Abstract: The Christmas season evokes tender feelings within us as we contemplate the newborn Christ child, whose life and mission would change the world forever. Many retellings of the nativity story include the unusual—the awkward boy/innkeeper who impulsively offers his own room to Mary and Joseph or the Herdman kids who unwittingly impart a realistic view of the Christ child’s birth. The Christmas star of Bethlehem, leading the wise men to the newborn baby, symbolically invites us to come unto Christ as we celebrate the season through memorable stories and Christmas songs.

The post Christmas Stars: Inviting Us to Come to Christ first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 15 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Martin Tanner and Terry Hutchinson discuss “Christmas, The Matchless Gift of God's Divine Son.”

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 15, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 4 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 22 - 28 about Christmas.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: Christmas for December 22 – 28 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

Abstract: Political legitimacy is a key concept related to the exercise of political power. Legitimacy was especially critical for “irregular kings,” so named because they were not automatically legitimated by the existing political structure. There are many examples of apologetics from the literature of the Ancient Near East that sought to bolster the legitimacy of irregular kings. The Book of Mormon uses similar apologetics to legitimate its own irregular rulers. The most striking example is seen in the case of Nephi (son of Lehi). Nephi provides dozens of arguments that strengthen his status as a divinely sanctioned king within an Ancient Near Eastern framework. Startlingly, Nephi and other Book of Mormon prophets also seem to have viewed Joseph Smith, the future seer who would bring their words to light, in similar terms. Joseph appears to have been presented as the legitimate heir of the Nephite royal line. The prophecies of the Book of Mormon and Joseph’s receipt of the royal artifacts serve to bolster this claim.

The post Irregular Kings and Precious Things: Viewing Nephi and Joseph Smith through the Lens of Ancient Near Eastern Kingship first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 9 episode of The Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our hosts Terry Hutchinson, John Gee, and John Thompson discuss books and materials to aid Old Testament Study and Kevin's 2004 FARMS Review Article "The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament".

The post Interpreter Podcast — December 9, 2025 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.

In the December 4 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Foundation Podcast, our host Martin Tanner discusses the Come, Follow Me Doctrine & Covenants lesson for December 22 - 28 about Christmas.

The post Interpreter Come, Follow Me Podcast: The Family: A Proclamation to the World , December 5 – 21 first appeared on The Interpreter Foundation.