003: David Bokovoy—Three-volume Series on the Hebrew Bible; Historicity and the Nature of Scripture

Mormon Studies Podcast

Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy is the first in a three-volume series by David Bokovoy on the composition of the Tanakh, which he suggests can inform and clarify our understanding of Joseph Smith’s translations. A gracious podcast guest, David shares why he values scriptural criticism over traditional apologetics and sacred narrative over dubious history.

David is a distinguished scholar who knows his stuff and then some. After receiving a BA (major in History, minor in Near Eastern Studies) from Brigham Young University, David earned an MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and a PhD in Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East from Brandeis University. He has published in internationally renowned venues, including the Journal of Biblical Literature and Vestus Testamentum. His contributions to Mormon studies have appeared in the FARMS Review, Studies in the Bible and Antiquity, and the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. He currently teaches courses in Biblical and Mormon studies at the University of Utah. Check out David’s blog When Gods Were Men.

David Bokovoy trivia: he is a pit master, an avid surfer (water not web), and a devotee of Bob Dylan.

(Intro and outro music: “History Song” performed by The Good, the Bad, & the Queen from their eponymous album.)