Deer As “Goat” And Pre-Columbian Domesticate,
2022
Brigham Young University
Deer As “Goat” And Pre-Columbian Domesticate, Matthew Roper
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Sometime after the death of his father Jacob, Enos wrote that the Nephites raised “flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats” (Enos 1:21). While contemporary archaeology thus far has not yielded evidence of pre-Columbian goats, anthropologist John L. Sorenson has suggested that Book of Mormon peoples, like the Spanish writers of a later time, may have considered some species of pre-Columbian deer to be a kind of goat.
New Book Compiles Scholarship On Oliver Cowdery,
2022
Brigham Young University
New Book Compiles Scholarship On Oliver Cowdery
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In conjunction with the recent BYU symposium “Oliver Cowdery: Restoration Witness, Second Elder,” the Maxwell Institute has published Oliver Cowdery: Scribe, Elder, Witness, edited by John W. Welch and Larry E. Morris. This book includes 17 important articles previously published by BYU Studies or FARMS and covers virtually all periods of Oliver Cowdery’s life.
Maxwell Institute Supports Byu Symposium On Oliver Cowdery With Speakers, New Book,
2022
Brigham Young University
Maxwell Institute Supports Byu Symposium On Oliver Cowdery With Speakers, New Book
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Oliver Cowdery’s birth on 3 October 1806, more than a dozen scholars treated crowds in the BYU Conference Center to fresh perspectives on Cowdery as a central figure in the Restoration. Entitled “Oliver Cowdery: Restoration Witness, Second Elder,” the symposium featured cultural historian Richard L. Bushman as keynote speaker and several other distinguished speakers spread throughout four sessions of three or four concurrent presentations each. Cosponsors of the five-hour event, held on 10 November, were the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation and BYU’s Religious Studies Center.
Full Issue,
2022
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Firstlings, Sacrifices, And Burnt Offerings,
2022
Brigham Young University
Firstlings, Sacrifices, And Burnt Offerings, Matthew Roper, John Tvedtnes
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In abridging the account of the Nephite gathering under King Benjamin, Mormon stated, “And they also took of the firstlings of their flocks, that they might offer sacrifice and burnt offerings according to the law of Moses” (Mosiah 2:3). Under Mosaic law, first-lings, or firstborn animals, were dedicated to the Lord, meaning they were given to the priests, who were to sacrifice them and consume the flesh (see Exodus 13:12–15; Numbers 18:17). The exception to this rule was the firstborn lambs used for the Passover meal, which all Israel was to eat (see Exodus 12:5–7).
Symposium Explores Widespread Tree Of Life Motif,
2022
Brigham Young University
Symposium Explores Widespread Tree Of Life Motif
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Scholars from various disciplines and institutions gathered in Brigham Young University’s Varsity Theater on 28 and 29 September 2006 to explore the pervasive and powerful tree of life motif as found in civilizations spanning the Far and Middle East to Mesoamerica and as expressed in Latter-day Saint scripture and art. The following report highlights the two presentations by visiting non–Latter-day Saint scholars and briefly summarizes the others.
Full Issue,
2022
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Maxwell Institute Scholars Speak At Fair Conference,
2022
Brigham Young University
Maxwell Institute Scholars Speak At Fair Conference
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Scholars from the Maxwell Institute, as well as a number of authors who contribute to the institute’s publications, delivered papers at the recent FAIR conference held in Sandy, Utah, in August. The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of Latter-day Saint doctrine, belief, and practice.
Negative Questions In The Book Of Mormon,
2022
Brigham Young University
Negative Questions In The Book Of Mormon, Ben Spackman
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Much research has been devoted to identifying and examining language patterns in the Book of Mormon that appear to reflect the book’s underlying Semitic character. One possible Hebraism in the Book of Mormon that has not received attention is the use of negative rhetorical questions when a positive meaning is intended. Some modern Bible translations now translate these negative questions in a positive or even emphatic way. This rhetorical device occurs in English, but it is stronger and more com-mon in biblical Hebrew.
