The Interpreter Foundation Podcast

Why did Brigham finish a temple he already knew they were going to abandon—and what does that decision say about Brigham Young as Joseph Smith’s successor?

Why did the same Illinois neighbors who once sheltered the Saints later tell them their mere presence was the problem?

The post Becoming Brigham Episode 37: Until the Last Stone: Temple under Fire first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

This episode of Conversations with Interpreter is part one in a three-part series where we speak with Jeffrey M. Bradshaw on Isaiah 53, one of the most important chapters for understanding Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. However, as with much of Isaiah, this chapter can be somewhat obscure to our modern understanding. This chapter describes a servant of God who seems to suffer on behalf of others. In this conversation we look at Isaiah 53 in connection with the other Servant Songs of Isaiah and discuss ways in which this chapter has been interpreted, including a discussion of its importance in Christian understanding on the mission of Jesus Christ.

The post Conversations with Interpreter: Jeff Bradshaw: The Interpretation of the Righteous Servant in Isaiah 53 — Part 1 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Alma 63, the concluding chapter of the book of Alma, displays a sophisticated literary structure that gives meaning and emphasis to events that might otherwise appear to be routine historical details. This paper proposes a six-element chiasm in Alma 63:1–11, framed by the transfer of sacred records and centered on large-scale Nephite migrations by ship to the land northward. Detailed verbal, thematic, and chronological correspondences among the paired elements support the possibility that Mormon purposefully constructed the arrangement. Applying established criteria for evaluating chiasmus, the analysis highlights the structure’s literary boundaries, symmetry, central focus, distinctive terminology, and relationship to the chronological framework of the chapter. The proposed chiasm also supports interpreting Alma 63:9 as a land migration and draws attention to the unusual function of verse 8. Additional literary features in Alma 63:12–17 include Donald Parry’s chiasm concerning the transmission and distribution of sacred records, an escalating progression of references to the thirty-ninth year, an inclusio framing the entire chapter, and textual links to Alma 37. Together, these features portray Mormon as a deliberate literary craftsman whose structural techniques reinforce historical developments, scriptural preservation, and the religious purpose of the Book of Mormon.

The post The Literary Structure of Alma 63 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

If the Saints would not leave without their endowment, how did Brigham try to both keep God’s promise and preserve their lives when Nauvoo was no longer safe?

Why did so many Saints follow a blunt, sometimes offensive Brigham Young into the wilderness—and what does that fact say to modern people whose faith is shaken by that history?

Brigham Young tells the Saints they must leave because it is no longer safe, but members refuse to go without the endowment they were promised. Brigham receives inspiration that they need to complete the temple before they depart for the West. Historian Brett Dowdle traces the westward idea back to Joseph as early as 1838, to Brigham’s March 1845 dream of a mountain refuge, and then Governor Thomas Ford’s April letter warning that the mobs were growing and that Illinois could not protect them. By late August Brigham tells the Saints they have a second goal besides finishing the temple: get ready to leave. Dowdle also addresses a question for people unsettled by Church history: Brigham was sharp-tongued and made enemies, yet most Saints still followed him to Utah and regarded him as a father-figure.

The post Becoming Brigham Episode 36: Abandoned Dream, New Hope first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: James E. Talmage, John A. Widtsoe, and Joseph F. Merrill brought unusually strong scientific training to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, joining the quorum between 1911 and 1931. Tracing their education, scientific work, publications, university leadership, and ecclesiastical service, this paper details how each combined intellectual rigor with religious commitment in distinctive ways. Talmage, a geologist, defended the compatibility of science and faith, accepted geologic time and biological evolution while qualifying human origins, and gained international recognition for his geological work and museum contributions. Widtsoe, trained in chemistry, became an influential agricultural scientist whose research on soils, irrigation, and dry farming achieved worldwide reach while he also helped shape higher education in Utah and Latter-day Saint thought. Merrill, a physicist by training, redirected much of his career toward education, becoming instrumental in developing the Church’s seminary and institute programs while consistently affirming science as a legitimate avenue to truth. Considered together, their careers illuminate the interplay of science, education, and religion in twentieth-century Latter-day Saint leadership, leaving open the broader question of how their scientific backgrounds may have influenced Church culture and policy.

The post Scientist Apostles first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.