I hate click-baity listicles, especially the ones that make you click for each new picture. So I figured, why not do a click-baity listicle? These are just as likely to help you lose weight as any of those others, even if I don’t offer “this one weird trick.” So, here you go. Genesis 1 really likes the number 7. Can you spot all the multiples of 7 in there? As we have it today, Genesis 1 is the work of... Read more
First, there’s a Kindle sale on some John Walton books I recommend, including some I haven’t read yet in the Lost World series. Lost World of Genesis 1; Lost World of Genesis 2-3; Lost World of the Israelite Conquest; Lost World of Scripture (about Israelite oral culture). This post of recommendations focuses on the history and culture of the Old Testament. I’ve bolded my simple choices for those who don’t want lots of detailed options. First, my free accessible stuff... Read more
One of the best ways for laypeople to learn about the history, text, interpretation, archaeology, and lands of the Bible is through reading Biblical Archaeology Review. In spite of the name, it’s not just about archaeology. It used to have a sister magazine called Bible Review which was more focused on text and interpretation, but they’ve been combined. BAR (the frequent acronym) contains writings by scholars (Jewish, Christian, LDS, nothing particular) written for laypeople, so it’s meant to be accessible and up-to-date.... Read more
LDS Perspectives interviewed me about my book on Genesis 1, which is still in progress. The beginning of the Old Testament is challenging for a number of reasons. It’s foreign, it’s inconsistent (two creation stories?), it interfaces with history and science in uncomfortable and controversial ways (evolution, “giants”/”sons of god” marrying “daughters of men,” the flood, etc.) And then for Mormons, add in the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, and the Temple, which parallel these chapters. Now if you... Read more
You might have noticed an op-ed on Mormonism and evolution in the Salt Lake Tribune by me, responding to discussion of the place of evolution in Utah science standards. I’m a historian of religion/science with some scientific training, not a scientist, so I generally leave detailed argument and refinement to the actual scientists. But history can tell us a lot here. I’m convinced that evolution and faith in God can coexist. The short version is, Mormonism has no official position... Read more
Update: I’ve put together a collection of samples from these books. First, note that LDS Perspectives is beginning a string of Old Testament-related podcasts, today with Philip Barlow (Mormons and the Bible), Cory Crawford next week, and me on December 20th, talking about what’s going on in Genesis 1, Moses, and Abraham. I also have a post coming on the early chapters of Genesis, so stay tuned. When we read the Old Testament, we need several things, like good translations... Read more
This is the second in a series of posts about resources for study and teaching the Old Testament in 2018. If you feel overwhelmed by the information below, I recommend going back to the first post, a shortlist of five books to give you a leg up, without lots of discussion to cut through. Future posts will provide resources on “paradigm changers,” the JST, history/culture of the Old Testament, the early chapters of Genesis, creation/evolution, how to profitably study, take notes,... Read more
Through November 26, Amazon is offering $5 off any physical order of books of $20. That’s prompted me to push up this first of several posts. More posts are coming, with more depth and recommendations, including lots of free stuff. I’m not going to go into justifications or this vs. that in this post, just basic recommendations of five books I wish everyone would read. I want to preface with something Elder Ballard said recently in a BYU devotional. (The full... Read more
If you missed attending one of my firesides or the Sperry Symposium, this is for you. I recorded the audio/powerpoint from my final presentation last weekend, which benefitted from having done it three times.The length is about 1:10, and unfortunately I cut the audio before I closed with some testimony about the utility of the Old Testament, my appreciation for it, etc. The first slide is up for almost two minutes, they do change. And below are books/authors I quote... Read more
Coming back to the Old Testament means I’ve been at this solo blog thing for a while, and I have a lot of prewritten material to work with. In the next year, I’ll be reposting and updating all of my Old Testament Gospel Doctrine posts, so they should appear as “new” posts in your feed and on the blog. If for some reason you get ahead of my updating/resposting, a google search for Benjamin Scribe Old Testament Lesson X or... Read more
Benjamin the Scribe
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In