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The Flimsiest Show On Earth, Blake T. Ostler
The Flimsiest Show On Earth, Blake T. Ostler
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Every so often an anti-Mormon book comes along that lowers the bar for attacks on the faith. How the Book of Mormon Came to Pass is one such work. It relies on speculation, conjecture, and tenuous connections to render, out of whole cloth, a hypothesis for the Book of Mormon’s creation that is almost laughable.
“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson
“When Ye Shall Rend That Veil Of Unbelief”: A Typological Reading Of Ether 3 And 4, Matthew Scott Stenson
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In the book of Ether, the prophet Moroni “Christianizes” the Jaredite story, inserting extensive Christian elements into an original text that predates the house of Israel, the Nephite nation, and the Christian era. In this paper, a typological and intertextual method is used to show how Moroni uses the words of Christ in Ether 3 and 4 to exhort his Gentile readers to embrace the Nephite record when it is manifest to them that they might receive even greater things (divine truths). Specifically, Moroni uses the brief account of the brother of Jared atop Mount Shelem to illustrate how Gentiles …
“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat
“There Is Law” Joseph Smith’S Use Of Arbitration To Protect The Book Of Mormon, Jeffrey N. Walker, Andrew H. Hedges, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat
BYU Studies
This case marks the first time Joseph Smith invoked his legal rights to safeguard work connected with his prophetic calling from abuse or exploitation. The case arose from Abner Cole’s1 January 1830 efforts to publish Book of Mormon excerpts in his newspaper The Reflector, which he printed on the same Palmyra, New York, press that the Book of Mormon was being printed on. The case was evidently settled in Joseph Smith’s favor through arbitration, an out-of- court option for adjudication that New York law considered legally binding.2
What Are We To Make Of The Gold Plates?, Richard Lyman Bushman
What Are We To Make Of The Gold Plates?, Richard Lyman Bushman
BYU Studies
During the winter of 2020–2021, I worked on the manuscript that was eventually published as Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates: A Cultural History (Oxford University Press, 2023). The book was an attempt to describe the many ways the plates had been imagined from the time they were first described as a “Golden Bible” in the June 1829 Wayne Sentinel1 down to the Sunday School and missionary lessons today. I marveled at the enduring interest in the plates over time, not only among Latter-day Saints but also among other American writers. In my lifetime, the plates had appeared in the Book of …
Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer
Seeing With A Hat: How Joseph Smith Used A Hat In Translating The Book Of Mormon, Stan Spencer
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Joseph Smith’s use of a seer stone and hat in producing the Book of Mormon has been a point of confusion, dismay, and even embarrassment among some believers. These feelings may reflect a lack of understanding of the functions of these objects in enabling Joseph to receive divine revelation. As the term was used in the Bible and commonly used in Joseph Smith’s day, a seer was a “seer” of visions. Accordingly, a seer stone was a stone used for seeing visions. Joseph was reported to have used seer stones to receive the translation of the Book of Mormon in …
What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales
What Can Artificial Intelligence Tell Us About The Literary Skills Needed To Dictate A Text Like The Book Of Mormon?, Brian C. Hales
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
The first oral draft of the Book of Mormon dictated by Joseph Smith reflected remarkable literary refinement and complexity. Such observations demonstrate that he exhibited highly developed composition and oratory skills. To date, no scholar has attempted to describe the specific skills Joseph manifested while dictating. This essay addresses whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) could generate an accurate list of the skills necessary. It begins by identifying and informally testing eleven chatbots to see if they can accurately predict the skills needed to perform a task. Seeing success, they are next asked a long question about the skills needed to dictate …
Royal Skousen’S Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project, Roger Terry
Royal Skousen’S Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project, Roger Terry
BYU Studies
Between 1984 and 1986, the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) published a critical text of the Book of Mormon. While this early publication was useful in certain ways, it was also woefully inadequate. It was, for instance, based on a computerized text of the 1830 printed edition of the Book of Mormon rather than on the remnants of the two handwritten manuscripts.1 Recognizing its inadequacies, Brigham Young University linguistics professor Royal Skousen began in 1988 what would become a thirty-seven- year endeavor and his life’s work: a fully professional critical text of the Book of Mormon.2
An Exceptional Example Of The Richness Of Church History, Susan Easton Black
An Exceptional Example Of The Richness Of Church History, Susan Easton Black
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Jeffrey Bradshaw has, in a single well-researched volume, provided a gift to those interested in the lives of early Church members. In Emer Harris & Dennison Lott Harris, Bradshaw brings out of obscurity the remarkable life of one of Martin Harris’s brothers and illustrates the contribution of that life to the initial decades of the Restoration.
