10 Reasons to be Excited about the Study of Religion at BYU

Last updated on: May 28, 2014 at 11:54 am by jupiterschild

10 Reasons to be Excited about the Study of Religion at BYU 2014-05-28T11:54:55-05:00 jupiterschild

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.

In the spirit of the 10 tidbits series at FPR, I offer (for once!) a positive outlook on Religious Studies at BYU. Good things (too) are happening in Provo! In no particular order, and with no pretensions of comprehensiveness:

1. Recent publications from Ancient Scripture faculty: young Ancient Scripture faculty are advancing an active publication agenda outside the BYU bubble, including recent volumes by Thom Wayment on New Testament Apocrypha (T&T Clark) and Lincoln Blumell on Early Christian Letters (Brill), in addition to a couple of forthcoming articles in top journals, such as the Journal for the Study of Judaism.

2. Archaeology at Tel Huqoq. RelEd has sponsored for the last couple of years the excavations at Tel Huqoq, a site in Galilee that has yielded some spectacular mosaics related to Samson that are refining understandings of varieties of Judaism in late antiquity. Matthew Grey (BYU Ancient Scripture) is the field supervisor of the area in which the mosaics were found, and he has published articles in important venues documenting the findings and their importance for the study of late antique Judaism.

3. Faculty hires in RelEd that are increasingly dominated by people with training in some aspect of religion. The most recent round in Ancient Scripture, for example, resulted in exactly 0 CES hires. This means that not only is the pool of applicants with relevant PhDs growing, it means that a growing number of current faculty recognize their importance to the study of religion. While one would still like to see greater numbers of people who deal in core areas like Religious Studies, Bible, or Theology, this is a clear step in the right direction!

4. Standing Apart. In 2012 Miranda Wilcox (BYU English Department) and John Young (Flagler College) convened a groundbreaking conference at BYU on the concept of the Great Apostasy. The results have just been published in a remarkable Oxford University Press volume, and are by and large excellent. That this happened at BYU cannot be overemphasized. Kudos to Miranda and John and their colleagues!

5. Middle Eastern Texts Initiative: It has been known for awhile that this series is outstanding, and only gets better. Currently directed by Morgan Davis at the Maxwell Institute, this series has published crucial texts in Medieval Islamic, Christian, and Jewish thought, including an upcoming edition of Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed. It shows what can happen when the substantial resources of LDS donors make it into the right hands. Great work!

6. Mormon Studies Review: Boasting a who’s-who of Mormon Studies scholars on its board, the MSR, led by Spencer Fluhman in the BYU History Department (formerly Church History and Doctrine), the Mormon Studies Review has become the premier home for discussion of current work in the field of Mormon Studies.

7. Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith’s Study of the Ancient World: Organized by Matt Grey and Lincoln Blumell (BYU Ancient Scripture), this 2-day conference gathered what I assume to be an unprecedented lineup of scholars to take a careful look at the relationship between Joseph Smith and the study of the ancient world. Many of the talks are up on YouTube (see link above), and most are great. The results will likely be published soon, possibly at a non-LDS press.

8. Dead Sea Scrolls Conference: A recent conference at The Leonardo in Salt Lake attached to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit brought together preeminent Dead Sea Scrolls scholars Emanuel Tov, Gene Ulrich, James Vanderkam, as well as BYU profs and former students. Though this is noteworthy in itself, it is perhaps the culmination of BYU involvement in the Dead Sea Scrolls project that has provided students and faculty experience working on millennia-old texts of major importance for the study of the Hebrew Bible and ancient Judaism.

9. Studies in the Bible and Antiquity: Launched in 2009, SBA, which is dedicated to the study of the Bible and related topics, has by and large eschewed devotional topics (reserved for the Religious Educator) and sought to become a forum for LDS scholars talking about the Bible and related issues. It is published under the auspices of an intriguing new initiative, Christianity and the Bible, directed by MI research associate Carl Griffin. Rumor has it that there are big announcements from this journal on the horizon. Onward and upward!

10. Maxwell Institute move toward scholarship: Many of the above changes and positive developments have been enabled by the University’s (and the Church’s) green-lighting of the Maxwell Institute’s move toward a more academic approach to the study of religion. Besides the journals mentioned above, the MI has hosted conferences and “think tanks” on LDS topics, which will bear good fruits in the near and distant future.

Previous Post

May 13, 2014

Wheat and Tares Apologetics: A Case Study

Next Post

May 30, 2014 Women, Blacks, and the Priesthood in Recent LDS Church Rhetoric

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2013 Scriptures Administrative Apologetics Atonement Bible Book of Mormon Book Review BYU Doctrine Extra-Biblical Literature Family Feminism Guests History LDS Church History Leadership Marginalia Metaphysics Mormon Culture Mormon Studies Personal Issues Political Philosophy Politics Scripture Sexuality Speculation Spotlights Studying Religion Ten Tidbits The Tenure Track Theology Tips on Applying Series Tips on Being an Independent Scholar Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz