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Forthcoming Publications
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant, edited by John Gee
and Brian Hauglid, is volume 3 in the Book of Abraham
Series. It includes FARMS conference papers on the Book
of Abraham and its commonalities with ancient texts,
Abraham’s vision of the heavens, and the significance of
the Abrahamic covenant. Available autumn 2003.
A Call For Emendations, Royal Skousen
A Call For Emendations, Royal Skousen
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
As I have been working on the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, people have
occasionally written or talked to me about passages in the Book of Mormon that seem strange or difficult. A good many have made specific suggestions about emendations (or revisions to the text). Surprisingly, a large percentage of these have ended up being correct or have led me to come up with an appropriate emendation.
Brown Bag Report
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
With fall semester under way at Brigham Young University, we look forward to keeping you abreast of another round of Institute-sponsored brown bag lectures. These presentations, which are not open to the general public, enable researchers to share their expertise and findings with their peers in related fields and to receive constructive input. Following are reports of three such presentations from earlier this year.
Etruscan Gold Book From 600 B.C. Discovered
Etruscan Gold Book From 600 B.C. Discovered
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Bulgarian National Museum of History in Sofia, Bulgaria, recently placed on public display an ancient book comprising six pages of 23.82-karat gold (measuring 5 centimeters in length and 4.5 centimeters in width) bound together by gold rings. The plates contain a text written in Etruscan characters and also depict a horse, a horseman, a Siren, a lyre, and soldiers. According to Elka Penkova, who
heads the museum’s archaeology department, the find may be the oldest complete book in the world, dating to about 600 B.C.
Forthcoming Publication
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The FARMS Review (vol. 15, no. 1), edited by Daniel C. Peterson, contains reviews of a FARMS publication titled Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon: History and Findings of the Critical Text Project, Terryl L. Givens’s study of the Book of Mormon titled By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion (published by Oxford University Press), three books on the Book of Abraham, and an evangelical critique titled The New Mormon
Challenge, initially treated in the last Review. The FARMS Review (formerly FARMS Review of Books) also includes a study of …
Institute News
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Institute appreciates opportunities to facilitate meaningful scholarly discussion of Mormon studies. One recent instance was its cosponsorship of a conference titled “God, Humanity, and Revelation: Perspectives from Mormon Philosophy and History,” held at the Yale University Divinity School on 27–29 March. The event featured more than two dozen scholars and authors, including several Latter-day Saints. A report of the conference will appear in the next issue of Insights.
Nephi, Wisdom, And The Deuteronomist Reform, Kevin Christensen
Nephi, Wisdom, And The Deuteronomist Reform, Kevin Christensen
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Biblical scholar Margaret Barker has argued that Judaism was reformed initially in response to the discovery of the “book of the law” (2 Kings 22: 8; 2 Chronicles 34:14) in King Josiah’s time (reigned 640–609 B.C.) and later in response to the destruction of the Israelite monarchy and the experience of the exile. Those reforms were carried out by a priestly group known to scholars as the Deuteronomists, credited with editing the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings (to celebrate Josiah and to address aspects of later Jewish history) and leaving a distinct imprint on the Hebrew Bible.
The Book Of Mormon At The Bar Of Dna “Evidence”
The Book Of Mormon At The Bar Of Dna “Evidence”
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
On 29 January a capacity crowd gathered in the Harold B. Lee Library auditorium to hear BYU biology professor Michael F. Whiting address the topic “Does DNA Evidence Refute the Authenticity of the Book of Mormon? Responding to the Critics.” The size of the audience suggested the great interest people have in the role and limitations of DNA research in unlocking the past, especially the religious past.
Forthcoming Publications
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies(vol. 13, nos. 1–2), edited by S. Kent Brown, is a special double issue devoted to the Hill Cumorah. Studies include the geologic history and archaeology of the area, early accounts of a cave in the hill, the Hill Cumorah Pageant (its history, music, and costuming), Latter-day Saint poetry, the Hill Cumorah Monument, a linguistic analysis of the name Cumorah, and the earliest photographs of the hill. Available December 2004.
Forthcoming Publications
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Journal of Book of Mormon Studies(vol. 13, nos. 1–2), edited by S. Kent Brown, is a special double issue devoted to the Hill Cumorah. Studies include the geologic history and archaeology of the area, early accounts of a cave in the hill, the Hill Cumorah Pageant (its history, music, and costuming), Latter-day Saint poetry, the Hill Cumorah Monument, a linguistic analysis of the name Cumorah, and the earliest photographs of the hill. Available late fall 2004.
‘Binding Of Isaac’ Focus Of Farms Conference, Lecture
‘Binding Of Isaac’ Focus Of Farms Conference, Lecture
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Genesis 22 records that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac upon an altar but intervened at the last moment, providing instead a ram for the actual sacrifice and greatly blessing Abraham for passing what has come to be viewed as the ultimate test of obedience to God’s will. The account, simple enough in outline, is nevertheless seen by different religious traditions as profoundly symbolic and even enigmatic, its moral and religious implications having spawned numerous interpretations.
