Book of Mormon Bibliography
Alphabetical by Title

Review of The Legacy of the Brass Plates of Laban: A Comparison of Biblical and Book of Mormon Isaiah Texts (1994), by H. Clay Gorton.

Review of The Legacy of the Brass Plates of Laban: A Comparison of Biblical and Book of Mormon Isaiah Texts (1994), by H. Clay Gorton.

Review of The Book of Mormon and the Constitution (1995), by H. Verlan Andersen; and If Men Were Angels: The Book of Mormon, Christ and the Constitution (1995), by Brad E. Hainsworth.

Youth form a daily habit of Book of Mormon scripture study.

Moroni prophesied on 21 September 1823 that Joseph’s name, and by implication the book he would eventually translate and publish, should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues. Many current criticisms of the Book of Mormon trace their roots to the antagonistic critiques by 19th-century authors, beginning with Abner Cole, Alexander Campbell, and E. D. Howe. Campbell in particular was responsible for introducing the environmental theory: that Joseph Smith introduced 19th-century elements into his story. Travelers to Salt Lake City published their exposés, which were mostly critical of the Latter-day Saints and their book of sacred scripture. Mark Twain’s dismissive treatment of the book forged lasting popular misconceptions of the book. Fiction writers of the 19th century contributed to suspicion of and ignorance about Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. In more recent times, Fawn M. Brodie, Thomas O’Dea, and Robert V. Remini perpetuated environmental claims about the book. Recent Latter-day Saint scholars— Hugh Nibley, Richard Bushman, and Terryl Givens— represent those who speak good of the book and try to correct misperceptions about it.

Review of Quest for the Gold Plates: Thomas Stuart Ferguson's Archaeological Search for the Book of Mormon (1996), by Stan Larson

In this article, the episode about Hagoth and his sea-venturing ships is quoted from Alma 63 and the theory advanced that the Polynesians descended from Book of Mormon peoples who sailed to Hawaii. It also compares rituals and customs of the ancient Hawaiians with the Israelites.

LDS missionaries taught the Book of Mormon story to a Navajo spiritual leader and his family. The spiritual leader acknowledged that their story is true and already known in Navajo tradition. 3 Nephi 30:5-6 is applied to this event.

Relics have been discovered in almost every part of the western continent that testify of ancient civilizations. Ancient civilizations of America were highly developed. The Book of Mormon is their record. There are many evidences that indicate this is true: breast plates, elephant remains, architecture, bronze, fine cloth, and many others.

We should not get discouraged when our careful plans and solutions don’t always lead to calm, clear sailing. Joseph Smith, Lehi, and even the Stice family have learned that “happily ever after” means pressing forward with faith, not discouragement.

I promise that if you will feast upon the scriptures daily, especially the Book of Mormon, you will invite the Spirit into your life and you will naturally pray daily, repent more often, and find it easier to attend church and partake of the sacrament weekly.

This article affirms that the only way to clearly understand the great teachings and doctrines of the Book of Mormon is through the Holy Spirit. Science, study, and pure human intellectual pursuits, without God’s spirit, will not adequately relay the full message of the Book of Mormon.

Discourse by President Wilford Woodruff, delivered in the Meetinghouse, Kaysville, Davis County, Sunday Morning, December 10, 1882. Reported By: John Irvine.

The suggestion of horses and chariots in pre–Columbian America has long been an easy target for critics of the Book of Mormon. In spite of difficulties in defending this claim, and although the evidence is incomplete, the geological and archaeological record does provide support for horses and even wheeled vehicles in ancient America. Several theories that attempt to address the issue of pre–Columbian horses are examined in this article, some of which are mutually exclusive. Therefore, not all can be correct. Evidence presented in this article includes (1) archaeological evidence for large animals used for draft and transportation; (2) wheeled artifacts showing a person or animal riding on an obviously artificial wheeled platform; (3) the possibility that Book of Mormon peoples referred to native animals such as the Baird’s tapir with names such as horse that they were familiar with; (4) early accounts suggesting that Native Americans had horses too early for them to come from strays that escaped the Spanish conquistadors, especially since the Spanish kept very careful records of their horses; (5) the prevalence of the pinto or piebald horse among Native Americans and its relative absence among Spanish expeditions; (6)images in Mesoamerican art that might depict horses; (7) evidence that horses survived far longer after the last ice age than previously thought; and (8) the question of the Bashkir Curly.

A work that attempts to harmonize the geographical accounts contained in the Book of Mormon with the countries of Nicaragua and Costa Rica located in Central America.

The use of the terms “endless,” “forever,” and “everlasting” is consistent in the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the Doctrine and Covenants.

Review of Mapping the Action Found in the Book of Mormon (1987), by Harold K. Nielsen.

Weighs the probabilities of the viewpoints of Martin Harris and Charles Anthon with regard to their interview concerning the Book of Mormon characters.

After Martin Harris visited Professor Anthon and Dr. Mitchell of New York City he was persuaded to finance the publication of the Book of Mormon. The account of the visit evolved over a ten-year period. The data shows that Martin Harris took only a transcript of the characters from the plates that did not include Smith’s translation nor did the scholars succeed in translating the characters. Harris’s story in the official declaration varies from these findings. Smith arranged for the interview to fulfill the biblical prophecy in Isaiah 29.

In the beginning Joseph Smith patterned Mormonism after six groups: Roman Catholicism, Campbell’s teachings, the Pharisees, Masonry, Islam, and Rosicrucianism. Smith’s claims to have translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God have no foundation. LDS doctrines and practices have changed.

Asserts that Kaminaljuyu, ancient ruins located within the present city of Guatemala, is the city of Nephi. Archaeologists and scholars have found evidence “that meets all the criteria with respect to geography and topography which the Book of Mormon gives for the city of Nephi”

A small stamp seal bearing the inscription belonging to Malkiyahu, son of the king, arguably belonged to Mulek, son of Zedekiah, who accompanied one of the Israelite groups that settled in the New World. Jeremiah 38:6 mentions Malchiah the son of Hammelech, which could also be a reference to this same Mulek. Discussion centers on similar seals, the meaning of Ben Hamelek, the possible age of Malkiyahu, and Book of Mormon claims about Mulek. This seal could conceivably have been left behind in Jerusalem and found centuries later, thus representing an archaeological artifact of a Book of Mormon personality.

The author proposes that not all the Jaredites perished in the final Jaredite cataclysm. He speculates that some of them fled and joined the people of Mulek.

During a personal crisis of any kind individuals should remember the words of 1 Nephi 15:8, “Have ye inquired of the Lord?” Author cites several stories as examples.

The Hebrew scriptures contain dozens of passages where an inquiry to deity is requested in order to reveal the unknown, or to sanction a proper course of action. Linguistic and narrative similarities in biblical passages involving divine inquiry have been observed by scholars. These divine inquiry incidents are categorized by scholars as a subset of Israelite divination within the larger framework of ancient Near Eastern mantic institutions. Variable narrative elements in these instances include such things as the setting, identity of the requester, identity of the intermediary, reason for the inquiry, and type of oracle employed. Linguistic elements, namely verb choice, correspond to narrative elements in different passages. When these elements are analyzed, prominent patterns of ancient Israelite divine inquiry emerge. The purpose of this paper is to identify dominant patterns of divine inquiry found in the Bible and to show how the Book of Mormon employs the same patterns in varied circumstances, and that these patterns fit all the parameters of typical ancient Israelite consultations of deity. In addition, an understanding of the prophetic inquiry type clarifies and contextualizes certain Book of Mormon passages.

Contains a warning to those who read and pray about the Book of Mormon. “God is not into burning bosom formulas” Spiritual experiences do not come in this way; it may be counterfeit and is very dangerous. The Book of Mormon is filled with plagiarized scriptures from the Bible intermingled with fraudulent material. The Book of Mormon is full of inconsistencies. The Spaulding theory is favored.

Sees some elements of Hawaiian myth as correlative to the Book of Mormon. Cites some particulars of Captain Cook.

Sees some elements of Hawaiian myth as correlative to the Book of Mormon. Sites some particulars of Captain Cook.

He who is omnipotent really does not need us to move the wheel or to build anything for Him. It is not His ultimate objective to cover the world with chapels and temples. That is a means to His end, and I believe we can all easily quote that end, His ultimate objective: “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” I believe that He cares more about the shoulder than about the wheel—that wheel is how we are moved to come home to Him. The wheel, the work, is a blessing to us. This is important. The work is a blessing.

Abstract: Mormon describes Alma the Younger’s “go[ing] about secretly” to destroy the church that his father, Alma the Elder, had established (Mosiah 27:8–10), this as a narratalogical inversion of that period when Alma the Elder “went about privately” teaching the words of Abinadi and establishing a church “that it might not come to the knowledge of the king” (Mosiah 18:1–6). In Mosiah 27:10, Mormon subtly reworks Alma the Younger’s autobiographical statement preserved in Alma 36:6, adding in the former passage a word rendered “secretly” to create a midrashic or interpretive pun on the name Alma, echoing the meaning of the Semitic root ʿlm, “hide,” “conceal”). Mosiah 27:8–10 contains additional language that evokes the introduction of the name Alma in the Book of Mormon (at first in terms of ʿelem [“young man”] but also in terms of the homonymous root ʿlm) in Mosiah 17:2–4 but also re-invokes allusions in the latter passage to Mosiah 14:1 (Isaiah 53:1).

Wilhelm Warlenier of Bonn, Germany was converted after years of pondering the Book of Mormon.

Abstract: Mormon, as an author and editor, was concerned to show the fulfillment of earlier Nephite prophecy when such fulfillment occurred. Mormon took care to show that Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman, fulfilled their father’s prophetic and paranetic expectations regarding them as enshrined in their given names — the names of their “first parents.” It had been “said and also written” (Helaman 5:6-7) that Nephi’s and Lehi’s namesakes were “good” in 1 Nephi 1:1. Using onomastic play on the meaning of “Nephi,” Mormon demonstrates in Helaman 8:7 that it also came to be said and written of Nephi the son of Helaman that he was “good.” Moreover, Mormon shows Nephi that his brother Lehi was “not a whit behind him” in this regard (Helaman 11:19). During their lifetimes — i.e., during the time of the fulfillment of Mosiah’s forewarning regarding societal and political corruption (see Mosiah 29:27) that especially included secret combinations — Nephi and Lehi stood firm against increasingly popular organized evil.