Further Evidence From The Book Of Mormon For A Book Of Moses-Like Text On The Brass Plates, Jeffrey D. Lindsay
Further Evidence From The Book Of Mormon For A Book Of Moses-Like Text On The Brass Plates, Jeffrey D. Lindsay
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Students of the Book of Mormon have long mined the Old Testament as a rich source of influence on Nephite writers. However, surprising recent finds suggest that an ancient text related to the Book of Moses may have been an especially significant influence as well. That possibility was raised in Noel Reynolds’s early analytical paper, “The Brass Plates Version of Genesis.” He found thirty-three proposed parallels between the Book of Moses and the Book of Mormon, some of which pointed to a one-way connection with the Book of Moses as the source. Our recent collaboration resulted in identifying a total …
Prophet Or Loss: Mosiah1/Zeniff, Benjamin/Noah, Mosiah2/Limhi And The Emergence Of The Almas, Val Larsen
Prophet Or Loss: Mosiah1/Zeniff, Benjamin/Noah, Mosiah2/Limhi And The Emergence Of The Almas, Val Larsen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Mormon’s overwhelmingly dominant rhetorical purpose is to testify of Christ, which he and his protagonists often directly do. But he also communicates his testimony more subtly through carefully crafted historical narratives. His use of frame narratives is especially artful. In the Book of Mosiah, Mormon frames the dispiriting account of Zeniff and Noah’s rule with the story of its aftermath: the suffering of Limhi and his people, which is recounted both before and after the central Zeniff/Noah narrative and which underscores the folly in the narrative it frames. The Limhi story is, in turn, framed by a Mosiah family narrative …
“Our Great God Has In Goodness Sent These”: Notes On The Goodness Of God, The Didactic Good Of Nephi’S Small Plates, And Anti-Nephi-Lehi’S Renaming, Matthew L. Bowen, Pedro A. Olavarria
“Our Great God Has In Goodness Sent These”: Notes On The Goodness Of God, The Didactic Good Of Nephi’S Small Plates, And Anti-Nephi-Lehi’S Renaming, Matthew L. Bowen, Pedro A. Olavarria
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s speech (Alma 24:7–16) reveals multiple allusions to significant texts in Nephi’s small plates record. Thus, when he declares “I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us,” he appears to allude to an inclusio that bookends the two books of Nephi’s small plates record which emphasizes the “goodness” of God as a theme. Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s description of his ancestors as “wicked fathers” appears to deliberately contrast Laman, Lemuel, and the sons of Ishmael with Nephi’s “goodly parents” in 1 Nephi 1:1. The name …
An Important Addition To The Library, Kevin Christensen
An Important Addition To The Library, Kevin Christensen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Oxford University Press has published an annotated edition of the Book of Mormon. This represents a significant event and provides a useful study resource. At the same time, the author’s determination to follow the conclusions of mainstream biblical scholars inevitably generates tensions on issues where the Book of Mormon conflicts with those conclusions. The author also assures readers that the commentary follows “the plain meaning of the text,” which ought to acknowledge Joseph Smith’s foundational observation that different teachers of religion may understand the same passages very differently, depending on their framing context. In this review, I introduce the content …
Heavenly Ascent In Jacob’S Writings In Second Nephi: Addressing The Question Of What The Plan Of Salvation Is In The Book Of Mormon, Skyler Smith
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Heavenly ascent describes the process of an individual (or community) returning to the presence of God. Though various elements exist within heavenly ascent literature, general patterns can be discerned. This project uses one such pattern as a hermeneutical tool to examine what can be learned about how Book of Mormon prophets may have understood the plan of salvation. Specifically, Jacob’s understanding of the plan of salvation will be analyzed by examining his writings in 2 Nephi 9–10. The evidence from this study suggests that some Book of Mormon prophets (at least Jacob and Nephi) viewed the plan of salvation through …