Lehi’S Epic Journey Detailed In New Book,
2022
Brigham Young University
Lehi’S Epic Journey Detailed In New Book
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The seamless blend of scholarship and artistry of the Maxwell Institute’s DVD documentary Journey of Faith continues in expanded form in the new book Journey of Faith: From Jerusalem to the Promised Land. Complemented by numerous additional threads of historical detail and scholarly insight, this visually stunning look at Lehi’s trek through the harsh Arabian desert reflects a synergistic collaboration of talented scholars, artists, and photographers seeking to illuminate an epic event in scriptural history and situate it in a real-world setting.
Making The Case For Cultural Diffusion In Ancient Times,
2022
Brigham Young University
Making The Case For Cultural Diffusion In Ancient Times
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Old theories die hard in academia, at least when they are entrenched and have been defended intellectually with fervor. Only with overwhelming evidence to the contrary does the institutional status quo crumble and make way for new theories to find legitimacy within the academic mainstream. Illustrative of this struggle for acceptance in the academy has been the contest between the establishment position that ancient American civilization evolved in complete independence from the Old World and the “cultural diffusion hypothesis.” The latter proposes that American societies did not arise and develop in total isolation but were stimulated by connections from the …
Full Issue,
2022
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Maxwell Institute Open House,
2022
Brigham Young University
Maxwell Institute Open House
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship invites you to an open house from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in room 3215 of BYU’s Wilkinson Center on Thursday, 24 August 2006, during Campus Education Week. This will be an occasion for you to meet authors, editors, directors, and friends and to celebrate the formation of this new BYU institute.
The Rings That Bound The Gold Plates Together,
2022
Brigham Young University
The Rings That Bound The Gold Plates Together
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Eyewitnesses to the Book of Mormon plates described in consistent terms the rings that bound the gold plates into a single volume. The rings were three in number and apparently made of the same material as the plates themselves. While our attention naturally focuses on the plates and the translation of the text engraved upon them, the rings may offer another subtle but telling confirmation of the record’s ancient origin.
Wordplay On The Name ‘Enos’,
2022
Brigham Young University
Wordplay On The Name ‘Enos’, Matthew L. Bowen
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In his analysis of Mosiah 1:2–6 and 1 Nephi 1:1–4, John A. Tvedtnes notes that in many instances “Nephite writers relied on earlier records as they recorded their history.”1 He makes a convincing argument that the description of King Benjamin teaching his sons “in all the language of his fathers” (Mosiah 1:2) is modeled on Nephi’s account.
Lehi’S Trek Dvd Reissued To Target Broader Audience,
2022
Brigham Young University
Lehi’S Trek Dvd Reissued To Target Broader Audience
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Journey of Faith, a FARMS documentary about Lehi’s travels through ancient Arabia, has been well received and has generated considerable interest since its release last summer (see report in Insights25/3). Now steps are under way to produce a reissue of the DVD, this time with translations of the commentary into Spanish and Portuguese with English closed-captioning.
Latest Findings In The Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project,
2022
Brigham Young University
Latest Findings In The Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
These are the best of times for Book of Mormon studies. Since 2001, FARMS (now part of the Maxwell Institute) has been publishing the long-anticipated findings of Professor Royal Skousen’s Book of Mormon Critical Text Project. Each massive volume in this landmark study, appearing on a yearly basis, averages nearly 670 oversize pages of research and analysis that reward careful examination with expanded views of the founding text of Mormonism.
Full Issue,
2022
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Nibley Fellowship,
2022
Brigham Young University
Nibley Fellowship
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Each year at this time we remind graduate students about the Nibley Fellowship Program and its application deadline. Named in honor of the late eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, this program provides financial aid to students enrolled in accredited PhD programs in areas of study directly related to the work and mission of the Maxwell Institute, particularly work done under the name of FARMS—studies of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Abraham, the Old and New Testaments, early Christianity, ancient temples, and related subjects. Applicants cannot be employed at the Institute or be related to an Institute employee.
“Look To God And Live”,
2022
Brigham Young University
“Look To God And Live”, Kristian S. Heal
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Near the end of the children of Israel’s journey to the promised land following their miraculous escape from Egypt, they once again began to complain against the Lord and against Moses. As a result of this sin, the Lord sent “fiery serpents” among them (Numbers 21:6). Faced with physical death, the people went to Moses, confessed their sins, and entreated him to pray to the Lord to take the serpents away. However, the serpents were not taken away as requested. Instead, in what may have seemed an expression of deep irony—but was in reality a sacred symbol—Moses was instructed to …