“Two statements from Nephi2, the son of Helaman, have direct reference to Isaiah’s Immanuel theme in Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 and the meaning of Immanuel, ’God with us.’ This article will further explore how both statements reveal some of the nuances of how the Nephites understood the Immanuel prophecy. Lastly, I will show how Jesus’s physical presence ’with’ the Lamanites, Nephites, and Mulochites in 3 Nephi 11–26 stands as the ultimate earthly expression of the ’Immanuel’ concept. That supreme Christophany included his institution of the sacrament as a reminder of his resurrected physical presence among them at the temple in Bountiful and his continuing spiritual presence ’with’ them afterward (see 3 Ne. 18). Jesus instituted these symbols among a people who had a familiarity with and a lengthy interpretive history of the prophecies of Isaiah, as had Jesus’s Jewish Galilean disciples.” [Author]

Abstract: The toponym Onidah, attested as the name of a hill in Alma 32:4, most plausibly derives from Hebrew ʿŏnî /ʿōnî/ʿônî (ʿonyî, “my affliction”) + yādaʿ/yēdaʿ (“he knew,” “he knows”) — i.e., “he has acknowledged my affliction” or “he knows my affliction.” This etymology finds support in the context of the Zoramite narrative in which it occurs. In view of the pejorative lexical associations of the Rameumptom, the “high” and “holy stand,” with Hebrew rām (< rwm, “high”) and haughtiness, arrogance, and pride, we see Mormon using the Rameumptom, the “high” platform for Zoramite self-exalting worship, with Onidah, the hill from which Alma and Amulek taught the Zoramite poor and humble. The latter name and Alma’s teaching from that location constituted a sign that the Lord “knew” their “affliction.” Alma devotes a significant part of his message not only extolling the spiritual value of their state of “affliction” and humiliation or compelled “humility” (ʿŏnî Exodus 3:7, 17), but teaching them how to “plant” the “word” (even Jesus Christ himself) in their hearts through prayer — the word that would grow up into a “perfect knowledge” of God — experientially “knowing” God (Alma 32:16‒36) and being known by him (cf. Alma 7:12).
“Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.” (Psalms 138:6)
“It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.” (Psalms 119:71‒72)
“And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.” (2 Samuel 22:28).

An account of an interview between David Whitmer and the author’s father, James H. Moyle, in which Whitmer reaffirmed the validity of the plates and the angel who showed them to him.

In explaining the prophecies of Isaiah in which his soul delighted, Nephi sets up an intriguing wordplay on the name Joseph. On several occasions he combines segments of Isaiah 11:11 and Isaiah 29:14 to foretell the gathering and restoration of Israel at the time of the coming forth of additional scripture. The most discernible reason for Nephi’s interpretation of these two specific texts in the light of each other is their shared use of the Hebrew verb yāsap, which literally means “to add” but can have the more developed senses to “continue” or “proceed to do” something and “to do again.” This verb is also the source of the name Joseph, which means “may He [the Lord] add,” “He shall add,” or “He has added.” Rachel, the mother of the patriarch Joseph, is said to have explained the giving of this name to her son with that basic sense in mind: “And she called his name Joseph [yôsēp], and said, The Lord shall add [yōsēp] to me another son” (Genesis 30:24; emphasis in all scriptural citations is mine). Thus when Nephi combined these two prophecies together through their common use of yāsap, he was also using a wordplay on the name Joseph both to remind us that it was the seed of Joseph that would be gathered and to foretell the involvement of another Joseph, Joseph Smith, in the gathering and in the coming forth of scripture.

2 Nephi 10 prophesies that a king will never be raised up unto the gentiles upon the land. Reynolds tells of the tragic fates of Louis Napoleon and Maximilian who tried to establish an empire in Mexico (1861) after the Book of Mormon had come forth and warns all people against attempting such a thing.

2 Nephi 10 prophesies that a king will never be raised up unto the gentiles upon the land. Reynolds tells of the tragic fates of Louis Napoleon and Maximilian who tried to establish an empire in Mexico (1861) after the Book of Mormon had come forth and warns all people against attempting such a thing.

A conversion story of a young man who read and marked the Book of Mormon before he received missionary discussions.

This is a collection of more than fifty Indian legends concerning the Healer, the Mighty, and the Prophet. The sequence of these legends, particularly vivid among the wild tribes, form a curious pattern matching the stories told in the Book of Mormon. They tell of a saintly white teacher who performed miracles of healing. His symbols are woven into blankets, carved on canyon walls, and burned in pottery.

Abstract: In this personal essay, Ann Madsen reflects on the ways in which the healing power of Christ converges with His exalting power at Easter. Cold gives way to warmth, pride to submission, and reflection to sanctification. The weekly Sacrament provides a time for cleansing, renewal, and drawing our thoughts toward the Lord. The path leads to us becoming like Him.

Relates the story of the coming forth of the Book of the Mormon as part of an introduction to the RLDS church.

Abstract: The best available evidence for the Book of Mormon continues to support a limited Mesoamerican model. However, Alma 63 indicates that there was a massive northward migration in the mid-first century bc. I argue that these north-bound immigrants spread out over the centuries and established settlements that were geographically distant from the core Nephite area, far beyond the scope of the text of the Book of Mormon. I introduce the Hinterland Hypothesis and argue that it can harmonize the Mesoamerican evidence for the Book of Mormon with Joseph Smith’s statements concerning Nephite and Lamanite material culture in North America. Archaeological and anthropological evidence is used to demonstrate that migrations and cultural influence did in fact spread northward from Mesoamerica into North America in pre-Columbian times.

When you were baptized, your ancestors looked down on you with hope. … They rejoiced to see one of their descendants make a covenant to find them.

Elder Stevenson teaches the importance of kindness, love, and respect, offering specific counsel to children, youth, and adults.

I hope that because of our efforts to create a community of belonging, we may one day say, “The campus of BYU, the mountains of BYU, the buildings of BYU, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer as their hearts were knit together in love.”