Exploring The Role Of Divine Providence In History
Exploring The Role Of Divine Providence In History
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Most modern historians view social, economic, and political factors as the sole shaping influences of history. For other scholars, the role of divine providence in history cannot be denied and is a topic worthy of serious consideration. Last year, Latter-day Saint scholars who embrace the notion of “providential history” shared their perspectives at a symposium titled “A Latter-day Saint View of History,” held at Brigham Young University on 6–7 February 2003. Among the 21 presenters at this unique event was John W. Welch, publications director for the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, editor in chief of BYU …
Maxwell Institute Supports Byu Symposium On Oliver Cowdery With Speakers, New Book
Maxwell Institute Supports Byu Symposium On Oliver Cowdery With Speakers, New Book
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Oliver Cowdery’s birth on 3 October 1806, more than a dozen scholars treated crowds in the BYU Conference Center to fresh perspectives on Cowdery as a central figure in the Restoration. Entitled “Oliver Cowdery: Restoration Witness, Second Elder,” the symposium featured cultural historian Richard L. Bushman as keynote speaker and several other distinguished speakers spread throughout four sessions of three or four concurrent presentations each. Cosponsors of the five-hour event, held on 10 November, were the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation and BYU’s Religious Studies Center.
Lehi’S Epic Journey Detailed In New Book
Lehi’S Epic Journey Detailed In New Book
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The seamless blend of scholarship and artistry of the Maxwell Institute’s DVD documentary Journey of Faith continues in expanded form in the new book Journey of Faith: From Jerusalem to the Promised Land. Complemented by numerous additional threads of historical detail and scholarly insight, this visually stunning look at Lehi’s trek through the harsh Arabian desert reflects a synergistic collaboration of talented scholars, artists, and photographers seeking to illuminate an epic event in scriptural history and situate it in a real-world setting.
Wordplay On The Name ‘Enos’, Matthew L. Bowen
Wordplay On The Name ‘Enos’, Matthew L. Bowen
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In his analysis of Mosiah 1:2–6 and 1 Nephi 1:1–4, John A. Tvedtnes notes that in many instances “Nephite writers relied on earlier records as they recorded their history.”1 He makes a convincing argument that the description of King Benjamin teaching his sons “in all the language of his fathers” (Mosiah 1:2) is modeled on Nephi’s account.
Occasional Papers Spotlights The Book Of Mormon
Occasional Papers Spotlights The Book Of Mormon
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The latest issue of the Maxwell Institute’s Occasional Papers (number 5 in the series) focuses exclusively on what Joseph Smith called “the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion”—the Book of Mormon. As M. Gerald Bradford, editor of the series and associate executive director of the Maxwell Institute notes, “the papers in this volume show that the Book of Mormon can be studied and understood from a wide variety of scholarly disciplines.”
Featured Publications
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, published in 1992, is now available online at www.lib.byu.edu/spc/Macmillan/, or search Google for Encyclopedia of Mormonism. This valuable resource answers many questions about Church doctrine and history and is useful in any teaching situation. BYU Studies will be assisting the Harold B. Lee Library to add links and update content in coming months.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project, Ronald K. Esplin
The Joseph Smith Papers Project, Ronald K. Esplin
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Joseph Smith Papers Project seeks to do for Joseph Smith what has been done (and is being done) for George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and other important early Americans: Make their papers easily accessible and more intelligible by publishing them in a carefully prepared, comprehensive scholarly edition. Historians rely on documents to gain insight into the facts, relationships, and other realities of the past, the raw materials from which they construct their narratives and interpretations. The task of scholars functioning as documentary editors is to help readers and other scholars understand the documents without getting too much in …
Inscribed Gold Plate Fits Book Of Mormon Pattern, John A. Tvedtnes
Inscribed Gold Plate Fits Book Of Mormon Pattern, John A. Tvedtnes
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
An inscribed gold plate 2.2 centimeters in length has been uncovered in a third-century ad Jewish burial. The burial, that of a young child, is located in a Roman cemetery in Halbturn, Austria. The news was released by archaeologists at the University of Vienna’s Institute of Prehistory and Early History.
A Note On Volcanism And The Book Of Mormon, Matt Roper
A Note On Volcanism And The Book Of Mormon, Matt Roper
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The account of the great destruction at the death of Christ in Third Nephi relates that many cities at the time were destroyed by fire (3 Nephi 8:14; 9:3, 9–11). In an article published in 1998, geologist Bart Kowallis argued that the destructive events, including the burning of cities described there, are consistent with the effects of a significant volcanic event. The volcanic interpretation fits particularly well in a Mesoamerican setting where volcanic events are historically common. Additional support for this interpretation can be found in Mormon’s description of the aftermath of these events. In his abridgement of the subsequent …
Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project Completes Text Analysis
Book Of Mormon Critical Text Project Completes Text Analysis
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The Maxwell Institute and Brigham Young University are pleased to announce the publica- tion of part 6 of volume 4 of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon. Part 6 analyzes the text from 3 Nephi 19 through Moroni 10.
