On a personal note, on December 19th, my oldest daughter Kate returned home from serving an 18 month LDS mission in the country of Chile. Having her home again has been an incredible experience for me and my family. For those who read the book Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis-Deuteronomy, this is the daughter I dedicated the work to saying: “To my daughter Kate Bokovoy currently serving a mission in Rancagua, Chile. You exemplify the fact that faith, love, service,... Read more
Dear Friends, I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity that the Patheos site provides to discuss some of the important matters those of us interested in Mormon studies currently face. Since I’m primarily concerned with historical criticism and the Bible, I don’t usually address the topic of LDS apologetics in a public blog. However, a variety of public posts have been made as of late with charges of “secularism” that have led to some concerns. Because these claims have affected... Read more
Reading through each of the prophetic texts of the Bible, the common denominator in terms of Israelite prophetic concerns is clear. Prophets were highly vested in what we often today refer to as “social justice.” They believed that the establishment of “justice and righteousness” (a dual term used throughout the ancient Near East for something similar to the modern concept of “social justice”) was the purpose of Israel’s existence (see also Isa 5:7; Jer 4:2; 7:5-6; 22:3-4; Ezek 18:5-9; Micah... Read more
I’m very grateful for Daniel Peterson’s kind, thoughtful response to my recent post. I’m going to state publicly that I love Daniel Peterson. He is both a friend and a mentor to me. I provided Interpreter with its first article as a way to offer my support to him and his new efforts. I’m grateful for his many significant contributions to the fields of Mormon studies and LDS apologetics. It’s very clear that Dan is very much a champion of... Read more
Within Mormonism faith, love, service, and critical thinking are all essential components in developing spirituality. And in an age of unprecedented information accessibility, it’s not uncommon for Latter-day Saints to learn facts about Church History, moral teachings, or LDS scripture that prove challenging to traditional assumptions. Whether obtained in a class, through a book, or via an online article, these feelings are not to be feared. Rather than defining doubts as a “crisis,” perhaps we should conceptualize them as a... Read more
Mormon studies versus apologetics. It seems the “bloggernacle” is currently filled with posts addressing this new development in the so-called “Book of Mormon Wars.” It’s silly and it’s unfortunate. But still, for some reason, here we stand. Even though I recently expressed my belief that the paradigm (whether apologetics or academic) shouldn’t matter, that Latter-day Saints should simply follow Joseph Smith’s lead and pursue truth, “LET IT COME FROM WHERE IT MAY,” it is important to note that within LDS... Read more
Some time ago, I had the opportunity to participate in a large group in-service meeting for teachers working with LDS youth. The presentation focused upon the need teachers have in today’s world of information accessibility to help students answer difficult questions. The presenter gave a passionate lecture, drawing heavily upon 2 Peter 1:16. The text presents Peter, the Lord’s apostle, making the assertion, “We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming... Read more
The most recent edition of Biblical Archaeology Review took note of the blog entry on the “Death of the Documentary Hypothesis.” The introduction to the piece reads: “How, when and by whom were the Pentateuch and the historical books of the Bible written? Many theories have been offered to answer this question–one of the best known being that of the Documentary Hypothesis first proposed by the German scholar Julius Wellhausen in 1878. Not surprisingly, Wellhausen’s theory has been wored adn... Read more
Ancient Mesopotamian texts had a significant impact upon the material in the Bible. Some Mesopotamian sources, such as the Laws of Hammurabi and the Assyrian Vassal Treaties, had a direct impact upon the development of biblical material. Other Mesopotamian sources can be shown to share with the Bible similar phrases and motifs. One of these Mesopotamian connections includes a creation account featured in an Akkadian text known as KAR 4. KAR 4 represents one of several stories of human origin... Read more
The Hebrew noun ’elohim can be a bit confusing. Technically, ’elohim is a masculine plural noun meaning “gods.” It’s used, however, as a reference to God singular in many biblical passages. A classic illustration of how puzzling this noun can be appears in the biblical story of Eden. Would eating the forbidden fruit make the first humans like God or gods? This question derives from the words spoken by the snake in the biblical account. In his discussion with the... Read more
When Gods Were Men
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