfill the Maxwell Institute’s mission to inspire and […]
The post Abide #2: Doctrine and Covenants 77-80 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
On February 16, 1832, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were working on the Prophet’s “translation” of the Bible. This wasn’t a translation in a linguistic sense, where someone takes a text from one language and presents it in another. No, this was a project about seeking out meanings and insights that had been lost over […]
The post Abide #1: Doctrine and Covenants Section 76 appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
How did early Latter-day Saints read the Book of Mormon? And how did that book, which the Prophet Joseph Smith called “the most correct of any book on earth” and “the keystone of our religion,” help Latter-day Saints make sense of their lives? In this episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, Dr. Janiece Johnson, a Willes Center Research Fellow at […]
The post MI Podcast #126: Becoming a people of the Books appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is pleased to announce the first writing grant recipients of the Living Faith Women Authors Initiative. The Initiative is designed to promote women’s voices and to support excellence in academic and religious writing. Heather J. Chestnut is a civil rights attorney with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, […]
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AML Press Release The Association for Mormon Letters (AML) has awarded the Neal A. Maxwell Institute’s The Book of Mormon: brief theological introductions a “Special Award in Religious Nonfiction” at its 2021 conference. In the award’s citation, the jury noted that the brief theological introductions “provide accessible, thoughtful, and above all, incredibly engaging theological introductions […]
The post The Book of Mormon: brief theological introductions wins “Special Award in Religious Nonfiction” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Maxwell Institute’s executive director, Spencer Fluhman, spoke to the Utah Valley University Institute of Religion on February 12, 2021. He spoke about “the Gospel of Abundant Hope,” encouraging students to recognize the evidences of God’s love and divine care in our daily lives. “It’s my conviction that reducing divine redemption to a ‘fix’ for […]
The post The “Gospel of Abundant Hope” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is pleased to announce a new book series, The Doctrine and Covenants: brief theological introductions. The multi-volume series will highlight Restoration theology and will also be grounded in historical research. The volumes will be released in late 2024, just before the Doctrine & Covenants becomes the subject […]
The post Announcement: Brief Theological Introductions to the Doctrine and Covenants appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Brigham Young University has reappointed J. Spencer Fluhman as executive director of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. This will be Fluhman’s second term. His original appointment began in May 2016 following stints in BYU’s Department of History (2011-16) and Religious Education (2004-11). According to Associate Academic Vice President Brad Neiger, “Dr. Fluhman […]
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Building upon the disciple-scholarship found in The Book of Mormon: brief theological introductions, the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is pleased to announce a collaborative research initiative and accompanying book series: “Seek This Jesus: The Maxwell Institute Christology Initiative.” The initiative brings together twelve scholars in a sustained, extended exploration of Christology, the […]
The post Announcement: “Seek This Jesus” The Maxwell Institute Christology Initiative appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Maxwell Institute is excited to welcome four new disciple-scholars to its research community. Guided by the Institute’s mission statement, each faculty and staff member work to “inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and [engage] the world of religious ideas.” Maxwell Institute executive director Spencer Fluhman […]
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The post ‘It is I,’ says the Christ—An Ancient Easter Meditation appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post MIPodcast #125— ‘All Things New,’ with Fiona and Terryl Givens and Spencer Fluhman appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
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The post Our 2020 Annual Report is here appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post GUEST HOST—‘Thinking Otherwise,’ with James E. Faulconer and Morgan Davis [MIPodcast #124] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post GUEST HOST—Pursuing the intellectual life from a place of commitment, with Ravi Gupta & Philip Barlow [MIPodcast #123] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Now you can pre-order a brief theological introduction to Moroni appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Do Latter-day Saints need to do theology? appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post James E. Faulconer’s ‘Thinking Otherwise’ bears testimony through philosophy, theology, and history appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Pre-order now: Brief theological introductions to Mormon, Ether appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Kindle editions of ‘3rd, 4th Nephi’ and ‘Mormon’ available now appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post GUEST HOST—Briefly Moroni, with David F. Holland & Spencer Fluhman [MIPodcast #122] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Latest ‘Journal of Book of Mormon Studies’ looks at the Liahona appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post GUEST HOST—Briefly Ether, with Rosalynde Welch & James E. Faulconer [MIPodcast #121] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘3rd, 4th Nephi: a brief theological introduction’ now available for pre-order appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post GUEST HOST—Briefly Mormon, with Adam Miller and Spencer Fluhman [MIPodcast #120] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Helaman: a brief theological introduction’ now available for pre-order appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Institute scholars discuss the state of Book of Mormon scholarship at annual BoMSA conference appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Alma 30–63: a brief theological introduction’ now available for pre-order appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post The end of the world (Latter-day Saint style), with Christopher James Blythe [MIPodcast #119] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Alma 1–29: a brief theological introduction’ now available for pre-order appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Seeking applicants for visiting research associate at Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Our life together in, and as, the Church appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post A musicologist’s perspective on the power of speculative theology appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Darius Gray and Robert Daines join Institute’s advisory board appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post How reading a text theologically can be similar to reading historically appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
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The post More than a historian—a theologian appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Briefly 3rd and 4th Nephi, with Daniel Becerra [MIPodcast #118] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post An Englishman in New York: A Metaphor for the Latter-day Saint Theologian appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post 2020 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture—Kate Holbrook, “The Weight of Legacy” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Joseph Spencer on reading the Doctrine and Covenants appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Finding treasures in Doctrine & Covenants 25 with the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Dr. Ravi Gupta joins the Institute as affiliate faculty appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Briefly Helaman, with Kimberly Matheson Berkey [MIPodcast #116] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Christopher James Blythe’s ‘Terrible Revolution’ is now available from Oxford appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Robert Alter on translating the Hebrew Bible [MIPodcast #115] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Announcing the Living Faith Author Initiative for Women appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post China and the True Jesus Church, with Melissa Inouye [MIPodcast #114] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Briefly Alma 30–63, with Mark Wrathall [MIPodcast #113] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Mosiah: a brief theological introduction’ available for preorder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Enos, Jarom, Omni: a brief theological introduction’ available for preorder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘The Spiritual Practice of Remembering,’ with Margaret Bendroth [MIPodcast #112] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Latter-day Saint scholar Melissa Inouye reflects on her many crossings [MIPodcast #111] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Jacob: a brief theological introduction’ available for preorder appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Why it’s time for a new book on Latter-day Saint views of the Apocalypse appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Briefly Alma 1–29, with Kylie Nielson Turley [MIPodcast #110] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post The Book of Mormon’s ethic of mournful wakefulness, with David Charles Gore [MIPodcast #109] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post ‘Railroading Religion,’ with David Walker [MIPodcast #108] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post The life of Jane Manning James, with Quincy Newell [MIPodcast #107] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post In memoriam: M. Gerald Bradford appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The post Enrich your study of Mosiah with these great resources from the Latter-day Saint Theology Seminar appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
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Melissa Inouye’s Living Faith lecture is now available to watch online: “Making Zion: Insights on Living with Contradictions from a Latter-day Saint Scholar.” Watch Latter-day Saint scholar Melissa Inouye is a self-described bald Asian American Latter-day Saint woman scholar. In her professional life she researches Chinese history and global Christian history. In her personal life […]
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Joseph Smith left a lot of documents behind when he died in 1844, from the mundane to the intriguing. Some of the more puzzling documents deal with a book of scripture in the Latter-day Saint canon called the Book of Abraham. Said to be translated from ancient papyrus, the scripture broadens the story of the […]
The post Joseph Smith’s Egyptian papers, with Robin Jensen & Brian Hauglid [MIPodcast #92] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
“Which are the best Chinese popsicles—red bean or green bean?” “When is cultural revolution a bad idea?” “Can someone be a critical scholar and a believing Latter-day Saint at the same time?” “If the history of the Restoration sometimes overlaps with the history of racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice, how can we say […]
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I’m a religious person. I also consider myself to be an intellectual. As an intellectual—a humanities scholar in particular—I write and teach about human culture and engage in debate and research about a wide range of ideas and values. I’m familiar with philosophy. I consider myself rational. As a Latter-day Saint, I worship in church […]
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Xi Lian’s MI Guest Lecture is now available to watch online: “Opposing Totalitarianism in the Name of God: Lin Zhao’s Martyrdom in Mao’s China.” Watch In 1968, at the height of China’s Cultural Revolution, 36-year-old poet and journalist Lin Zhao was executed inside Shanghai’s Tilanqiao Prison for her open and unbending opposition to what she […]
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Carolyn Osiek’s recent keynote address is now available to watch online: “Between the Holy and the Ordinary: Women’s Lives in Early Christianity.” Watch
Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ delivered the keynote address at the Maxwell Institute’s symposium, “Material Culture and Women’s Religious Experience in Antiquity.” The symposium focused on material and visual evidence casting light on women’s religious experiences, perspectives, and activities in the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. See the full schedule here. Dr. Osiek focused on the lives of the earliest Christian women. About Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ Carolyn Osiek, RSCJ is the Charles Fischer Professor of New Testament Emerita, Brite Divinity School. She is co-author of A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity.
