![\"James](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2020\/06\/72098432_681121039055522_2343297640885649408_n.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two new items went up today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>.\u00a0 The first is by A. Keith Thompson, and the second is by Blake T. Ostler:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Brass Plates: Can Modern Scholarship Help Identify Their Contents?\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0<\/strong>The Book\u00a0of\u00a0Mormon contains little information about what the Brass Plates contain. Nephi said it was a\u00a0larger record than the Hebrew Bible brought to America by the Gentiles. But it could not have contained the records of Old Testament prophets who wrote after Lehi\u2019s party left Jerusalem or the New Testament. We know it contained some writings from Zenos, Zenock, Neum, and Ezias, but what else could it have contained? Though the \u201cDocumentary Hypothesis\u201d idea that the Christian Bible is the product of redactors is distasteful to many Christians, this article suggests this scholarship should not trouble Latter-day Saints, who celebrate Mormon\u2019s scriptural abridgement of ancient American scripture. This article also revisits the insights of some Latter-day Saint scholars who have suggested the Brass Plates are a\u00a0record of the tribe of Joseph, and this may explain its scriptural content. The eight verses from Micah 5, which Christ quoted three times during His visit to the Nephites and which did not previously appear in Mormon\u2019s abridgment, receive close analysis.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAn Ingenious and Inspiring Literary Analysis of Alma 30\u201342\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Review of Mark\u00a0A.\u00a0Wrathall,\u00a0Alma 30\u201363: A\u00a0Brief Theological Introduction<\/em>\u00a0(Provo, UT: The Neal\u00a0A.\u00a0Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2020). 176 pages. $9.95 (paperback).<\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0Mark\u00a0A.\u00a0Wrathall\u2019s analytic treatment of Alma 30\u201342 is a\u00a0sheer gift that inspires insight into the theological depth of Alma\u2019s thought. His reading of Alma teases out insights not previously recognized and not easily discovered regarding belief and knowledge and their relation to faith and committed action. This extremely rewarding introduction provides a\u00a0glimpse at the best any writer in the Latter-day Saint tradition has written on Alma\u2019s thoughts and goals.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n And, just in case you missed them or have forgotten about them,\u00a0 here are links to some articles from a previous number of Interpreter<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Joseph M. Spencer, \u201cOn the Dating of Moroni 8-9\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0Students of the Book of Mormon who have attempted to establish a rough (internal) date for the composition of Mormon\u2019s two letters in Moroni 8\u20139 have come to different and inconsistent conclusions. Nonetheless, there seems to be evidence enough from the text to arrive at reasonably certain conclusions as to when the letters are supposed to have originated. At the same time, the fact that the text never bothers to state the exact circumstances under which the letters were produced is theologically suggestive. What might be the interpretive and especially theological implications that follow from the establishment of rough dates for the letters? This essay argues from textual evidence that the reader should understand the two letters to have been written at rather different times: Moroni 8 in the years 345\u201350, and Moroni 9 in the years 375\u201380. It then draws interpretive and theological conclusions about the import of these dates: principally that Moroni\u2019s inclusion of the letters forces readers to recognize that Mormon\u2019s history is inventive and theologically motivated.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Matthew R. Linford, \u201cThe Parable of the Benevolent Father and Son\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0A discussion is presented on the Parable of the Prodigal Son, including the departure of the young man into a faraway land, his return, and the welcome he received from his father. To better understand the cultural significance of this story, a Middle Eastern scholar (Kenneth Bailey) is referenced. The prodigal son breaks his father\u2019s heart when he leaves home, but at the same time his older brother fails in his duty to his family. The father in the parable represents Christ, who is seen to take upon himself the shame of his returning boy and later of his older brother. The reinstatement of the prodigal son is confirmed by the actions of the father, who embraces him, dresses him in a robe, puts shoes on his feet, has a ring placed on his finger, brings him into his house, and kills the fatted calf for him. These actions have deep gospel and cultural significance. The older son\u2019s failure to come into the feast for his brother is a public insult to his father, and his words to his father in the courtyard are a second public insult. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is shown to be similar to other stories from the scriptures, including Jesus\u2019s meal with Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:36\u201343), the Parable of the Man and His Great Supper (L<\/span>uke 14:16\u201324), the Parable of the King and His Son\u2019s Wedding (Ma<\/span>tthew 22:2\u201314), and Lehi\u2019s dream in 1 Nephi 8. Consistent elements across these stories include a feast\/meal, a male authority figure who initiates or invites others to the feast, well-to-do guests who refuse the invitation, their criticism of the host of the feast and their fellowman, an application of grace, and the presence of the less favored individuals at the feast at the end of the stories. It is shown that the prodigal son represents the publicans and sinners of Jesus\u2019s day, while the older son represents the scribes and Pharisees. Emphasis is placed on the remarkable countercultural and benevolent role played by the father\/patriarch in these stories.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Jeff Lindsay, \u201c\u201cArise from the Dust\u201d: Insights from Dust-Related Themes in the Book of Mormon (Part 1: Tracks from the Book of Moses)\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0In light of Noel Reynolds\u2019 hypothesis that some material in the Book of Moses may have been present on the brass plates that Nephi used, one may wonder if Nephi or other authors might also have drawn upon the use of chains in the Book of Moses, particularly Satan\u2019s \u201cgreat chain [that] veiled \u2026 the earth with darkness\u201d (Moses\u00a07:26) and the \u201cchains of darkness\u201d (Moses\u00a07:57). Though the phrase \u201cchains of darkness\u201d is not used in the Book of Mormon, 2\u00a0Nephi\u00a01:23, quoting Lehi, combines\u00a0<\/em>chains\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>obscurity, where\u00a0<\/em>obscurity\u00a0can have the meaning of darkness. In fact, there may be a Hebraic wordplay behind Lehi\u2019s words when he tells his wayward sons to \u201ccome forth out of obscurity and arise from the dust,\u201d based on the similarity between the Hebrew words for \u201cobscurity\u201d and \u201cdust.\u201d The association between dust and chains and several other newly found linkages to Book of Moses material is enriched by a study of Walter Brueggemann on the covenant-related meanings of \u201crising from the dust\u201d and \u201creturning to the dust\u201d in the Bible, a topic we explore in Part 2.\u00a0 Then, after showing how dust-related themes in the Book of Mormon can enhance our understanding of several important passages, we build on that knowledge in Part 3 to \u201cdust off\u201d the most famous chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, where we will show that some apparent gaps and wordy regions in the complex chiastic structure of Alma 36 are more compact and meaningful than we may have realized. Both dust-related themes and themes from the Book of Moses assist in better\u00a0<\/em>appreciating the richness of that masterpiece of Hebraic poetry. Overall, a small amount of exploration motivated by Reynolds\u2019 work may have led to several interesting finds that strengthen the case for Book of Moses content on the brass plates and deepen our appreciation of the use of ancient Near Eastern dust themes in the Book of Mormon, that majestic \u201cvoice from the dust.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Jeff Lindsay, \u201c\u201cArise from the Dust\u201d: Insights from Dust-Related Themes in the Book of Mormon (Part 2: Enthronement, Resurrection, and Other Ancient Motifs from the \u201cVoice from the Dust\u201d)\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0In light of Noel Reynolds\u2019 hypothesis that some material in the Book of Moses may have been present on the brass plates that Nephi used, one may wonder if Nephi or other authors might also have drawn upon the use of chains in the Book of Moses. Further examination of this connection points to the significance of the theme of \u201cdust\u201d in Lehi\u2019s words and the surrounding passages from Nephi and Jacob, where it can involve motifs of covenant keeping, resurrection, and enthronement. Recognizing the usage of dust-related themes in the Book of Mormon can enhance our understanding of the meaning and structure of several portions of the text. An appeal to the Book of Mormon\u2019s use of dust may also help fill in some gaps in the complex chiastic structure of Alma 36 (to be treated in Part 3) and add meaning to other portions of that \u201cvoice from the dust,\u201d the Book of Mormon.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n