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More Precious Than Gold: The Journey To And Through Zion In 1849-50, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

The California gold rush, the first international gold rush in history, turned the world upside down, reaching its zenith in the years 1849-50. As a result of the rush during these two climactic years, the population swelled our nation's Pacific coast, entitling California to receive statehood in the fall of 1850. During these catalytic years, Latter-day Saints were journeying to the American West for a different kind of treasure. They gathered from afar to their Mormon mecca nestled in the Salt Lake Valley to fulfill their dreams of establishing Zion. Yet the California gold rush had a significant impact on …

The Coming Forth Of The Book Of Mormon In The Twentieth Century, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

I hope this study, however preliminary it might appear, will provide a sound first step toward developing our self-understanding as Latter-day Saints of the history of Book of Mormon use in the twentieth century and the phenomenal increase in understanding, appreciation, and study that has taken place over the last three to four decades. This study may also offer one useful perspective for the gradually emerging history of cultural Mormonism and its antipathy to the Book of Mormon. This study is grounded in the analysis of a number of possible indicators of intensity of interest in the Book of Mormon …

The Editor's Notebook, John L. Sorenson

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Introduction to this issue.

Waiting For God: A Hasidic View, Norman K. Swazo

Comparative Civilizations Review

No abstract provided.

Index To Farms Review Of Books, 1997, Farms Review

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

No abstract provided.

Vol. 10 Num. 2 Farms Review Of Books, Farms Review

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

No abstract provided.

More Installments In A Ficto-Tract Series About Book Of Mormon Scholarship, Robert E. Lewis

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of Into the Light: A Novel (1995), by Keith C. Terry; and The Remnant (1996), by Keith C. Terry and Wesley Jarvis

The Hagiography Of Doubting Thomas, John Gee

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of Quest for the Gold Plates: Thomas Stuart Ferguson's Archaeological Search for the Book of Mormon (1996), by Stan Larson

A Response To D. Michael Quinn's Homosexual Distortion Of Latter-Day Saint History, George L. Mitton, Rhett S. James

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of Same-Sex Dynamics among Nineteenth-Century Americans: A Mormon Example (1996), by D. Michael Quinn

Latter-Day Christianity: 10 Basic Issues, Robert L. Millet, Noel B. Reynolds

Maxwell Institute Publications

With the rapid and visible growth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it was inevitable that doctrinal differences would arise between the Latter-day Saints and people of other faiths. Members of the LDS Church profess to be Christians, yet others doubt or do not understand this claim.

The contributors to Latter-day Christianity hope that the 10 essays contained in this full-color, illustrated book will help Latter-day Saints who want to explain their beliefs and will be useful to people outside the LDS Church who want a simple and clear statement of those beliefs. The essays address such …

Editor's Introducation: Fictionary, Daniel C. Peterson

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Introduction to the current issue, including editor's picks. Peterson examines “terminological trickiness” and lexical games, particularly as A. A. Howsepian employs them in a recent article in the distinguished journal Religious Studies.

Brief Notices, Jed L. Woodworth, Gary L. Hatch, Beth Hamilton, John W. Welch, Cynthia Doxey

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Captain Dan Jones And The Blind Man, Ronald D. Dennis

BYU Studies

The 1847 pamphlets, one a polemic by convert-turned-antagonist Daniel Jones and the other a rebuttal by Elder Dan Jones, give an interesting glimpse into an early LDS missionary work in Wales.

The Viper On The Hearth: Mormons, Myths And The Construction Of Heresy Terryl L. Givens, Grant Underwood

BYU Studies

Terryl L. Givens. The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. x; 205 pp. Index, notes. $35.00.

Nephite Kingship Reconsidered, Noel B. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

This paper extends and updates previous efforts to understand the political dynamic of the Book of Mormon by looking at four themes or issues that can be developed from the text itself. The first is an expansion of earlier treatments of the contradictory political ideologies of the Nephites and Lamanites, which informed relations between these two groups across their thousand-year history. The second is an exploration of the historical possibility that Nephi may never, in fact, have been anointed as king of the Nephite people, which raises in turn a possible need to reassess the character of Nephite kingship. The …

The Journey Of The Hero: Archetypes Of Earthly Adventure And Spiritual Passage In 1 Nephi, Tod R. Harris