Review Of Two New Theories About The Lamanite Mark Recently Presented In Two Different Forums, Clifford P. Jones
Review Of Two New Theories About The Lamanite Mark Recently Presented In Two Different Forums, Clifford P. Jones
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
T. J. Uriona has offered two new theories about the meaning of Nephi’s term “skin of blackness” in 2 Nephi 5:21. He suggests that Nephi’s term may indicate impending death and/or it may be a literal reference to diseased or deathly skin. Both theories are based on a motif in an ancient Neo-Assyrian treaty that curses people to have skin as black as pitch and crude oil. I submit that these two theories are inconsistent with the larger context in the Book of Mormon.
The Seven Women Seeking The Bridegroom: Isaiah 4:1 As Transition Point In A Redemption Allegory, Jared T. Marcum
The Seven Women Seeking The Bridegroom: Isaiah 4:1 As Transition Point In A Redemption Allegory, Jared T. Marcum
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
Nephi laboriously copied many of the words of Isaiah in hopes that his readers would rejoice in Christ. While Isaiah 4:1 (2 Nephi 14:1) is generally not viewed as Messianic, there may be an allegorical interpretation that would place this verse among Isaiah’s other Messianic writings. A pre-Nicene patristic writer, Victorinus of Poetovio, interpreted the seven women of Isaiah 4:1 as representing the seven churches of the Apocalypse and the one man as Christ. Victorinus’s Christ-centered interpretation of Isaiah 4:1 has received very little attention in modern scholarship. This paper uses textual analysis to determine if a Christ-centered allegorical interpretation …
“That They May Once Again Be A Delightsome People”: The Concept Of Again Becoming The Seed Of Joseph (Words Of Mormon 1:8 And Mormon 7:4–5), Matthew L. Bowen
“That They May Once Again Be A Delightsome People”: The Concept Of Again Becoming The Seed Of Joseph (Words Of Mormon 1:8 And Mormon 7:4–5), Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
In Words of Mormon 1:8, Mormon declares, “And my prayer to God is concerning my brethren, that they may once again come to the knowledge of God, yea, the redemption of Christ; that they may once again be a delightsome people.” The expression “that they may once again” plausibly reflects the Hebrew idiom wayyôsipû or wayyôsipû ʿôd. Mormon’s apparent double-use of the wayyôsipû (ʿôd) idiom in Words of Mormon 1:8 (or some Nephite scribal equivalent), like 2 Nephi 5:2–3, recalls language in the Joseph story (Genesis 37:5, 8). The original Lamanite covenant, as an extension of the Abrahamic covenant, involved …
The Literary Structure Of Alma 17–20: A 14-Unit Chiasm, Derek Squire
The Literary Structure Of Alma 17–20: A 14-Unit Chiasm, Derek Squire
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
This article is an analysis of the literary structure of Alma 17–20. These four chapters in the current Book of Mormon were originally a single chapter in the first edition of the Book of Mormon (originally, chapter 12). The current article describes a process and rationale that was used to identify several major literary units whose structure is no longer obvious with the division into four chapters. The original literary structure appears to have been written as a 14-part chiasm in which the matching units share many strong links and parallels. According to this analysis, the central units of this …
Translation And The World Order, Richard Lyman Bushman
Translation And The World Order, Richard Lyman Bushman
BYU Studies
Joseph Smith published three books he called translations: his masterwork, the Book of Mormon, translated from gold plates when he was twenty-four and published in March 1830; the eight chapters of the book of Moses based on Genesis in the Bible, begun in June 1830 and completed by February of the following year; and the book of Abraham, translated from scrolls that the Church purchased from Michael Chandler in 1835 and published in 1842. It is hard to think of any prophetic figure in religious history who relied as extensively on translations to spread his message as did Joseph Smith.
