![\"Magnificent](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2016\/07\/Cedar_Breaks_National_Monument.jpg\")
<\/a>I\u2019ve fallen a bit behind, so it\u2019s high time to catch up:<\/p>\n
These two pieces appeared on Friday on the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s completely comatose website:<\/p>\n
\u201cRestoring Melchizedek Priesthood,\u201d<\/a> written by John S. Thompson<\/a><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong> Church historical sources make four differing claims as to when, how, and by whom Melchizedek priesthood was restored. These seemingly conflicting sources have led to many theories about what happened, including the idea that Joseph Smith changed his narrative and rewrote history as his ideas of priesthood evolved. A closer look at the sources, more carefully defining the terminology, and being more aware of ancient patterns provide a better solution for understanding the purpose and relationship of these four narratives and thus the nature of the Melchizedek priesthood Joseph Smith restored.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cInterpreting Interpreter<\/em>: Portions of Priesthood,\u201d<\/a> written by Kyler Rasmussen<\/a><\/p>\n This post is a summary of the article \u201cRestoring Melchizedek Priesthood<\/a>\u201d by John S. Thompson in Volume 62 of Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>. All of the Interpreting Interpreter<\/em> articles may be seen at https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/category\/summaries\/<\/a>. An introduction to the Interpreting Interpreter<\/em> series is available at https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0 Thompson argues that the apparent contradictions in the modern restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood reflect a consistent order in which portions of priesthood authority are granted to accomplish specific purposes, with the authority of apostles (to establish new church units), elders (to confirm the churches by giving the gift of the Holy Ghost), and high priests (to govern God\u2019s kingdom) culminating in a fullness of priesthood power as outlined in the ordinances of the temple.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n And this item appeared on Wednesday, if I\u2019m not mistaken.\u00a0on the website of the completely moribund Interpreter Foundation: \u00a0Hugh Nibley Observed<\/em>: \u00a0\u201cThe BYU Folklore of Hugh W. Nibley,\u201d<\/a> written by Jane D. Brady<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt is not surprising that the hero which the BYU community has chosen to revere through its stories is Professor Hugh W. Nibley, a man who has excelled in both scholarly and religious pursuits. Nibley\u2019s genius and devotion have combined with his eccentricity and absentmindedness to create a man of legends.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article originally appeared in Hugh Nibley Observed<\/em>, edited by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw, Shirley S. Ricks, and Stephen T. Whitlock. For more information, go to https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/books\/hugh-nibley-observed\/<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yesterday, in the afternoon, we saw the well-acted two-person play The Mountaintop<\/em><\/a>, written by Katori Hall<\/a>. The play is set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on the last night of the life of the \u00a0Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got some difficult days ahead,\u201d he had told an overflowing crowd in Memphis, Tennessee, on 3 April 1968, where the city\u2019s mostly-Black sanitation workers were striking. \u201cBut it really doesn\u2019t matter with me now, because I\u2019ve been to the mountaintop . . . \u00a0I\u2019ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.\u201d \u00a0Less than twenty-four hours after that speech, he was assassinated by James Earl Ray. \u00a0He was only thirty-nine years old.<\/p>\n For the evening play, we saw a performance of Shakespeare\u2019s The Winter\u2019s Tale<\/em>. \u00a0It\u2019s far from being my favorite among his plays, but, with a few weaknesses in casting and occasional problems with voice projection, it was a very solid production.<\/p>\n We\u2019re just back from this evening\u2019s performance \u2014 the last that we\u2019ll be seeing here this season \u2014 of Shakespeare\u2019s The Taming of the Shrew<\/em>. \u00a0It was a good production of a deeply, deeply sexist play. \u00a0I\u2019m rather surprised, although I\u2019m also pleased, that it\u2019s still scheduled and performed, and that it wasn\u2019t ringed with protesters.<\/p>\n Caitlin Wise<\/a>, who played the role of Kate (aka the \u201cShrew\u201d), was very good, as was John DiAntonio<\/a>, who played Petruchio. \u00a0He is also the new artistic director<\/a> for the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and I\u2019m told that he and Caitlin Wise are married. \u00a0So it was good to \u201cmeet\u201d them for the first time.<\/p>\n Our favorite play of the Festival, though, without doubt \u2014 we were sadly unable to fit the Festival\u2019s seventh play, The 39 Steps<\/em>, into our schedule this year \u2014 was Shakespeare\u2019s Much Ado about Nothing<\/em>, which we saw earlier Saturday afternoon\u00a0 It was extremely well done and is, simply, just an all-around good play. \u00a0Melinda Parrett and Walter Kmiec were outstanding as, respectively, Beatrice and Benedick. \u00a0We had a very, very good time, and I recommend it to you.<\/p>\n One of the good things about coming to Cedar City each year for the Shakespeare Festival is meeting up with old friends. \u00a0Last night, we had dinner with members of the family who first gave me the idea of attending such a festival. \u00a0Their eldest son is a friend of mine from before our missions. \u00a0(By the way, he actually attended my wedding in the Salt Lake Temple.) \u00a0Before my marriage, they invited me to attend the Ashland Shakespeare Festival in Oregon with them. \u00a0I loved it. \u00a0Happily, I married a theater major, so it wasn\u2019t difficult to convince her that regularly attending the Festival here in Cedar City would be a good idea.<\/p>\n He was there with members of his family for dinner last night, and then just the three of us had dinner together tonight. \u00a0And \u2014 dare I say this? I really don\u2019t like to expose innocent friends to the sneers and assaults of my obsessive, anonymous online detractors \u2014 his mother, who will celebrate her ninety-seventh birthday later this year, regularly plays Broadway tunes on the piano in the lobby of the Randall Jones Theater before afternoon performances there. \u00a0She doesn\u2019t have the music in front of her when she plays; she does it from memory. \u00a0And what most astonishes me is that she can carry on effortless conversation while she does it. \u00a0She served at least two, possibly three, international missions with her late husband, a physician, and she herself earned a doctorate in psychology. \u00a0If Superwoman actually exists, my wife and I know where she lives.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s been fun to meet with others here, as well. \u00a0During the intermission of Much Ado about Nothing, the father of a former student introduced himself to me. \u00a0She has gone on to earn her own doctorate, teach at the college level, and have several children. \u00a0And tonight, when my wife and I stopped off at a Maverik store for something to drink back at our motel, one of this blog\u2019s readers came up and introduced himself. \u00a0He was very generous, and I enjoyed meeting him.<\/p>\n Posted from Cedar City, Utah<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0 I\u2019ve fallen a bit behind, so it\u2019s high time to catch up: These two pieces appeared on Friday on the Interpreter Foundation\u2019s completely comatose website: \u201cRestoring Melchizedek Priesthood,\u201d written by John S. Thompson Abstract: Church historical sources make four differing claims as to when, how, and by whom Melchizedek priesthood was restored. These seemingly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":25458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1878,788,37938,1513,704,1881],"class_list":["post-106767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cedar-city","tag-mormon","tag-much-ado-about-nothing","tag-priesthood","tag-restoration","tag-utah-shakespeare-festival"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/a>