Covers the period of time from Solomon to Christ. Shows a comparative chronologically of the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price, as well as early Church writings and writings of Joseph Fielding Smith.

Identifies books that are “diabolical” and others that are God-inspired (hence the title). Believes that the Book of Mormon was God-inspired. Presents a brief history of the acquisition and translation of the Book of Mormon.

Gives a brief history of numerous accounts of divinely inspired or protected books as well as heaven-sent books, including the Book of Mormon.

A Hebraism is an English representation of something that originally was Hebrew. John Tvedtnes argues that Joseph Smith did a good job of rendering, as closely as he could in English, an ancient text. He discusses instances where the English language used in the Book of Mormon reflects a Hebraic source.

Though the Book of Mormon expressly states that it is written in the “language of the Egyptians,” (1 Nephi 1:2), nevertheless, it quite clearly reflects a number of Hebrew idioms and contains numerous Hebrew words. This is no doubt due to the fact that the Nephites retained the Hebrew language, albeit in an altered form (See Mormon 9:35). Moreover, it is not impossible that the plates themselves contained Hebrew words, idioms,and syntax written in Egyptian cursive script (Moroni’s “reformed Egyptian”—see Mormon 9:32). In this present treatise, we will not be concerned so much with the methodology involved in the writing of the Book of Mormon as with the evidence for the use of Hebrew expressions, or of expressions akin thereto. Only the more important examples will be cited.

The English translation of the Book of Mormon shows many characteristics of the Hebrew language. In many places the words that have been used and the ways in which the words have been put together are more typical of Hebrew than of English. These Hebraisms, as I will call them, are evidence of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon—evidence that Joseph Smith did not write a book in English but translated an ancient text and that his translation reflects the Hebrew words and word order of the original.

Portions of Tvedtnes’s article from Rediscovering the Book of Mormon are reprinted here. The 1966 revision of the Book of Mormon corrected expressions that were considered awkward in English. This destroyed much of the evidence of the book’s ancient characteristics and Hebrew language patterns. The Hebraic expressions found in the 1930 edition assist in proving the authenticity of the book.

Latter-day Saints are not unique in their belief that the Indians have Hebrew origins. Quotes The History of the American Indian by James Adair (1775) to support this claim.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The first part covers Hebrew plurals.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The second part covers the Hebrew ’and.’

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The third part covers “the severance of associated ideas.”

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The fourth part covers Hebrew verb forms.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The ninth part covers Hebrew prepositions and various Hebraisms.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The fifth part covers Hebrew numerals.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The sixth part covers Hebrew omissions, noun dependency, and lack of adjectives.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The seventh part covers possessive use of “nouns in construct relation.”

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The eighth part covers nouns in construct relation.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The first part covers Hebrew grammar.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The second part covers Hebraisms and Nephite proper names.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The third part discusses Nephite proper names.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The fourth part covers names and Greek-origin words in the Book of Mormon.

A series that produces evidence that the Book of Mormon is an ancient Hebrew work, containing Hebraisms. Emphasizes: (1) The Book of Mormon contains peculiar grammatical structures that are similarly found in the Bible, (2) many of the proper names in the Book of Mormon possess a notable Jewish character, and (3) many of the Jaredite proper names contain Hebraic similarities that date back to the period predating the Tower of Babel. The fifth part continues in covering Hebrew proper names and translation conventions.

Literal translations of Hebrew idioms are prevalent in the Book of Mormon, as are literal renditions of compound Hebrew prepositions. Parallels can be found in the Old and New Testaments, especially in the Hebrew translation of the Old Testament.

An examination is made of the influence of biblical English literature prevalent in Joseph Smith’s day upon the translation of the Book of Mormon. Also a scholarly inquiry into the verbal and syntactical structure in the small plates compared with Hebrew grammatical structures.

This article argues that, inasmuch as the Book of Mormon is a literal translation from a Hebrew record, one would expect to find the frequent use of Hebraic idiomatic expressions in it. Bramwell provides examples of a number of Hebraisms, such as compound subjects, frequent usage of the conjunction “and,” a limited number of vocabulary words, and the repetitive use of possessive pronouns.

This first of two volumes of essays honoring Hugh Nibley includes scholarly papers based on what the contributors have learned from Dr. Nibley. Nearly every major subject that he has encompassed in his vast learning and scholarly production is represented here by at least one article. Topics include the influence of Nibley, Copts and the Bible, the Seventy in scripture, the great apostasy, the book of Daniel in early Mormon thought, an early Christian initiation ritual, John’s Apocalypse, ancient Jewish seafaring, Native American rites of passage, Sinai as sanctuary and mountain of God, the Qurʾan and creation ex nihilo, and the sacred handclasp and embrace.
A discussion of the Bat Creek Inscription, a Hebrew inscription found in a burial site in Loudon County, Tennessee in 1889.

The place-names Cumorah, Jershon, and Zarahemla have possible Hebrew origins.

Poetic analysis of Alma’s words in the Book of Mormon provides insight into the meaning of word “joy”

An introduction to Hebrew poetry in the Book of Mormon. The author introduces several poetic types, including synonymous, synthetic, staircase, alternate, chiastic, and antithetical parallelisms. Other poetic and literary patterns are also investigated. In most instances Crowell gives only one example of each poetic type from the Bible, followed by one from the Book of Mormon.

