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Articles 1 - 30 of 261
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
"Salamanders" And "Short-Hand Egyptian"
"Salamanders" And "Short-Hand Egyptian"
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The 1830 letter of Martin Harris to W. W. Phelps, published in the Church News in April, has already attracted national attention. In this letter, Harris describes an early spiritual appearance to Joseph Smith, stating that "the spirit transfigured himself from a white salamander in the bottom of the hole."
Special Byu Studies Issue On Mormon Beginnings
Special Byu Studies Issue On Mormon Beginnings
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The recent issue of BYU Studies contains five significant articles about Joseph Smith's early years. Subjects such as treasure seeking and seership are analyzed particularly in light of newly discovered documents. The contributors are Dean Jessee, Ron Walker, Marvin Hill, and Richard Anderson. Copies of this issue (volume 24, number 4) may be ordered for $4.00 from 1102 JKHB, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602.
Book Reviewed
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
John Hilton has submitted a review of the stylometric or word-print studies of Ernest Taves. While word-print studies may eventually tell us a great deal about various word-placement habits in the texts of the Book of Mormon and the writings of Joseph Smith, the efforts of Taves are flawed in several ways. Hilton and his colleagues have been working for several years on what they hope will be a more-definitive computer analysis of Book of Mormon texts. Hilton's review may be ordered now, while the larger study is still in preparation.
Updates For 1985 Now Available
Updates For 1985 Now Available
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Every month, the most exciting discoveries and developments in Book of Mormon research are reported in the F.A.R.M.S. Updates. These are scholarly, documented, quickly readable executive-type reports, mailed to researchers and substantial contributors. At the end of each year these Updates are collected and made available as a F.A.R.M.S. Preliminary Report. For anyone who likes to keep up on Book of Mormon developments, these Updates are a gold mine
How Long Did It Take Joseph Smith To Translate The Book Of Mormon?
How Long Did It Take Joseph Smith To Translate The Book Of Mormon?
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Among the amazing facts about the Book of Mormon is the astonishingly short time Joseph took to translate it. Recent research into the historical record shows it unlikely that any more than 65 to 75 days were involved in the actual translation.
Nephi's Arrows Create Solid Bulls-Eye, Joseph Fielding Smith
Nephi's Arrows Create Solid Bulls-Eye, Joseph Fielding Smith
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Three times in 1 Nephi 16 we are told that Nephi broke his steel bow. Never does it say that he broke any arrows. Yet when Nephi makes a new wooden bow, the text also says that he made "out of a straight stick, an arrow." (1 Ne. 16:23). Why would he need to make new arrows when he apparently still had a quiver full of old ones?
Correction Or Clarification
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In the May 1991 issue of Insights, reference was made to Joseph Smith's New York Reputation Re-examined as "expressly anti-Mormon." Whereas affidavits reprinted and analyzed in this book may be considered "anti-Mormon," F.A.R.M.S. expresses no position about the book.
Essay Illuminates Publishing Process
Essay Illuminates Publishing Process
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Religious Studies Center at BYU sponsored a conference on Joseph Smith at the dedication of the new Joseph Smith Building on campus. Organized by Susan Easton Black, associate professor of Ancient Scripture at BYU, the conference was well attended and well received. Papers delivered at the conference have been published by the center and Bookcraft, and F.A.R.M.S. has arranged to reprint one of the chapters that particularly sheds light on the Book of Mormon.
Can The 1834 Affidavits Attacking The Smith Family Be Trusted?, Daniel C. Peterson
Can The 1834 Affidavits Attacking The Smith Family Be Trusted?, Daniel C. Peterson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The character and claims of Joseph Smith are fundamental to the claims of the Church he founded. Knowing this, critics of the Prophet have contended for more than a century and a half that he and his family were the kind of people from whom nobody would want to buy a used car, much less receive a plan of salvation.
Metal Plates And The Book Of Mormon, William J. Hamblin
Metal Plates And The Book Of Mormon, William J. Hamblin
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In the past, critics of the Book of Mormon have attacked the alleged absurdity of the Book of Mormon having been written on golden plates and its claim of the existence of an early sixth century B.C. version of the Hebrew Bible written on brass plates. Today, however, critics almost universally admit that there are numerous examples of ancient writing on metal plates. Ironically, some critics now claim instead that knowledge of such plates was readily available in Joseph Smith's day. Hugh Nibley's 1952 observation seems quite prescient: "it will not be long before men forget that in Joseph Smith's …
Revisiting The Land Of Jerusalem Via The Dead Sea Scrolls, Gordon C. Thomasson
Revisiting The Land Of Jerusalem Via The Dead Sea Scrolls, Gordon C. Thomasson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
For over 160 years, beginning at least with the 1833 publication of Alexander Campbell's Delusions, countless critics have claimed that the Book of Mormon's use of the phrase "land of Jerusalem" was a major error and proof that the book was false. They especially criticized the use of this phrase in reference to the place where Christ would be born. That phrase was not used in the Bible nor in the Apocrypha. Therefore, the critics concluded, it was an example of Joseph Smith's ignorance and evidence that he had tried to perpetrate a fraud. (For a thorough overview of …
What Does Recent Scholarship Really Say About The Book Of Mormon
What Does Recent Scholarship Really Say About The Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
A recently published collection of essays purports to examine the Book of Mormon using the latest scholarly tools and information. The authors of New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology assert that such scholarship shows the Book of Mormon is not of ancient origin, that it was written, not translated, by Joseph Smith in the nineteenth century and reflects that time and that time alone.
