- Jonathan Green on OT Historicity 3: Elephantine: “Stephen, I agree with your comment (on your OT 2 post) that we need a better reaction to historical issues than a binary, all or nothing response. At the same time, your concept of historicity is itself pretty starkly binary when it comes to the Pentateuch, and I think implausibly so, based on what we know of the history of texts and writing. Were the books of Moses given their current form relatively late? Yes, I can believe that, I’d even say it’s probable. But you treat them as if they were composed from whole cloth circa 300 BC, which I don’t think is credible. To be religiously acceptable in 300 BC, they would have had to have fit into pre-existing knowledge and traditions. It’s not going to be very convincing to treat all linguistic evidence of antiquity as archaizing flourishes, and all allusions in other OT books as late interpolations. And even if it is archaizing, then what were the models of archaic religious language? Archaizing would seem to imply that there were older religious writings.” Dec 31, 21:09
- on Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, December 2024: “Thanks, Ivan. The article on translation studies looks interesting – I’ve also noticed how the frequent discussion of translation in Mormon Studies at all levels basically ignores the entire field of translation studies.” Dec 31, 20:46
- on Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, December 2024: “A couple of weeks back I googled a list of mob organizations. The list went on and on and on. They are everywhere and they are powerful. And they have the run of many countries–at least in part and some near full. Moroni knew what he was talking about when he warned the gentiles to not let those combinations get above them.” Dec 31, 20:15
- on Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, December 2024: “We don’t need no stinking abstracts. Sorry–couldn’t resist.” Dec 31, 20:11
- on Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, December 2024: “You want abstracts? I got abstracts! Resistance and Intervention in the Contact Zone: Mormon Missionaries as Organizational Migrants in Norway c. 1900. By:Ulvund, Frode The article explores the experiences of Mormon missionaries in Norway around 1900, highlighting their confrontations with the dominant state religion and society. The missionaries engaged in structured cultural encounters, orchestrated by the LDS Church, aiming to facilitate a transcultural process. The missionaries faced resistance, interventions, and legal challenges, leading to significant public attention and debates. The missionaries’ interactions in the contact zone were influenced by power dynamics, organizational structures, and individual agency, shaping their experiences and the outcomes of their proselytizing efforts Origins and Myths: Revising the Founding Story of the Latter-day Saint Young Women Organization. By:Tait, Lisa Olsen The article discusses the founding story of the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Association (YWMIA) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It traces the evolution of the organization from its origins in 1869 to its development into a vibrant association. The narrative surrounding the founding of the YWMIA is considered a mythologized story that provided a sense of identity and purpose for the organization. The article examines discrepancies in the historical record regarding the exact date and details of the founding, shedding light on the complexities of the organization’s history. Can Christ be Cambodian?: What the International Art Competition of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Signals about (De)centralization. By:Harper, Jennifer Sebring; Harper, Steven C. The article discusses the Eleventh International Art Competition (IAC) sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which aims to identify and acquire the best Latter-day Saint art worldwide. The competition, which began in the mid-1980s, has expanded the canon of acceptable art within the Church, showcasing diverse cultural expressions of faith. Through the IAC, the Church has centralized high-quality art in its permanent collection while simultaneously decentralizing by incorporating new voices and perspectives into its visual heritage. The competition reflects a balance between maintaining central authority and cohesion within the Church while embracing increasing cultural diversity among Latter-day Saints globally Review Tools for Build for Eternity: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. Build for Eternity: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand. By:Mehr, Kahlile “Build for Eternity: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New Zealand” is a comprehensive anthology that delves into the history of the Church in New Zealand from 1854 to 2022. The book highlights the significant role of Maori Saints in the local membership and the establishment of educational institutions like the Maori Agricultural College. It also covers the post-1958 Church developments, such as the extensive building program that resulted in the construction of the Church College of New Zealand and the New Zealand Temple. The volume concludes with analytical chapters that place the New Zealand Church in a global context, addressing challenges faced in the face of social and political changes.” Dec 31, 17:35
- on Science is Approaching the Soul: “Stephen, I really enjoyed this post because my thinking has been going the same way and I was wondering why it wasn’t being talked about more. I think I’d add that even if we do figure out that consciousness is an output of our physical brain activity, it will require us to model this new thing that simply does not exist anywhere that I can see in the standard model of physics. So a huge change in our understanding of the world no matter the outcome.” Dec 31, 17:19
- on Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, December 2024: ““Imagining the (Largely Non-Extant) Whitmer Family Archives” reminds me of the (probably apocryphal) comment Heckman made on seeing that a colleague had written a book called The Analysis of Missing Data: “Now *that’s* hard.” (Not a criticism–the verb makes it clear to the reader what they’re in for. The title just made me smile.)” Dec 31, 16:37
- on Old Testament Historicity 2: Differences with the Pentateuch: “I thought much of this was addressed with the discovery of the Book of the Law of the Lord in the Temple during the reign of King Josiah in the 7th century BC. Whether that was specifically Deuteronomy, the Pentateuch or another book seems to not have much bearing; its content included the Law of Moses, and the people seem to have been unaware of it previously, though how long it may have been missing from their society is debatable. Even after its discovery, it was still rare. Having it written on the brass plates seems to have been an exception. Nephi and his brothers couldn’t just go somewhere else and get another copy; the brass plates may have been one of the few, if not the only copy then extant. Even Lehi, who was likely a young adult at the time of Josiah, seems to have only been previously aware of their contents by hearsay, and have never read them prior to 1 Nephi 5. One might theorize as well that they had been created by Zenos and/or Zenock and contained the only copies of their writings. One might theorize a lot of things. Anyway, that would explain why The Book of Mormon makes frequent references to the Law of Moses and why it isn’t as common in the Old Testament historical books. Obviously, the discovery of the Book of the Law of the Lord in the time of Josiah is too notable to not be considered for this topic; why has it not been addressed here? Does the scholarship consider that this refers to something else and that the matter has been closed? Why the omission?” Dec 31, 13:02
- on OT Historicity 3: Elephantine: “One interesting little tidbit came off the Wikipedia page on the Hasmoneans (the Jewish group that rebelled against the Seleucids in the 2nd c BC). Adler argues they were very important for the dissemination of Torah practice. “Hasmonean coins usually featured the Paleo-Hebrew script, an older Phoenician script that was used to write Hebrew.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasmonean_dynasty#Numismatics So this is one example of using a much older form of Hebrew.” Dec 31, 11:32
- on Cutting-Edge Latter-day Saint Research, December 2024: “As ever, thanks for posting these, Stephen. Looks like a pretty good crop this time around.” Dec 31, 10:43
