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Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
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 …
The Sticks Of Judah And Joseph: Reflections On Defending The Kingdom, Joseph M. Spencer
The Sticks Of Judah And Joseph: Reflections On Defending The Kingdom, Joseph M. Spencer
Faculty Publications
I wish to pursue two tasks simultaneously in this essay. First, in line with its title, I will address a very old matter of interpretation. I aim to explain as definitively as possible how to make sense of the relationship between Ezekiel 37:15–19, with its talk of the sticks of Judah and Joseph, and the claims of the Restoration, which include somehow connecting the stick of Joseph to the Book of Mormon. Second, in line with the subtitle of this essay, I wish to draw a crucial lesson from the history of how Latter-day Saints have dealt with this issue …
Israelite Inscriptions From The Time Of Jeremiah And Lehi, Dana M. Pike
Israelite Inscriptions From The Time Of Jeremiah And Lehi, Dana M. Pike
Faculty Publications
The greater the number of sources the better when investigating the history and culture of people in antiquity. Narrative and prophetic texts in the Bible and 1 Nephi have great value in helping us understand the milieu in which Jeremiah and Lehi received and fulfilled their prophetic missions, but these records are not our only documentary sources. A number of Israelite inscriptions dating to the period of 640–586 b.c., the general time of Jeremiah and Lehi, provide additional glimpses into this pivotal and primarily tragic period in Israelite history.
The Isaiah Map: An Approach To Teaching Isaiah, John Hilton Iii
The Isaiah Map: An Approach To Teaching Isaiah, John Hilton Iii
Faculty Publications
I saiah is an extremely important prophet—his words were endorsed by the Savior himself (see 3 Nephi 23:1). Because Isaiah’s words can be difficult to comprehend, religious educators have a significant responsibility to help their students understand them. Perhaps the best opportunity to teach Isaiah in a Sunday School, seminary, or institute setting is during a course in the Old Testament. The next best opportunity is when teaching the Book of Mormon. “Nineteen of Isaiah’s sixty-six chapters are quoted in their entirety in the Book of Mormon and, except for two verses, two other chapters are completely quoted. Of the …
All Kindreds Shall Be Blessed: Nephite, Jewish, And Christian Interpretations Of The Abrahamic Covenant, Noel B. Reynolds
All Kindreds Shall Be Blessed: Nephite, Jewish, And Christian Interpretations Of The Abrahamic Covenant, Noel B. Reynolds
Faculty Publications
A review of current and traditional scholarship regarding the covenant God made with Abraham combined with a thorough review of Book of Mormon references shows that the Nephite understanding varies in important ways from traditional Christian and Jewish interpretations. However, some of the insights of contemporary scholarship are more compatible with the Book of Mormon perspective.
The Ancient Doctrine Of The Two Ways And The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds
The Ancient Doctrine Of The Two Ways And The Book Of Mormon, Noel B. Reynolds
Faculty Publications
Scholars have long recognized that a number of ancient cultures shared a traditional doctrine of the Two Ways that could be used to instruct youth and others in the right way to live their lives. While the language of the Two Ways surfaces on occasion in both the Old and New Testaments, the doctrine is not developed or explained in any detail in the Bible. However, noncanonical texts of the Greco-Roman period display a highly developed and stylized form of the doctrine in both Jewish and Christian traditions. The earliest known version of these stylized forms of the doctrine occurs …
Chiastic Structuring Of Large Texts: Second Nephi As A Case Study, Noel B. Reynolds
Chiastic Structuring Of Large Texts: Second Nephi As A Case Study, Noel B. Reynolds
Faculty Publications
The experiment conducted in this paper has been the application of the principles of Hebrew rhetoric—as that has come to be understood by biblical scholars over the last half century—to the Book of Second Nephi, self-described as personally written by Nephi, who was educated in Jerusalem at the end of the 7th century BCE, a time and place where these principles are now thought by scholars to have been de rigeur. The experiment did not refute the hypothesis, but instead did produce a plausible division of the book into 13 sub-units that readily organize themselves chiastically as a whole. The …
The Book Of Mormon As Biblical Interpretation: An Approach To Lds Biblical Studies, Joseph M. Spencer
The Book Of Mormon As Biblical Interpretation: An Approach To Lds Biblical Studies, Joseph M. Spencer
Studies in the Bible and Antiquity
Recent years have witnessed a growing recognition in the academy that the Book of Mormon deserves closer attention than it has received. Not surprisingly, adherents to the various Mormon faiths have long read the book with some care. But larger numbers of believing and nonbelieving academics have come to recognize that, despite its often didactic style and relative literary artlessness, the Book of Mormon exhibits remarkable sophistication. This is perhaps nowhere truer than in those passages where the volume interacts—whether explicitly or implicitly—with biblical texts (always in or in relation to the King James rendering). Close reading of the Book …