The brass plates were essential to Lehi’s posterity since they contained the teachings that would lead them to righteousness; there are quotations from the brass plates throughout the Book of Mormon. We do not know what language or languages were used on the plates that came from Laban’s trove. Alma’s rendering of an unattributed Isaiah quotation is closer to the Hebrew text than are the versions found in the Septuagint and King James Bible. But when this same quotation appears a second time in the Book of Mormon and is attributed to Isaiah, it follows the KJV rendering. This curiosity offers a clue to the riddle of the language of the brass plates—it is very possible that at least some of the writings were in Hebrew.

Story of author’s conversion. He joined the Church after reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it according to Moroni’s challenge.

A children’s story of Helaman and the two thousand stripling warriors.

Retelling of the stripling warrior story for children, with pictures and brief commentary.

The Book of Helaman marks a dramatic reversal. The spiritual tables turn. While the Lamanites righteously cast their eyes toward heaven, the Nephites take their first steps toward a surprising precipice where final destruction awaits. In this brief theological introduction, Kimberly Matheson Berkey underscores an often unnoticed theme that plays throughout the book of Helaman—a book she calls “a masterclass in sight.” What does this history teach us about visibility? What is the spiritual threat behind secret combinations? What can the eyesight of the Lamanites show readers about their own religious journeys? Berkey takes us chapter by chapter through the book of Helaman, identifying how much remains to be discovered in this slim record. On each page she invites us to become more aware of the hidden and often overlooked things that shape our lives as disciples of Christ.

This instructional aid intended to increase understanding of the Book of Mormon includes a chronology, maps, photos, an account of how Joseph Smith obtained the gold plates, and a dictionary of proper names found in the Book of Mormon. Ricks also presents an explanation of the Urim and Thummim and uses geography, archaeology, ancient traditions, and biblical prophecies to demonstrate the divinity of the Book of Mormon.

A review of John W. Welch, Neal Rappleye, Stephen O. Smoot, David J. Larsen, and Taylor Halverson, eds., Knowing Why: 137 Evidences That the Book of Mormon is True. Covenant Communications, Inc., 2017, 380 pages including endnotes and biographical material. $34.99 (paperback).
Abstract: Book of Mormon Central has produced a fantastic resource for students and teachers of the Book of Mormon. Knowing Why updates prior discoveries and provides new and interesting insights based upon solid scholarship.

Brigham Young University’s Herculaneum papyri project continues to gain support among American and European scholars. The project’s director, Roger T. Macfarlane, an associate professor of classics at BYU, was invited to serve on the organizing board of the nascent Herculaneum Society, which was inaugurated in Oxford, England, on 3 July 2004. The society promotes inter-national attention on scholarship and fund-raising related to the ancient town of Herculaneum and its Villa of the Papyri. Together with David Arm-strong, a classics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Macfarlane will direct the North American division of the Herculaneum Society. “There is no secret,” he says, “that the society is eager to capitalize on our project’s success.”

Bishop Victor L. Brown told the youth at the Mexico Area Conference that they should be proud of their heritage and that they should honor their priesthood.

Biblical studies take two approaches—historical and literary. The latter focuses on the narrative. This study focuses on the narrative of the Book of Mormon, which is a collection of complex, interwoven texts, a canonical work and an ancient document. The author looks at the methods of those who want to see the Book of Mormon as a nineteenth-century document. This work is reviewed in M.239.

Parts 2-3 feature Book of Mormon stories for youth, with illustrations.

Review of Heroes from the Book of Mormon (1995), by Deseret Book

The author rewrites, on a child’s level, topics such as Lehi’s vision and journey into the wilderness, Nephi and the brass plates, Nephi building a ship, the faith of Jacob, Abinadi, Alma, Amulek, Ammon, the Anti-Nephi-Lehies, Helaman, Samuel the Lamanite, the brother of Jared, and Moroni hiding the brass plates.

RLDS activity book designed for teaching the Book of Mormon to children.

Reports on Heyerdahl’s book American Indians in the Pacific—The Theory Behind the Kon-Tiki Expedition . Argues that the Polynesians originated from the pre-Inca inhabitants of South America.

Tells about Heyerdahl’s attempt to find evidence that the Polynesians came from South America. Notes that one of the Galapagos Islands grows a species of cotton known to have been cultivated in pre- Columbian northern Peru. Statement about Hagoth (Alma 63) accompanies the article.

Review of The Book of Mormon and Other Hidden Books: “Out of the Darkness unto Light” (2000), by John A. Tvedtnes

The phrase “come unto Christ” (or similar phraseology) is found 43 times in the Book of Mormon. This phrase “describes a covenant relationship,” a spiritual covenant made before baptism (see Mosiah 18:10; 21:32-33). “To become as a little child” (3 Nephi 9:22) is synonymous with coming unto Christ.

A four-volume work designed as an instructional aid to Book of Mormon study. The workbook format proceeds verse by verse, with accompanying commentaries, maps, drawings, fill-in-the- blank questions, charts, and topics of discussion.

The Book of Mormon and modern revelation reveal the true nature of messianic Old Testament passages

The Second Conference of Abbot Serenus 21, written about A.D. 426 by the Christian scholar John Cassian, sheds light on statements made in the Book of Mormon and the Book of Moses about Cain, who slew his brother Abel.

This article produces a Mormon view of the historical-critical method of biblical source analysis. “The methods . . . of higher criticism we recognize as proper; but we must disagree as to the correctness of many of the conclusions arrived at by that method.” The author deals with the literary critics by delivering logic against logic, but also establishes the spiritual nature of the Book of Mormon. The first part covers chronology and 1 Nephi.

