Reprint Examines Chiasmus In Ancient Literature,
2023
Brigham Young University
Reprint Examines Chiasmus In Ancient Literature
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Chiasmus in Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis, a groundbreaking book out of print for a decade, is now published for the first time in the United State1 as a FARMS reprint (see the enclosed order form) . First released in 1981 in Germany, this volume of essays edited by Professor John W. Welch devotes more than three hundred pages to identifying and analyzing chiasmus in ancient texts. Chiasmus is a form of literary parallelism in which the elements of a textual passage are first presented in one order and then repeated in reverse order.
Full Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Lectures Open Windows On Ancient World,
2023
Brigham Young University
Lectures Open Windows On Ancient World
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In full swing since the beginning of fall semester, FARMS brown bag lectures have kept attendees updated on an array of topics in ancient research.
Background On The Gospels,
2023
Brigham Young University
Background On The Gospels, John A. Tvedtnes
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The term gospel means "good news" and has specific reference to the news of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The word came to be applied to histories of the life and ministry of Christ because Mark began his account with the words "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God ... " (Mark 1:1).
Tents In The Book Of Mormon,
2023
Brigham Young University
Tents In The Book Of Mormon, John L. Sorenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Rerences to New World tents in the Book of Mormon raise legitimate questions about whether tents are known from scholarly sources on Mesoamerica. The earliest evidence comes from historical documents written around the time of the Spanish conquest in 1521, or more than one thousand years after the demise of the Nephite civilization. These records indicate that different kinds of tents and tent-like structures were in regular use by Aztec armies and that, when the Spaniards saw them, they immediately labeled them tiendas, "tents."
Article Explains How New Testament Books Were Chosen,
2023
Brigham Young University
Article Explains How New Testament Books Were Chosen
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Within a century of the death of Jesus Christ, Christians had produced a body of religious writings that preserved and complemented their presumably rich oral tradition. This small but diverse library included various accounts of Christ's birth, collections of his sayings, reports of his wondrous deeds and the missionary activities of his apostles, Paul's letters, homilies, and more. A few centuries later, some of these writings became canonized as accepted scriptures to the exclusion of others. Who made those crucial decisions? How, when, and under what circumstances was our present New Testament canon determined?
Revised Book Extends Lds Scholar's Analysis Of Jesus' Immortal Sermon,
2023
Brigham Young University
Revised Book Extends Lds Scholar's Analysis Of Jesus' Immortal Sermon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
John W. Welch has revised and updated his 1990 book The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount, which presented a thorough Latter-day Saint interpretation of Jesus' masterful sermon delivered to his disciples in New Testament Galilee and in New World Bountiful. The new FARMS paperback edition, titled Illuminating the Sermon at the Temple and Sermon on the Mount: An Approach to 3 Nephi 11-18 and Matthew 5-7, features a new chapter and several new sections that offer interesting support for viewing the Sermon as a ritual text.
Full Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Creation Stories From Popolvuh,
2023
Brigham Young University
Creation Stories From Popolvuh, Allen J. Christenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The following extracts are from Allen J. Christenson's free translation of the creation accounts found in the Popol Vuh. According to Christenson, this religious book of the K'iche'-Maya was completed in the mid-16th century, yet it contains "ancient theological concepts current among the people of Mesoamerica at a time contemporaneous with Book of Mormon history." Readers interested in the following accounts may wish to consult Christenson's complete translation of the Popol Vuh (see article on page 1) because of the helpful glosses that are not reproduced here.
"Slippery Treasures" In The Book Of Mormon: A Concept From The Ancient World,
2023
Brigham Young University
"Slippery Treasures" In The Book Of Mormon: A Concept From The Ancient World
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In calling the Nephites to repentance, Samuel the Lamanite warned that "the time cometh that [the Lord] curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them" (Helaman 13:31). In that day the Nephites would lament, "We have hid up our treasures and they have slipped away from us, because of the curse of the land. 0 that we had repented in the day that the word of the Lord came unto us; for behold the land is cursed, and all things are become slippery, and we …
The Bible And The Dead Sea Scrolls,
2023
Brigham Young University
The Bible And The Dead Sea Scrolls
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In the June 1999 issue of Bible Review, Sidnie White Crawford, associate professor and chair of the Department of Classics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, considers what the Dead Sea Scrolls reveal about the position of early Jews on the emendation, authority, and canonicity of biblical texts. Crawford begins by noting that neither a canonical Bible nor even a fixed text of the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy) existed when the Dead Sea Scrolls were written (250 B.C.-A.D. 70).