Neal A. Maxwell Institute Hosts Conference On Avicenna
Neal A. Maxwell Institute Hosts Conference On Avicenna
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
There are few figures in the history of Islamic thought whose stature can rival that of Ibn Sina (980–1037), or Avicenna, as he came to be known in the Latin West. Educated at Bukhara, in modern-day Uzbekistan, Avicenna was, by his own admission, a prodigy and recognized as such early on. If there is a certain lack of modesty in his making that claim, there is no disputing that he had the credentials to back it up. He was forced by the turbulent politics of his day to move a number of times, but through it all he never stopped …
An Early Islamic Challenge To Christian History, D. Morgan Davis
An Early Islamic Challenge To Christian History, D. Morgan Davis
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
One of the great lessons to be drawn from the Islamic world of the Middle Ages is that in order for people of varying faiths and persuasions to coexist peacefully, it is not necessary that significant differences between them be settled or even downplayed. Islamic society was vibrant with debate and ideological rivalry. But there was a framework of tolerance that allowed for these differences while preserving basic modes for coexistence. For example, the Islamic caliphates (beginning in the seventh century and continuing into the early modern period) treated the Jews and Christians living within their domains as ahl al-kitab …
The Perspective Of History, D. Morgan Davis
The Perspective Of History, D. Morgan Davis
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
The perspective of history can be sobering, even humbling. Not so recently, two men from the same faith tradition but different perspectives joined in a debate about whether and how a man whom they both acknowledged as a prophet could have seen what he said he saw and be who he claimed to be. As it unfolded, their discussion touched upon many aspects of what it means to have faith in such a person and in his revelations. The role of reason in relation to revelation, the relevance of history to faith, and the connection of language to perception were …
New Mormon Studies Review A Scholarly Feast
New Mormon Studies Review A Scholarly Feast
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
Emerging from a 22-year tradition of penetrating scholarly reviews and essays is the new Mormon Studies Review. Formerly titled The FARMS Review, it sports a sleeker design and larger format and promises to survey a broader spectrum of topics. In his editor’s introduction, Daniel C. Peterson reprises the Review’s history and attainments during the past two decades. He notes how it will continue to defend LDS scripture and faith claims through the kind of “vigorous and learned discourse” tempered with satire and wit that has set it apart from the beginning.
Moses Maimonides’ On Hemorrhoids And The History Of Textual Reception, D. Morgan Davis
Moses Maimonides’ On Hemorrhoids And The History Of Textual Reception, D. Morgan Davis
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
There are unpleasant topics, and then there are Unpleasant Topics. The latest volume to appear in the Medical Works of Moses Maimonides, On Hemorrhoids, seems the perfect occasion to modestly avert our attention from the actual subject of the book and consider instead the question of its reception. When referring to the reception history of an antique text, scholars have in mind the journey the text has taken. During its long life, what paths have a given text traveled, so to speak? By this we mean not just where has a given physical document turned up, but also where and …
What’S In A Name? Mormon—Part 2, Paul Y. Hoskisson
What’S In A Name? Mormon—Part 2, Paul Y. Hoskisson
Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship
In part 1 of my discussion of the name Mormon, I presented the evidence that Joseph Smith did not originally write the letter published over his signature in the 1843 Times and Seasons, but that he made some corrections to the letter William W. Phelps had composed and then gave his approval to have it published. I also mentioned the fact that B. H. Roberts left most of the letter out of his History of the Church because he believed the full letter was “based on inaccurate premises and was offensively pedantic."
The Saints And The State: The Mormon Troubles In Illinois, James Simeone, Brent M. Rogers, Reviewer
The Saints And The State: The Mormon Troubles In Illinois, James Simeone, Brent M. Rogers, Reviewer
BYU Studies Quarterly
The history of the Latter-day Saint experience in Nauvoo, Illinois, still has a great deal to teach us. It is not just the simplistic story of religious persecution and expulsion that is often rehearsed. In seven dense chapters, James Simeone, professor of political science at Illinois Wesleyan University, unveils a complex political milieu to explain the tension that led to the 1846 departure of the Saints from Illinois—and ultimately the United States. Relying on political theory and philosophy and his deep knowledge of politics in frontier Illinois, Simeone unpacks the paradox of a developing democracy, which he defines as the …
Mormon Women And Polygamy: Creating A Better Future With The Past, Mia Seegmiller
Mormon Women And Polygamy: Creating A Better Future With The Past, Mia Seegmiller
AWE (A Woman’s Experience)
No abstract provided.
Life In Utah As An Apostate Plural Wife, Markelle Jensen
Life In Utah As An Apostate Plural Wife, Markelle Jensen
AWE (A Woman’s Experience)
No abstract provided.