“The Prophets Who Wrote the Book of Omni”

A new article — this one by Clifford P. Jones — has appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship:

“The Prophets Who Wrote the Book of Omni”

Abstract: The brief accounts written by Omni, Amaron, Chemish, Abinadom, and Amaleki, taken alone, don’t always inspire confidence in their righteousness. Nevertheless, when the specific words used by these men and all relevant context are taken into consideration, it’s reasonable to conclude that each of these authors of the book of Omni was a prophet of God.

And, as it happens, it’s not alone.  It is accompanied by the final installment from a book by Brant A. Gardner, who, coincidentally, like Clifford Jones has a strong connection to New Mexico:

“Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture — Preface”

[Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the eighth (and final) installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This final installment is the Preface for the book. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and we hope you find it helpful.]

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Please read this message from the Prophet of the Lord:

“President Nelson Invites Sharing of Gospel Restoration: 2020 marks bicentennial of First Vision”

In this context, I call attention to an article by the historian Steven C. Harper, who is now back at Brigham Young University, where, among other things, he serves as editor-in-chief for the quarterly journal BYU Studies:

“A Closer Look at Critiques of Joseph Smith’s First Vision”

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Finally, you may be aware of the cataclysmic fires engulfing substantial portions of Australia.  According to one chart that I’ve seen but cannot now find, they are, collectively, six times the size of the devastating fires that afflicted California in 2018 and that did such astounding damage there:

http://google.org/crisismap/australia

“Australia fires: A very simple guide”

“Australia fires: Evacuation call stepped up as crisis worsens”

“Australia Fire Updates: Bracing for an Even Worse Weekend: On Friday, officials in the state of New South Wales drastically expanded their estimate of the amount of land at risk.”

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been responding.  Here is just a part of the response, but one in which those of us outside of Australia can directly join:

“Pacific Area Presidency Announce January National Fast”

And please don’t forget these avenues of help:

LDS Philanthropies

Latter-day Saint Charities

I really like these charities because, since the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is so well managed, they function without overhead.  (Quite unlike a number of other really prominent humanitarian organizations.)  A dollar given will be a dollar used for assistance, not for paying administrative staff.