The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

In this inaugural episode, hosts John Wilson and Camrey Fox, along with Professor Dan Peterson, visit the Carthage Jail to discuss a theory by some enemies of the Church that Brigham Young was behind the death of Joseph Smith.

The post Becoming Brigham Episode 1 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: The name Helam, attested as a place name in the Bible is also attested as a personal and place name in the Book of Mormon. Evidence suggests that this name is derived from the Hebrew noun ḥayil/ḥêl, which has a wide range of meaning, including “wealth,” “abundance,” “power,” and even “army” (including Pharaoh’s “army” or “host”). The form of Helam suggests the meaning, “[God is] their wealth,” “[God is] their abundance,” “[God is] their power,” and even “[God is] their army.” Although the promise latent in the name Helam is celebrated in their exceeding prosperity and abundance, Alma1’s people also meet with a dramatic and ironic (apparent) reversal of this abundance and prosperity, when an army of the Lamanites occupies Helam and brings them into bondage. Mormon draws multiple lessons from this event, and he draws substantively from the language of Alma2’s conversion accounts to narrate this event and its meaning.

The post “They Did Multiply and Prosper Exceedingly in the Land of Helam”: Naming and Narrative Irony in Mosiah 23 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the January 22, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses the book of Genesis from the viewpoints of Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, and Latter-day Saints.

The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — January 22, 2026 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the January 15, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson and Martin Tanner interview Jeffrey Bradshaw about Abraham, Enoch, and Melchizedek.

The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — January 15, 2026 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: This article seeks to shed light on an under-researched subject: the more negative public responses to the first five years of the Latter-day Saint mission in Britain, from 1837 to 1842. Sufficient research attention has not been given, to date, to the full range of responses of the British people to the arrival of the new Church on their shores. These responses were often—although by no means exclusively—unfavorable. In short, what we have here is the story of what happens when strangers arrive bearing a message of a newly restored gospel to an insular society that has both a rigid class system and incumbent churches that regard themselves as the only legitimate forms of Christianity. It is a story that offers some lessons for modern times.

The post Early Anti-Mormonism in Great Britain, 1837–1842 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the January 8, 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Terry Hutchinson interview Jeffrey Bradshaw about the Book of Genesis.

The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — January 8, 2026 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: In exploring the connections between the texts of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses, several updates to previously published parallels need to be made, including the discovery of even more apparent parallels. The total number of proposed parallels that cannot readily be explained by the language of the King James Bible now stands at 146. In this article I present the current list and the updates. Of particular importance may be the expanded findings related to Samuel the Lamanite and connections to the account of Enoch in the Book of Moses in updated Parallel 86.

The post Parallels between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon, Part 2: The Updated List of 146 Parallels first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the inaugural episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Terry Hutchinson discuss the new podcast, its focus and format.

The post Interpreter Insights Podcast — January 1, 2026 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: In previous work, unexpected textual relationships between the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses that seem consistent with a brass-plates version of Genesis with similarities to the modern Book of Moses were explored. However, there is a need for further research to examine the nature of the distribution of the parallels in the Book of Mormon to the Book of Moses to assess, for example, whether the connections are scattered randomly across the text or show any meaningful patterns. There is also a need to consider the relationship of the Book of Mormon to the rest of the Joseph Smith Translation to determine if the Book of Mormon’s relationship with the Book of Moses (the first portion of the JST) is somehow unique or is consistent with the rest of Joseph’s work with the translation of the Bible. Data related to both topics are treated here, showing that the Book of Mormon’s relationship with the Book of Moses appears to be unique and consistent with an ancient brass-plates version of Genesis that influenced Book of Mormon personalities such as Lehi1, Nephi1, Jacob, and Alma2. Later portions of the JST lack numerous parallels with the Book of Mormon, except for a few sections that appear to have been imported from the Book of Mormon into the JST. Further, the distribution of parallels at the book level and the chapter level is consistent with a meaningful application of material from a brass-plates version of Genesis by authors or speakers familiar with the brass plates.

The post Parallels between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon, Part 1: Details of Their Distribution and Relationships to the JST first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

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.