Comments on: Learn Hebrew for Hugh

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Ronan, this is something of a puzzle. First, we have the encouragement of Hugh Nibley for students of scripture to learn ancient languages necessary to read the scriptures and related documents in the original tongue: Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Coptic, Latin. Second, we have the fine example of Joseph Smith who, despite a meager formal education and a unique spiritual conduit to inspired reading of the scriptures in English, nevertheless labored in Hebrew himself for many months.

Why then is so little encouragement given to Latter-day Saints to learn original languages? Why, for example, aren’t students at BYU required to incorporate some study of Greek (NT) or Hebrew (OT) into their course of religious study? Or why doesn’t the BYU religion curriculum make the study of Greek or Hebrew more of a priority?

By: Ronan

Ronan — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Dave,
The answer is obvious: Mormon theology has largely been in the hands of people without scholarly training. Did Bruce R. McConkie or Joseph Fielding Smith know any ancient languages? No, and they even claimed it wasn’t necessary for an understanding of the scriptures. Such is the current climate of Mormon scripture study. Joseph’s interest in Hebrew has been forgotten and Nibley, despite our lionization of him, is still only a small voice overall.

By: John C.

John C. — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

The truth is that is really isn’t necessary to study languages to get at the most important things that one can learn from the scriptures. These things do seem to come by inspiration (although the source is something some people dispute).

So why bother with language/historical/cultural study? It provides a larger context for the placement of our scriptures and therefore offers a richer scriptural experience. The more information that we have at our fingertips as we read the scriptures, the more likely we are to make connections regarding what is said and how it should be applied. Certainly, this is a part of what Nibley (and Joseph Smith) were about.

If nothing else, it will make you a more interesting Sunday School teacher.

I find it encouraging on this front that one can purchase a “Study Edition” of the LDS scriptures on CD-Rom that features the “original” Hebrew and Greek texts and some information about how to read them. I haven’t really looked over the grammatical material for accuracy (which I wouldn’t for the Greek in any case), but I find it interesting that the Church is offering this option for the interested (at $10 too; quite a deal)

By: Steve (FSF)

Steve (FSF) — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

“Why, for example, aren’t students at BYU required to incorporate some study of Greek (NT) or Hebrew (OT) into their course of religious study?”

Get idea Dave! You just solved BYU’s capacity problem and improved the religion curriculum at the same time. It would certainly immediately quell demand for a BYU California, Arizona, East Coast, etc.