Here we go!!!

I love Sharon Eubank.

One of my favorite tidbits is Joseph Smith dismissing the Song of Solomon as uninspired in 1831, only to present the Voice of the Lord as quoting it in 2 different modern revelation texts after that. #ComeFollowMe

Meanwhile, here's what the Church is doing in Chicago.

First Presidency Condemns Violence, Calls for Peace http://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/first-presidency-condemns-violence-calls-for-peace

This is only going make things get worse.

From this week's #ComeFollowMe. Doctrine and Covenants 98:9-10 "...when the wicked rule the people mourn. Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil."

This Time Magazine editorial by President Nelson published today is good, actually. time.com/7315003/russ...

Renounce war and proclaim peace.

Looks like last month there was a new updated edition of the 'Information and Suggestions for Patriarchs' booklet issued. It's not a public document, and no, I don't have access to it, nor have read it. I am, however, curious what particular "updated policies and procedures" are referenced.

Here's my completely uninformed with zero intel wild prediction in before anything comes out: For proxy work, men have Priesthood confirmed/ordained to MP/Elder prior to the Initiatory prologue (for living, done prior). My prediction is something analogous for women, living and dead.

👀

🧵How an observation from looking into D&C 95:7 reveals something further indicative of the Church's current "stop promulgating problematic assertions of the past without needing something better to replace it" approach.

D&C 95:7 either includes a scribal mis-hearing and was originally a reference to "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28), or it highlights a misunderstanding by Joseph Smith. 'Lord of Sabaoth' in the KJV is a translation/literation of a Hebrew phrase "YHWH of Hosts/Armies". It's unrelated to 'Sabbath'.

Explicit callout of the 'spurious' nature of the Johannine Comma in the Scripture Helps: New Testament study manual.

Scripture Helps: New Testament acknowledges the evidence that the KJV ending of Mark is not its original ending. The concluding thought of this note is fascinating, though, where it acknowledges that, nonetheless, "The Church accepts the message" contained in those verses as "inspired scripture".

While you're waiting for his new book (like I am), here's a very, very good interview with Jonathan Stapley talking about the development of the Latter-day Saint Temple. www.faithmatters.org/p/jonathan-s...

This book is blowing my mind in the absolute best ways.

While they are definitely not exactly equivalent, I find the thematic connection between Catholicism's "Evangelical Counsels" and the Latter-day Saint Temple Covenants fascinating as a matrix of unique commitments that outline a higher commitment to discipleship.

Actually, slavery WAS that bad.

Taught Institute last night, beginning an intro to the Gospel of John. Had some fun introducing Philo and the concept of the λόγος!

A new painting at LDS Church History Library by Casey Lynn Childs depicts a singular day in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On September 3, 1875, 8 African American Latter-day Saints attended the Endowment House to perform proxy baptisms for deceased friends & family.

While thinking about D&C 88 for #ComeFollowMe Sunday School today, re-read the first chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. There's some really fun intertextuality going on there. D&C 88 is in conversation with and expands on John 1, among other texts.

Guess who makes an appearance in the latest Study Helps: New Testament manual? 🤫

?

Nice (although subtle) acknowledgement and explanation that 'Jehovah' is a latinized amalgamation and combination through the convention of taking the consonants of the original YHWH and the vowels for "Adonai".

One thing pretty big the new Scripture Help: Old Testament manual does is call out each verse that has been used as proof-texts for Blacks & the Priesthood rhetoric, and say "It doesn't mean that," although often stated "it isn't clear" what it DOES mean, especially with the JS texts (Abraham, JST).

ICYMI:

The new manual is worlds better than the '70s version. There's still a lot of TRADITION & approaches to texts that appear ignorant of scholarship around them. On the other hand the biggest changes are in what is NOT asserted, rather than what WAS in the prior version. The footnotes do A LOT of work.

The new manual is worlds better than the '70s version. There's still a lot of TRADITION & approaches to texts that appear ignorant of scholarship around them. On the other hand the biggest changes are in what is NOT asserted, rather than what WAS in the prior version. The footnotes do A LOT of work.

❗From the new Study Helps: The Old Testament "For example, the book of Genesis in its current form can be dated back to the Jewish exile in the sixth century BC " www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual...

NEW: Scripture Helps: New Testament. This is a new series that essentially seems to replace the purpose of the previous Institute Manuals, in being in depth commentaries on books of scripture. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/script...

NEW: Scripture Helps: New Testament. This is a new series that essentially seems to replace the purpose of the previous Institute Manuals, in being in depth commentaries on books of scripture. www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/script...

Really excited to go back and read the earlier @andytobo.bsky.social study, 'The Sons of Jacob and the Sons of Herakles'. Once again grateful for Interlibrary Loan options!

I love this. www.thechurchnews.com/living-faith...

Come on now.

Because I read Luke 16 today, YOU get to enjoy Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus" on your feed. You're welcome! youtu.be/z30-iyBFSB0?...

In my reading today. Mosiah 29:17. Oof.

Good Church News podcast on the OT that brings up John Walton's Functional Creation. cc: @bspackman.bsky.social

We're getting an A24 Mormon Horror Cinematic Universe, folks!

Reading LXX Exodus 4, and just noted how Matthew's account of Joseph's return FROM Egypt uses many of the exact same phrases that originated in LXX Exodus to narrate it. I already was aware of Matthew's thematic connections to the Moses story, didn't realize how much it directly quoted from it.

*sees something sincerely good happening* “Yes…hahaha…YES”

I can't think of a book I'm currently anticipating more than this. "Holiness to the Lord: Latter-day Saint Temple Worship", by Jonathan A. Stapley. Publication date: October 14, 2025.

These are ... interesting.

Me, starting up Latin, having already worked through koine Greek: "Oh, learning about the declensions will be a piece of cake, as I know all the cases." ABLATIVE case: "Hi." Me:

Luke's inclusion of this story once again changes its context! While it does include the Markan detail of taking aside PJ&J and a general command to silence about it, a couple chapters before (in Luke 7:11-17), Jesus very publicly raises a young boy from the dead(A Lukan exclusive)!

Finished my first read-through of LXX Genesis! Onward to Exodus!

👀

Doing a close reading of Luke, and noticed that in Chapter 4 where Jesus does his reading of Isaiah in Nazareth, where he says you'll want done here what is done in Capernaum ... that's narrated before he goes into Capernaum and initiates his demonstrations of power.

👀