By KRIS BOYLE
S. Kent Brown, professor of ancient scriptures and director of ancient studies, will focus on Christ’s sermon in Matthew 24 as part of his Devotional address Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the Marriott Center.
Brown said he will also use other versions of the sermon that are unique to Latter-day Saint scripture, such as the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible and Doctrine and Covenants 45.
“I will appeal to some of the information that one can glean from the sources related to the work of Joseph Smith. These accounts present a broader view of Jesus’ sermon,” Brown said.
Brown said the fact that Christ repeated this sermon through Joseph Smith several times indicates that it’s a sermon for our day.
“I hope students will see this sermon as a sermon for them,” Brown said.
Along with teaching religion at BYU, Brown has published over 70 essays. One of his most recent publications is “From Jerusalem to Zarahemla: Literary and Historical Studies of the Book of Mormon.”
Brown was also a member of the board of editors for the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, managing editor of the Coptic Encyclopedia, co-editor of the Historical Atlas of Mormonism and associate editor for the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.
From 1993 to 1996, Brown served as director of the BYU Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies. He has also been a fellow of BYU’s Jerusalem Center and David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
Brown received his doctoral degree from Brown University with an emphasis in New Testament and early Christian studies.
Brent Top, associate dean of religious education, had a close association with Brown when he was a faculty member at the Jerusalem Center. Top said he has thoroughly enjoyed working with him.
Top said that Brown looks at the scriptures very closely, and he said Brown has a great love for the New Testament in particular.
Top said he feels students will gain from the Devotional new insights from the scriptures that they didn’t see before.
“I always learn something from him when I visit with him,” Top said.
Jennifer Waters, a junior from Murrieta, Calif., majoring in plant genetics and breeding, is enrolled in a honors New Testament class taught by Brown. Waters said she enjoys his class and gains many new insights from it.
“He knows a lot about the Jewish culture and how it relates to the scriptures,” Waters said.
