August 9-11, 2019 — Thomas A. Wayment

Miller Eccles Study Group Texas is thrilled to welcome BYU professor Thomas A. Wayment as our August 2019 speaker.

In the introduction to his groundbreaking new book “The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-Day Saints,” which was co-published by BYU’s Religious Study Center and Deseret Book, Thom wrote:

“This translation is not an attempt to replace the King James Bible for Latter-day Saint readers, but it is an invitation to engage again the meaning of the text for a new and more diverse English readership. … This translation intentionally engages the possibility that the New Testament can be rendered into modern language in a way that will help a reader more fully understand the teachings of Jesus, his disciples, and his followers. … I hope this attempt to translate the Greek of the New Testament will not be seen as combative or even controversial.  Instead, I hope it can become a study tool, an aid to inviting readers into the text so that new meaning can be discovered, and new inspiration can be found.”

With the Church’s “Come, Follow Me” curriculum focused on the text of the New Testament this year, there is no better time than now to find out if Thom has been successful in accomplishing his goals.

We invite you to join us as we continue to seek new meaning and inspiration in the timeless text of the New Testament with Thomas A. Wayment.

STUDY GROUP DATES AND LOCATIONS:

Friday, August 9, 7 pm (McKinney)
Playful Corp.
300 E. Davis Street
McKinney, Texas 75069

Saturday, August 10, 7 pm (Arlington)
3804 Indian Springs Trail
Arlington, Texas 76016

FIRESIDE DATE AND LOCATION:

Sunday, August 11, 6 pm
Arlington Stake Center
3809 Curt Drive
Arlington, Texas 76016

THE STUDY GROUP TOPIC

“The Translator’s Art and the Legacy of the King James Bible”

In this presentation Thom will discuss the different translation events of the Restoration, and he will compare his translation process to that of the Book of Mormon, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, and the King James Bible.  He will walk the audience through these various translation experiences in order to explain and clarify the similarities and differences. He will focus his attention on what it means to translate, and how the Restoration has promoted the concept of authority to translate and how it has also connected that endeavor to prophetic authority. In that context, he will discuss some of the difficulties and challenges he has faced in producing a new translation of the New Testament.

THE FIRESIDE TOPIC:

“Translating the New Testament for Latter-day Saints”

In this presentation, Thom will share some of the experiences that led him to translate the New Testament, the insights he gained while doing so, what went into producing the notes for “The New Testament: A Translation for Latter-day Saints,” and how he envisions this new translation working for Latter-day Saints as they seek inspiration in their study of the New Testament.

THE SPEAKER:

Thomas A. Wayment is a professor of classical studies at Brigham Young University, where he previously worked as a professor of ancient scripture and as publications director of the Religious Studies Center. He received his BA in Classics from the University of California at Riverside and his MA and PhD in New Testament studies from the Claremont Graduate School. Dr. Wayment’s research interests include papyrology, community formation, and Christianity at Oxyrhynchus.  He is the author of numerous articles for the Church’s “Religious Educator” magazine.