How Book of Mormon evidence contradicts biblical scholarship, especially the theory of multiple authorship of Isaiah

This article produces a Mormon view of the historical-critical method of biblical source analysis. “The methods . . . of higher criticism we recognize as proper; but we must disagree as to the correctness of many of the conclusions arrived at by that method.” The author deals with the literary critics by delivering logic against logic, but also establishes the spiritual nature of the Book of Mormon. The second part covers Isaian authorship.

How Book of Mormon evidence contradicts biblical scholarship, especially the theory of multiple authorship of Isaiah

Features 86 brief chapters, each containing a number of verses from the Book of Mormon. Some chapters are introduced with a note from the author.

A few notes on the Hill Cumorah. It was the site of the final battles of both Nephite and Jaredite nations, and contains a repository of plates and records.

A few notes on the Hill Cumorah. It was the site of the final battles of both Nephite and Jaredite nations, and contains a repository of plates and records.

This article is a report reviewing historical events dealing with the Hill Cumorah. The author recounts the history of the Nephite plates from the time Nephi began inscribing on them to when Ammaron turned them over to Mormon, followed by Moroni’s acquisition of the plates and their placement in Hill Cumorah. Reference is also made to the sealed plates yet to be translated.

Written for the dedication of the monument of Moroni that stands on the Hill Cumorah. Retells the story of Mormon’s and Moroni’s abridging the Book of Mormon, Moroni’s appearances to Joseph Smith, and Joseph Smith’s receiving the plates from Moroni at the Hill Cumorah.

From the time the church acquired the property comprising the Hill Cumorah, artist and sculptor Torleif S. Knaphus had often spoken to the Brethren about creating a monument on that hallowed hill. His testimony of the restoration of the gospel created a desire to honor in a tangible way the sacred event of the angel Moroni’s visit to Joseph Smith and Moroni’s eventual transfer of the gold plates to Joseph for translation. This article chronicles Knaphus’s upbringing, artistic development, and conversion to the church. The design and creation of the Hill Cumorah monument were his consuming passion for five years and a rare opportunity to add his testimony to the great latter-day work. He was commissioned to create many statues and bas-reliefs for the church, some of which are featured in a sidebar to this article.

This article gives brief histories of the Book of Mormon and the Hill Cumorah pageant. It includes appraisals from Eastern newspapers of the pageant.

A report of two brothers’ visit to Palmyra and Manchester, New York. After conducting interviews with several aged residents regarding the Joseph Smith family and the Book of Mormon, new information regarding the Smiths and the original manuscript of the Book of Mormon is produced.

Review of William D. Russell. “A Further Inquiriy into the Historicity of the Book of Mormon.” Sunstone, September-October 1982, 20-27.

Tells the story of how Ermel J. Morton, who has a knowledge of several languages, translated the Book of Mormon into the Tongan language.

Perhaps the greatest message of the Book of Mormon is that God speaks to all his children, “on one continent or another, in one land or another,” all will be taught the gospel of Jesus Christ.

An update on the translation and publication of the Book of Mormon into various languages, and the mention of certain scriptures that pose translation problems (e.g., 1 Nephi 16:10, 2 Nephi 1:22, 1 Nephi 5:16, Jacob 7:5).

The need for us to hear the voice of the true Shepherd has never been greater. His sheep still hear His voice. The influence of the Holy Ghost is available for us in our lives every day.

The Lord preserves his prophets until they have delivered their messages; examples include Abinadi from the Book of Mormon, Jeremiah in 4 Baruch, and Jesus in the New Testament.

The Autobiography of Andrew Jenson, first published in 1938 by the Deseret News Press in Salt Lake City, Utah, tells the personal story of a Danish Mormon convert who eventually served as Assistant Church Historian of the LDS Church for over forty years. The author mined his voluminous personal journals and assembled Church records to tell the story of the Restoration of the gospel since the 1850s when he arrived in Utah as a European immigrant. Through his synthesized research, writing, and reflections, readers come away with deeper appreciation for the men and women whose lives constitute Mormon history. Jenson told their stories together with his life experiences, creating an important window into the Mormon past. ISBN 978-1-944394-00-4

A synopsis of the prominent record keepers of the Book of Mormon. A serviceable chart notes the authors, the time span they covered, and the amount of pages their writings occupy.

There were four families who were charged with the care of the plates that contained the records of the Nephites. Jacob’s family, King Benjamin’s family, Alma and his family, and Mormon and his son Moroni. The author provides a dated list of the historians.

There were four families who were charged with the care of the plates that contained the records of the Nephites. Jacob’s family, King Benjamin’s family, Alma and his family, and Mormon and his son Moroni. The author provides a dated list of the historians.

A listing and analysis of the historians in the Book of Mormon and where they stood relative to Nephite history.

An announcement that “all source material pertaining to the introduction and translation of the Book of Mormon is to be made available to members of the Church”

An illustrated brochure claiming that the American Indians are a chosen people. Depicts Book of Mormon history and the beginnings of missionary work among the Indian people.

The Church has purchased a building in Palmyra, New York, where the first edition of the Book of Mormon was printed on March 26, 1830.

Review of Matthew L. Jockers, Daniela M. Witten, and Craig S. Criddle. “Reassessing authorship of the Book of Mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification.”

The author rearranges the order in which Joseph Smith “composed” the Book of Mormon in order to explain textual problems. 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon are placed last according to handwriting analysis and subjects covered.