Experiencing The Doctrine Of Christ, Gaye Strathearn
Experiencing The Doctrine Of Christ, Gaye Strathearn
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
This paper compares the prophetic teaching of Nephi, son of Lehi, regarding the doctrine of Christ and the teaching of the resurrected Jesus in the Americas. This comparison shows the purposeful and experiential nature of Christ’s teaching, leading the Nephites to experience the doctrine of Christ rather than simply hear it. By drawing on scriptural texts in the Book of Mormon and the New Testament, this paper shows how each step of the doctrine of Christ was presented to and experienced by those who were witnesses to the Savior in the Americas. These insights directly relate to current seekers of …
It’S Not The End Of The World; It’S Just The Apocalypse: The Book Of Revelation In The Book Of Mormon, Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph M. Spencer
It’S Not The End Of The World; It’S Just The Apocalypse: The Book Of Revelation In The Book Of Mormon, Nicholas J. Frederick, Joseph M. Spencer
BYU Studies
Among the Book of Mormon’s most remarkable characteristics is its consistent interaction with the Bible. The Bible haunts this book, showing up in subtle allusions and type scenes as well as direct quotations both short and long. Further, the Book of Mormon explicitly reflects on the Bible’s historical origins, canonical shape, and scriptural destiny. As has long been recognized, the Book of Mormon’s most sustained interest is in the book of Isaiah. But at least one other biblical focus deserves detailed notice because it has a place of some privilege in the Book of Mormon: the book of Revelation. Indeed, …
“Words Of Plainness” Jacob’S Apology, His Addendum, And The Competing Forms Of Nephite Worship, Dan Belnap, Rob Hernandez
“Words Of Plainness” Jacob’S Apology, His Addendum, And The Competing Forms Of Nephite Worship, Dan Belnap, Rob Hernandez
Faculty Publications
Jacob’s powerful essay in Jacob chapters 4–6 ends with this statement: “I bid you farewell, until I shall meet you before the pleasing bar of God, which bar striketh the wicked with awful dread and fear. Amen” (Jacob 6:13). The essay represents Jacob’s teachings as a Nephite priest concerning the centrality of Christ in the religious and doctrinal framework of his Nephite congregation. It fits within the greater structure of the book of Jacob, which appears to be governed by Nephi1’s instructions concerning what should be included on the small plates. Recorded by Jacob in Jacob 1, the instruction suggests …
“When Ye Shall See These Things Come Among You” A Survey Of Teachings On Modern Secret Combinations, Nicholas J. Frederick
“When Ye Shall See These Things Come Among You” A Survey Of Teachings On Modern Secret Combinations, Nicholas J. Frederick
Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel
One of the purposes of the Book of Mormon is to warn latter-day Gentiles about the dangers of modern-day secret combinations.” Such combinations led to the destruction of the Jaredites and the Nephites and, we are told, should not be dismissed or overlooked in our own modern day. So how ought we to identify a modern secret combination? What would such an organization look like? How can religious educators discuss secret combinations in a responsible manner? This article explores how modern prophets have described and defined secret combinations, from Joseph Smith up through the present.