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The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship is excited to announce a new addition to our roster of visiting scholars for 2019. Adam S. Miller will join us as an affiliate faculty member from June until August. Miller is a professor of philosophy at Collin College in McKinney, Texas, and author of a number of books including the Institute’s best-selling Living Faith book Letters to a Young Mormon and An Early Resurrection: Life In Christ Before You Die. Through books, articles, guest lectures, and oversight of the Mormon Theology Seminar, Miller has inspired a host of Latter-day Saint students and disciple-scholars.
Adam S. Miller on joining the Institute as affiliate faculty:
“Centered as my work is in the philosophy of religion, my scholarship has always been, for me, a form of discipleship. What I love most about the Maxwell Institute is that, under the direction of Spencer Fluhman, it has finally begun to fully embrace Elder Maxwell’s legacy by explicitly adopting a mission laser-focused on training and supporting this kind of disciple-scholarship. The Institute is poised, now, to have a substantial and unprecedented impact on the academy and, concomitantly, to move from reaching thousands of ordinary Latter-day Saints to blessing the lives of tens, and even hundreds, of thousands faithful members. Under Fluhman, the Institute is geared not only to an excavation of historical questions but to the more fundamental work of faithfully exploring and defending the depth and breadth of a lived experience of Christ.”
During his stay at the Institute this summer Miller plans to work on a new theological book focused on two books within the Book of Mormon—Words of Mormon and Mormon—in addition to participating in brown bag discussions and other Institute events.
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Miranda Wilcox Miranda Wilcox has been named co-editor of the Maxwell Institute’s Living Faith series—books which present the voice of scholars who have cultivated believing hearts while engaged in the disciplines of the academy. The titles have been the Institute’s best selling publications since the series began in 2014 with Adam Miller’s Letters to a Young Mormon.
Spencer Fluhman, executive director of the Maxwell Institute, said Wilcox’s appointment underscores the increasing vitality of the book series. “Professor Wilcox is a gifted teacher and scholar; perfectly suited for the needs of our Living Faith books,” Fluhman said. “She’s got a razor-sharp mind and a believer’s heart. We’re excited to benefit from her expertise and wisdom.”
Wilcox is a professor in Brigham Young University’s department of English. She joins the Institute’s Morgan Davis as co-editor, replacing Tona Hangen (Worcester State University) this month upon completion of her term. “Tona Hangen’s wisdom and critical eye have been invaluable to Living Faith,” Davis said. “She has a remarkable ability to see to the heart of what someone is saying in their writing and to evaluate it with honesty and charity. The fruits of her labors will be seen in the next several books—forthcoming this year and next—books which are all the stronger because of her gifts.”
Wilcox has long been a champion of the Living Faith series, hosting faculty reading groups, student seminars, and serving on the Institute’s publications advisory board. “I love Living Faith books,” Wilcox said. “They collectively and individually expand the horizons of my journey of faith. They enrich discussions with friends, students, colleagues, and family members. I’m delighted to join Morgan Davis as co-editor.”
Hangen expressed gratitude for the ongoing contributions the Living Faith series makes to Latter-day Saint thought. “I’ve appreciated being part of the remarkable team that crafts the Living Faith series,” Hangen said, “which uniquely bridges faith and scholarly perspectives with its lively, accessible, and thoughtful books that reflect the best of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ evolving faith tradition.”
Learn more about Living Faith books at mi.byu.edu/livingfaith.
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We’re extremely excited that the Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon has finally been published. We see it as a watershed moment in the history of Latter-day Saint scripture publishing. It’s the first study edition ever published by a church affiliate, and it includes new formatting, useful footnotes, original artwork, and more.
Editor Grant Hardy and artist Brian Kershisnik join us to talk about the new edition and all the work that went into it, on this episode of the Maxwell Institute Podcast.
About the Guests Grant Hardy is a professor of history and religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He is the editor of The Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Edition (University of Illinois Press) and author of Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide (Oxford University Press), in addition to several other books and articles on Chinese history, ancient historiography, and studies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brian Kershisnik is an American painter. He studied art at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He started a studio in Kanosh, Utah, in 1991 and in 2006 he established another studio in Provo, Utah, where he currently lives with his wife, Faith, their dog, and thousands of bees. His notable works include a portrait of Leslie Norris, Nativity, and She Will Find What Was Lost.
The post Editing and illuminating the Book of Mormon, with Grant Hardy and Brian Kershisnik [MIPodcast #90] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
Tisa Wenger’s MI Guest Lecture is now available to watch online: “Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal.” Watch
The ideal of religious freedom is rightly celebrated, but historian Tisa Wenger observes that the history of its uses is a “cautionary tale,” too. Religious freedom talk in America has tended to privilege the dominant white Christian population and to support U.S. imperial expansion. At the same time, minority groups at home and colonized people abroad have invoked and reinterpreted this ideal to defend themselves and their ways of life.
In this lecture, Tisa Wenger asks how we can understand the history of Latter-day Saint religious freedom talk within this broad comparative frame. About Tisa Wenger Tisa Wenger is Associate Professor of American Religious History in the Divinity School, American Studies, and Religious Studies at Yale University. She is author of “Religious Freedom: The Contested History of an American Ideal” (University of North Carolina Press, 2017)
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Why are there differences in the four gospels?
As Latter-day Saints focus on the New Testament this year we’re bringing you insights to ponder from past episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast. This MIPodcast Moment is from James Martin, SJ. He wrote a book about the seven phrases Jesus uttered while hanging on the cross. Strikingly, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John don’t all record the same sayings.
MARTIN: You would think the things Jesus said from the cross would be recorded and treasured and be in every Gospel, but they’re not. Why is that? I start off my book with a little description of how the New Testament, how the Gospels, were compiled. I remind people that it took place in several stages.
So the first stage is Jesus’s actual public ministry. He’s there and he’s preaching and he’s healing, and people are around to witness that. Not just the twelve apostles or the seventy disciples or the followers, hundreds of people, but crowds. So that’s the actual living out of his life and death and resurrection.
Then came the oral tradition. So after his resurrection and his ascension people were passing around these stories orally. We have to remember a lot of people thought Jesus was going to come again soon so they wouldn’t have written down those things anyway.
But then as it becomes clear that some of the original witnesses are dying and Jesus would not, as it was expected, return soon, the next stage began, which was the actual putting together of the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We have to remember each Evangelist wrote for a different audience and would stress different parts of the story. They might leave out something. I always remind people, you know, if you read four different books about whomever, I’m reading a book about Theodore Roosevelt. If you read four different books about Theodore Roosevelt by four different contemporaries, you’re going to get four different stories. They’re going to leave some things out. They’re going to put stuff in. They’re going to emphasize different things. That doesn’t mean each of them are wrong, but taken together they give us a fuller portrait.
So some of the Gospel writers would have left things out and left out some of the last words, but also their communities might have known them. So they might not have been passed along the same way. Taken together the gospels give us a sense of Jesus’s emotions and experiences on the cross through the various sayings they record.
I had a hard time with this in theology studies, but my theology professor was a great scripture scholar and was really helpful. He said, “we can’t think of the Gospel writers as reporters on the scene taking down notes. They simply weren’t. Some of them may have been there, but they weren’t taking notes.”
HODGES: They didn’t have like the fedora with the card sticking out.