“The remaining pages of this essay will present a few of what, for me in 1984, were discoveries of some importance. These do not by any means constitute a comprehensive explanation of the Book of Mormon. Nor are they offered as proofs of my thesis that the book is modern, but as examples of how the assumption that it is modern resolves otherwise significant difficulties.” [From author’s introduction]

Explains two modes of approach toward scriptural historicity—traditionalist and historical critical. Traditionalists look at composition, date, accuracy of events, and chronological order. The historical critical mode does not look at internal or external claims as necessarily true, but looks at the possibility that historical matters are not what are traditionally claimed. The Book of Mormon contains anachronisms in its Isaiah text and other chapters that rely on the New Testament. Suggests that the Book of Mormon is not an ancient text and that Joseph Smith was the author not the translator.

Quotes many sources, including the Quiche legends and the Popol Vuh, demonstrating anthropological and archaeological connections and correspondences with the Book of Mormon.

Positivist historiography has always maintained an impermeable boundary between history and literature. But positivism is itself a historical sediment whose time is now past. Recent literary theory and historiography emphasize the continuities between history and literature. Under the domination of historiography by a positivist epistemology (from about 1880 to 1960), history attempted to free itself from its literary heritage. More recently theorists from a number of disciplines have recognized that history, both ancient and modern, has been informed by literary motifs, themes, and strategies. The repetition of the exodus literary pattern, for example, through the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and Christian history does nothing to bring into question the historical status of the events. The exodus patterns evident in Mosiah do not force the Book of Mormon to surrender historical claims just because they also happen to be literary.

Contains a thumbnail sketch of several important personalities in the Book of Mormon. Provides Book of Mormon maps, tables, and materials dealing with chronology.

To the nonbeliever, the wide variety of destructive forces unleashed in the New World at the time of Christ’s crucifixion seems preposterous or, at the very least, unscientific. The account in 3 Nephi 8–9 mentions the simultaneous occurrence of earthquake, fire, strong winds, extensive flooding, the complete burial of cities, and thick darkness. An examination of known great natural disasters in historical times reveals that the Book of Mormon in no way exaggerates. All of the destructive forces mentioned in 3 Nephi 8–9 can be readily explained in terms of the tectonic forces that result from the encounter of the plates on which the continents and the oceans lie. The complex variety of destructive forces that we normally consider to be separate phenomena of nature is, in reality, strong evidence for the historicity of the Book of Mormon account.

Describes the location and appearance of the Hill Cumorah, and then tells of the Jaredite and Nephite destructions that had occurred there. Stevenson then discusses America as a land of liberty and Moroni’s final act of burying the plates in the Hill Cumorah.

While some may argue that gospel truth is separate from historical truth, the gospel cannot be true unless it is also historical. This means that events such as the Creation, Fall, Atonement, and Restoration all truly took place in an identifiable time and place, even if that time and place are not known to us. If these or any gospel events were not historically true, God could not render a righteous judgment on any person.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks addresses the arguments of those who term themselves believing Latter-day Saints yet advocate that Latter-day Saints should “abandon claims that [the Book of Mormon] is a historical record of the ancient peoples of the Americas.” The argument that it makes no difference whether the Book of Mormon is fact or fable is surely a sibling to the argument that it makes no difference whether Jesus Christ ever lived.

The issue of the historicity of the Book of Mormon highlights the difference between those who rely solely on scholarship and those who rely on revelation, faith, and scholarship. Those who rely solely on scholarship reject revelation and focus on a limited number of issues. But they can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon through their secular evidence and methods. On the other hand, those who rely on a combination of revelation, faith, and scholarship can see and understand all of the complex issues of the Book of Mormon record, and it is only through that combination that the question of the historicity of the Book of Mormon can be answered.

Surveys the most important writers, both those who are critics and those who are not, who have written on the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and other themes related to the Church. Offers brief critiques of their positions.

Presents a brief discussion regarding the translation of the Book of Mormon in chapter seven. Although LDS church authorities argue for the correctness of the translation, Anderson points out 25 changes made in the Book of Mormon text since its original publication in 1830.

The writer notes what he feels are several anachronisms in the Book of Mormon, including Christian theology, pre- exilic Israel, the remarkable precision with which Book of Mormon prophets predict New Testament events, and uniquely American ideas and concerns. While the Book of Mormon may be inspired, it contains no ancient history.

Historical narratives are extracted from the Book of Mormon and quoted verbatim to create a Book of Mormon history. The selections are arranged in historical order from 1 Nephi to Mormon, with the exception of the book of Ether, which is placed last.

“The Hawaiian translation of the Book of Mormon regularly appears on lists of the rarest LDS-related publications. This claim raises at lease two questions: 1) Why is it so rare? and 2) How many copies are still in existence? A related question is: How did the Hawaiian Book of Mormon come to be the first non-European language translation of that work? This study will address all of these questions.” [Author]

This supplement is designed for university students of religion. It presents students with background information, doctrinal approaches, and bibliographical sources related to the Book of Mormon.

Presents a brief overview of the Book of Mormon story and declares that it is in complete harmony with all other known truths including religious, historical, or scientific. Writes concerning charity, service, baptism, and other topics.

Reprint from Utah Academy of Science 8 (July 1, 1931): 1-32. Discusses theories of the origin of the American Indian: the Atlantis Theory and the Israelitish or Lost Ten Tribe and Hebrew Theory. The most challenging is the Book of Mormon theory.

