Category Archives: Joshua Matson

Essential Tools for Understanding the New Testament

Cover of Essential Tools for Understanding the New Testament.Essential Tools for Understanding the New Testament is now available!

This volume, edited by S. Kent Brown and Joshua M. Matson, provides a single resource for Latter-day Saints that illuminates the history and scholarship behind the sacred text of the New Testament.

A key mission of the BYU New Testament Commentary series is to make New Testament scholarship accessible to Latter-day Saints as they study this book of sacred scripture. As stated on the project’s website (byuntc.com), “With a rapidly growing number of studies on the New Testament, the time has come to offer a responsible, carefully researched, multi­volume commentary that illuminates both the historical and cultural settings as well as the linguistic heritage of this scripture for Latter-day Saints. A virtual river of discoveries during the past one hundred years in the Near Eastern and the Mediterranean regions highlights the need to bring together information that not only elucidates the New Testament documents but also unpacks their rich legacy for all readers.” While individual volumes in the series provide information about these discoveries as they relate to specific books of the New Testament, this volume provides a ­single resource for readers that illuminates the history and scholarship behind these sacred texts collectively. This volume sheds light on the historical and cultural settings of the New Testament and serves as a complement to the renditions and commentaries provided in each volume of the series. We invite you to study each chapter and become immersed in the world of the people and texts of the New Testament.

Conference: April 29, 2023

You can watch the April 2023 conference at this link.

CELEBRATING THE NEW TESTAMENT AND ITS COMMENTARIES

This conference will be held in the Harold B. Lee Library Auditorium, Brigham Young University. The conference is free and open to the public. Presentations will be recorded and posted later.

9:00 — Welcome and Conference Announcements — Cecilia M. Peek

9:10 — “‘Becoming One in Thine Hand’: The New Testament and the Book of Mormon”

— Elder Tad Callister, keynote address

The book cover for Relational Faith: The Transformation and Restoration of <i>Pistis</i> as Knowledge, Trust, Confidence, and Covenantal Faithfulness by Brent J. Schmidt

Relational Faith: The Transformation and Restoration of Pistis as Knowledge, Trust, Confidence, and Covenantal Faithfulness by Brent J. Schmidt

The Most Recent Volumes

9:40 — “Excavating Ephesians” — D. Corydon Hammond (reviewer) and S. Kent Brown

10:10 — “Unpacking the Ancient Meanings of Faith and Grace” — Brent J. Schmidt

10:40 — Break

Soon-to-be-Published Volumes

10:55 — “Creating the Commentary on Second Corinthians” — Richard D. Draper and Michael D. Rhodes

11:25 — “Enticements in the Introductory Volume” — Joshua Matson

11:55–1:00 — Lunch Break 

Food courts and buffets are available at the Wilkinson Center. Books for sale at the BYU Studies office, 1063 JFSB.

Coming Attractions

1:00 — “Diving Deep into the Book of Acts” — Andrew C. Skinner

1:30 — “Discovering the Celestial Reach of Matthew and His Message” — John W. Welch

2:00 — “Lacking Wisdom: Insights from the First Verses of James” — John Gee

2:30 — “Uncovering the Majestic Letter to the Romans” — Brent J. Schmidt and Tom Roberts

3:00 — Conclusion and benediction

Video recordings will be made and posted later on this website.