MARTIN: Right? And they didn’t have a tape recorder to stick up to Jesus’s mouth. Even in some of the most beloved passages like what are called the “infancy narratives” when Jesus is born, they’re different. Even some of the things he says in the Sermon on the Mount—which scripture scholars think he would have said many times—it wouldn’t have been just one time, is it “blessed are the poor” or “blessed are the poor in spirit”? You would think they’d get that right, but it’s like four people telling the story four different ways. So this is a long way of saying the seven last words of Jesus are not in each of the Gospels.
HODGES: One of my favorite things you write there, I have a quote here on page seven, you say, “These phrases represent not only some of Jesus’s final thoughts on the cross (at least as recorded in the gospels), but also what the original communities for which the evangelists wrote considered to be the most important sayings.” So the seven last words are important for understanding not only Jesus, but also what was important to the early church.
MARTIN: Yes.
“MIPodcast Moments” are interesting extracts from the Maxwell Institute Podcast. See our growing list of transcripts here.
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According to historian Colleen McDannell, women have played vital roles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from the beginning. From the hard-scrabble pioneer worker to the Progressive Era suffragette, from the domestic housewife to the working mother, the international convert, the single adult, the black Latter-day Saint—each have contributed to the church’s development and growth in their own important ways.
In this episode Dr. McDannell introduces us to many of these women whose stories are told in her new book Sister Saints: Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy.
About the Guest Colleen McDannell is Professor of History and Sterling M. McMurrin Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Utah. One of the nation’s foremost experts on American religious history, she is the author of several books including Material Christianity, Heaven: A History, and her latest book, Sister Saints: Mormon Women since the End of Polygamy.
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The 2019 Laura F. Willes Book of Mormon Lecture is now available to watch online. On January 25th Grant Hardy and Brian Kershisnik presented: “Illuminating the Book of Mormon: A New Edition for the 21st Century.” Watch
Grant Hardy and Brian Kershisnik share insights from the Book of Mormon based on their work on the new Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon. About the Presenters Grant Hardy is a professor of history and religious studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He is the editor of The Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Edition (University of Illinois Press) and author of Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide (Oxford University Press), in addition to several other books and articles on Chinese history, ancient historiography, and studies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Brian Kershisnik is an American painter. He studied art at the University of Utah, Brigham Young University, and the University of Texas at Austin. He started a studio in Kanosh, Utah, in 1991 and in 2006 he established another studio in Provo, Utah, where he currently lives with his wife, Faith, their dog, and thousands of bees. His notable works include a portrait of Leslie Norris, Nativity, and She Will Find What Was Lost.The post VIDEO—Grant Hardy & Brian Kershisnik, “Illuminating the Book of Mormon” appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
As Latter-day Saints focus this year on the New Testament we’ll bring you insights to ponder from past episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Blair Hodges. This MIPodcast Moment is from Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish specialist of the New Testament. By reading the New Testament from a Jewish perspective she introduces Christian readers to new and challenging interpretations. Her book is called Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi. Listen or read the freshly-created transcript here.
BLAIR HODGES: Your book is written on the premise that many current readers of Jesus’s parables have taken away their edge, made them a little more safe. What are some reasons you think some people are prone to domesticate the parables?
AMY-JILL LEVINE: There are several.
The first is part of general Christian education. Little kids in churches get introduced to parables very early because they can kind of get a basic message out of them, like the prodigal son story means God loves us even if we screw up. Or the Good Samaritan means you help people by the side of the road. Or the mustard seed means God can do great things. All that’s fine. But it’s childish. But if children are taught parables as children’s stories then it’s very hard to make a shift over to say wait a minute, these may be adult stories speaking to adults. If we continue to look at them as children’s stories we will take the simplistic lesson, and we will not take the challenge. That’s part of the problem.
Another part of the problem is, I think, that generally people really don’t want to be challenged. We just want to be comforted. We want to walk into a house of worship and be told that everything is okay and that God loves us and we should be inspired and we should be hopeful. That’s all well and good, but I think it’s insufficient. I think if we leave the house of worship feeling complacent and self-satisfied, congratulated for being good people, then that worship has not done its job. I think we should feel invigorated to be better than we already are. The Jewish scripture tells us that we’re made “just a little lower than the angels” [See Psalm 8:5 and Hebrews 2:7]. We ought to live up to that.
HODGES: So on that point there’s a parable that you talk about, the tax collector and the Pharisee. The Pharisee and the tax collector go to the temple to pray, and the Pharisee says, “I thank you that I’m not a sinner and a terrible person, or even like this here tax collector.” And then the tax collector says, “God have mercy on me, I’m a sinner,” and hits his breast and then it says that one of them returned home justified.
The typical reading of that parable would support the point you just made, that we often go to worship to be comforted and to feel good about ourselves but perhaps should also be discomfited. And that’s the typical reading of the tax collector and the Pharisee. But you actually challenge that reading. I want you to talk about that because that’s one of my favorite excerpts of the New Testament and you really turned the tables on me.
LEVINE: Well good. Now, I’m not sure I would want to date that Pharisee. But I have no reason to think that he’s lying to God. That would be inopportune for him to do. He’s really a Super-Pharisee. He does more than any Pharisee would be expected to do. Fasting as a form of self-discipline, tithing, everything. He’s really over the top. He’s comparing himself to this tax collector, who I think is really quite humble and quite sincere himself. So the normal message we get in most sermons is “let’s not be sanctimonious like that Pharisee, let’s be humble like the tax collector.”
HODGES: And that’s a real problem. It happens—
LEVINE: Sure. But as soon as we do that, what are we doing? We’re saying “oh thank you God, I’m not like that Pharisee over there. Wait a minute. Am I a rogue and a sinner?” As soon as we do that the parable immediately traps us.
HODGES: That’s what got me. I was like “oh no.”
LEVINE: Then it’s more than that. Because Jews have this sense of being part of a community rather than just being individuals. Everybody’s responsible for everybody else. If one person sins, that sin impacts the entire community, if one person does something really fabulous the entire community can benefit from that. Jews will talk about what is sometimes called the “merits of the fathers.” In other words, we may be messing up, but remember Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? They were really terrific. So for their sake…
Well, the Pharisee has more merit than he knows what to do with. He’s got good deeds over the top. The tax collector’s got nothing. So maybe first century Jews might have thought if the tax collector can go home justified, maybe he tapped into that Pharisee’s merit. If I’m a righteous person I don’t want to think that my righteousness somehow benefits somebody else, but that’s the generosity of God who makes the sun shine on the just and the unjust alike. Then, gosh, just when you think you’ve got that rug swept underneath you right at the end, the last line in all English translations I was able to find is, “Therefore, I tell you this man,” referring to the tax collector, “went back to his home justified rather than the other.”
HODGES: Rather than. In the King James, “rather” is italicized.
LEVINE: Yeah. The Greek term for “rather” is “para,” like parallel or paradox, and it can mean “over against,” but what it also means is “side by side.”
HODGES: —and “parable.”
LEVINE: Or paradox or parable. You cast two things side by side. I’m wondering if that last line might be “they both went down justified, side-by-side.” I’m distressed by readers that think that somehow God’s mercy is a zero-sum game such that if the tax collector can be justified the Pharisee isn’t. Why wouldn’t God be merciful to somebody who’s doing all the right things? Who goes to the temple and doesn’t ask for a thing, but thanks God that he’s been put in a position where he can do all that stuff?
HODGES: Although he does disrespect the—I wrote this in the margin for you [laughs]—he does diss the tax collector, though, right?
LEVINE: That’s right. It turns out at the end the tax collector may well be justified because of the Pharisee’s good deeds, and that’s the last thing the Pharisee wants to know.
HODGES: So the joke’s on him.
LEVINE: The joke’s on him. The other man gets justified because of his good deeds, too bad!
HODGES: I also thought another new Christian reading could be that the Pharisee might also be a type of Christ, in that Christ’s merit is said to cover for the sinner as well. I hadn’t thought of that before I’d read this book. I thought that was an interesting possibility.
LEVINE: That’s how the cross works in part, some believe. It’s the fidelity of the Christ that allows the rest of us to tap into that merit, to tap into his good deed. Why wouldn’t it work for the Pharisee as well? It’s just Jesus wanted it to work that way, and the Pharisee didn’t.
“MIPodcast Moments” are interesting extracts from the Maxwell Institute Podcast. See our growing list of transcripts here.
