An (Updated) Bible Dictionary?

Last updated on: March 23, 2013 at 5:44 pm By RT

Let me just say upfront that I don’t have a problem in theory with the idea of a Bible dictionary accompanying the LDS version of the scriptures as a study help for members. Reading the Bible in English (or any other modern language for that matter) for devotional purposes these days presents enormous interpretive challenges, as it represents a translation (in the LDS case, a largely 400 year old translation) of a heterogeneous anthology of ancient Israelite, Jewish, and Christian literature that... Read more

Sam Gamgee and the Relief Society

Last updated on: March 17, 2013 at 9:04 pm By Bored in Vernal

Sam Gamgee and the Relief Society[1] Whenever I watch the film version of the Lord of the Rings, it strikes me that Sam, Frodo’s gardener, is the real hero of the story. Although Frodo is the protagonist, the ring-holder, the champion who saves Middle-Earth, Sam was the one who stood strong when the going was rough, filled in the gaps, supported and carried Frodo when he could no longer go on. This is how I view the history of the... Read more

What’s Wrong with the Topical Guide?

Last updated on: April 20, 2013 at 7:33 am By TT

Last year I suggested some changes that I would make to the LDS Scriptures, which included getting rid of the Topical Guide. There was some resistance to this recommendation in the comments. With the recent announced changes to the LDS scriptures, I thought now would be a good time to revisit this topic. The new edition of the LDS scriptures makes no substantive changes to the Topical Guide, only corrected reference errors, formatting changes, and a few other typos. (The list... Read more

The 2013 Adjustments to the Book of Mormon: Accuracy Delayed

Last updated on: March 6, 2013 at 9:40 am By Guest Contributor

This post is written by guest contributor, Grant Hardy. It is a weighty responsibility to decide how God’s word should be presented to the world, and the Church takes this charge very, very seriously. The recent adjustments to the official standard works include many welcome corrections to the headings of the Doctrine and Covenants, but otherwise the revisions are quite minimal. As Elder Neil L. Andersen explained, “members should not feel that they need to purchase a new set of... Read more

Approaching Antiquity: BYU Church History Symposium 2013

Last updated on: March 5, 2013 at 11:37 pm By jupiterschild

In case you haven’t seen it, take a break from Wheat and Tares Apologizing and attend the BYU Church History Symposium on Joseph Smith’s Study of the ancient world. Richard Bushman, Sam Brown, Matt Bowman, and many more! Looks to be, um, historic! Read more

Masculinity and Mormon Apologetics

Last updated on: March 5, 2013 at 2:55 pm By Guest Contributor

We are pleased to have this guest entry by Mrs. Silence Dogood, a friend of the blog. Have y’all heard about the latest squabble amongst apologists and academics? Anyways, the main lesson that has seemed to come out from the most recent spat is the vast and increasing divide between the two fields. Though someone can certainly use scholarly tools in making apologetic arguments, and someone can certainly become too apologetic in their scholarship, the works of the current generation... Read more

adjustment to the book of abraham in the new edition of the scriptures

Last updated on: March 5, 2013 at 1:23 pm By gwesley

So you noticed the change regarding the Book of Abraham in the introduction to the Pearl of Great Price, and you want to situate it a little. Well here is a rundown of some pertinent information. The heading to the William W. Phelps and Warren Parrish Copy of Abraham Manuscript (Summer—Fall, 1835): Translation of the Book of Abraham written by his own hand upon papyrus and found in the CataCombs of Egypts The heading to the Willard Richards Copy of... Read more

Updated LDS Scriptures: An Occasional Series

Last updated on: March 5, 2013 at 9:34 am By TT

As a group of people that is generally pretty interested in the scriptures, we were pleased to learn of the new edition (2013) of the LDS scriptures announced on Friday. The link provides a wealth of information about the new edition, including a discussion of the history of the LDS editions, and detailed documents noting every change made to the text and headers. The transparency of this new change is extremely useful. New maps and study aids are provided as... Read more

Wheat and Tares Apologetics

Last updated on: March 4, 2013 at 3:17 pm By smallaxe

Apologetics has obviously been on my mind recently. In previous posts I discussed how certain kinds of apologetics might be pursued at places such as BYU. Indeed, I believe that religious institutions such as BYU should produce apologetics in the sense of scholarship that explains, explores, and defends the truth claims of Mormonism. I also believe that this scholarship should be fit for a university, meaning that it should largely meet the criteria of scholarship within the broader academic community. In this post, I’d... Read more

Israel’s Past Without the Bible

Last updated on: February 25, 2013 at 8:52 am By theyellowdart

It may come as a surprise to some that there are texts from ancient Israel, Judah, and its environs that are not found in the Bible. There are also a number of texts from (especially) ancient Egypt, Assyria, and Babylonia that make reference to Biblical persons, places, and events. Such epigraphic texts are important for many reasons. I want to discuss some aspects of why these texts are important in what follows, and to give some basic information with respect... Read more