New Translation Of Popol Vuh Available,
2023
Brigham Young University
New Translation Of Popol Vuh Available
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Popol Vuh: The Mythic Sections--Tales of First Beginnings from the Ancient K'iche'-Maya, translated and edited by Allen J. Christenson, is the second book in FARMS's Ancient Texts and Mormon Studies series. Inaugurating the series was James E. Faulconer's Romans 1: Notes and Reflections. Works in this series include the text in its original language, a readable English translation, and commentary on the text especially by LDS scholars.
Full Issue,
2023
Brigham Young University
Full Issue
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
No abstract provided.
Reprint Of Herculaneum Report Available,
2023
Brigham Young University
Reprint Of Herculaneum Report Available
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS is offering a reprint of a published technical report describing a CPART team’s groundbreaking work of applying multispectral imaging technology to produce stunning new images of the Herculaneum papyri. Written by Steven W. Booras of CPART and David R. Seely, an associate professor of ancient scripture at BYU, the report appeared in English in the respected Italian journal Cronache Ercolanesi (vol. 29, 1999, 95–100).
To All The World,
2023
Brigham Young University
To All The World
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
This new selection of materials from the incomparable Encyclopedia of Mormonism features 151 Book of Mormon articles by 115 scholars and articulate authors and includes new indexes and expanded sources. To All the World is intended for all kinds of readers-young and old, novices and experts, Latter-day Saints and those of other faiths-who wish to enhance their understanding and appreciation of the Book of Mormon.
Nibley Counters World’S View Of Prophets,
2023
Brigham Young University
Nibley Counters World’S View Of Prophets
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
“What is a prophet?” Hugh Nibley asks in his book The World and the Prophets, observing that Jewish and Christian doctors have always agreed that “Abraham . . . and the prophets are dead.” He observes that, with the prophets being thus disposed of, the word prophet has tragically come to mean almost any individual of more than ordinary insight, learning, or rhetorical gifts. Given this situation, Nibley believes that his larger purpose of vindicating the prophets is best undertaken by first getting fair-minded people to agree on a few things that a real prophet is not.
Farms Web Page Update,
2023
Brigham Young University
Farms Web Page Update
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
This month the Featured Papers section of the FARMS Web site is spotlighting three FARMS papers of special interest to students of the Book of Mormon. Larry C. Porter’s “The Book of Mormon: Historical Setting for Its Translation and Publication,” Richard L. Anderson’s “Book of Mormon Witnesses,” and Stephen D. Ricks’s “The Translation and Publication of the Book of Mormon” are available to all visitors to the site to read online or to download and print at no cost. (For help in printing these papers in a reader-friendly format, see the Web page section in the April issue of INSIGHTS.)
The Popol Vuh And Mormon Studies,
2023
Brigham Young University
The Popol Vuh And Mormon Studies, Allen J. Christenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Over the years, the Popol Vuh has received considerable attention among LDS scholars as the best source of authentic ancient American history and religion outside the Book of Mormon. The new translation of the Popul Vuh,1 complete with extensive introduction and the original Maya text in parallel columns, invites further comparison between this Mesoamerican source and LDS scriptures.
Nibley Fellows Secure Teaching Appointments,
2023
Brigham Young University
Nibley Fellows Secure Teaching Appointments
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS continues to sponsor a graduate fellowship program that awards financial aid to students pursuing advanced degrees in fields of special interest to FARMS. Named in honor of eminent Latter-day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley, the Nibley Fellowship is made possible by generous donations from individuals committed to fostering the next generation of faithful scholars who will contribute to the work of the Foundation. Three such rising scholars have accepted teaching appointments and are well on their way to fulfilling the expectations behind the Nibley Fellowship.
Herculaneum Project Exceeds Expectations,
2023
Brigham Young University
Herculaneum Project Exceeds Expectations
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In February 1999 INSIGHTS reported on a proposed FARMS project involving multispectral imaging (MSI) of carbonized scrolls excavated at Herculaneum, an ancient site near Naples, Italy. One month later, a FARMS team traveled to the Biblioteca Nazionale in Naples to conduct tests on the Herculaneum papyri to see if these fragile, deteriorating texts could be successfully imaged. The test images surpassed all expectations, and the FARMS Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts (CPART) received permission to image the library’s collection of Herculaneum texts.
