Religious Education Commons^™

A Reader Notes An Expression That Is Unique To Nephi

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Richard Rust, professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, whose research has been published by F.A.R.M.S. in the past, has noticed phraseology that is unique to individual Book of Mormon prophets. He writes to F.A.R.M.S. that the phrase "my soul delighteth" appears to be unique to Nephi. It is a beautiful expression, which Nephi uses ten times: for example, "my soul delighteth in the scriptures" (2 Nephi 4:15); "my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord" (2 Nephi 4:16); "my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ" …

Welch Takes Leave Of Absence

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A leave of absence from the F.A.R.M.S. board of directors for John W. Welch has been approved during the time that he serves as the editor of BYU Studies. Welch was the founding president of F.A.R.M.S. and has served on its board of directors throughout the life of the foundation. His contributions to the success of the foundation's efforts have been considerable and essential.

Books Focus On Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

New editions of two books, available at a discount from F.A.R.M.S., provide a scholarly yet readable introduction to civilization in the area where most of the events of the Book of Mormon probably took place. Both books were written by Michael D. Coe, Professor of Anthropology at Yale University. Although not written from an LDS perspective, these books provide the serious student of the Book of Mormon some very valuable background information. Both books also contain a large number of excellent photographs, maps, and line drawings, which make them not only informative to read but a pleasure to browse.

Challenging Conventional Views Of Metal Use In Mesoamerica, John L. Sorenson

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Orthodox archaeologists have for many years supposed that metals were not used in Mesoamerica, the probable area where Book of Mormon events took place, until nearly 500 years after the scripture says the Nephites were destroyed. Of course the Book of Mormon briefly mentions the use of metal among the Nephites (although by the time of its last mention, in Mosiah 11:8, it was "precious"). Previous attempts to refute the prevailing view have had little effect. Renewed research by John Sorenson has revealed a substantial body of data on the subject that was previously ignored.

Former Farms Worker Honored

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

On March 7, DeeAnn Hofer was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Utah. Because of her fine contributions to the foundation, F.A.R.M.S. was pleased to be one of her sponsors in this competition.

Chiasmus Study Cited

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The 1992 reprint of a classic work on chiasmus, Nils W. Lund's Chiasmus in the New Testament, contains a new preface that refers frequently to Chiasmus in Antiquity, a work published in 1981 by John W. Welch.

F.A.R.M.S. Conference On "The Olive And Jacob 5" A Success

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

More than 300 people attended the F.A.R.M.S. conference on ''The Olive and Jacob 5," held on Saturday, March 21. The nineteen presenters approached Jacob 5 from a variety of perspectives----cultural, economic, literary, historical, and theological. Comments from the audience indicated that they found this fifth annual F.A.R.M.S. Book of Mormon Lecture extremely helpful in understanding the background and meaning of the allegory of the olive tree.

Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 65, No. 4

Restoration Quarterly

PDF of the cover of Restoration Quarterly: Vol. 65, No. 4.

This repository hosts selected Restoration Quarterly articles in downloadable PDF format. For the benefit of users who would like to browse the contents of RQ, we have included all issue covers even when full-text articles from that issue are unavailable. All Restoration Quarterly articles are available in full text in the ATLA Religion Database, available through most university and theological libraries or through your local library’s inter-library loan service.

Called To The Work Of Studying, John C. Peckham

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Dead Sea Scrolls Photos Acquired

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A significant addition to the F.A.R.M.S. research library is the recently published two-volume set of photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Patient and skillful work will be required before any conclusions can be drawn about their contents.

Book Of Mormon Text Reformatted

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Donald W. Parry has reformatted the text of the Book of Mormon so that the reader can easily see the hundreds of examples of parallel and repetitive patterns in the Book of Mormon. For instance, 1 Nephi 22:26 has been formatted with indented lines labeled with English letters, and certain words have been underlined to reveal the passage's chiastic structure.

The Olive Tree And Jacob 5

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

On Saturday, March 21, F.A.R.M.S. will hold a symposium at which numerous studies will be presented about the masterful allegory of the olive tree in Jacob 5. Over a dozen speakers will report their findings from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. in room 205 JRCB (Law School) at Brigham Young University.

Map Of Book Of Mormon Places Based Wholly On The Text, John L. Sorenson

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Welch Appointed Editor Of Byu Studies

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

John W. Welch, founding president and continuing member of the board of directors of F .A.R.M.S., has been appointed editor-in-chief of the 32-year-old BYU Studies.

