Reprint Clarifies Issues On Geographies Focused On New York,
2023
Brigham Young University
Reprint Clarifies Issues On Geographies Focused On New York
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
A new FARMS Reprint makes available portions of three publications from the 1980s that retain their value for providing insights into Book of Mormon geography. In "A Key for Evaluating Nephite Geographies," reprinted from the first issue (1989) of the Review of Books on the Book of Mormon, John Clark elucidates what the Book of Mormon itself says that can be used to construct a basic framework for a Book of Mormon geography. He focuses especially on those references that give relative distances or directions between various locations. The resulting framework provides an excellent test for proposed geographies.
Denver Stakes Host Symposium On Book Of Mormon,
2023
Brigham Young University
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.
Language Shifts Provide Evidence,
2023
Brigham Young University
Language Shifts Provide Evidence
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In a recently published article, "Dating the Book of Mormon to Pre-exilic Language Structure," Angela M. Crowell reports her findings from a study of language patterns. Crowell bases her findings on recent research about Classical Biblical Hebrew and Late Biblical Hebrew, the languages of Judah before and after the Babylonian exile in 586 B.C. Scholars have identified the books of Samuel and Kings as classic examples of preexilic writing. Because much of the same historical account is given in postexilic Chronicles, they can observe the change in language patterns and terminology that took place during the exile.
Brown Bags Shine Light On Nephite Culture And History,
2023
Brigham Young University
Brown Bags Shine Light On Nephite Culture And History
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
On 27 September, Professor Ninian Smart, an internationally recognized scholar of comparative religion and philosophy of religion from the University of California, Santa Barbara, visited Utah Valley to give a keynote address at a conference held at a nearby college. During his visit, Professor Smart met with FARMS Brown Bag attendees to discuss his experiences in the field of religious studies. He pointed out that it is increasingly a multidisciplinary field that makes greater demands on those who study it. In particular he discussed the need for scholars in religious studies to gain an empathetic perspective on the subject they …
Call For Papers,
2023
Brigham Young University
Call For Papers
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Proposals for papers are being sought for the 1997 Sidney B. Sperry Symposium (Fall Semester), sponsored by BYU Religious Education. This year's theme will be "Voices of the Prophets: The Old Testament."
Terms For Ancient Places,
2023
Brigham Young University
Terms For Ancient Places
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The terminology that we use to refer to long lost lands and cultures can be confusing. For example, the October FARMS Update (number 108) referred to Mesopotamia in the cultural sense rather than in a geographic sense - ancient Ebla was at various times within the cultural sphere of Mesopotamia but is not part of the geographic area usually referred to as Mesopotamia. Even the geographic sense is ambiguous; some reputable reference works (perhaps the majority) use Mesopotamia to refer to the fertile land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, while others extend the area considered to be part of …
Nibley Fellowships Awarded,
2023
Brigham Young University
Nibley Fellowships Awarded
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Nibley Fellowship awards support graduate students working in accredited programs throughout the world who are studying in areas of particular interest to FARMS. In addition to support for three of last year's recipients, this years' awards will help six new fellows.
New Technology And Ancient Questions,
2023
Brigham Young University
New Technology And Ancient Questions, John L. Sorenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The potential of advanced scientific techniques for giving us new information about ancient history has sometimes been overhyped, yet real advantages are becoming apparent. Interestingly, however, the findings are more likely to produce fascinating and useful new questions than to settle old ones neatly.
New Center Created To Preserve Ancient Religious Texts,
2023
Brigham Young University
New Center Created To Preserve Ancient Religious Texts
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The well-publicized Dead Sea Scrolls project that FARMS is jointly pursuing with BYU (to produce a CD-ROM containing translations, transcriptions, and digital images of the scrolls) continues to progress well. In addition to the contribution to · scroll scholarship that this project has allowed FARMS to make, it has taught the Foundation some important things about the creation of such databases that will benefit the eventual creation of a FARMS Book of Mormon database. And it has attracted the attention of people and organizations that want to preserve other ancient writings. FARMS is now assisting in the digital storing of …
Farms Grant Will Support Excavation In Guatemala,
2023
Brigham Young University
Farms Grant Will Support Excavation In Guatemala
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS has joined three other foundations in making a grant to support the excavation of an ancient Maya city, Piedras Negras, located on the banks of the Usumacinta River in Guatemala. The FARMS grant will allow the excavation team, led by Stephen Houston (Brigham Young University) and Hector Escobedo (San Carlos University), to extend their work into the southern sector of the site, where they hope to unearth portions of an early temple summit, a palace, and a ritual purification building to learn more about urban life in an early Mesoamerican city.
Full Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Farms Lecture Series On Prophets Concludes,
2023
Brigham Young University
Farms Lecture Series On Prophets Concludes
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Lectures on Mormon and Moroni and a summary lecture complete the series focusing on The Prophets of the Book of Mormon and Their Messages (see the order form).
Scholars Reminds Us That Caution Is Wisdom,
2023
Brigham Young University
Scholars Reminds Us That Caution Is Wisdom
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
As FARMS-sponsored research extends further into the realm of archaeology-such as our exploration of the Arabian Peninsula and our participation in projects at Bonampak, Qumran, and Izapa - some may wonder whether we will ever have "irrefutable physical proof" of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
Farms Staff Welcomes Newcomers,
2023
Brigham Young University
Farms Staff Welcomes Newcomers
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Mary Mahan, a recent graduate in English from BYU, joined the FARMS editorial team in August as an assistant editor. An English usage class at BYU sparked Mary's interest in pursuing editing, and she worked several months as an editor for BYU English professor Don Norton before joining FARMS. Mary comes from Centerville, Utah. She enjoys mountain biking, playing the guitar, and listening to the Eagles. We are pleased to have her help with the Foundation's increasing editorial workload.
Research Opportunities Widen Fund-Raising Focus,
2023
Brigham Young University
Research Opportunities Widen Fund-Raising Focus, Noel B. Reynolds
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
We appreciate the interest you have shown and the support you have given to our plans for a new FARMS building. We thought you might like an update on those plans.
Lds Scholar Contributes Essay To Book On Jewish Seafaring,
2023
Brigham Young University
Lds Scholar Contributes Essay To Book On Jewish Seafaring
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
John M. Lundquist, an LDS scholar who has contributed to FARMS publications as author and editor, was recently invited by Raphael Patai, a noted scholar of Judaism, to write an appendix on Lehi's voyage for a new book being prepared for publication by Princeton University Press entitled Jewish Seafaring.
Brown Bag Presentations Focus On Linguistics And On The Use Of The Book Of Mormon In The 20th Century,
2023
Brigham Young University
Brown Bag Presentations Focus On Linguistics And On The Use Of The Book Of Mormon In The 20th Century
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Brian Stubbs gave a Brown Bag lecture in March on "The Hebrew Element in Uto-Aztecan." He examined evidence for connections between Hebrew and a Native American language family relevant to the Book of Mormon, including sound correspondences, vowel patterns, pronoun matches, and other lexical similarities.
The Crocodile God Of Pharaoh In Mesopotamia,
2023
Brigham Young University
The Crocodile God Of Pharaoh In Mesopotamia, John Gee
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In the famous anti-Mormon crusade against the book of Abraham in 1912, one of the individuals involved asserted that the book of Abraham could not be true because "Chaldeans and Egyptians are hopelessly mixed together, although as dissimilar and remote in language, religion and locality as are American and Chinese." This exaggerated opinion was seconded by the Reverend Samuel A. B. Mercer: "I challenge any intelligent person who knows Chaldean and Egyptian history to read the first chapter of said book [of Abraham] without experiencing the same feeling. Chaldea and Egypt are hopelessly mixed . . . . No one …
Cd Tops List Of Recommendations In Review,
2023
Brigham Young University
Cd Tops List Of Recommendations In Review
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In the latest issue of the FARMS Review of Books, editor Daniel C. Peterson recommends the LDS Collectors Edition (a CD containing an electronic library of books, periodicals, and study aids) most highly among the publications reviewed. This product is inexpensive and brings together a large quantity of publications invaluable to students and teachers of the gospel. Also receiving favorable reviews are the Book of Mormon Reference Library (another CD), and books by Robert L Millet and H. Donl Peterson.
President Bateman Will Address Farms Banquet,
2023
Brigham Young University
President Bateman Will Address Farms Banquet
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Elder Merrill J. Bateman, president of Brigham Young University, will be the featured speaker at this year's annual banquet of the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. President Bateman, who will be accompanied by his wife, Marilyn, will address the topic "Book of Mormon Teachings on the Power of the Spirit."