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Earlier this week LDS.org published an essay in the “Gospel Topics” series laying out the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the geographic location of the events recorded in the Book of Mormon. The short essay is worth a read, but I’ll quickly review it here and offer a few thoughts about how it maps onto previous Church discussions.
It begins with a reference to the “internal consistency” in descriptions of setting and place in the Book of Mormon as one of the scripture’s “striking features.” It acknowledges the range of views taken on Book of Mormon geography by individual “members and leaders” throughout church history. Supposing that Joseph Smith would have the best information on this subject, the essay notes that he accepted evidence of Book of Mormon civilization in both North America and Central America. Finally, the essay notes that the Church has no official position (or revelation) on the subject beyond the Book of Mormon having taken place in the Americas. Importantly, what this statement did not say was that any one theory of the Book of Mormon’s setting was correct or incorrect. Rather, “The Church urges local leaders and members not to advocate theories of Book of Mormon geography in official Church settings.”
My days at the Maxwell Institute are spent working on a book that will examine each of the major geographic models for the Book of Mormon. My goal isn’t to figure out which of these communities of theorists have the most accurate understanding. Instead, I’m asking why particular different theories have been attractive to different Latter-day Saints at different times.
What I’ve discovered early in my research is that while in the twentieth and twenty-first century, discussion about Book of Mormon geography took a highly contentious turn, this was not the case in early Latter-day Saint culture. In Utah, the Saints saw themselves in Book of Mormon lands just like they had in Missouri. They didn’t place their general acceptance of a Hill Cumorah in New York against the evidence they saw in reports of Mesoamerican archaeology. While many members accepted the belief that Lehi had landed in modern Chile, no one questioned that the Hopi or the Utes were also descended from Israelite peoples.
Today Latter-day Saints also hold many views on Book of Mormon geography, but with the advent of limited geographic models, there is an intensity behind this debate that was not present previously. I have yet to discover when Church leaders realized that mapping the Book of Mormon would require taking sides, but it was a subject of deliberations in the Church’s highest quorums in the 1920s. On February 23, 1923, the apostle James Talmage responded to Jean R. Driggs who had written to general authorities about his efforts to decipher the modern locations of Book of Mormon lands. Talmage did not discourage the pursuit, but urged that “the more capable workers we have in this field the better.” Continuing, Talmage wrote:
Somewhat over a year ago a committee of the Council of Twelve sat for days listening to the presentation of the subject of book of Mormon geography by several of our brethren who have given particular study to the subject, and we found that their views differed as widely as the continent. It was there and then decided that until we have clearer knowledge in the matter, the Church could not authorize or approve the issuance of any map, chart, or text, purporting to set forth demonstrated facts relating to Book of Mormon lands.1
The new Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon includes a newly commissioned hypothetical map and, in accordance with this precedent, doesn’t identify a geographic location. (See it here.) The map is based on the close reading by John Sorenson and other scholars of the geographical markings in the text such as place names and distances. It is intended to help readers visualize various battles, missions, and other movements described in the text, but not to identify an exact location.
Six years after Talmage’s letter, Anthony W. Ivins similarly stated in general conference that the Church had no official position on geography.
There is a great deal of talk about the geography of the Book of Mormon. Where was the land of Zarahemla? Where was the City of Zarahemla? and other geographic matters. It does not make any difference to us. There has never been anything yet set forth that definitely settles that question. So the Church says we are just waiting until we discover the truth. All kinds of theories have been advanced. I have talked with at least half a dozen men that have found the very place where the City of Zarahemla stood, and notwithstanding the fact that they profess to be Book of Mormon students, they vary a thousand miles apart in the places they have located. We do not offer any definite solution. As you study the Book of Mormon keep these things in mind and do not make definite statements concerning things that have not been proven in advance to be true.2
In other words, the Gospel Topics essay does not alter the century old policy of the Church to officially decline to take sides in the debate.
In reading the immediate online response to the new essay, I noticed a few possible places where Latter-day Saints could misunderstand. I’m taken by how difficult the Church’s official position of not having an official position on Book of Mormon geography can be for Latter-day Saints. The essay asks us to be willing to consider the views of Church leaders as separate from the official views of the Church. This should be no surprise for Church members often familiar with Joseph Smith’s warning that “‘A Prophet is not always a Prophet’ only when he is acting as such”; but in application this is a difficult principle.3 The men who bear the mantle of “Prophet, Seer, and Revelator” and local leaders are, like other members, able to speculate about matters that have yet to be revealed.
The statement warns that the Church does not have an official position on Book of Mormon geography and that such positions should not be presented by leaders or members in official settings. While not all Latter-day Saints have a strong opinion on Book of Mormon geography, all members of the Church hold views, preferences, and passions that are not “officially” held by the Church. We should be careful in how and where we present these opinions. Can something be unofficial and also true? The answer is certainly “yes.” This becomes a problem when we force our personal opinions on others by declaring them “official.” The Gospel Topics essay does not discourage presenting one’s views on Book of Mormon geography in special symposium, on the web, or in personal conversation. In fact, it does not even discourage the monetization of Book of Mormon geography through book and video sales, tours, cruises, or conferences, however people feel about such endeavors. It only regulates official Church settings—Sunday services and so forth—and the claim that there is an official position.
Finally, another way some Latter-day Saints have applied this and similar statements in the past is to assume that Book of Mormon geography is an unworthy cause. We—myself included—sometimes have a tendency to view those who have a deep commitment to one geographic model or another as “zealots.” To be sure, the recent Gospel Topics essay and President Ivins’s statement acknowledge that a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Mormon’s testimony of Jesus Christ is vastly more important than the exact setting of the text. Yet, there has also been a consistent respect among Church leaders for those who seek to find evidence of the Book of Mormon.
With history as our guide, we see that although the Church doesn’t weigh in on the accuracy of specific sites or maps, that need not be seen as a deterrent for those who have found meaning and fulfillment in their search for ancient Nephite civilization. My forthcoming book will tell more of their stories.
NOTES
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James Talmage, Letter to Jean R. Driggs, February 23, 1923, MS 1232, Church History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. I am indebted to Ardis Parshall for sharing this source with me.
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Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report (April 1929), 16. A portion of this quote appears in “Book of Mormon Geography,” Gospel Topics Essay.
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Joseph Smith, Journal, February 8, 1843, in Andrew H. Hedges, Alex D. Smith, Richard Lloyd Anderson, eds., The Joseph Smith Papers: Journals 2:256.
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The Maxwell Institute’s 2018 Annual Report is now available to read online.
Our report features Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s 2018 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture, “The Maxwell Legacy in the 21st Century,” video of which can be seen here. It also includes Cory Maxwell’s touching tribute to his father Neal A. Maxwell, Mpho Tutu van Furth’s keynote presentation on forgiveness and reconciliation, research reports from each of the Institute’s scholars, a featured article on the Institute’s new Study Edition of the Book of Mormon, Spencer Fluhman introducing “A New Maxwell Institute Mission,” and more.
Beloved colleagues, if we do our work well today, we can make things better for those who will come in troubled times ahead, those prophesied times before that day when Christ Himself will rule and reign, that eschatological moment against which I increasingly measure both my own personal worthiness and that of the Church generally. In that regard we all need to do what we can in the hour we have been given, acknowledging as the later Nephi did that ‘these are [our] days’ (Helaman 7:9).
—Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
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The recent Maxwell Institute Guest Lecture featuring Brian Hauglid and Robin Jensen is now available to watch online: “A Window Into Joseph Smith’s Translation: Exploring the Book of Abraham Manuscripts.” Watch
Some of the most puzzling documents left in the wake of Joseph Smith’s prophetic career pertain to the Book of Abraham—from the ancient papyrus to the nineteenth-century notebooks. For over a century these documents were specially housed away from public view. In 2018 The Joseph Smith Papers Project team at last made them eminently accessible in volume 4 of the “Revelations and Translations” series.
Robin Scott Jensen and Brian M. Hauglid co-edited the landmark volume, and in the process they learned more about the origins and uses of the cryptic Egyptian papers which Joseph Smith and his associates worked on in beginning in the mid-1830s. About the Speakers Robin Scott Jensen is an associate managing historian and the project archivist for the Joseph Smith Papers. He coedited the first three volumes in the Revelations and Translations series. He specializes in document and transcription analysis, and is also a member of the Church History Department Editorial Board. He earned an MA degree in American history from Brigham Young University, and a second MA in library and information science from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. He is now pursuing a PhD in history at the University of Utah.