The Curse Of The Covenant: The Deuteronomic Curses In The Book Of Mormon, T. J. Uriona
The Curse Of The Covenant: The Deuteronomic Curses In The Book Of Mormon, T. J. Uriona
BYU Studies
The ancient Near East had a rich and well-developed covenant tradition that helped to define the relationships between covenant parties. Much like modern contracts, which tend to follow a conventional construction, there is within the ancient Near East tradition a prominent covenant construction known as the suzerain-vassal treaty. Covenant treaties of this type stipulated the conditions of loyalty between a lord or suzerain to the vassal or subject. A major feature of this type of treaty was the promise of blessings as well as the threat of curses. The blessings and curses ensured covenant fidelity and maintained the social and …
Audio Tapes Of Nibley Book Of Mormon Class Available, Russell Peek
Audio Tapes Of Nibley Book Of Mormon Class Available, Russell Peek
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Those interested in an additional resource for study of the Book of Mormon in 1988 will be rewarded by the audio tapes of Dr. Hugh Nibley's upper division Book of Mormon class at BYU. Russell Peek and a team of recording technicians have captured on cassette tape more than 50 hours of lectures from fall semester 1987 and winter semester 1988, one hour of lecture per cassette.
Lehi's Vision In 1 Nephi 1 Analyzed
Lehi's Vision In 1 Nephi 1 Analyzed
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Book of Mormon begins with an account of the vision in which Lehi beheld God seated in the midst of a heavenly congregation. In this experience, Lehi learned of the judgments of God that were about to befall the arrogant and unrighteous city of Jerusalem. Comparing this vision of Lehi's with similar so-called Council Visions had by other prophets near the time of Lehi is the aim of a new paper.
Antenantiosis In The Book Of Mormon
Antenantiosis In The Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Gail Call, one of our enthusiastic F.A.R.M.S. readers, has pointed out the presence in the Book of Mormon of an interesting figure of speech called antenantiosis. In this figure of speech, an expression is stated in terms of its negated opposite. The result is to express the positive in a very high degree, or as the biblical scholar E.W. Bullinger puts it, "We thus emphasize that which we seem to lessen" (Figures of Speech Used in the Bible [Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, 1989], pp. 159-64).
That Ye Might Feel And See: Touch In The First Day Of Christ's Ministry, Dan L. Belnap
That Ye Might Feel And See: Touch In The First Day Of Christ's Ministry, Dan L. Belnap
Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
“And God Blessed The Seventh Day And Sanctified It”: The Sabbath At Creation, Dedications, And Christ’S Theophany In 3 Nephi, Dan L. Belnap
“And God Blessed The Seventh Day And Sanctified It”: The Sabbath At Creation, Dedications, And Christ’S Theophany In 3 Nephi, Dan L. Belnap
Faculty Publications
The Creation narrative, found in various places within the canon of scripture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, describes the institution of two different types of time. The first type of time is established in the “fourth day” with the placement of the astronomical bodies, which act as markers “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years”—that is, common time (Genesis 1:14; Moses 2:14). The second type of time is established in the “seventh day,” when the Lord rests from his labors. Situated as it was at the conclusion of the physical creation and …
Verbal Punctuation In The Book Of Mormon Ii — Nevertheless, John Gee
Verbal Punctuation In The Book Of Mormon Ii — Nevertheless, John Gee
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship
One example of verbal punctuation that has a very clear pattern of usage in the Book of Mormon is the term nevertheless. It is used to draw a marked contrast between what the previous text would lead one to expect and what follows it. It is not clear what the ancient antecedent to the term might be and the English term and usage might be an artefact of the translation process. The frequency and usage of nevertheless in the Book of Mormon contrasts with the way that Joseph Smith’s writings use it.
Ancient Names In The Book Of Mormon, Matthew L. Bowen
Ancient Names In The Book Of Mormon, Matthew L. Bowen
Interpreter Foundation Books
Through many years of scholarly exploration, Matthew Bowen has unveiled new layers of meaning in many Book of Mormon passages in which the use of names appears to employ literary tools of ancient Hebrew writers, including a wide variety of wordplays. Every chapter here breaks substantial new ground in terms of revealing how Book of Mormon authors wove proper names and titles, along with their meanings, into their writings.