Working Groups Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A working group is being formed under the direction of Warren Aston and John Sorenson to study how ships were built in the 6th century B.C., which may help us understand the construction of Nephi' s ship and its voyage to America. Persons with substantial knowledge of the history, design, construction, or sailing of small craft are invited to participate.

Working Groups Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A project is underway to prepare textual and visual resource files to aid artists and media producers in representing Book of Mormon peoples with (Mesoamerican) historical accuracy. Volunteers within a reasonable distance of Provo who have qualifications and a desire to assist (initially probably as library "gofers") are invited to write to F.A.R.M.S. detailing their interest, availability, and relevant background.

Working Groups Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Under the auspices of F.A.R.M.S., Marlon Nance (Geology Department, Univ. of California, Davis) is organizing a working group on Geology and Environment in the Book of Mormon.

Tours Planned On Lehi's Arabian Trail

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Bountiful Tours of Australia is preparing the first ever tours on the trail that Lehi likely took from Jerusalem to Bountiful. Warren Aston will lead 22-day tours along this trail, limited to 15 participants for each tour, departing Sept. 7, Sept. 28, Nov. 2, and Nov. 23, 1992. As Lehi's journey is followed from Jerusalem to Bountiful, events and places described in the Book of Mormon will take on new relevance and meaning.

Study Aid Again Available

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

The "Wide Margin Edition" of the Book of Mormon, prepared by Eldin Ricks, is available through F.A.R.M.S. This edition has wide margins and is printed in 29 separate 30-page booklets (in a 3-ring binder), making it convenient for students and teachers to take small sections of the Book of Mormon to Gospel Doctrine class for teaching or making notes.

Paper Studies Characteristics Of Oral Culture In The Book Of Mormon

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

A recent fascinating study by William Eggington of the BYU English Department suggests that, by and large, Book of Mormon peoples functioned as an oral culture. Although the Lehite community had access to print as a technology, Eggington believes that they wrote only to accomplish narrow (i.e., religious) goals and that their writings retained many features of a nonprint culture. His evidence comes from certain indicators and memory-aiding devices within the text of the Book of Mormon, including repetitious patterns, balanced patterns, formulaic expressions, and parallelisms.

Language And Script In The Book Of Mormon, Stephen D. Ricks

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

In what language was the Book of Mormon written? The most obvious answer is some form of Egyptian. Moroni states that "we have written this record ... in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian" (Mormon 9:32). Nephi confirms this at the very beginning of the record when he says, "I make a record in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Nephi 1:1).

Nibley Considers The Temple In The Cosmos

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Hugh Nibley's long-awaited treatment of the temple, which is volume 12 of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, will be released early in April by F.A.R.M.S. and Deseret Book.

A Decade Of Research Explored And Documented

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

This month, F.A.R.M.S. and Deseret Book will release their newest book, Reexploring the Book of Mormon. This volume reports the highlights of F.A.R.M.S. research over the last ten years. It is designed to appeal to a very wide audience.

Full Issue

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

No abstract provided.

New Cd-Rom

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Infobases has released the first edition of a gospel study system on CD-ROM. It includes the standard works, volumes 1-10 of the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, and 41 titles by Church leaders. The CD also contains search and retrieval software. Infobases intends to sell updates to the CD containing 10-20 titles every 3-6 months. For more information, see the flier included in this mailing.

Kbyu-Tv Broadcasts Nibley Class

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

KBYU-TV began broadcasting Hugh Nibley's Book of Mormon class on January 5. Every Sunday afternoon in 1992 at 5:00 P.M. (MST) you can watch another stimulating and informative class session.

Elder Maxwell Speaks At Farms Banquet Of Consecration And The Gospel's "Democracy Of Demands" That Builds And "Aristocracy Of Saints"

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

KBYU-TV began broadcasting Hugh Nibley's Book of Mormon class on January 5. Every Sunday afternoon in 1992 at 5:00 P.M. (MST) you can watch another stimulating and informative class session.

Electronic Bulletin Board Formed

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

F.A.R.M.S. has received notice of the formation of MORMON-L, an electronic bulletin board on Mormon studies. The organizers indicate that it is open to all persons, Mormons and non-Mormons alike, who wish to engage in substantial discussion of topics relating to Mormonism. The following guidelines will regulate the bulletin board.

Scholars Discuss Geography

Insights: The Newsletter of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

On December 7, a "working group on Book of Mormon internal geography," consisting of 14 people, met in Provo. The invitation to meet had been sent by convenor John Sorenson to all who had received from F.A.R.M.S. a copy of his "Source Book" on the subject, along with selected other people.