***   I received an email yesterday afternoon from a former neighbor of mine from long ago, back when I was an unmarried BYU undergraduate.  He had observed that all of the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bear an inscription, typically over the main entrance, announcing “Holiness to the Lord / The House of the Lord,” or whatever the equivalent might be in the predominant language of the area where the temple... Read more

    ***   Interpreter Radio Show — February 13, 2022 In the first hour of the 13 February 2022 episode of the Interpreter Radio Show, Terry Hutchinson and John Gee discussed a new book on the 1920 edition of the Book of Mormon as well as the Interpreter Foundation’s recent Ultimate Egypt tour. You can listen to or download the 13 February 2022 broadcast of the Interpreter Radio Show at the link included in the title immediately above.  It... Read more

    ***   On Saturday night, my wife and I attended a very strong performance of Puccini’s Tosca by the Utah Opera.  We thoroughly enjoyed it; there is little mystery about the fact that Tosca ranks among the most popular works in the standard operatic repertoire.  Unexpectedly, though, just prior to the overture, a spokesman came out onto the stage in front of the curtain.  I believe that it was Christopher McBeth, Utah Opera’s artistic director.  Our hearts sank... Read more

    ***   We spent our afternoon and early evening in a way that we don’t typically do on Sundays — or, for that matter, on any other day of the week.  We attended the promotion of a friend, the son of friends, from the rank of Colonel in the United States Army to the rank of Brigadier General.  The event also featured the change-of-command ceremony whereby he assumed the position of Assistant Adjutant General-Army for the Utah National... Read more

    ***   But first:  Yes, Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” to save Ukraine from Jewish Nazis and to defend Russian against Ukrainian aggression is likely to have religious implications:   “Podcast: What’s next for Russian priests who asked if Putin will be damned for invading Ukraine?”   “Russian Victory Would Mark End of Religious Freedom in Ukraine”   As of three days ago, anyway: “Kyiv Ukraine Temple still standing as the Russian onslaught continues”   ***   But... Read more

    ***   Two new pieces went up today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship.  The second offers a concise summation of the first:   “Serpents of Fire and Brass: A Contextual Study of the Brazen Serpent Tradition in the Book of Mormon,” by Neal Rappleye Abstract: The story of the Israelites getting bitten in the wilderness by “fiery serpents” and then being miraculously healed by the “serpent of brass” (Numbers 21:4–9) is one of the most... Read more

    ***   I had an enjoyable time, early this afternoon, recording two “Come, Follow Me” podcasts with Scot and Maurine Proctor of Meridian Magazine.  The first covered Exodus 1-6 and the second treated Exodus 7-13.  I’m not sure when they’ll be publicly available.   There were several relatively small things that I intended to cover during our discussion, but didn’t.  I’ll mention one of them here.   The King James Version of Exodus 6:2-3 reads as follows:  ... Read more