Brian M. Hauglid is an associate professor and visiting fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University. He earned a PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Utah. He has worked in Book of Abraham studies for over twenty years. As an editor for the Maxwell Institute’s “Studies in the Book of Abraham” series, Hauglid assisted in compiling and editing Traditions about the Early Life of Abraham and Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant. He also published A Textual History of the Book of Abraham.
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As Latter-day Saints focus this year on the New Testament we’ll bring you insights to ponder from past episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast. This MIPodcast Moment is from Julie Smith, from her interview about the New Testament gospels. Listen or read the transcript here.
BLAIR HODGES: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John offer related but distinctive pictures of Jesus. Sometimes we tend to lump them all together, overlooking their unique approaches. In your academic and devotional studies of the New Testament have you ever noticed something new that seemed to contradict something you thought you had to believe as a Latter-day Saint?
Julie M. Smith
JULIE M. SMITH: I’ll give you an example that’s fairly recent. I’ve been thinking about the nature of Jesus, particularly how he is portrayed in the Gospel of Mark. In Mark he is really mortal. He’s really, really mortal. Not an omnipotent and omniscient God yet, but a mortal.
It’s in some ways a marvelous thing to realize that he is still our Savior despite the fact that, for example, it takes him two tries to heal a blind man (Mark 8:22-26), or that in Mark 5—and this is the story where Jesus casts out the demons and they go in the swine and the swine are drowned—the way Mark writes it—he does it really subtly—but Jesus says, “Come out of him,” and they don’t right away. It looks like the assumption there is Jesus thought there was one demon, and it’s not until he realizes that there’s more than one that they come out.
Julie M. Smith spoke about her book “Search, Ponder, and Pray” on the Maxwell Institute Podcast. More recently she published a book on the gospel of Mark in the BYU New Testament Commentary.
These things are maybe a little different than a traditional Latter-day Saint reading where we assume Jesus knows absolutely everything, does everything right the first time, he’s omniscient, omnipotent. I don’t know that that’s Mark portrayal of him. I think in some ways, though, this is a marvelous way to portray the Savior. I’m really glad it’s one of our four portraits, our four gospels, because I think it provides us—as very limited and very fallen mortals—maybe a better guide, a better example of how to deal with those imperfect bits of our mortal nature than if Jesus had been presented as getting everything right on the first try, always knowing exactly what to do perfectly.
So this is something I’m still working through, but I find Mark’s portrait very, very compelling. It’s something to think about. It’s maybe a little different than how we normally talk about it.
HODGES: It’s also interesting to take those types of observations and compare them to restoration scripture. What came to mind is section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants where Christ is said to advance “from grace to grace”—
SMITH: Yeah, this is an interesting thought, grace to grace, portrayal of him as growing, and the example it provides to us. And we’re very comfortable with the idea that Jesus didn’t need baptism, but did that as an example to us. I don’t know that we’ve often applied that same thought to other stories, and thought “here is a mortal Savior providing us with an example of what happens if you don’t get it right on the first try,” and showing us how to negotiate those sorts of situations from his own life. I think there may be a similarity there that’s worth thinking about.
“MIPodcast Moments” are interesting extracts from the Maxwell Institute Podcast. See our growing list of transcripts here.
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Many believers live their entire lives without learning much about other people’s religion. Maybe some people avoid interreligious dialogue because they think they already know their religion is true. Maybe some people fear that such exchanges might somehow change them and they don’t want change.
In this episode we’re joined by Catherine Cornille. She’s a Catholic theologian at Boston College and an enthusiastic supporter of interreligious dialogue. We’re talking about her book, The Impossibility of Interreligious Dialogue.
If you’ve ever wanted to have better conversations with people of different faiths—or even with people of your own faith who see things differently—this episode is for you. Cornille identifies behaviors to cultivate when talking to people who see things differently. She says interreligious dialogue can teach us so much about other religions, but also so much more about our own.
Special thanks to our friends at Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institution, who invited Dr. Cornille to deliver last year’s Truman G. Madsen Lecture on the Eternal Man.
About the Guest Catherine Cornille is the author of The Im-Possibility of Interreligious Dialogue. She earned her PhD in Religious Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium). She recently presented the 2018 Truman G. Madsen Lecture on the Eternal Man at Brigham Young University. Cornille is also founding and managing editor of the book series “Christian Commentaries on Non-Christian Sacred Texts,” and the editor of The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Inter-Religious Dialogue.
The post The risks and rewards of interreligious dialogue, with Catherine Cornille [MIPodcast #88] appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
An excerpt from Grant Hardy’s interview with Stephen O. Smoot on the LDS Perspectives podcast. Download or read the transcript here. Read a sample chapter from the Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon, which Hardy edited, below.
Stephen O. Smoot (LDS Perspectives): You’ve been studying the Book of Mormon for a very long time. I’m curious to hear if you gained any new insights into the Book of Mormon from your work on this study edition.
Grant Hardy: I’m not sure that we have really done as much as we can with this text as far as trying to read it and understand it in clear ways. We should be better readers of the Book of Mormon. In some ways, we’re too Protestant when we read the Book of Mormon. Protestants are great readers of the Bible, partly because of sola scriptura. They take it very seriously. Part of that Protestant heritage that we have is a focus on historicity, on the historical-critical method. Those are important and significant, and I’ve gained a lot from that.
But I have really been enjoying Jewish readings in the past few years, particularly from Conservative Judaism. There’s an acknowledgment and awareness and certainly an expertise with language and with the historical-critical method. But that’s oftentimes combined with a deep faith and a sense of the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, as scripture, as something that has God’s word for us today and what that might mean. That’s where I think we should go.
Let me give you an example, and maybe it will fit with some of what we’re talking about.
Maybe my favorite book in the whole world—aside from scripture—is something called the Etz Hayim, which is a Torah commentary done by Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly. It has the Torah in Hebrew and in English, and then it has not one, but two commentaries— actually three commentaries—this is just the way Jews do stuff. It’s so awesome.
Smoot: No lack for commentary there. Yeah.
Hardy: There’s one commentary that talks about the words in the historical context and tries to make sense of it that way—the peshat. Then there’s something called the derash, which is more of an application to it. Let me give you an example of how this works.
In Exodus 40:14–15 God is speaking to Moses after he anoints Aaron as a priest. It says, “You shall bring his sons also and put tunics on them and anoint them as you anointed their father that they may serve me as priests, and their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout all generations to come.”
Okay. Sort of a nice thing. The commentary on the phrase “as you anointed their father” from the derash, written by Harold Kushner, is just great. It says:
“When Moses anointed Aaron as High Priest, he had no reason to be jealous of Aaron. Moses’s role was at least as prominent as Aaron’s. When Moses was called on to anoint Aaron’s sons to follow him as priests, however, God was concerned that Moses might be jealous. Moses would never see his own son succeed in his role as leader. Therefore, God commands Moses to show his greatness of character and his love for his brother by anointing Aaron’s sons in the same wholehearted fashion as he had anointed their father. We show true love when we can rejoice in the good fortune of another even though it’s an experience that we ourselves will never know.”
That’s a lovely thing to say, but when I apply that to my own experience, stories come, right? The Book of Mormon is about stories, and we live our life through stories.
We have a daughter whom we love dearly who was inactive for several years. Sort of went a different way for a while and then miraculously came back into activity. She met the man she would marry and got married in the temple. While she was preparing for that, she took out her endowments. That was in North Carolina. Heather and I at the time were in Utah where I was actually teaching this workshop at the Maxwell Institute [in 2015, experimenting with a preliminary draft of the new study edition]. So, we’re out there for six weeks or something and couldn’t be with her when she took out her endowments.
We have a family friend who is middle-aged, was never married, and doesn’t have children. She is a friend of the family, a friend of [our daughter] Liza’s, and she had been a temple worker. She said, “I’ll be Liza’s escort.” And that worked out actually really well all the way around. Afterwards she talked to us and said, “You don’t know how much that means to me because I will never have a daughter. Being able to be part of your daughter’s life in this way was such a lovely experience. It’s something that means a lot to me.”
I think in our church—no, I know in our church, we care a lot about families, right? It’s central to what we do. Sometimes maybe we care too much about families. It borders on family idolatry, right? It’s like you have to have the perfect Mormon family. But Mormonism offers more than just individual families or even clans. It offers a broader community.
