Abstract: The Christmas season evokes tender feelings within us as we contemplate the newborn Christ child, whose life and mission would change the world forever. Many retellings of the nativity story include the unusual—the awkward boy/innkeeper who impulsively offers his own room to Mary and Joseph or the Herdman kids who unwittingly impart a realistic view of the Christ child’s birth. The Christmas star of Bethlehem, leading the wise men to the newborn baby, symbolically invites us to come unto Christ as we celebrate the season through memorable stories and Christmas songs.

The post Christmas Stars: Inviting Us to Come to Christ first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 15 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Terry Hutchinson discuss “Christmas, The Matchless Gift of God's Divine Son.”

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 15, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 4 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 22 - 28 about Christmas.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Christmas for December 22 – 28 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Political legitimacy is a key concept related to the exercise of political power. Legitimacy was especially critical for “irregular kings,” so named because they were not automatically legitimated by the existing political structure. There are many examples of apologetics from the literature of the Ancient Near East that sought to bolster the legitimacy of irregular kings. The Book of Mormon uses similar apologetics to legitimate its own irregular rulers. The most striking example is seen in the case of Nephi (son of Lehi). Nephi provides dozens of arguments that strengthen his status as a divinely sanctioned king within an Ancient Near Eastern framework. Startlingly, Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets also seem to have viewed Joseph Smith, the future seer who would bring their words to light, in similar terms. Joseph appears to have been presented as the legitimate heir of the Nephite royal line. The prophecies of the Book of Mormon and Joseph’s receipt of the royal artifacts serve to bolster this claim.

The post Irregular Kings and Precious Things: Viewing Nephi and Joseph Smith through the Lens of Ancient Near Eastern Kingship first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 9 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, Kevin Christensen, and Mark Johnson discuss books and materials to aid Old Testament Study and Kevin's 2004 FARMS Review Article "The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament".

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 9, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 10 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 5 - 21 about The Family: A Proclamation to the World.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: The Family: A Proclamation to the World , December 5 – 21 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: One of the most notable features of Nephi’s small plates rendition of Isaiah chapter 2 (2 Nephi 12) is the prominent expansion of the nations theme with two additional clauses with the word nations (Hebrew gôyim) that are not found in the Masoretic text (from which the KJV has been translated). Nephi’s text preserves the use of nations from Isaiah 2:2, 4 in 2 Nephi 12:2, 4, but also attests significant additional references to the nations in 2 Nephi 12:12, 14: “For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one . . .  and upon all the nations which are lifted up, and upon every people.” These variants are consistent with—and may even be explained by—Nephi’s declaration of intent in 2 Nephi 25:3: “Wherefore, I write unto my people, unto all those that shall receive hereafter these things, which I write, that they may know the judgments of God, that they come upon all nations, according to the word which he hath spoken” (2 Nephi 25:3). This purpose in writing might explain additional textual variants in 2 Nephi 12–24 that pertain to coming judgments upon the nations, which is a dominant theme of the writings of Isaiah, which Nephi incorporated into this part of his record.

The post “Upon All the Nations”: The gôyim in Nephi’s Rendition of Isaiah 2 (2 Nephi 12) in Literary Context first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 4 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses finding the Messiah in the Old Testament.

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 4, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the November 20 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner, Kris Frederickson, and Bruce Webster discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 8 – 14 covering the Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: The Articles of Faith and Official Declarations 1 and 2 for December 8 – 14 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Taylor Petrey’s Queering Kinship in the Mormon Cosmos attempts to “queer” Latter-day Saint concepts to create an account more congenial to queer theory, a postmodern philosophy and approach to texts. Here the aim is to destabilize and deny sexual essentialism, the law of chastity, and the eternal destiny of humanity as understood by the Saints. The words of Church leaders are misrepresented through omission and reorganization. Readings of Latter-day Saint scholars and scripture likewise suffer distortion and inaccurate representation. The work betrays several double standards, including the intellectual colonialism inherent in the efforts to distort and thereby appropriate Latter-day Saint culture and writings for its own purposes. Means to avoid this negative pattern are suggested, including rigorous honesty in textual claims and the participation of the scholarly community in effective peer review of irresponsible or misleading work.

The post Intellectual Colonialism and Air Bud Theology: More on Queer Theory and the Church of Jesus Christ first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.