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

Study of the varied metaphorical levels of the Book of Mormon continues to yield new insights into the message and meaning of that book. Several prominent typological readings of aspects of the Book of Mormon have been published, but despite calls for such an effort, little inquiry into its possible archetypal levels, or what has been called “the mythic dimension” of the book, has yet been undertaken. As an initial attempt at such an endeavor, I compare certain events described in 1 Nephi with the elements of one prominent mythic archetype, the hero’s journey, as elucidated by Joseph Campbell in …

Nephi's Convincing Of Christ Through Chiasmus: Plain And Precious Persuading From A Prophet Of God, David E. Sloan

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

One of the principal themes of Nephi’s writings on the small plates is his desire to convince others of Christ. A second, related theme is his desire to write plain and precious things on those plates. Some of the most plain and precious writings of Nephi are those instances in which he used the name Christ in chiasmus or other forms of poetry. Perhaps more than any other portion of his words, Nephi intended these plain and precious writings to convince both Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the one true Messiah.

Girded About With A Lambskin, Matthew B. Brown

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

The publication of the Book of Mormon brought forward the first of many comparisons between the restorational work of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his surrounding environment, including Freemasonry. One point of comparison has been the lambskin apparel mentioned in 3 Nephi 4:7. A possible connection exists between this item of apparel and ritual clothing that was worn in ancient Israel, Egypt, and Mesoamerica. I suggest a possible reason for the use of this item of clothing among the secret combinations in the Book of Mormon and discuss the lambskin apron used in Freemasonic ritual.

The Way Of Life And The Way Of Death In The Book Of Mormon, Mack C. Stirling

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

The Book of Mormon describes a great division in mankind between the few who walk in the way of life and the many who walk in the way of death. This division results from the response of each individual to Christ or to the voice of God during probation. Men either hearken to the voice of Christ and progressively acquire spiritual life or they hearken to the voice of the devil and progressively descend into spiritual death. Nine Book of Mormon texts reveal detailed teachings on life and death. A diagram illustrates the ideas of each text. The conception and …

Divine Discourse Directed At A Prophet's Posterity In The Plural: Further Light On Enallage, Kevin L. Barney

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

A follow-up on a previous article on enallage provides further strength for a pattern of a speech to a prophet in which later verses seem to be addressed to both the prophet and his posterity by use of the plural ye.

A Case For Lehi's Bondage In Arabia, S. Kent Brown

Journal of Book of Mormon Studies

The lengthy sojourn of Lehi’s family in the Arabian desert invites the almost inevitable question whether circumstances forced family members to live in the service of tribesmen either for protection or for food. In my view, enough clues exist in the Book of Mormon—they have to be assembled—to bring one to conclude that the family lived for a time in a servile condition, a situation that apparently entailed suffering and conflict.

Book Of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence For Ancient Origins Noel B. Reynolds, Dow R. Wilson

BYU Studies

Noel B. Reynolds, ed. Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins. Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research ad Mormon studies, 1997. 574 pp. Index. $19.95.

Solomon Chamberlin's Missing Pamphlet: Dreams, Visions, And Angelic Ministrants, Larry C. Porter

BYU Studies

An 1829 pamphlet tells of the early experiences of a visionary man who was guided to Joseph Smith in Palmyra and who recognized the Restoration as the fulfillment of his spiritual quest.

Old Testament Bibliography By Author, David Rolph Seely

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Youth And Beauty: The Correspondence Of Hugh Nibley, Boyd Petersen

BYU Studies

Personal letters written by Hugh Nibley during his youth show the fundamental consistency of his personality, style, beliefs, concerns, and penetrating perceptions throughout his lifetime.

African American Artistry: "Old-Time" Homiletical Tasks As Contemporary Speech Acts In Media, Melissa Posey

Deseret Language and Linguistic Society Symposium

No abstract provided.

Who Was Not The Pharaoh Of The Exodus, John Gee

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of Who Was the Pharaoh of the Exodus? (1994), by Jeff Williams

Skin Deep, Daniel C. Peterson

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

No abstract provided.

Not Your Everyday Wordprint Study: Variations On A Theme, John A. Tvedtnes

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

No abstract provided.

Ethan Smith. View Of The Hebrews., Andrew H. Hedges

Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011

Review of View of the Hebrews (2nd ed., 1996), by Ethan Smith