I think maybe my favorite chapter in the Book of Mormon is Mosiah 18 where it talks about baptism. There’s a community that’s being set up there that covenants to bear each other’s burdens, to comfort those in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of Christ. I think wards can be families; they can be communities as well as families can.
When I read the Book of Mormon, I don’t see families all over it. There are certainly father and son relationships, but there aren’t families because they’re not enough women, right? It’s hard to get our own ideas of, “Oh, this is what a family should be like. This is what a marriage should be like. This is from the Book of Mormon.” The Book of Mormon isn’t really about that. It doesn’t deny that, but it’s about a different community that’s perhaps broader.
That’s a really important lesson to me at this time, and I think—when I interact with other Latter-day Saints who are trying to be disciples of Christ, but for whom sometimes the ideal doesn’t always work out—that’s a real challenge. Covenants matter certainly. Ordinances matter. Doctrine matters. But if we are not a community who treat each other as disciples of Jesus Christ, then we don’t have much claim; we don’t have much credibility. I get those things when I read the Book of Mormon, and it challenges me to be better.
And that’s what I like about the Book of Mormon.
[Slightly modified excerpt from 41:20–47:08] Mosiah 18 From the Maxwell Institute Study Edition (download here)
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Latter-day Saints are turning to the New Testament for our home and Sunday school curriculum this year. Supplement your study with these great episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast. Taken together, they’re like a mini crash course on the New Testament!
Episode #03—The Five Books of Jesus, with James GoldbergListen | Read
James Goldberg is a Latter-day Saint author with Jewish and Sikh roots—a background that permeates his creative re-telling of the gospels, The Five Books of Jesus. The story of Jesus has been told and retold, of course, for centuries. Goldberg’s retelling is one of the best I’ve ever encountered. This episode remains a favorite of many listeners.
Episode #20—Reading the New Testament Gospels with Julie M. SmithListen | Read
Many Latter-day Saints find it difficult to appreciate the archaic King James language of the New Testament. The gospel writers presented their witnesses to an ancient audience whose customs are unfamiliar to readers today. Biblical scholarship has come a long way to clarify cultural and historical backgrounds of scripture. Latter-day Saint scholar Julie M. Smith guides us through some of the basics.
Episode #39—The seven last words of Jesus, with James Martin, SJListen | Read
The New Testament records seven phrases Jesus uttered as he hung on the cross, including “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” and “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesuit priest and New York Times best-selling author James Martin devotionally explores these phrases in the book Seven Last Words: An Invitation to a Deeper Friendship with Jesus.
Episode #25—All About The Jewish Annotated New Testament, with Amy-Jill Levine and Marc BrettlerListen | Read
The Jewish Annotated New Testament is a landmark piece of scholarship, representing the first time Jewish scholars have annotated and written essays on the complete New Testament. Edited by Marc Brettler and Amy-Jill Levine, the JANT is full of explanatory and contextual footnotes, references to other Jewish works, and a number of essays expanding on the particularly Jewish elements of the Gospels and other Christian writings of the New Testament. Helpful for Christian and Jewish readers alike!
Episode #28—The parables of Jesus, with Amy-Jill LevineListen | Read
Amy-Jill Levine returns! In this episode we talk about her book Short Stories by Jesus; a detailed, scholarly, and witty investigation of some of Jesus’s parables informed by the perspective of a Jewish scholar of the New Testament. Levine uncovers ways the parables have been misinterpreted from the past to the present and shows that they are as relevant today as they were when they were recorded centuries ago.
Episode #29—Adam Miller’s Grace is Not God’s Backup PlanListen | Read
Paul’s New Testament letter to the Romans is one of the most important Christian writings ever recorded. The passage of time has obscured the letter’s original context, not to mention the language it’s been rendered in—from its original Greek to archaic King James English. Latter-day Saint philosopher Adam Miller published a personal rendition of Romans called Grace Is Not God’s Backup Plan to help readers understand better understand grace.
Episode #38—N.T. Wright on Paul and His Recent InterpretersListen | Read
Renowned New Testament scholar N. T. Wright explains how various historical figures understood Paul throughout the centuries. Along the way we see how immediate concerns of interpreters shape the questions people ask of scripture and the answers they develop. Wright has been called the “C. S. Lewis” of our time, and while he’s a more accomplished scholar of the New Testament than Lewis ever was, the comparison mainly speaks to Wright’s skill at making technical things understandable to the rest of us.
Episode #16—The Bible Tells Me So, with Peter EnnsListen | Read
Peter Enns is a Christian and scholar of the Bible who wants the Bible to be interpreted for what it actually seems to be (a collection of ancient texts with a variety of perspectives about how God relates to us and how we relate to God) rather than what people might think it is (a univocal, step-by-step rule book that unerringly teaches particular facts about God). In this episode we talk about how a committed believer can critically approach scripture.
Episode #93—Women in the New Testament and beyond, with Carolyn OsiekListen | Read
When you think about the earliest Christians you might imagine the twelve disciples, like Peter and John. Maybe Paul comes to mind. But what about women in early Christianity? What drew them to a life of discipleship and what did they bring to the community and the church as it began to spread? Few people have spent as much time thinking about these questions as Dr. Carolyn Osiek, co-author of A Woman’s Place: House Churches in Earliest Christianity.
Episode #52—Reconceiving infertility in the Bible, with Candida Moss and Joel BadenListen | Read
Biblical scholars Candida Moss and Joel Baden teamed up to write a book about the different views on infertility and families found in the Bible. From the apparently barren matriarchs of the Old Testament like Sarah and Rachel to Paul’s efforts to forge a new family in Christ, biblical views are more diverse than you might expect. Not only do they clarify ancient perspectives on infertility, they also provide ways to create a more supportive religious environment for women and men experiencing infertility today.
Episode #35—Early Christian interpreters of the Bible and the scholars who interpret them, with Peter MartensListen | Read
For centuries Christians have gathered to worship God and study the Bible. But this same text that has unified the faithful has also been the source of much discord. One of the most exciting—though by no means uncontroversial—academic developments during the past century has been the renaissance of interest in early Christian biblical scholarship. Peter Martens addresses questions about how scholars today are learning more about early Christian interpretation of the Bible.
Episode #101—Rediscovering Mary, mother of God, with Catherine TaylorListen | Read
For centuries, Christians have celebrated Mary as the miraculous virgin and Mother of God. Catherine Taylor suggests a much richer history of traditions about Mary, much closer to the experiences of Christian women down through the ages. These traditions aren’t found in the Bible. We’ll need to look at other texts and ancient artifacts—burial boxes, jewelry, art. Catherine Taylor specializes in late antique Christian art history and iconography and joins us to talk about women of the ancient world.
MIConversations #7—Thomas Wayment with Terryl Givens, “Translating a new New Testament”Listen | Read
Terryl Givens sits down with Thomas Wayment of Brigham Young University to talk about his new translation of the New Testament which he created specifically for Latter-day Saints. What is it like translating ancient scripture using the tools of scholarship, while also believing in the spiritual weight of the text?
The Maxwell Institute Podcast is available in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, TuneIn, YouTube, and other fine podcasting apps using the RSS feed mi.byu.edu/feed/podcast.
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Maxwell Institute Conversations are special episodes of the Maxwell Institute Podcast, hosted by Terryl Givens and created in collaboration with Faith Matters Foundation. Audio and video available.
A lot has changed for Thomas Wayment since this he sat down for this conversation with Terryl Givens. At the time, Thom was a professor of ancient scripture working on a new translation of the New Testament intended for Latter-day Saints. Now he’s teaching classical studies and his translation has been published by the Religious Studies Center and Deseret Book—just in time for Latter-day Saint Sunday school’s focus on the New Testament. This conversation focuses on his new translation and other insights from his work in biblical scholarship.
About the Guest Thomas A. Wayment is a professor of Classical studies at Brigham Young University, where he previously worked as publications director of the Religious Studies Center and as a professor of ancient scripture. He received his BA in Classics from the University of California at Riverside and his MA and PhD in New Testament studies from the Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Wayment’s research interests include the historical life of Jesus, New Testament manuscript traditions, the life of Paul, and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible.
