![\"Nile](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/186\/2021\/05\/191619024_814522869199368_2080600468364561859_n.jpg\")
<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n
***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Two new articles \u2014 by, respectively, David R. Seely<\/a> and Duane Boyce<\/a> \u2014 went up today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n David R. Seely, \u201cRemembering Hugh Nibley as a Scholar and, More Importantly, as a Man:\u00a0Observing the Faith of the Observer\u201d<\/em><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Review of\u00a0Hugh Nibley Observed<\/em>, edited by Jeffrey\u00a0M.\u00a0Bradshaw, Shirley\u00a0Ricks, and Stephen Whitlock (Orem, UT: Interpreter Foundation, 2021). 820 pages. $45.00 (hardback), $35.00 (paperback).<\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0Those who knew Brother Nibley best knew he was a\u00a0remarkable man of both depth and breadth. This new volume plumbs both that depth and breadth in the recounting of personal stories and colorful history. This volume is a\u00a0welcome addition to any library.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Duane Boyce, \u201cDid Captain Moroni Lack the Typical Religious Virtues?\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0<\/strong>In his well-known volume about the Book\u00a0of\u00a0Mormon, Grant Hardy focuses primarily on the book\u2019s main narrators. However, he also makes a\u00a0number of observations about other figures in the book that are of particular interest, including some about Captain Moroni. In addition to those I\u00a0address elsewhere, these observations include the claim that Moroni lacked the typical religious virtues \u2014 which Hardy identifies as \u201chumility, self-sacrifice, kindness, and relying upon the Lord.\u201d They also include the assertion that Helaman, in his manifest reliance upon God, serves as a\u00a0counterexample to Moroni\u2019s military leadership. A\u00a0close look at the text, however, indicates that both these claims are mistaken.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n And now, as is my recent wont, here are a few links to articles from a previous volume of Interpreter<\/em>.\u00a0 They\u2019re not gone, and they should not be forgotten:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Daniel C. Peterson, \u201cThe Life-giving \u201cWater\u201d of the Restoration\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0Where there is water, there is life, not only literally, as in the Nile River in Egypt and in the cities of Mesopotamia, but also symbolically, as we read in the words of the prophet Ezekiel, who in vision saw a magnificent spring of fresh water flowing east from the temple, healing even the waters of the Dead Sea (Ezekiel 47). A psalm also testifies to the divine beneficence of water (Psalm 1) and John, in Revelation, quotes the Lord as giving to those \u201cathirst of the fountain of the water of life freely\u201d (21:10\u201214), a \u201ccrystal clear river\u201d that flows from the center of the temple in the New Jerusalem. Also in the last days, \u201cin the barren deserts there shall come forth pools of living water\u201d (Doctrine and Covenants 133:29). We, the writers and volunteer staff of the Interpreter Foundation, invite readers to help spread and defend the life-giving water of the Restoration, for \u201cthe harvest is plenteous, but the labourers are few\u201d (Matthew 9:37).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Mark J. Johnson, \u201cUnexamined Assumptions, and the Study of the Book of Abraham\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0Research on the origins and nature of the Book of Abraham and the accompanying facsimiles has long been hampered by faulty methodology. And while the last few years have seen a significant reexamination of the assumptions that represent the underpinning of our understandings of the Book of Abraham, some unexamined assumptions persist. This study addresses seven aspects of the Book of Abraham, which include a discussion of the sources, the process, the results, the content, the witnesses, and the historical background. For each of these aspects, this study identifies lingering assumptions and shows how a proper methodology can validate or eliminate these assumptions from the scholarly discourse.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Ann Madsen, \u201cThe Healing and Exalting Powers of Christ Weave Together at Easter\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0In this personal essay, Ann Madsen reflects on the ways in which the healing power of Christ converges with His exalting power at Easter. Cold gives way to warmth, pride to submission, and reflection to sanctification. The weekly Sacrament provides a time for cleansing, renewal, and drawing our thoughts toward the Lord. The path leads to us becoming like Him.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Robert A. Rees, \u201cLooking Deeper into Joseph\u00a0Smith\u2019s First Vision: Imagery, Cognitive Neuroscience, and the Construction of Memory\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0Critics of Joseph Smith assert that he invented or imagined the First Vision and then deliberately altered the details in his subsequent first-person accounts of the event (also reflected in accounts recorded or related by others) to mislead his followers. That the details of the narrative changed so dramatically between the first version (1832) and the last authorized version (1842) is considered\u00a0<\/em>prima facie\u00a0evidence that Joseph was deliberately inventing and embellishing his narrative to make it more credible. The only thing, say critics, that could possibly explain such divergent, and in some cases, radically different versions of the same event is either incredible forgetfulness or deliberate falsification. This paper, based on close textual analysis and the findings of contemporary scientific research on memory acquisition and retention \u2014 particularly memories of dramatic and powerful events \u2014 offers an alternative explanation, one that preserves the credibility and integrity of the prophet.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Craig L. Foster, \u201cOvercoming Obstacles: Becoming a Great Missionary\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n