Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Latter-day Saint
History and Religion
For Holy Saturday

For Holy Saturday

Last updated on: April 4, 2026 at 1:29 pm by Dan Peterson

0 Comments

For Holy Saturday 2026-04-04T13:29:43-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The logo or masthead of Conversations with Interpreter

Freshly posted on the famously somnolent website of the Interpreter Foundation is this new item: Conversations with Interpreter: Daniel Peterson and Becoming Brigham:

This episode features Dr. Daniel C. Peterson, professor emeritus and president of the Interpreter Foundation. Dr. Peterson discusses the exciting new web series Becoming Brigham, which presents a fuller picture of the person and ministry of Brigham Young than is sometimes presented in our broader discourse. Although definitely a product of the Nineteenth Century, the historical evidence shows that Brigham Young was not the authoritarian leader of popular imagination. In the podcast, Dr. Peterson shares some of his favorite stories about President Young that give a different perspective on him, including on issues of race and plural marriage. This episode serves as a taste of what is available to watchers of Becoming Brigham.

Incidentally, too, a thirty-second “teaser” for the forthcoming eleventh installment of the Interpreter Foundation’s Becoming Brigham effort is now up online: “TRAILER—Becoming Brigham series, Episode 11.” And, by the way, the home page of the Becoming Brigham project, where all of the currently available episodes are available for free viewing, is located here.

Between his crucifixion and his resurrection, Christ visits the world of spirits and, taking them by the hand, lifts Adam and Eve from their lost state. This fresco — entitled “ἀνάστασις” (anastasis or “Resurrection,” but really a representation of the “Descensus” or the “Harrowing of Hell”) — appears in Istanbul’s (Constantinople’s) marvelous “Chora Church,” which is also known as the Kariye Mosque (Turkish: Kariye Camii), or the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora (Greek: Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Ἁγίου Σωτῆρος ἐν τῇ Χώρᾳ), and is located in the Edirnekapı neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey, near the city’s great ancient Byzantine walls. (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

I hope that you’ll set aside a few minutes to read the 2026 Interpreter Foundation Easter message, which appeared yesterday and which was written by Janet Ewell. It has particular relevance to today, Holy Saturday, the day (often rather overlooked) between the crucifixion of Christ on Friday and his resurrection sometime early on Sunday morning: “Easter and Doctrine and Covenants 138: Our Harrowing of Hell, Our Descensus Christi ad Inferos, Our Anastasis”

I believe, too, that I failed to mention the new installment of The Interpreter Insights Podcast that went up on Thursday, 2 April: “The Interpreter Insights Podcast — April 2, 2026: “Stanford Carmack and the Language of the Book of Mormon”

In the 2 April 2026 episode of The Interpreter Insights Podcast, our host Martin Tanner is joined by Stanford Carmack to discuss the language of the Book of Mormon.

In my own defense, I have to say that it’s sometimes very difficult to keep up with the Interpreter Foundation’s complete lack of activity.

Jesus carries his cross in a scene from the official Bible videos produced by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (LDS Media Library). This is a depiction of a scene from the life of Jesus Christ, as it appears in the gospel of John. It isn’t a specimen of “cross symbology” or “veneration” or “adoration.” Blacking out depictions of Christ’s cross and his crucifixion from Church art would be almost as strange. in my judgment, as excising mention of them from the New Testament text itself would be.

Citing yesterday’s blog entry, one of the regulars at the Peterson Obsession Board summarizes it as follows: “Peterson now agrees that placing a statue with cross symbology in front of the Church’s flagship temple, IS a significant shift from the past.”

I had opened that blog entry with the following comment:

One of the first steps in a serious, intellectually honest disagreement is to attempt to understand (and perhaps even to restate) the differing position of a discussion partner in such a way that she would recognize it as expressing her own actual opinion.

Here is my actual opinion, in my own actual words:

I don’t think that the Michael Hall statue of Jesus Christ Carrying the Cross is an instance of “cross symbology” . . . Placing Michael Hall’s statue on Temple Square indicates no reversal on the use of “cross symbology.” We haven’t adopted “cross symbology.”

How do you rate the POB poster’s attempt to understand and restate my position on this matter? I have to be honest: I don’t think that his effort is, umm, fully adequate. Can you discern any difference between what I said and his proposed summary of it?

I dunno. I’ve decided to forego further futile attempts to help the folks on the Obsession Board understand my viewpoint on this matter. I’ve seen no evidence that they’re interested.

The official poster for The Good Samaritan

I’m pleased to pass on the news that The Good Samaritan, a 45-minute-long film created by our very good friends at Emmaus Road Media, is now available for streaming via Angel Studios. It’s part of a larger project to bring “The Parables of Jesus” to the screen.

At one point, there was a serious effort to involve the Interpreter Foundation in this project. It was ultimately thwarted by factors beyond our control, but I watch what they’re doing with particular interest. It’s not only that they’re friends. You may or may not have noticed it, but I have a special personal interest in the power of film to convey the message of the Restoration.

A fin-de-siècle image of Passover, painted by Mathilde Hahn Meyer
(Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

I hope that you’re having a wonderful Easter weekend and General Conference weekend! I think it’s wonderful that they coincide this year, and that both coincide, more or less, with the Jewish season of Pesach or Passover. On several occasions in past years, though not recently, I’ve had the privilege and opportunity to conduct slightly modified Passover seders for Latter-day Saints. I’ve enjoyed them immensely, and I think them a superb and memorable opportunity to teach not only about the Israelite exodus from Egypt and the Lord’s Last Supper but about salvation and the Atonement more generally. I’ve wished that more Latter-day Saints could have some such experience.

History and Religion

Travel and Religion

Previous Post

April 3, 2026

"Easter and Doctrine and Covenants 138"

Next Post

April 5, 2026 Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"In a meeting today, I learned another important reason why accurate (or at least as ..."

the PROBLEM

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"PL: "Let's hope he doesn't have your address..."I have to frankly confess that a few ..."

DanielPeterson

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"Let's hope he doesn't have your address..."

Phil Leaning

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

"PL: "The layers are peeling back."He appears to be suffering under an odd but powerful ..."

DanielPeterson

From Serbia’s “White City,” Belgrade

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Cornelius was a Roman centurion who was the first Gentile convert.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE