New Technology And Ancient Questions {Part 2),
2023
Brigham Young University
New Technology And Ancient Questions {Part 2), John L. Sorenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The FARMS update in the previous issue of Insights discussed DNA studies of the ancestry of cotton species as an example of how new technologies can produce both answers and interesting new questions about the ancient worid. DNA comparison also serves to identify ancestral relationships among human groups. For example, Douglas C. Wallace of Emory University has concluded from studies of mitochondrial DNA that "prehistoric, intrepid mariners" came "out of Southeast Asia across the Pacific into the Americas 6,000 to 12,000 years ago." They could have come across the central Pacific or coasting along northeast Asia, Alaska, and Canada, he …
Journal Releases A Highly Substantive Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Journal Releases A Highly Substantive Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Once again the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies provides access to the most recent research on the Book of Mormon. The current issue covers a wide variety of topics, including the doctrinal messages of salvation in the Book of Mormon, a non-Mormon perspective on the Book of Mormon wars, the rod and sword as representations of the word of God, and a discussion of seemingly awkward sentence structures in the Book of Mormon.
The Doctrine And Covenants Is Reformatted Into A Helpful Reader's Edition,
2023
Brigham Young University
The Doctrine And Covenants Is Reformatted Into A Helpful Reader's Edition
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The second edition of The Doctrine and Covenants by Themes is an excellent aid to scripture study that may enliven your reading of the Doctrine and Covenants in support of the 1997 Sunday School curriculum. John W. and Jeannie Welch have formatted a reader's edition that is both informative and easy to read-ideal for families and young readers.
Full Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Rare Religious Documents Given To Farms,
2023
Brigham Young University
Rare Religious Documents Given To Farms
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Two sets of authentic religious documents were recently donated to FARMS. BYU alumni Orin and Rita Parker donated a sixteenth-century abridgment of the Hadith, a compilation of the Islamic prophet Muhammad's official statements on Islamic beliefs and practices. The rare book, copied by hand in 1549 in exquisite Arabic script, reads from back to front and from right to left. After working in Iraq for five years, Orin received the book at a farewell party held in the deputy foreign minister's house in Baghdad.
Two Nibley Books Explore New Testament Themes And Early Christianity,
2023
Brigham Young University
Two Nibley Books Explore New Testament Themes And Early Christianity
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
For years the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley series has delighted those who relish Nibley's startling insights, pithy comments, and consummate scholarship. Two volumes from this series, The World and the Prophets and Mormonism and Early Christianity (both available on the enclosed order form), shed light on a number of topics related to the New Testament.
What Do We Know About The Wise Men?,
2023
Brigham Young University
What Do We Know About The Wise Men?, John A. Tvedtnes
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Among the more intriguing figures in the scriptures are the Wise Men who visited the infant Jesus. The story of their journey to Bethlehem is found in the Gospel of Matthew, where we learn that they came "from the east" when Jesus was apparently two years old (see Matthew 2:1-2, 7, 16). By that time, Mary and Joseph were living in a house (see verse 11).
Ancient Games On The Internet,
2023
Brigham Young University
Ancient Games On The Internet
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS subscribers can enjoy electronic versions of games played by the ancients, located on the Internet at http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/psneeley. This site features ancient Maya, Egyptian, and Sumerian games, among others.
Farms Improves Benefits For Its Members,
2023
Brigham Young University
Farms Improves Benefits For Its Members
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
As a result of changes in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies and of findings from an in-depth membership survey that FARMS conducted earlier this year, FARMS members will now see a change in their benefits package. Formerly, for a $12 annual fee, members received six issues of the INSIGHTS newsletter. Starting with this issue, members will receive twelve issues (double the number), plus a subscription to the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. The Journal (see related article on page 1) has been newly redesigned and will be published twice a year. The new annual membership fee …
The Laws Of Eshnunna And Nephite Economics,
2023
Brigham Young University
The Laws Of Eshnunna And Nephite Economics, John W. Welch
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In order for ancient economies to work effectively, kings spelled out the value of various commodities and established exchange ratios, especially between consumable goods and precious metals. For example, the Laws of Eshnunna, promulgated in Babylonia probably during the reign of Dadusha in the early eighteenth century B.C., instituted a system of weights and measures.
