I presented a paper at the Yale conference in February in which I argued that the reason that most people don\u2019t read the works of Biblical scholars (LDS or otherwise) is that most people don\u2019t read scripture in order to understand what scripture says; most people read scripture in order to interpret it in light of their own experience or to have a revelatory moment with God. Actually understanding the original intended meaning of the words is secondary to this personal divine experience and it is possibly entirely unnecessary to having this experience.\u00a0 This explains, I think, why most scripture readers don\u2019t seek the original meaning.<\/p>\n
So, if what scholars do is not considered necessary by most of the religious public, is it actually necessary?\u00a0 I would say yes (well\u2026duh), but not for the reason that most lay people would assume.\u00a0 I fundamentally agree with the lay person\u2019s position that, in terms of establishing contact with the divine, the scholar is a vestigial appendage at best.\u00a0 Instead, the function of a scholar is to offer interpretive models for revealed information; ie. scholars exist to help you understand what the scriptures have to say.<\/p>\n
We don\u2019t need interpreters for genuine personal revelation.\u00a0 However, the recorded revelations given to other people require some interpretive help.\u00a0 So, scholars study the original context, the history of transmission, and the history of interpretation, adding their own ideas in order to try and make sense of the passage.\u00a0 Just as we would do with Shakespeare\u2019s words or Mao\u2019s, scholars exist to try and make the alien familiar.\u00a0 With that in mind, we should understand the limits of this approach.\u00a0 Ultimately, it isn\u2019t clear whether we are removing filters or adding more and, therefore, we may actually be making the picture fuzzier instead of clearer.\u00a0 Most scholarship has a system of self-correction that helps prevent this phenomenon, but nonetheless mistakes are made.<\/p>\n
Here is the issue, scholarship is based on reason and it is therefore limited thereby.\u00a0 Scholarship cannot generate revelation; it can only seek to understand revealed knowledge.\u00a0 Everything in scholarship is based on what is logical, provable, or, at least, plausible.\u00a0 It is how we make decisions.<\/p>\n
Prophets do not operate under these strictures.\u00a0 They have no obligation to make sense when they speak.\u00a0 They have no obligation to explain what they mean.\u00a0 Since they are speaking for God, it is entirely possible that a prophet doesn\u2019t even realize the full meaning of the words coming out of his own mouth.\u00a0 As spokespeople for God, prophets generate data, not interpretations.\u00a0 Even if they give us a revealed interpretation, that is still an interpretation that requires interpreting (God\u2019s ways not being our ways after all).\u00a0 So prophets reveal knowledge and scholars explain it.<\/p>\n
More specifically, prophets reveal knowledge that is intended for other people.\u00a0 Anyone is entitled to personal revelation, but not anyone gets revealed knowledge that applies to anyone else. \u00a0 Only a very few people are given that sort of responsibility.\u00a0 However, anyone can be a scholar.\u00a0 Everyone has the right and the option of interpreting the words of the prophets.\u00a0 For that matter, we have the duty to do so, as they are directed to us.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, prophets decide to act as scholars.\u00a0 So, they take a look at revealed doctrine and try to find a rational explanation for it.\u00a0 In so doing, they are acting as scholars and we can choose to accept or reject their\u00a0 assertions as such.\u00a0 One thing I am sure of, our prophets take revelation very seriously and they are very careful in its distribution.<\/p>\n
That said, scholars should not pretend to be prophets (although, if a scholar is a prophet, no pretense is involved).\u00a0 All our knowledge is limited in its strength.\u00a0 We can only know what we can show to be known.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I presented a paper at the Yale conference in February in which I argued that the reason that most people don\u2019t read the works of Biblical scholars (LDS or otherwise) is that most people don\u2019t read scripture in order to understand what scripture says; most people read scripture in order to interpret it in light […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":459,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctrine","category-marginalia"],"yoast_head":"\n