‘Abraham and the Stars’ by Waylon Smith. The Book of Abraham contains a number of hidden gems that you might miss if you read the text too quickly. Take Abraham’s vision of the cosmos and the divine council in Abraham 3. Most people remember this chapter for its vivid depiction of Kolob, a star “set … Read more
The Creation of Eve (c. 1509–1510) by Michelangelo. Concerning the creation of חוה (or, more properly, the אשׁה) from the צלע of אדם, Genesis 2:21 records: וַיַּפֵּל֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֧ים׀ תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה עַל־הָאָדָ֖ם וַיִּישָׁ֑ן וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר בָּשָׂ֖ר תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה Yahweh Elohim caused a deep slumber to fall upon the man, and he slept. Then he took one of his ribs and closed it up with flesh. What’s interesting is … Read more
Over at his blog Scriptural Mormonism, Robert Boylan has a brief post exploring Genesis 20:13. The verse in question reads: וַיְהִ֞י כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר הִתְע֣וּ אֹתִ֗י אֱלֹהִים֮ מִבֵּ֣ית אָבִי֒ וָאֹמַ֣ר לָ֔הּ זֶ֣ה חַסְדֵּ֔ךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשִׂ֖י עִמָּדִ֑י אֶ֤ל כָּל־הַמָּקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר נָבֹ֣וא שָׁ֔מָּה אִמְרִי־לִ֖י אָחִ֥י הֽוּא׃ And when the gods caused me to wander from my father’s house, I … Read more
Let there be light. If you haven’t yet done so, I’d recommend you pick up a copy of Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, produced by the Jewish Publication Society and used in conservative Jewish synagogue worship. The commentary includes rabbinic interpretation(s) of the text of the Torah as well as modern critical notes. Here are … Read more
The first five verses of Genesis 1 in Hebrew. David Carr has some interesting things to say about the account of the creation in Genesis 1. His comments have significant overlap with Mormon cosmology, especially as it is found in the Book of Abraham. The first verse of Gen 1 is usually translated “in the … Read more
Russell Crowe as the prophet Noah in Darren Aronofsky’s 2014 adaption of the biblical tale. “That was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.” “Yeah, it was absolutely horrendous.” That’s what I heard from a sweet elderly couple as I left the movie theater in Idaho Falls, Idaho after watching Darren Aronofsky’s new film Noah. … Read more
Facsimile 2 from the Book of Abraham. I am pleased to announce that my article “Council, Chaos, and Creation in the Book of Abraham,” published in the Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture, is now available online at the website of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. I presented … Read more
The Ancient of Days (1794) by William Blake. The Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft has an excellent edition of the Lutherbibel that includes an informative Sach– Und Worterklärungen section–––basically the equivalent of the “Bible Dictionary” in the LDS edition of the Bible. Besides the fact that Baal is correctly identified as a rain and fertility deity, and not a … Read more
The Temptation and Fall of Eve (1808) by William Blake. Here’s another insight from Ziony Zevit, this time about the nature of the serpent in Genesis 3. The serpent was ‘arūwm. People characterized as ‘arūwm conceal what they feel and what they know (Prov 12:16, 23). They esteem knowledge and plan how to use it in … Read more
Death of Abel (1865) by Gustave Doré. I continue to be highly impressed by Ziony Zevit’s new book What Really Happened in the Garden of Eden? Zevit’s analysis of the Garden of Eden pericope in Genesis is very informative. Here is another instance of an insight that comes Zevit’s close reading of the text. The story … Read more