During 1978, 1979, and 1980, Hugh Nibley taught a Doctrine and Covenants Sunday School class. Cassette recordings were made of these classes and some have survived and were digitized by Steve Whitlock and recently enhanced by Nick Galieti. Most of the tapes were in pretty bad condition. The original recordings usually don’t stop or start […]

In the August 11th Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Brent Schmidt discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for August 25 – 31 covering D&C 93.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Doctrine & Covenants 93 for August 25 – 31 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the August 11, 2025 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Brent Schmidt discuss Gnosticism and Book of Mormon geography. You can listen to or download the discussion segment of the podcast episode below.

The post Interpreter Podcast — August 11, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: A narrator may choose to provide or withhold the name of a character for many reasons. This article hypothesizes that Mormon intentionally omitted the name of two key characters, a Lamanite king and queen. Both feature in his narration of the mission to the Lamanites and the miraculous conversion it inspires, as recounted in the book of Alma. While it is not possible to know exactly what information Mormon and other record keepers of the Book of Mormon had or preserved, it is at least plausible that Mormon might have intentionally omitted the name of these two Lamanites. Namelessness invites the reader to encounter and re-encounter the gospel in a story simultaneously historic and symbolic, at once particular and universal. The intentional absence of these names emphasizes, instead, the new name the converted Lamanites would take upon themselves and points the reader to the name of Jesus Christ.

The post Nameless to New Name: Namelessness in the Narrative of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, or the People of Ammon first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

During 1978, 1979, and 1980, Hugh Nibley taught a Doctrine and Covenants Sunday School class. Cassette recordings were made of these classes and some have survived and were digitized by Steve Whitlock and recently enhanced by Nick Galieti. Most of the tapes were in pretty bad condition. The original recordings usually don’t stop or start […]

The post Nibley Lectures: Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 34 (2025) — D&C 89–92 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the July 30th Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discuss the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for August 18 – 24 covering D&C 89-92.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Doctrine & Covenants 89 – 92 for August 18 – 24 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the July 30, 2025 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discuss the Abraham and His Family Conference that was held in May.

The post Interpreter Podcast — July 30, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Review of Edward K. Watson, Verifiable Evidence for the Book of Mormon: Proof of a Deliberate Design Within a Dictated-from-Imagination Book. Abstract: Edward K. Watson provides a new twist in the textual evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Drawing upon his expertise in working with argumentative and persuasive essays (collectively known as “structured essays”) and applying modern scholarship to the requirements for sound argumentation in such essays, Watson seeks to apply objective criteria and scoring methods to evaluate several of the many structured essays in the Book of Mormon. Watson argues that because such essays generally require considerable planning and revision, it would be very unlikely for them to have been created, rather than translated, by Joseph Smith dictating at high speed and without major revisions. While his analysis adds new dimensions to the complexity and depth of the Book of Mormon, I believe that his claims are overstated and not adequately supported, especially when he says that dictating structured essays would be “impossible” for any mortal. Nevertheless, Watson does provide interesting evidence on a long-overlooked aspect of the Book of Mormon that merits consideration.

The post Evidence for Well-Structured Persuasive and Argumentative Essays in the Book of Mormon first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.