Mormon Studies Commons^™

Step Mother, Carol Clark Ottesen

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Not For Tourists: Richard Bushman's Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, David J. Whittaker

BYU Studies

Richard Bushman’s Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling

City, Temple Stage: Eschatological Architecture And Litrugical Theatrics In New Spain. By Jaime Lara, Allen J. Christenson

BYU Studies

Jaime Lara. City, Temple, Stage: Eschatological Architecture and Liturgical Theatrics in New Spain. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 2004.

Safe Journey: An African Adventure. By Glenn L. Pace; Walking In The Sand: A History Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints In Ghana. By Emmanuel Abu Kissi, William C. Olsen

BYU Studies

Glenn L. Pace. Safe Journey: An African Adventure. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003.

Emmanuel Abu Kissi. Walking in the Sand: A History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 2004.

Hyrum Smith: A Life Of Integrity By Jeffrey S. O'Driscoll, C. Gary Bennett

BYU Studies

Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll. Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003.

Sports In Zion: Mormon Recreration, 1890-1940. By Richard Ian Kimball, Brian J. Hill

BYU Studies

Richard Ian Kimball. Sports in Zion: Mormon Recreation, 1890–1940. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2003.

Day Seven, Michael Hicks

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Notices, Craig Foster, Jana Lloyd, Liza Olsen, Nathan B. Orman, Josh E. Probert, James T. Summerhays

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

Charles Good's Act Of Kindness And The Handcart Children, Fred E. Woods, William G. Hartley

Faculty Publications

On a hot July afternoon in 1856, businessman Charles Good paid an unannounced visit to a crowded campground west of Fort Des Moines. There he found nearly 500 tired travelers--Mormon emigrants who had pulled their handcarts earlier that day through the small business district of Fort Dex Moines where Good lived. This was the fourth handcart company to pull through the city in two months. Good's visit would be noted in the company's official journal, but subsequent histories have overlooked his charitable gesture--a simple act of kindness--while at the camp.

"This Is My Testimony, Spoken By Myself Into A Talking Machine": Wilford Woodruff's 1897 Statement In Stereo, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, Steven C. Harper

BYU Studies

In March 1844, just weeks before his martyrdom, Joseph Smith “called the Twelve Apostles together and he delivered unto them the ordinances of the Church and kingdom of God.” Wilford Woodruff noted the events of the day in a terse journal entry. March “26th A rainey day. I met in council with the brethren.” Perhaps the sacredness and magnitude of the meeting called for the brief, cryptic note. Or perhaps it would take hindsight for Wilford to recognize the momentousness of the day’s events. In either case, fifty-three years later at age ninety, President Woodruff recorded his spoken testimony of …

Soul Searching: The Religious And Spiritual Lives Of American Teenagers. By Christian Smith, With Melinda Lundquist Denton, Bruce A. Chadwick, Richard J. Mcclendon

BYU Studies

Christian Smith, with Melinda Lundquist Denton. Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005

The "Unhistorical" Gospel Of Judas, Thomas A. Wayment

BYU Studies

This article discusses the Gospel of Judas, an Early Christian text found in Egypt about 1978 and published in 2006 with much media attention. One of the questions raised by the discovery of the Gospel of Judas is whether it includes any credible historical information. The author examines the physical document itself, internal textual references, and comparative analysis to conclude that the Gospel of Judas contains no new historical details. While the manuscript reveals little about Jesus or Judas, readers who study it can discover more about Gnostic beliefs.

Judas In The New Testament, The Restoration, And The Gospel Of Judas, Frank F. Judd-Jr.

BYU Studies

This article discusses the Gospel of Judas, an Early Christian text found in Egypt about 1978 and published in 2006 with much media attention. The text of the Gospel of Judas can be evaluated by comparing New Testament scriptures. The author examines canonical references to Judas and concludes that Latter-day Saints may benefit from studying the Gospel of Judas to better understand the nature of the apostasy that occurred after the death of Christ's apostles. However, the author reaffirms that Latter-day Saints should not scour this and other noncanonical books looking for the plain and precious truths believed to be …

Jesus Christ As Elder Brother, Corbin Volluz

BYU Studies

Mormons believe that their spirits are sons and daughters of Heavenly Father and that Jesus Christ was the firstborn Son in a premortal existence. As such, He is commonly referred to by Mormons as their elder brother. However, the title does not appear in scripture or in the writings of Joseph Smith. The author traces the first documented usages of the term "elder brother" among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and examines its usage throughout the Church's history. He also considers alternative doctrinal and scriptural interpretations that refute the idea of all mortals being literal …

The Salt Lake City 14th Ward Album Quilt, 1857: Stories Of The Relief Society And Their Quilt. By Carol Holindrake Nielson, Jill Terry Rudy

BYU Studies

Carol Holindrake Nielson. The Salt Lake City 14th Ward Album Quilt, 1857: Stories of the Relief Society and Their Quilt. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2004.

Did God Have A Wife? Archaeology And Folk Religion In Ancient Israel. By William Dever, Paul Hoskisson

BYU Studies

William Dever. Did God Have a Wife? Archaeology and Folk Religion in Ancient Israel. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2005.

Judas: Images Of The Lost Disciple. By Kim Paffenroth, Kelsey D. Lambert

BYU Studies

Kim Paffenroth. Judas: Images of the Lost Disciple. Louisville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox, 2001.