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As the LDS Sunday school curriculum turns to focus on the Old Testament, supplement your learning with these Maxwell Institute Podcast episodes featuring Hebrew Bible specialists. Taken together, they’re like a mini crash course—Hebrew Bible 101!
#15—Reading the Bible critically and religiously, with Marc BrettlerListen | Read
#16—Reading the Bible critically and religiously, with Peter EnnsListen | Read
In this pair of episodes, two scholars of the Hebrew Bible—one Jewish, the other Christian—tackle the question: Does academic study of the Bible undermine its value or diminish the religious messages it contains? What can biblical scholarship offer to those who revere the biblical text as scripture?
#53—James L. Kugel on how to read the BibleListen | Read
James L. Kugel is an orthodox Jew and one of the foremost scholars of the Hebrew Bible in the world. When he taught at Harvard, one of Kugel’s students said the professor began a course by offering a disclaimer to the class: “If you come from a religious tradition upholding the literal truth of the Bible, you could find this course disturbing.” Kugel tells the MIPodcast that isn’t exactly the case—there’s much more to the story.
#115—Robert Alter on translating the Hebrew Bible
Listen | Read
It’s hard to overestimate Robert Alter’s influence on literary studies of the Bible—looking at plot, genre, character, and more. And now Alter recently finished his own translation of the Hebrew Bible—a mammoth task that took quarter of a century. Learn all about the intricacies of translating scripture in this episode.
#52—Reconceiving infertility in the Bible, with Candida Moss and Joel BadenListen | Read
Biblical scholars Candida Moss and Joel Baden talk about their book on depictions of infertility in the Bible. Not only do they clarify ancient perspectives on infertility, they also provide ways to create a more supportive religious environment for women and men experiencing infertility today.
#17—The life of Genesis, with Ronald HendelListen | Read
Genesis is one of the most influential books ever written. Ronald Hendel, a highly-acclaimed professor of Hebrew Bible and Jewish Studies at the University of California-Berkeley, talks about how people have interpreted Genesis in many different ways over the centuries. Part of Princeton University Press’s Lives of Great Religious Books series.
#18—Job through the ages, with Mark LarrimoreListen | Read
The book of Job is one of the most fascinating books in the Bible and in world literature more broadly. In this episode, Mark Larrimore discusses the surprising origins, reception, and interpretations of Job’s story to the present time. Part of Princeton University Press’s Lives of Great Religious Books series.
#19—Investigating the Dead Sea Scrolls, with John J. CollinsListen | Read
The Dead Sea Scrollsare one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. They include the oldest biblical manuscripts ever found. Most intriguingly, they date from the crucial transitional period when Christianity began to emerge from Judaism. They’ve been the focus of rigorous debate and research ever since they came back from the dead, as it were, in the 1940s.
#27—“Wearing God,” a conversation with Lauren F. WinnerListen | Read
The scriptures are filled with metaphors for God that we’ve forgotten about. You recall king, father, and shepherd. How about bread, mother, and laughter? Lauren Winner’s book Wearing God is all about how such overlooked metaphors offer new ways to think about God.
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Mark Alan Wright is an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University. He formerly served as an associate editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies*.*
Several years ago I had the opportunity to use an early draft of the Maxwell Institute Study Edition with students in my Book of Mormon course at BYU. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, echoing my own experience. They reported feeling more engaged and focused on the scripture’s content as they read, and that their study habits improved as they were able to read for longer blocks of time and with greater comprehension, all of which made them more eager to read each day.
Consider these student reactions:
“I really like the way the stories become almost more realistic. I always believed and enjoyed the scriptures, but with this edition I feel like because it’s easier to read it’s almost like the stories are more personal.”
“The format helps me see better how the whole book flows and fits together.”
“I do enjoy reading more with this style rather than with the double columns. The story seems to flow much better this way…I also like seeing the original chapters, it changes your perspective of the story.”
“I really like the format of the Study Edition, how it puts the story into paragraphs and puts quotes when someone is talking. It makes it easier to read.”
Perhaps the strongest endorsement I can personally give is the fact that I began using the Study Edition draft not only in my classrooms, but also for my personal daily study of the scriptures. I’ve regularly benefited from the carefully chosen but incredibly insightful footnotes—from the cross-references that connect aspects of the narrative that I’ve never noticed to alternate readings in earlier editions and manuscripts of the Book of Mormon.
What’s more, the Maxwell Institute Study Edition marks the original chapters from the 1830 edition alongside its current chapter divisions, helping me better understand the narrative arcs crafted by the original authors and editors. I’ve been a religious educator for roughly twenty years now (nine years as a seminary teacher, and in my twelfth year here at BYU between adjuncting and my current full-time position), and I’m amazed at how something as simple as using bold-face type to emphasize words and phrases from Isaiah used by later prophets has helped me see with so much more clarity what Nephi, Jacob, and others were doing in their preaching and writing.
I simply enjoy reading my scriptures more when I read from this edition, and my students do as well. I strongly recommend the Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon.
Available now!
Now available at Deseret Book, local Latter-day Saint book stores in Utah such as Benchmark Books, and online at amazon.com. The post How are students reacting to the new Study Edition of the Book of Mormon? appeared first on Neal A. Maxwell Institute | BYU.
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship announces exciting additions to its faculty in 2019 with the appointments of Terryl L. Givens, Fiona Givens, and Steven L. Peck.
Each scholar joins the Brigham Young University research institute that Elder Jeffrey R. Holland recently described as a “rarefied training ground where gospel athletes stretch their abilities to speak in grace and truth to all of our Father’s children.”1 Terryl Givens is departing from his chair at the University of Richmond to become a permanent Neal A. Maxwell Senior Research Fellow in June. Givens said his past experience as a visiting fellow sparked his interest in associating with the Institute full time. “I’m joining a first-class group of disciple scholars,” he said. “The Institute has never been in a better position to succeed in their dual commission to strengthen the Saints and to enhance the quality of the conversation academics are having about our faith tradition. I look forward to being a part of both efforts.”
Fiona Givens joins the Institute’s research staff in June, having previously spent time at the Institute during the summer of 2018 as a research grant recipient. “I was introduced to the collegial environment that defines the Maxwell Institute last summer and I am very much looking forward to working with fellow scholars who share similar research interests,” she said. “I feel it a privilege to be working alongside Institute scholars who emphasize both academic rigor and service to Latter-day Saints and the broader community.”
Fiona Givens graduated from the University of Richmond with degrees in French and German and received a master’s degree in European History. She is co-author of a number of books for Latter-day Saints, including The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life, The Crucible of Doubt: Reflections on the Quest for Faith, and most recently, The Christ Who Heals: How God Restored the Truth That Saves Us.
Steven L. Peck joins the Institute as a visiting fellow during the spring and summer terms, 2019-2021, alternating with his position as associate professor of biology in BYU’s College of Life Sciences. Along with Terryl Givens, Peck co-directed the 2018 Summer Seminar at the Institute. He is also author of one of the Institute’s Living Faith books, Evolving Faith: Wanderings of a Mormon Biologist.
Peck said he wants his work to exemplify how science and religion can be engaged productively. “I’m excited because working at the Institute gives me a chance to open more conversations about science and religion,” Peck said, “affording me the opportunity to share ideas with other scientists and people of faith alike.”
J. Spencer Fluhman, executive director of the Maxwell Institute, said the addition of these scholars will strengthen an already vibrant research community. “Each of these scholars has made significant contributions in their fields already and we look forward to the great work that each will do as members of the Maxwell Institute,” Fluhman said. “The BYU campus community at large will be enriched by the addition of the Givens’s. Their blend of brilliance and faith will inspire a next generation of Saints to prize the Restoration for the gift that it is. Professor Peck brings his own set of unique gifts to enrich our thinking about religion and science.”
NOTE
- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Quorum of Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “The Maxwell Legacy in the 21st Century,” 2018 Neal A. Maxwell Lecture. The publication of this lecture is forthcoming in the Institute’s 2018 Annual Report. The lecture will also be available via video soon at youtube.com/themaxwellinstitute.
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William Bickerton was a coal miner from England who emigrated to the United States and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1845. Without ever having met the church’s founding prophet, he soon came to see himself as Joseph Smith’s true heir, leading what came to be called simply The Church of Jesus Christ, but more commonly referred to as the Bickertonites.
