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Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Reprint Series consists of papers previously published (or of publishable quality) that make a significant contribution to our understanding of antiquity, the scriptures, or other concepts related to Mormonism. Authors of papers in the Reprint Series retain copyright. See last page for order blank.
Project Updates
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Anton Transcript Studied, Nibleyana on a Grand Scale, Papers Received, and Projects in the Mill. As reported in the last newsletter, a group of scholars was invited to examine an extensive effort made to translate the Anthon Transcript, the recently discovered page of characters which Martin Harris took to New York City for Charles Anthon's examination in 1829. John Sorenson and Jack Welch integrated the individually-made evaluations and provided than to the translator.
Preliminary Reports
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Robert F. Smith, "It Came to Pass' in the Bible and Book of Mormon." Manuscript, 1980. Pointing out that computer analysis will be necessary to make his observations conclusive, the author shows that the Book of Mormon, though less than a third the length of the King James Bible, contains more than twice as many recurrences of "came/come to pass." Furthermore, extensive cataloguing shows that all but three of the twenty books containing that phrase in the Bible are in the Old Testament. Another interesting characteristic: the phrase usually occurs in prose narrative, in both volumes of scripture. He explains …
Research Committee Reports
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
FARMS is organized around research committees who largely determine the Foundation's program . The first fully-staffed committee is the twelve person panel on Book of Mormon-New World, chaired by John Sorenson. Its duties include evaluating research projects for technical adequacy, noting approaches or topics which might be fruitfully pursued, reporting on relevant research presented at professional meetings, responding to inquiries in their area of expertise, and otherwise serving as a panel of helpful scholarly resources . An evaluative and scholarly arm, not an administrative entity, the group's members vary in degree of involvement according to the time they feel they …
Farms Provides Speakers For Several Recent Firesides And Conferences
Farms Provides Speakers For Several Recent Firesides And Conferences
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Six stakes in the Denver area jointly sponsored a two-day conference in September and asked FARMS to provide speakers on the Book of Mormon. Daniel C. Peterson spoke on "Evidences for the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon," Ann Madsen discussed "Isaiah in the Book of Mormon," Truman G. Madsen talked about "The Spiritual Significance of the Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon," and John W. Welch addressed "King Benjamin's Speech as Sacred Literature." Approximately 500 people in two locations attended.
New Technology And Ancient Questions {Part 2), John L. Sorenson
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 …
Review Surveys Mixed Bag Of Publications
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.
Farms Review Of Books Examines Works That Misrepresent The Church
Farms Review Of Books Examines Works That Misrepresent The Church
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The new issue of the FARMS Review of Books (volume 10, number 1) reviews several recent publications that are critical of the LDS Church. The Review also examines a Book of Mormon study aid and two novels related to the Book of Mormon.
New Volume Of Research Honors John L. Sorenson
New Volume Of Research Honors John L. Sorenson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
To many, John L. Sorenson is best known for his research on the lands and cultures of Book of Mormon peoples, the topic of his 1985 book, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, and the focus of his most recent book, Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life (see article on page 1). A highly trained anthropologist, Sorenson has often broken new ground in other areas of his discipline as well, such as his penetrating empirical studies of Mormon culture. Aside from teaching courses in anthropology and archaeology at BYU for many years, Sorenson …
New Volume Explores King Benjamin's Speech
New Volume Explores King Benjamin's Speech
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
A long-awaited, 679-page volume on King Benjamin's speech has just come off the press-one of four books that FARMS is pleased to have published independently in 1998 (see the articles above and on page 4). Edited by John, W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks, King Benjamin's Speech: "That Ye May Learn Wisdom" is the culmination of many years' research on numerous aspects of this profound address.
Images Of Ancient America Connects Mesoamerican Peoples And Lands To The Book Of Mormon
Images Of Ancient America Connects Mesoamerican Peoples And Lands To The Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life, by John L. Sorenson, richly portrays the daily lives of the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica and their likely connections to the record known as the Book of Mormon. This fullcolor, large-format volume, the newest release from FARMS, contains careful research and over five hundred high-quality illustrations and photographs that shape vague ghosts from the past into fleshand- blood people.
Lds Scholarship At Sbl
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
At the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), held 22-25 November 1997 in San Francisco, there were some interesting developments in the area of LDS scripture studies. In addition to a number of attendees from BYU and FARMS, at least three LDS scholars-Donald W. Parry, Eric G. Hansen, and John A. Tvedtnes-were speakers on the program. Hansen's paper, entitled "Parallels between the Egyptian 'Opening of the Mouth' Ritual and the Book of Mormon (Mosiah 25 through Alma 29)," may have been the first to use the Book of Mormon …
Did Joseph Smith Know Egyptian?
Did Joseph Smith Know Egyptian?
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In a letter addressed to Grant S. Heward of Midvale, Utah, an outspoken critic of the book of Abraham, William Foxwell Albright, the doyen of American ancient Near Eastern studies, wrote: "There does appear to be evidence that Joseph Smith had studied some Egyptian. For one thing, he undoubtedly spent a great deal of money and effort in trying to master Egyptian, but, as you know, when the Book of Mormon was written, Egyptian had just begun to be deciphered and it is all the more surprising that there are two Egyptian names, Paanchi and Pahor(an) which appear together in …
Brown Bags Continue To Inform
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The FARMS Brown Bag Lectures are an ongoing series intended to update BYU faculty, staff, and students and interested members of the community on the progress of Book of Mormon research.
New Book Probes Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds Of Book Of Mormon
New Book Probes Ancient Near Eastern Backgrounds Of Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Most Correct Book: Insights from a Book of Mormon Scholar, a new book by John A. Tvedtnes, associate director of research at FARMS, provides more than 45 insights into the text and teachings of the Book of Mormon. Published by Cornerstone, the book deals with linguistic, historical, cultural, and theological matters that underscore the accuracy and internal consistency of the Book of Mormon.
Tents In The Book Of Mormon, John L. Sorenson
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."
New Director Appointed For The Willes Center And The Foundation For Ancient Research And Mormon Studies
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Recently the Brigham Young University administration announced the appointment of Professor Paul Y. Hoskisson as the new director of the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at the Maxwell Institute, effective September 1. Professor S. Kent Brown, who previously headed up these operations, retired from the university at the end of August.