Review Surveys Mixed Bag Of Publications,
2023
Brigham Young University
Review Surveys Mixed Bag Of Publications
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The newest issue of the FARMS Review of Books (volume 10, number 2) surveys a diverse crop of recent publications, some inviting high praise, others substantial refutation, and some a mixture of both.
Journal Of Book Of Mormon Studies Redesigned To Serve The Needs Of A Broader Audience,
2023
Brigham Young University
Journal Of Book Of Mormon Studies Redesigned To Serve The Needs Of A Broader Audience
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
When the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies was launched in the fall of 1992, the aim of its editor, Stephen D. Ricks, was to produce "a journal dedicated solely to the serious and faithful study of the Book of Mormon in its historical, linguistic, cultural, and theological context."
Full Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Scholars Share Research On The Book Of Abraham,
2023
Brigham Young University
Scholars Share Research On The Book Of Abraham
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
On 19 September FARMS convened a working group on the book of Abraham at Brigham Young University. Scholars and researchers from across the United States gathered to exchange research on the book of Abraham, while international researchers participated via mail and e-mail. Topics covered historical, geographic, doctrinal, cultural, and scientific issues related to the book of Abraham. This research is coordinated by BYU history professor William J. Hamblin and John Gee, assistant research professor at FARMS. At the half-day meeting, participants discussed such topics as the location of the Chaldees and the nature of Abrahamic astronomy.
Reprint Rebuts Critics' Claims, Reveals Tactics,
2023
Brigham Young University
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.
A Modern Example Of A Night Without Darkness,
2023
Brigham Young University
A Modern Example Of A Night Without Darkness, John A. Tvedtnes
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
A remarkable event recorded in the Book of Mormon was the night of Christ's birth, at which time light remained even after sundown (see Helaman 14:3-4; 3 Nephi 1:8, 15). To some this seems impossible, totally unexplainable in scientific terms despite the fact that the Bible describes similar phenomena for the Israelite exodus from Egypt (see, for example, Exodus 14:19-20; Nehemiah 9:19; Psalm 78: 14) and for the millennial era (see Zechariah 14:6-7; Revelation 21:10-11; 22:5). Even the believer, while satisfied that the Lord can perform miracles beyond our comprehension, is fascinated by the night without darkness that heralded the …
Biblical Editing: Clues In The Seams,
2023
Brigham Young University
Biblical Editing: Clues In The Seams, Grant R. Hardy
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
As LDS renders focus on the Bible this year and next, the following excerpt may give students ideas to think about. Many readers of the Bible recognize that its constituent books were transmitted from ancient times to the modern world through the anonymous work of countless editors, scribes, and translators. What is sometimes not clear, however, is the process by which some biblical books were recorded and passed down. Careful analysis of the biblical text reveals that certain passages were drawn from. multiple sources and shaped by the hand of editors many centuries ago. Such textual studies can illuminate the …
Cursing A Litigant With Speechlessness,
2023
Brigham Young University
Cursing A Litigant With Speechlessness, John W. Welch
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Alma's curse on Korihor, "In the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance" (Alma 30:49), resembles an ancient Greek practice of cursing a litigant with speechlessness. When the curse materialized, divine disapproval was so clear that Korihor was compelled to yield the case.
Progress On The Maya Murals Of Bonampak,
2023
Brigham Young University
Progress On The Maya Murals Of Bonampak
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The February 1996 issue of INSIGHTS reported that FARMS was assisting Yale University and the National Geographic Society in photographing the deteriorating Maya murals at the Bonampak site in Chiapas, Mexico. Using a multispectral filter provided by FARMS, the Bonampak team captured on film vivid details of the mural scenes otherwise obscured by centuries of decay and incrustation.
New Booklet Explains Basic Lds Beliefs,
2023
Brigham Young University
New Booklet Explains Basic Lds Beliefs
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS and the BYU Religious Studies Center have jointly published a booklet that discusses some of the beliefs of members of the LDS Church. The contributors to Latter-day Christianity: Ten Basic Issues hope these discussions will, first, help Latter-day Saints who want to explain their beliefs to their friends of other faiths and, second, be useful to people outside the LDS Church who want a simple and clear statement of those beliefs from informed insiders.