1993 Updates Present Latest Research
1993 Updates Present Latest Research
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
What does the influence of Viking metal working on the inhabitants of the New World tell us about the Book of Mormon? Were any Book of Mormon names still used by peoples in ancient America after Book of Mormon times? What significance did the sword of Laban have to the Nephites and to Joseph Smith? What can we learn from the differences between the visions of Lehi and Nephi? Can the 1834 affidavits attacking the Joseph Smith family be trusted? What did B. H. Roberts say about the Book of Mormon in The Truth, the Way, the Life?
Was These A Library In Harmony, Pennsylvania?, John W. Welch
Was These A Library In Harmony, Pennsylvania?, John W. Welch
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In 1982, Erich Robert Paul published an article in BYU Studies entitled "Joseph Smith and the Manchester (New York) Library." Essentially Paul shows that, while Joseph had potential access to a wide range of books there, "it is likely that during the 1820s he simply was not a part of the literary culture." This article has long been available as a F.A.R.M.S. Reprint.
Volunteers Translate A Popular Video Transcript
Volunteers Translate A Popular Video Transcript
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Thanks to the generous efforts of some student volunteers, the transcript of one of the more popular videos in the FARMS Book of Mormon Lecture Series has been translated into both German and Spanish. Daniel C. Peterson's "A Scholar Looks at Evidences for the Book of Mormon" discusses recent research that supports the spiritual witness for the Book of Mormon, including such things as the translation process, studies of chiasmus, possible locations for events, ancient manuscripts that document practices and beliefs of past civilizations that are consistent with Book of Mormon accounts, Joseph's supposed misnaming of Jesus' birthplace, Joseph's lack …
Revelation And The Urim And Thummim, Matthew Roper
Revelation And The Urim And Thummim, Matthew Roper
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In the past most biblical scholars viewed the Urim and Thummim as a rather mechanical device used merely to obtain a yes or no answer, similar to casting lots. This is quite different from the function of the device described in the Book of Mormon as "interpreters" and by the Prophet Joseph Smith as the "Urim and Thummim." In these descriptions of the use of the Urim and Thummim, revelation played a large role. For example, accounts of the translation of the Book of Mormon indicate that Joseph Smith could not translate without the Spirit and that a great deal …
Elder L. Tom Perry Examines The Personalities Involved In The Translation Of The Book Of Mormon And In The Restoration Of The Church
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In his address to the friends and supporters of FARMS at the Foundation's 1995 annual banquet, Elder L. Tom Perry of the Quorum of the Twelve expressed his interest in the human chemistry found in organizations and examined the early history of the Church from this perspective. He spoke of the challenges that Joseph Smith faced as a young husband with a skeptical father-in-law who thought Joseph should be doing something more productive than sitting around the house translating golden plates. He reflected on the challenges that Martin Harris faced in helping to finance the work on the Book of …
The Joseph Smith Translation Of The Four Gospels: A Harmony
The Joseph Smith Translation Of The Four Gospels: A Harmony
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
For a limited time you can purchase through FARMS this useful scripture study tool at a 30% discount. Compiled and published in 1989 by Steven J. Hite and Julie Melville Hite, it displays the full text of the four New Testament gospels in parallel columns, with the additions and deletions made by Joseph Smith highlighted by bold or strikethrough text.
Joseph's Translation Seems To Differ From Kjv Usage, Terrence L. Szink
Joseph's Translation Seems To Differ From Kjv Usage, Terrence L. Szink
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In Mosiah 1:14, King Benjamin reminds his son Mosiah that if the Lord "had not extended his arm in the preservation of our fathers they must have fallen into the hands of the Lamanites." The English words used in this translation of the ancient record differ from those used for the same concepts in the English translation in the King James Version (KJV) of the Old Testament, thus shedding light on how independent Joseph Smith may have been from KJV phraseology in his translation.
