http://rsc.byu.edu/blog News and Information From BYU’s Religious Studies Center Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:19:39 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Those who are interested in the Doctrine and Covenants need to roll up their sleeves and begin to mine the treasure in the latest volume of The Joseph Smith Papers, released a little over a month ago on September 22, 2009. This stunning oversized volume, Manuscript Revelation Books (Salt Lake ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=749 Guest blog by Clyde Williams, professor of ancient scripture at BYU. My recollections of general conference as a young boy take me back to the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse and long lines outside the Tabernacle on Temple Square for the priesthood session. I remember in April 1965 as the aging President David ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=703 Guest blog by David Rolph Seely, professor of ancient scripture at BYU. The Day of Atonement—Yom Kippur in Hebrew—is the most solemn and holy day of the Israelite calendar. It falls on the tenth day of the seventh month, and this year (2009) it will begin at sundown on September 27. ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=695 Guest blog by Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Jerusalem Center professor of Archaeology and Near Eastern studies, and associate professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU. Rosh Hashannah is the annual festival holiday marking the Jewish New Year. The Hebrew term actually means "head of the year." The festival falls on the ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=683 This month’s National Geographic magazine features a fascinating article by Peter Miller ("Before New York: Rediscovering the Wilderness of 1609," 122–37). The article opens a window to the past—when the first European settlers began to explore and settle the island of Manhattan. Robert Clark provides stunning photographs, and Markley Boyer ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=619 The Smithsonian magazine featured an interesting article by Barbara Kreiger on King Herod this past month (see "Finding Herod’s Tomb," [August 2009]: 36–43). Last year, Ehud Netzer, a famous Israeli archeologist, announced that he had found Herod’s tomb (see RSC blog posting for December 12, 2008)—a startling news report that ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=610 Guest blog by Brent L. Top, professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU. A miracle occurs every August in Provo. I have seen it with my own eyes. In fact, I have been not only an observer but also a participant. The miracle is Campus Education Week. Brigham Young University ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=597 I am finishing co-directing the BYU summer study abroad program in Rome this weekend before moving on to Athens for the final week and half of the summer term. It has been a hot and humid month as Dr. Gary Hatch and I have tried to keep a day ahead of ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=592 Guest blog by Reid L. Neilson, assistant professor of Church history and doctrine at BYU. Pioneer Day typically invokes images of handcarts and wagons on the westward trail to Utah. Such a myopic view of our Church’s history, however, obscures the pioneering efforts of Latter-day Saints around the world. Thankfully, historian ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=582 The BYU Religious Studies Center promotes research and publication through grants and publication venues. One aspect of the RSC’s mission is to help reconstruct the world of the scriptures and the Restoration to provide helpful context. Currently, I am codirecting a BYU Study Abroad program in Rome and Athens for the ... http://rsc.byu.edu/blog/?p=536