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***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Neal Rappleye<\/a> published a potentially very significant article today in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAn Ishmael Buried Near Nahom\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0Latter-day Saint scholars generally agree that \u201cthe place called\u2026 Nahom,\u201d where Ishmael was buried (1 Nephi 16:34) is identified as the Nihm tribal region in Yemen. Significantly, a funerary stela with the name y s1<\/sup>m\u02bf\u02bel \u2014 the South Arabian equivalent of Ishmael \u2014 was found near the Nihm region and dated to ca. 6th century\u00a0bc<\/span>. Although it cannot be determined with certainty that this is the Ishmael from the Book of Mormon, circumstantial evidence suggests that such is a possibility worth considering.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n And here are links to five articles that were published in a previous volume of Interpreter<\/em>:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Matthew L. Bowen, \u201c\u201cI Will Deliver Thy Sons\u201d: An Onomastic Approach to Three Iterations of an Oracle to Mosiah II (Mosiah 28:7; Alma 17:35, 19:23)\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Abstract:\u00a0Three times in his narrative Mormon recounts the Lord\u2019s oracle (revelation) to Mosiah II regarding his sons undertaking a mission among the Lamanites (Mosiah 28:7, Alma 17:35, and Alma 19:23). In all three instances, the Lord\u2019s promises of deliverance revolve around the meaning of the name\u00a0<\/em>Mosiah\u00a0(\u201cYahweh is Deliverer\u201d or \u201cYahweh is Savior\u201d), emphasizing that the Lord (Hebrew\u00a0<\/em>yhwh) himself would act in his covenant role as m\u00f4\u0161\u00eea<\/em>\u02bf\u00a0in delivering Mosiah\u2019s sons, and sparing Ammon in particular. In two of the iterations of the oracle, Mosiah 28:7 and Alma 19:23, we find additional wordplay on the name\u00a0<\/em>Ammon\u00a0(\u201cfaithful\u201d) in terms of \u201cmany shall believe\u201d (Hebrew\u00a0<\/em>ya\u02be\u0103m\u00een\u00fb) in the first instance and\u00a0<\/em>\u02be\u0115m\u00fbn\u00e2\u00a0(\u201cfaith,\u201d \u201cfaithfulness\u201d) in the latter. In Alma 19:23 the Lord also employs an additional wordplay on his own name, Yahweh (Jehovah), to emphasize his ability to bring to pass his promises to Mosiah regarding Ammon.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Brant A. Gardner, \u201cJoseph Smith\u2019s Translation Projects under a Microscope\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Review of\u00a0Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph\u00a0Smith\u2019s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity,<\/em>\u00a0edited by Michael Hubbard MacKay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian\u00a0M.\u00a0Hauglid (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2020). 544 pages with index. Hardback, $70. Paperback $45, eBook $40.<\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>Producing Ancient Scripture\u00a0is a\u00a0collection of sixteen detailed essays with an introduction by the editors. This is the first such collection that examines the greater range of Joseph\u00a0Smith\u2019s translation projects. As such, it is uniquely positioned to begin more sophisticated answers about the relationship between Joseph\u00a0Smith and both the concept of translation and the specific translation works he produced.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n David R. Seely, \u201c\u201cA Prophet Like Moses\u201d (Deuteronomy 18:15\u201318) in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the Dead Sea Scrolls\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong> David Seely provides a wide-ranging survey of interpretations of the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:15\u201318 concerning \u201ca prophet like unto Moses.\u201d He examines relevant passages in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the Dead Sea Scrolls and shows how the prophecy has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ and others, continuing with Joseph Smith\u2019s role in the Restoration and onward to the present day.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [Editor\u2019s Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the LDS community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.<\/span><\/p>\n See David R. Seely, \u201c\u201cA Prophet Like Moses\u201d (Deuteronomy 18:15\u201318) in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the Dead Sea Scrolls,\u201d in\u00a0\u201cTo Seek the Law of the Lord\u201d: Essays in Honor of John W. Welch,<\/em>\u00a0ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson and Daniel C. Peterson (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation, 2017), 359\u201374. Further information at\u00a0https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/books\/to-seek-the-law-of-the-lord-essays-in-honor-of-john-w-welch-2\/<\/a>.]<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Cherry B. Silver, \u201cChristmas as Devotional: A Time of Commitment\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0Christmas is more than a\u00a0time for celebrations and traditions \u2014 it is an occasion to remember the blessings and miracles in our lives. From the joy of friends and family to the peace inspired by devotion and dedication Christmas offers us a\u00a0time to marvel at the mercies of God; let us remember the holier anthems of the season.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Andrew C. Skinner, \u201cMedieval Christian Views of Hebrew as the Language of Magic\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0The view of Hebrew as a language of magic, for which precedents can be discerned in the Bible and in rabbinic tradition, spilled over into early and medieval Christianity. Andrew Skinner adroitly explores the material and theological history of this trajectory, showing how this contributed to the emergence of Christian Kabbalah in the sixteenth century.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n [Editor\u2019s Note:\u00a0<\/strong>Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the LDS community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.<\/span><\/p>\n See Andrew C. Skinner, \u201cMedieval Christian Views of Hebrew as the Language of Magic,\u201d in\u00a0\u201cTo Seek the Law of the Lord\u201d: Essays in Honor of John W. Welch,<\/em>\u00a0ed. Paul Y. Hoskisson and Daniel C. Peterson (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation, 2017), 375\u2013412. Further information at\u00a0https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/books\/to-seek-the-law-of-the-lord-essays-in-honor-of-john-w-welch-2\/<\/a>.]<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n I would like to call your attention to a major conference that will be held on the campus of Brigham Young University during this coming week:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As a timely exploration of one of the world\u2019s great religious traditions, this conference seeks to help the BYU campus understand Islam in greater depth. This event will take place in the Hinckley Center and is free and open to the public. It will also be live-streamed, which can be viewed by going to https:\/\/islamconf.byu.edu\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n You can also read about the conference schedule and about those who will be participating in it at the link given just above.\u00a0 The conference has been planned and in the works for at least a couple of years.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, it\u2019s fashionable in some circles to disparage members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a> as MORmONS<\/em> and to refer to residents of my adopted home state as Utards<\/em>.\u00a0 There are some reasons, however, to dispute such labels.\u00a0 And this article might supply one or two:<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>