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Three new articles appeared today, Friday, in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship.<\/em>\u00a0 We hope that you\u2019ll take the time to enjoy them!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Last Nephite Scribes,\u201d<\/span><\/a> written by Noel B. Reynolds<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Abstract<\/strong>\u00a0In an earlier paper, I\u00a0concluded that Lehi and Nephi were highly trained Josephite scribes and were associated with an official Jerusalem scribal school that preserved ancient Manassite traditions. There they acquired advanced writing skills and classical Hebrew and Egyptian, which would become the scriptural languages of the Nephite peoples. These they maintained in the new promised land and passed on from generation to generation through the entire thousand-year Nephite dispensation, even though the Nephite language itself would naturally evolve. Evidence of how they did this surfaces repeatedly throughout the Book of Mormon. The following paper documents how both Mormon and his son Moroni abridged and concluded the religious, military, and political records of Book of Mormon peoples, thus preserving key elements of the vast Nephite records collection for a\u00a0later dispensation. That scribal process parallels the roles and schools of other cultures of the ancient Near East.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnderstanding How the Scriptures Came to Be,\u201d<\/a> written by Jennifer Roach<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Review of Michael\u00a0R.\u00a0Ash,\u00a0Rethinking Revelation and the Human Element in Scripture: The Prophet\u2019s Role as Creative Co-Author<\/em>\u00a0(Redding, CA: FAIRLatterDaySaints.org, 2021). 770 pages. $34.95 (paperback).<\/span><\/p>\n Abstract:<\/strong>\u00a0A new book by Mike Ash examines to what degree the human mind is involved in receiving revelation. Ash sums up his view by saying, \u201cprophets have a\u00a0special calling, but not a\u00a0special brain.\u201d He then spends 700+ pages describing what that means and how it works. In essence, prophets do not go into a\u00a0trance-like state, put a\u00a0pen in their hand, and engage in a\u00a0process of automatic writing only to wake from the trance and read what has been given. Instead, Ash helps us see how God uses the brains and personality of any particular prophet to bring His word forth. God does not bypass the prophet\u2019s humanness; rather, He relies on it to contextualize His words for a\u00a0particular people in a\u00a0particular time.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cInterpreting\u00a0Interpreter<\/em>: Nephite Scribal Paths,\u201d<\/span><\/a> written by Kyler Rasmussen<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n This post is a summary of the article \u201cThe Last Nephite Scribes<\/a>\u201d by Noel B. Reynolds in Volume 53 of\u00a0Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship<\/em>. An introduction to the Interpreting\u00a0Interpreter<\/em>\u00a0series is available at\u00a0https:\/\/interpreterfoundation.org\/interpreting-interpreter-on-abstracting-thought\/<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The Takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0 Noel Reynolds presents a detailed description of scribal activities in the Book of Mormon, arguing that the scribal tradition of Lehi and Nephi, potentially similar to the traditions of the ancient Near East, can be traced step-by-step all the way to Mormon and Moroni.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Somebody out there should probably send J. K. Rowling some combination or other of a copy of Witnesses<\/em><\/a> and a copy of Undaunted: Witnesses of the Book of Mormon<\/em><\/a> and the URL for the Witnesses Insights videos<\/a> and a link to the Witnesses of the Book of Mormon<\/em> website<\/a>.\u00a0 Or, at the very least, a copy of Richard Lloyd Anderson\u2019s Investigating the Book of Momon Witnesses<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n \u201cPerspective: What J.K. Rowling got wrong about Joseph Smith and the golden plates: The \u2018Harry Potter\u2019 author tweeted that Joseph Smith never showed the golden plates to anyone. Here\u2019s what the historical record indicates\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Ms. Rowling has homes in Edinburgh and in the Kensington district of London.\u00a0 Beyond that, I\u2019m afraid, I can\u2019t be of much help.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In the past two days, gearing up for the October 2022 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a>, I\u2019ve shared materials about the experiences of Presidents David O. McKay, Joseph F. Smith, and Spencer W. Kimball with revelation.\u00a0 President Gordon B. Hinckley, too, expressly claimed revelations on more than one occasion.\u00a0 Here, for example, is a passage from the dedicatory prayer<\/a> that he delivered for the Colonia Ju\u00e1rez Mexico Temple on 6-7 March 1999:<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a day long looked forward to and much appreciated by Thy faithful Saints in these colonies of Mexico.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt was here in Northern Mexico, that Thou didst reveal the idea and the plan of a smaller temple, complete in every necessary detail, but suited in size to the needs and circumstances of the Church membership in this area of Thy vineyard. That revelation came of a desire and a prayer to help Thy people of these colonies who have been true and loyal during the century and more that they have lived here. They are deserving of this sacred edifice in which to labor for themselves and their forebears.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n And now, to bring us up to date, I share with you five links relating to President Russell M. Nelson, who currently leads the Church:<\/p>\n \u201cRevelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cCNN Details the Remarkable Way President Nelson Receives Revelation: \u201cThis Is Moses in a Business Suit\u201d\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSister Wendy Nelson Shares Her Personal Witness of President Nelson\u2019s Prophetic Calling and Ministry\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHow President Nelson received a revelation about 2 temples\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEpisode 67: Sister Nelson on being an eyewitness to President Nelson\u2019s four years as Prophet\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, in a rather different spirit, here are a couple of additional items from the inexhaustible (and inexpressibly horrifying) Christopher Hitchens Memorial \u201cHow Religion Poisons Everything\u201d File<\/em>\u00a9 in order to help you to fend off all of those nauseating feel-good theistic vibes from General Conference:<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>