Scriptural and academic sources for Sarai as Iscah, Haran's daughter

Genesis 11:29  And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

According to Jewish tradition, Iscah (Yiskah) and Sarah were one and the same person (Talmud, Megillah 14a).





Thanks also to Diana Webb who sent me these references stating / suggesting that Iscah of Genesis 11: 29 is Sarai, who married Abram (Abraham).

[1] Kent P. Jackson, The Restored Gospel and the Book of Genesis, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 2001),151 fn 3.  Jackson notes that in the first printing of the book of Abraham text in 1842, Sarai and Milcah were identified as “the daughters of Haran,”making Sarai Abram’s niece.  See Times and Seasons, 1 March 1842, 705.

Tuchman and Rapoport in The Passions of the Matriarchs also render this verse as “daughter[s].” See Shera Aranoff Tuchman and Sandra E. Rapoport, The Passions of the Matriarchs, (Jersey City, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, 2004), 3-4.

מִלְכָּה  Milcah    h4435  queen

יִסְכָּה  Iscah    h3252   one who looks forth

שָׂרַי   Sarai   h8297  princess

VIDEO of Old Testament Class now available online!

The long awaited day has arrived!

No matter where you live in the world, you can now attend  my Old Testament classes!



I'd like to thank Sister Angela Rogers who did an awesome job video recording the first session of our new "Finding Christ in the Old Testament" class in the Salem, Utah Stake. The video has been posted on the Salem stake website and is available for viewing to anyone with this link.

(If that link does not work for you, cut and paste this link in your browser:
 http://salemzion.org/new/index.php/resources/adult-institute-old-testament/   )

The topic of the first class was Margot Butler's Old Testament timeline.  There is a link to the handout below the video itself.   High quality printable versions of the handout were posted on this blog on Tuesday, Sept 22. You can also go there to print them out.

Old Testament Timeline and Torah / OT book list

I have posted some new links to higher resolution images of some handouts from the very first day of class.   Use the LINKS rather than just clicking on the pictures.  The pictures are just low quality jpegs.

HERE is a good, printable copy of page one Margot Butler's Old Testament Timeline.  

HERE is page two.

And, finally,  HERE is a copy of the lists of books  in the Jewish Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint (Jewish Greek Bible), the Catholic Vulgate Bible, and the Protestant King James Bible versions.

Old Testament Adult Religion Classes Starting in Utah in September

Starting September 22 and 23, I will be teaching FOUR Adult Religion Classes this fall.

Of course, the topic will be Old Testament.

Three (Springville, Ensign, South Jordan) will be continuing classes covering from where we left off last April :Abraham onward and one, in Salem, will be a new daytime class starting at Genesis 1.  

You may notice that the Wednesday evening and Thursday class are no longer being offered. 



There are TWO reasons for this: 

1.  As many of you know, I scheduled classes in Salt Lake in order to drive up and spend time with my aged aunt, Shirley.  I stayed overnight with her from Wednesday to Thursday: I would shop for her and we'd enjoy some meals together.  Sadly, Shirley died last week, so there is no longer a reason (or PLACE) to stay overnight in Salt Lake.

2.  I have received a new Church calling which will entail a LOT of meetings, many in the evenings.  I will be serving as the Stake Relief Society President of the Provo Utah Married Student Third Stake.  A new adventure begins. . . . 

In the meantime, here is the fall schedule:

Finding Christ in the Old Testament.

1.  Salem : Tuesday mornings, 10:00-11:30 AM (NEW CLASS, NEW LOCATION, NEW TIME), beginning Tuesday, September 22 and ending Dec 15.
Salem Utah Stake Center 
500 East Salem Canal Road, Salem UT, 84653.
THIS CLASS WILL BE BEGINNING AT THE BEGINNING IN GENESIS 1.  
ALL ARE INVITED.

2.  Springville : Tuesday evenings, 7:00-8:30 PM (NEW TIME), beginning Tuesday, September 22 and ending Dec 15.

1965 East Canyon Road, Springville UT 84663. 

Register thru BYU Cont. Education

3.  Salt Lake Ensign : Wednesday morning, 10:00-11:30 AM (NEW TIME), beginning Wednesday, September 23rd and ending Dec 16.
Ensign Stake Center - A St and E 3rd Ave, Salt Lake City, UT, 84103

Register at the door.

4.  South Jordan :   Wednesday early afternoon (NEW  DAY and TIME) 12:30-2:00 PM, beginning Wednesday, September 23rd and ending Dec 16.

2450 W 10400 S. (South Jordan Parkway) South Jordan, Utah 84095

Register thru BYU Cont. Education

Classes will NOT be held Oct 13 or Oct 14 nor during the week of Thanksgiving.

BYU Corinthians Conference this coming Friday, July 31

Having visited Corinth last year, I am looking forward to this upcoming conference

"We want to remind you of the conference on Friday, July 31, from 9 to 4, at BYU’s Hinckley Center: “Love Never Fails: The Latter-day Saint Affinity towards 1 Corinthians.”

"Everyone who attends the conference may register for a free copy of our next e-book, Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians, by Richard D. Draper and Michael D. Rhodes. The e-book will be available a few days after the conference. Videos of the conference will be available in a couple of months.

"The schedule for the day is:

9:00             John W. Welch, “Visiting the Ruins of Corinth Today”

9:35            Kevin L. Barney, “The Joseph Smith Translation of 1 Corinthians: Towards an Eclectic Approach” 

10:40          Craig L. Blomberg, “A Celestial Commentary on 1 Corinthians”                          

11:30          Avram R. Shannon, “The Term ‘Apostle’: Issues in Using Jewish Sources in New Testament Studies”

1:00            Julie M. Smith, “Portraits of Jesus: Christology in the Gospel of Mark and 1 Corinthians”

1:45            Brock Mason for David L. Paulsen, “Theological Underpinnings of Baptism for the Dead”

2:40            T. Benjamin Spackman, “Christian Accommodation at Corinth”

3:00          Michael D. Rhodes, “Behind the Scenes of this New Commentary”

3:30            Richard D. Draper, “Latter-day Saint Affinities towards 1 Corinthians”

4:00            Conclude"

Basement Mikveh - from the time of Jesus

Israeli couple finds 2000 year old mikveh under floor during renovation of their house! Read more HERE.

Thank you, Pres. Packer

I should have written this post while he was still alive, but I would like to thank President Packer for the "new" LDS edition of the scriptures.  They were published just as I was called to be an early morning Seminary teacher in Livonia, Michigan and together those two events changed my life forever.

Most Mormons have no idea how incredibly useful the footnotes, indexes, bible dictionary and topical guide are compared with what OTHER editions of the bible have to offer.  Even when I was studying at College of Jewish Studies in Cleveland, students wondered how on earth I could find obscure stories, words and references so quickly.  Then I would show them my bible and they were amazed.

Thanks, Pres Packer - and all the rest of the committee!