Despite founding the third largest church tracing its lineage back to Joseph Smith, Bickerton’s biographer Daniel P. Stone calls him a forgotten prophet—and he’s not referring to the memories of members of the Salt Lake-based church. He says in many ways Bickerton has been forgotten in his own movement.
About the Guest Daniel P. Stone holds BA and MA degrees in history from the University of Florida and Florida Atlantic University. He has taught classes at Broward College, Schoolcraft College, University of Detroit Mercy, and Wayne County Community College. Currently he is a researcher at a private library-archive in Detroit, where he and his wife Laura, and daughter, Lily, live. He is a deacon in the Church of Jesus Christ established by William Bickerton.
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Brigham Young dictated few dialogic revelations (i.e. “Thus Saith the Lord”) while he was Prophet, Seer, and Revelator of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Only one of the 138 sections of the Doctrine and Covenants was received under his ministry. Young was often willing to share visions, dreams, and impressions, but he hesitated to place these types of revelations in the language of the Lord and when he did so verbally, he was even more hesitant to place them in writing.
Keeping this in mind, you can imagine my excitement when I recently stumbled upon a fascinating document entitled, “The word of the Lord that was reveal[e]d to his People, by his servant the Prophet sear and Reverlator, President Brigham Young, Feb[r]uary 1874[.]” It had been drafted by Thomas Christmas Haddon (1815-1899), and included a discourse Young had delivered in St. George, Utah, just over a week before he officially organized the communitarian United Order there. The discourse began with the recital of a revelation:
The word of the Lord that was reveal[e]d to his People, by his servant the Prophet sear and Reverlator, President Brigham Young, Feb[r]uary 1874[.] He speak unto the people saying, Thus saith the Lord it is my will that this people should enter into A Holy united order, by concentrating their labour, there time, and their means together for the interest of my Kingdom, and for their own mutual benefit, And I the Lord will bless them abundantly, they shall get along with less labour, and less means, And become a great deal richer, and happyer, and be enabled to do a great deal more good, And if not the curse of the Lord will be upon them, for we are got as far as we can get in our present position, for the time is fully come that we should enter into this Holy Order, the Lord is saying come, and Holy angles are saying come, and all good men are saying come, and I say come let us enter into this Holy Order, that the Kingdom of Heaven may continue to advance, till it fill the whole earth with the knowledge and love of God, Hear this oh Israil, I tell you the Kingdom of God cannot advance one step further until we enter into this Holy Order.1
Only one other reference to this discourse is known, which does not include the dialogic text of the revelation but confirms the invitation Young made after the revelation: “He [i.e. Young] said, among other things, in referring to the Order of Enoch, ‘The Father says Come; the Son says Come; the Spirit and the Bride say Come; the servants of God say Come, enter into this Holy Order.’”2
It is from this other source we know the revelation and discourse were delivered on February 1, 1874, in St. George, Utah. It makes complete sense that Young would have believed himself the recipient of a divine revelation at this time. It was the beginning of a new era for his ministry in which he would emphasize the restoration of communal living among the Saints. St. George was only the first of numerous united orders Young would establish throughout Utah.3
That being said, we know very little about this revelation or the manner in which it was dictated. Had it been dictated/received previously and then Young read/recited it before the congregation or was it dictated spontaneously? Did Haddon record Young’s words at the time, or are we dependent on Haddon’s reconstruction of the revelation at a later time? We can narrow the timing of when Haddon recorded this particular text to sometime between February 1875 to April 1877 (although he may have used earlier notes).4 Even if Haddon’s reports of Young’s words are verbatim, it is important to recall that Young did not himself distribute these words in a written form. They were not recorded in an official capacity and there is no evidence they were intended to be canonized.
In this way the February 1, 1874 revelation is similar to a revelation Young dictated to Reuben Miller on January 30, 1846. In this instance, Miller had come to believe James J. Strang was the successor of Joseph Smith based in part on a revelation that James J. Strang had dictated. In response, Young dictated a revelation of his own.
Thus saith the Lord unto Reuben Miller through Brigham Young: that Strang is a wicked & corrupt man & that his revelations are as false as he is. Therefore, turn away from his folly & never let it be said of Reuben Miller, that he ever was led away and entangled by such nonsense.5
As was the case with Reuben Miller, many Latter-day Saints were alarmed that there were few new revelations recorded by Young and presented to the Saints. Meanwhile, other claimants to succeed Joseph Smith seemed to have no problems producing new revelations and new scripture. Young frequently assured the Saints that he was able to write revelations but gave two principal reasons for why he did not do so.
First, he argued that the Saints had not lived up to the revelations that Joseph Smith had already revealed. In April 1852, Young stated, “It has been observed that the people want revelation. This is revelation; and were it written, it would then be written revelation, as truly as the revelations which are contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. I could give you revelation about going to California, for I know the mind of the Lord upon this matter. I could give you revelation upon the subject of paying your Tithing and building a temple to the name of the Lord; for the light is in me. I could put these revelations as straight to the line of truth in writing as any revelation you ever read. I could write the mind of the Lord, and you could put it in your pockets. But before we desire more written revelation, let us fulfil the revelations that are already written, and which we have scarcely begun to fulfil.”6
Second, Young believed that the Saints were more accountable when a revelation was placed into the language of deity. On December 29, 1867, Young explained, “When revelation is given to any people, they must walk according to it, or suffer the penalty which is the punishment of disobedience; but when the word is, ‘will you do thus and so?’ ‘It is the mind and will of God that you perform such and such a duty;’ the consequences of disobedience are not so dreadful, as they would be if the word of the Lord were to be written under the declaration, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’”7
Keeping this second idea in mind, it is interesting to see how Brigham Young used a dialogic revelation in August of 1874—only six months after his February revelation—when speaking to the Saints already organized into a United Order in Lehi. He explained that the United Order “is no new revelation… we have the commandments that have been from the beginning.” He further instructed:
[Those] who wish to have new revelation they will please to accommodate themselves and call this a new revelation. On this occasion I will not repeat anything particular in respect to the language of revelation, further than to say: Thus saith the Lord unto my servant Brigham, Call ye, call ye, upon the inhabitants of Zion, to organize themselves in the Order of Enoch, in the New and Everlasting Covenant, according to the Order of Heaven, for the furtherance of my kingdom upon the earth, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the salvation of the living and the dead. You can accommodate yourselves by calling this a new revelation, if you choose; it is no new revelation, but it is the express word and will of God to this people.8
It seems on this occasion, Young thought better of forming the charge to live the united order as a revelation to the people. Rather, this “Thus Saith the Lord” statement was directed to Brigham himself. What we do know from this later statement is that Young had considered the possibility of a revelation on the united order. Ultimately, regardless of how he framed his comments in February or August of 1874, he would most consistently turn to the already established canon of revelations from Joseph Smith when he urged the Saints to live the united order throughout this period. Haddon’s recording of this discourse and its inclusion of a dialogic revelation allows us perhaps to see how Young initially contemplated bringing his revelation (in a more general sense) before the Saints.
As Young said on earlier occasions, it was always in his power to present the Saints with revelations, but this seems to have been a rare occasion when he actually did so.
NOTES
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Thomas C. Haddon writings, circa 1882, MS 3216, CHL. The dating of this particular document is almost certainly earlier than 1882 as noted below.
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Annals of the Southern Utah Mission, Book B, MS 318, CHL.
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See Leonard J. Arrington, Feramorz Y. Fox, and Dean L. May, Building the City of God: Community and Cooperation among the Mormons (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976), chapter 8.
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Haddon seems to have drafted the text of this discourse with his accompanying reflections at least a year after Young’s February discourse, since he noted that after the discourse, general authorities preached on this subject “for the space of ten or twelve month[s].” He also notes that at the time of his writing the “we have nearly finished the temple” – which was dedicated on April 6, 1877. The manuscript in which this text has been (presumably) copied is a collection of short essays penned by Haddon at different times.
-
Brigham Young, Journal, January 30, 1847, CHL.
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Journal of Discourses 6:314.
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Journal of Discourses 12:127-128.
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Journal of Discourses 17:154.
Christopher James Blythe is a Research Associate at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. He is an editor for the Joseph Smith Papers and the author of various articles on Church history and scriptural reception. He would like to express his thanks to Brett Dowdle for his comments on this revelation.
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