David E. Bokovoy. Authoring The Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2014., Alex Douglas
David E. Bokovoy. Authoring The Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy. Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2014., Alex Douglas
Studies in the Bible and Antiquity
David Bokovoy’s most recent book, Authoring the Old Testament: Genesis–Deuteronomy, represents a fresh and much-needed perspective on how Latter-day Saints can simultaneously embrace both scholarship and faith. This book is the first in what is anticipated to be a three-volume set exploring issues of authorship in the Old Testament published by Bokovoy with Greg Kofford Books. Bokovoy uses current scholarship on the Pentateuch as a springboard for discussing LDS perspectives on scripture, revelation, and cultural influence. To my knowledge, this is the first book-length attempt to popularize the classical Documentary Hypothesis among Latter-day Saints, and Bokovoy does an exemplary job …
Insights Available As We Approach The Original Text, Kerry M. Muhlestein
Insights Available As We Approach The Original Text, Kerry M. Muhlestein
Kerry Muhlestein
What excites me most about Royal Skousen's Analysis of Textual Variants,Part One: 1 Nephi 1 2 Nephi 10 (hereafter Analysis) is what it says about Latter-day Saints' commitment to the scriptures in general and to the Book of Mormon specifically. This volume, like others in the series published to date, bespeaks our desire to know, as accurately as possible, what the text actually says. We understand that even those with the best intentions sometimes introduce mistakes into the most sacred and important texts. Skousen demonstrates that he and others value the Book of Mormon so much that meticulous and intense …
This Is The Way, Noel B. Reynolds
This Is The Way, Noel B. Reynolds
Faculty Publications
The limited objective of this paper is to clarify some of the key terminology used by Book of Mormon writers. In particular, I will show that they used such terms as gospel, doctrine, way, and word interchangeably, but that the plan of salvation should be distinguished from these. It is probably inevitable that Latter-day Saint scholars will bring assumptions from their academic studies of the Bible and Christian theology to their study of the Book of Mormon. While the Book of Mormon obviously has a great deal in common with the Bible, I am increasingly convinced that Book of Mormon …
Book Of Mormon Atonement Doctrine Examined In Context Of Atonement Theology In The Environment Of Its Publication, David Scott Wetzel
Book Of Mormon Atonement Doctrine Examined In Context Of Atonement Theology In The Environment Of Its Publication, David Scott Wetzel
Theses and Dissertations
Alexander Campbell, a contemporary of Joseph Smith, was the first to publish a critique of the Book of Mormon after actually having read it. Among other allegations, he arraigned that Joseph Smith wrote the book to resolve, with a voice of prophecy, theological issues contemporary to its publication. This study undertakes to examine Campbell's charge with regard to atonement doctrine. To assess the statement, this study first identifies the controversies about atonement doctrine in the years prior to the publication of the Book of Mormon, in the Northeastern region of the United States. It then compares the teachings inherent to …
Christ's Interpretation Of Isaiah's 52'S "My Servant" In 3 Nephi, Gaye Strathearn, Jacob Moody
Christ's Interpretation Of Isaiah's 52'S "My Servant" In 3 Nephi, Gaye Strathearn, Jacob Moody
Faculty Publications
When the Savior appeared to the “more righteous” of the Nephites and Lamanites, he used many teachings that modern readers readily recognize from the Old and New Testaments. Some critics have suggested that Joseph Smith merely lifted these teachings from his copy of the Bible.1 While some of these quotations are very similar to the accounts in the King James Bible, there are some significant differences that strongly suggest that the process was more complex and nuanced than these critics allow.
Insights Available As We Approach The Original Text, Kerry M. Muhlestein
Insights Available As We Approach The Original Text, Kerry M. Muhlestein
Faculty Publications
What excites me most about Royal Skousen's Analysis of Textual Variants,Part One: 1 Nephi 1 2 Nephi 10 (hereafter Analysis) is what it says about Latter-day Saints' commitment to the scriptures in general and to the Book of Mormon specifically. This volume, like others in the series published to date, bespeaks our desire to know, as accurately as possible, what the text actually says. We understand that even those with the best intentions sometimes introduce mistakes into the most sacred and important texts. Skousen demonstrates that he and others value the Book of Mormon so much that meticulous and intense …
The Isaiah Passages In The Book Of Mormon: A Non-Aligned Text, Carol F. Ellertson
The Isaiah Passages In The Book Of Mormon: A Non-Aligned Text, Carol F. Ellertson
Theses and Dissertations
Since the advent of the Dead Sea Scrolls, four biblical textual scholars have emerged at the forefront of the dialogue concerning textual evolution. They are: Frank Moore Cross, Emanuel Tov, Shemaryahu Talmon and Eugene Ulrich. Though there is some overlap in their hypotheses, each scholar has put forth a framework of biblical textual development in light of these new discoveries.