Old World People In The New? (Part 1), John L. Sorenson
Old World People In The New? (Part 1), John L. Sorenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Joseph Smith is said, in 1842, to have "quoted with approval from the pulpit reports of certain Toltec legends which would make it appear that those people had come originally from the Near East in the time of Moses"; he did not connect the purported migration at all to the Book of Mormon.
Denver Stakes Host Symposium On Book Of Mormon
Denver Stakes Host Symposium On Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In an effort to spark interest in the Book of Mormon and to increase missionary endeavors, the Denver Stake sponsored a three-day Book of Mormon Symposium in September, ending on September 22 to commemorate the anniversary of the date Joseph Smith received the gold plates from the angel Moroni to begin the translation of the Book of Mormon.
Emma And The Joseph Smith Translation, Scott H. Faulring
Emma And The Joseph Smith Translation, Scott H. Faulring
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Recently, researcher examining the original "New Translation" or Joseph Smith Translation (JST) manuscripts discovered evidence of a scribe whose work on the manuscripts had previously only been supposed. Emma Smith, the Prophet's wife, recorded more than two pages of the JST document on a certain day during the first months of the translation. Although only a small percentage of the overall content, Emma's scribal contribution tangibly displays the realization of an earlier revelatory assignment given her by the Lord.
Brown Bag Lectures Continue To Inform
Brown Bag Lectures Continue To Inform
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Two outstanding Brown Bag lectures were presented in February. Louis C. Midgley, professor of Political Science at BYU, discussed "The Authorship Debate: Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?" This lecture was based on a paper Midgley has submitted for publication in a new FARMS collection of essays on the authorship issue. Midgley gave a history of attempts to dismiss Joseph Smith's explanation for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. In his paper, Midgley writes: "Those who fashion ... naturalistic explanations [of the Book of Mormon's origin] are faced with, among other challenges, the task of uncovering in …
Authorship Essays Reprinted
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Since 1830, millions of people have read the Book of Mormon and have been convinced that Joseph Smith's account of its origins is correct-that it is an ancient document given to him for a season by a divine messenger to translate by the gift and power of God. Critics, however, have argued that the book must be a fraud.
Research On Joseph Smith Refutes The Claims Of Critics
Research On Joseph Smith Refutes The Claims Of Critics
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In response to a number of requests for information related to criticisms of the Prophet Joseph Smith, FARMS offers the following reprints (see the order form). We are encouraged by the apparent interest in this topic and hope these reprints will help answer questions about Joseph Smith's first vision accounts, his character and reputation, his 1826 trial, and the issue of prophecy.
Reprint Rebuts Critics' Claims, Reveals Tactics
Reprint Rebuts Critics' Claims, Reveals Tactics
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS is pleased to offer a reprint of Offenders for a Word, by Daniel C. Peterson and Stephen D. Ricks. This book explains the tactics many anti-Mormons employ in attacking the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It also answers critics' objections to Latter-day Saint beliefs in the Godhead, polygamy, salvation by grace and works, eternal progression, the idea of a premortal existence, the role of Joseph Smith, the nature of the Holy Ghost, and much more.
Did Joseph Smith Know Egyptian?
Did Joseph Smith Know Egyptian?
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In a letter addressed to Grant S. Heward of Midvale, Utah, an outspoken critic of the book of Abraham, William Foxwell Albright, the doyen of American ancient Near Eastern studies, wrote: "There does appear to be evidence that Joseph Smith had studied some Egyptian. For one thing, he undoubtedly spent a great deal of money and effort in trying to master Egyptian, but, as you know, when the Book of Mormon was written, Egyptian had just begun to be deciphered and it is all the more surprising that there are two Egyptian names, Paanchi and Pahor(an) which appear together in …
What The Original Book Of Mormon Manuscript Is Not, John W. Welch
What The Original Book Of Mormon Manuscript Is Not, John W. Welch
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
For well over a decade, FARMS has sponsored extensive research on the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon. About 25 percent of the pages that were written by Oliver Cowdery and other scribes as Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon in 1829 have survived down to the present day. While much has been written and said about what the original manuscript is, perhaps just as significant is a collection of facts about what it is not.
Grammar And The Book Of Mormon
Grammar And The Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In a discourse delivered at the Old Tabernacle in Salt Lake City on 15 November 1863, President George A. Smith addressed a criticism that is repeated today by detractors of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.
Joseph Smith And Mohammed
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In his book The World and the Prophets, Hugh Nibley observes that critics are not slow to point out superficial resemblances between our modern prophets and other men of their time. For example, Joseph Smith founded a church, and so did other men; he claimed revelation from heaven, and so did they; he was persecuted, and so were they; he read the Bible, and so did they; and because they were impostors, so accordingly was he. This last point, of course, is not supported by the superficial resemblances. What we must ask in the case of the modern prophet …