Note From The Editor, Byu Studies

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Apocryphal Judas Revisited, John W. Welch

BYU Studies

This article discusses the Gospel of Judas, an Early Christian text found in Egypt about 1978 and published in 2006 with much media attention. What drove the writers of the Gospel of Judas to paint the betraying Apostle in a positive light will most likely remain a mystery. One motive may have been the Gnostic obsession with finding new truths and solving mysteries. Another could have been the Gnostics' rejection of mainstream Christianity and its foundation on Apostles like Peter and Paul. Whatever their motives, the writers of the most recently discovered gospel were not the first to fabricate stories …

Francis Webster: The Unique Story Of One Handcart Pioneer's Faith And Sacrifice, Chad M. Orton

BYU Studies

Francis Webster was a member of a group of Mormon pioneers who in 1856 encountered severe early winter weather and suffered many casualties. Webster is remembered among Mormons as the man who stopped a Sunday School class from criticizing leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for allowing the two ill-fated handcart companies to begin their journey so late in the summer. Webster's paraphrased statement, recorded by a member of the Sunday School class, has come to represent the sentiments of all handcart pioneers in most Mormons' minds, but Chad Orton refutes the idea that the whole …

Temple Theology: An Introduction. By Margaret Barker, Dean W. Collinwood, James W. Mcconkie

BYU Studies

Margaret Barker. Temple Theology: An Introduction. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004.

A Latter-Day Saint Colloquium On The Gospel Of Judas: Media And Message, Richard Neitzel Holzapfel

BYU Studies

Due to the popularity of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code and the volume of media attention directed at the Gospel of Judas, both of which suggest searching for hidden meanings in religious traditions and alternative ways of viewing Bible texts and mainstream Christianity, BYU Studies addresses the Gospel of Judas through a series of articles. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel introduces the issue by explaining the Latter-day Saint perspective: some scholars question the New Testament narrative and wonder what other ancient, lost documents were left out, but Latter-day Saints view the Gospel of Judas as a text written by apostate …

The Manuscript Of The Gospel Of Judas, S. Kent Brown

BYU Studies

This article discusses the Gospel of Judas, an Early Christian text found in Egypt about 1978 and published in 2006 with much media attention. The discovery of the manuscript of the Gospel of Judas raises questions about the manuscript's origin and if it could have been forged. The author discusses the book's similarities to and differences from the Nag Hammadi texts, Christian documents found in 1945. He describes the manuscript's condition when it was found, its contents, and the effect it may have on scholars' research on early Christianity. He also shares his own experience in viewing ancient papyrus documents …

The Gnostic Context Of The Gospel Of Judas, Gaye Strathearn

BYU Studies

This article discusses the Gospel of Judas, an Early Christian text found in Egypt about 1978 and published in 2006 with much media attention. Discussions about the Gospel of Judas raise questions about Gnosticism. Gaye Strathearn explains that Gnosticism is a name scholars, beginning in the eighteenth century, apply to the teachings of groups outside mainstream Christianity. The Gospel of Judas and the Nag Hammadi texts reveal the Gnostics' unorthodox views, including Judas being a hero, the serpent in Eden being good, and an emphasis on the pursuit of knowledge. Some of their beliefs seem to parallel modern Latter-day Saint …

Two Ancient Roman Plates, John W. Welch, Kelsey D. Lambert

BYU Studies

In 1986, two ancient Roman plates were found in present-day Romania. The authors explain how the plates came to be displayed at BYU, the physical description of the plates, how the plates were inscribed and sealed, their content, their purpose, and the historical use of similar plates. The authors note why the plates may interest Latter-day Saints, namely that the Roman plates have some characteristics in common with the plates of the Book of Mormon—which is significant considering that such artifacts were not known in Joseph Smith's day—and that the practice of sealing documents was to provide a second witness …

A Metallurgical Provenance Study Of The Marcus Herennius Military Diploma, Michael J. Dorais, Garret L. Hart

BYU Studies

This article is a scientific examination of two metal plates found in 1986 in present-day Romania. The Latin text on the plates dates them to the year 109, in the reign of the emperor Trajan. The authors explain how the authenticity of the two plates was determined and describe the plates' physical composition. They determine that the metallic composition of the plates compares favorably with ore sources of Roman coins and metal objects. The content and significance of the plates are described in an article by John W. Welch and Kelsey D. Lambert in the same issue of BYU Studies …

"Will The Murderers Be Hung?": Albert Brown's 1844 Letter And The Martyrdom Of Joseph Smith, Timothy Merrill

BYU Studies

Albert Brown’s November 11, 1844, letter from Nauvoo to his New York relatives adds significantly to the historical record of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom. Brown wrote from the perspective of one loyal to Joseph Smith. When studied in connection with antagonistic accounts published earlier in BYU Studies, readers of the letter can sense the views, loyalties, and hostilities of the bitterly divided factions that swirled around Joseph Smith as they once did around Jesus Christ.

An Original Daguerreotype Of Oliver Cowdery Identified, Patrick A. Bishop

BYU Studies

During my graduate studies I took on the project of obtaining photographic images of each apostle of this dispensation. The task proved difficult, but I found photographic likenesses for all but seven members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My interest in collecting daguerreotypes has continued since that day, and it has led me to the discovery of what I believe is an original daguerreotype of Oliver Cowdery.

All Abraham's Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions Of Race And Lineage. By Armand L. Mauss, Cardell K. Jacobson

BYU Studies

Armand L. Mauss. All Abraham’s Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2003.