If a new biblical text were discovered today, how would each scholar approach it? This thesis evaluates each scholars' views and concludes that Emanuel Tov's criteria for judging a newly discovered text is the most thorough and explanatory. Tov's views …
A Hermeneutic Of Sacred Texts: Historicism, Revisionism, Positivism, And The Bible And Book Of Mormon, Alan Goff
Theses and Dissertations
As methods by which texts are to be understood, positivism and historicism have a long tradition and continue to exert wide influence in all academic disciplines. Other approaches to textual concerns have recently emerged to challenge the dominance of these two approaches. Foremost among these new approaches are hermeneutics and deconstruction. Both of the latter approaches recognize that interpretation is inescapable. The latter challenges even the possibility of determinate meaning. A theoretical discussion of historicism and positivism uncovers questionable and troublesome difficulties. Hermeneutics in its conservative or radical variations overcomes the difficulties of interpretation that positivism and historicism can't explain. …
Pronouns Of Address In The Book Of Mormon, Lyle L. Fletcher
Pronouns Of Address In The Book Of Mormon, Lyle L. Fletcher
Theses and Dissertations
The first section of this thesis is a diachronic examination of second person pronouns in English with special focus on variations in usage such as pronominal shifting between thou (and related forms) and ye (and related forms), as well as an examination of the second person pronoun usage in the English Bible (especially the King James Version) with a similar focus. From the thirteenth century on variations in usage have been common.
The second section is a synchronic examination of second person pronouns as used by Joseph Smith and some of his contemporaries, followed by an analysis of these pronouns …
The Tradition Of Isaiah In The Book Of Mormon, Gary L. Bishop
The Tradition Of Isaiah In The Book Of Mormon, Gary L. Bishop
Theses and Dissertations
This study presents a textual and grammatical analysis of 52 passages of Isaiah as they are found in Cave IV of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Masoretic Text, the Septuagint, the King James version, and the Book of Mormon. The objective was to determine the relationship, if any, of those verses in the Book of Mormon with the other textual traditions. Based on the differences between the Book of Mormon text and the King James version, and upon the confirmation of those Book of Mormon differences by the other traditions, it was concluded that The Book of Mormon follows its …
A Comparison Of Passages From Isaiah And Other Old Testament Prophets In Ethan Smith's View Of The Hebrews And The Book Of Mormon, William L. Riley
A Comparison Of Passages From Isaiah And Other Old Testament Prophets In Ethan Smith's View Of The Hebrews And The Book Of Mormon, William L. Riley
Theses and Dissertations
The Book of Mormon, having long been a work of great interest to me, became a natural area of study for my Master's program. I was directed by Roy W. Doxey and Paul R. Chessman who brought to my attention several areas of the Book of Mormon which needed to be investigated for clarification and deeper understanding. The area which was settled on centered around a book which was written seven years prior to the publishing of the Book of Mormon. The controversy which surrounds the View of the Hebrews by Ethan Smith is similar to the "Spalding Manuscript" controversy …
The Book Of Mormon As An Instrument In Teaching The Historicity Of The New Testament Events Of Christ's Life, David R. Mangelson
The Book Of Mormon As An Instrument In Teaching The Historicity Of The New Testament Events Of Christ's Life, David R. Mangelson
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to determine and present the Book of Mormon's contributions as a witness to the authenticity of the New Testament account of certain events of Christ's life, in order that teachers may have an effective instrument in teaching the historicity of the New Testament account of Christ's life.
This study reveals 177 passages in the Book of Mormon that refer to the life of Jesus. These passages corroborated the New Testament account of Christ's life. There are 61 Book of Mormon passages that refer to the pre-existence of Jesus Christ and His anticipated coming. There …
The Book Of Mormon As An Instrument In Teaching The Historicity Of Old Testament Events And Characters, Jerome C. Hainsworth
The Book Of Mormon As An Instrument In Teaching The Historicity Of Old Testament Events And Characters, Jerome C. Hainsworth
Theses and Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to determine and present as completely as possible the Book of Mormon's contribution to the historicity of the Old Testament's events and characters in order that teachers may have another instrument for the effective direction of learning in Old Testament history. Therefore, it is the purpose of this study to determine and point out to the teacher the areas in which the Book of Mormon complements the Old Testament, and sustans its truthfulness as a historically accurate record.
It is the hypothesis of this study that the Book of Mormon has much to contribute …
A Textual Comparison Of The Isaiah Passages In The Book Of Mormon With The Same Passages In The St. Mark's Isaiah Scroll Of The Dead Sea Community, Wayne Ham
Theses and Dissertations
The Book of Mormon contains twenty-one chapters of the Book of Isaiah: two through fourteen, twenty-nine, and forty-eight through fifty-four. The language is primarily that of the King James Version with some variations. The King James Version itself has been translated from the Massoretic Hebrew Text. It is a fair assumption that the variations in the Book of Mormon represent an older, more accurate text than the Massoretic Text.
Textual critics are anxious to find ancient texts and versions of the scriptures in the hope that some of these texts may contain readings closer to the original than does the …
The Problem Of Isaiah In The Book Of Mormon, H. Grant Vest
The Problem Of Isaiah In The Book Of Mormon, H. Grant Vest
Theses and Dissertations
The problem of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon is specifically a study in Historical Criticism. In nature it is a textual problem especially adapted to the methods of textual science. This includes, of course, both branches of that science, namely, lower criticism and higher criticism.