Stela 5, a large stone monument discovered in 1941 in Izapa, Mexico, was identified a decade later by M. Wells Jakeman as a bas-relief of Lehi’s vision of the tree of life. Scholars and laymen alike have both accepted and scoffed at this theory. This article provides a historical sketch of reactions to this claim and discusses some of the implications of accepting or rejecting Jakeman’s theory. Jakeman was the first to publish an LDS interpretation of Stela 5; later V. Garth Norman proposed a different interpretation based on a series of high-quality photographs of the monument. Suzanne Miles, a non-Mormon, postulated that Izapa Stela 5 presented a “fantastic visual myth,” and Gareth W. Lowe proposed that Stela 5 presents an original creation myth. Further criticisms and responses ensued over the years.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Chronicles Jesus’ visit to the Lehites after the cataclysm.

Compares verses of the King James Version that are quoted in the Book of Mormon that are significantly different from the same verses in Joseph Smith’s Revision of the Bible. The lack of harmony between the two works is “strong evidence that the revision was incomplete”

A reprint of Howe’s 1834 Mormonism Unvailed.

A reprint from The Southern Quarterly Review, April 1842, declaring Mormonism a religious fraud and folly. “One Joe Smith,” while digging for something else, dug up gold plates that were a record of the “lost chronicles of several kings of Israel” This inflammatory article alleges that Joseph Smith spread falsehoods. The growth of the new religion is alarming and poses a threat to the uneducated religious community.

An historical work on the state of New York. Pages 646-55 contain a discussion of Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. The writer accepts the Spaulding theory of the Book of Mormon’s origin and includes a discussion of the Anthon incident.

Pages 577-82 deal with the Book of Mormon. Author discredits the Book of Mormon story by providing statements by J. B. Buck, Isaac Hale, and others concerning Mormons and the Book of Mormon, and considers Joseph Smith to be a “madman”

An evangelical essay attempting to demonstrate that the American Indians are descendants of the lost ten tribes by comparing certain features of American Indian life and customs with Old Testament practices. Deals with Indians’ division into tribes, worship of Jehovah, nations of theocracy, belief in the ministration of angels, prophets and high priests, celebration of festivals, fasts, religious rites, daily sacrifices, ablutions, anointings, traditions concerning laws of uncleanliness, social relations, manner of curing the sick, burial of the dead,and raising up seed to a deceased brother. Some critics have suggested that Joseph Smith may have drawn upon this source in writing the Book of Mormon.

Recounts the Book of Mormon story and tells of the coming forth of the plates with the Urim and Thummim. It is not new to find sacred instruments deposited in the earth—in the apocrypha Jeremiah hid the ark of the covenant in Mt. Nebo. The plates were hidden from view just as Moses was not allowed to show the tablets of stone to everyone.

Twelve-part series. Discussions include: the discovery, translation, and contents of the gold plates; Oliver Cowdery’s description of Hill Cumorah; the Three Witnesses; loss of the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon and the substitution of the small plates of Nephi; the 1830 edition; the history of the Book of Mormon, including the abridgment work of Mormon; a synopsis of Nephite history, which is divided into 3 epochs; the history of the Jaredites.

Contains the story of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon interspersed with journal entries, important footnote accounts, newspaper articles, accounts given to scribes, and commentary. Discusses Moroni’s visit, the circumstances under which the records were delivered to the prophet, the attempts to steal them, the work of translation, Martin Harris’s visit to Professor Anthon, the loss of the 116 pages of manuscript, the translation process, the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood, the Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, copyright laws, and the publication of the book.

Royal Skousen details the history of the critical text project of the Book of Mormon. He describes that project, including his work with both the original manuscript and the printer’s manuscript of the Book of Mormon. After six years of pursuing this venture, Skousen was asked by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to temporarily resign as a professor at Brigham Young University and focus primarily on the project. Skousen agreed, and for the following seven years he continued his work on the Book of Mormon text, often collaborating with the Church Scriptures Committee. In this article, Skousen shares several discoveries that have surfaced because of his research and the meaning that those discoveries have had in his life.

This massive dissertation, originally over 500 pages in length, is filled with impressive details about the settlement, troubles, and expulsion of the Latter-day Saints from northern Missouri, 1836–1839. Since its approval at BYU in 1965, this doctoral dissertation has remained a standard reference work for serious historians. Carefully written and copiously footnoted, this study draws heavily on timeless primary sources as it probes the leading causes for the Mormon War in Missouri. Rapid colonization and the unique religious teachings and practices of the Latter-day Saints are among the main factors emphasized by Dr. Leland H. Gentry. Shortly after the founding of Kirtland, speculation increased among Church members as to the future location of “Zion,” the “New Jerusalem” spoken of in the Book of Mormon. A little over a year later, in the course of a visit to the extreme western edge of the American frontier, Joseph Smith was informed by the Lord that he was standing upon the very land “appointed and consecrated for the gathering of his saints, . . . the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.” The urge to get to Zion was strong among the Saints. So intense was the desire of some to settle upon the Land of Promise that they consummated the move in haste and without adequate preparation. Migrating families often found themselves entirely dependent upon the charity of their neighbors. The rapid migrations of so many poor and ill-equipped persons threw the Saints into direct conflict with the older and more established settlers of Missouri. The latter tended to view the rapid influx of Saints as an act designed to secure control of the lands surrounding their homes without legal purchase, a thing far from the heart of any true Saint. Thus while Mormonism had many distinct and unusual features, it had certain elements of affinity with its age. For one thing, it shared the common hope of a perfect society and even inculcated a practical plan for the attainment of the same. It shared the dream of a “Manifest Destiny” for America and turned its attention to the great unsettled West early in its history. Finally it recognized the importance of land in frontier economics and set about to secure as much as was practicable.

A polemical work against Mormonism. The testimony of the Book of Mormon witnesses may be discredited due to the fact that most of them were members of the Smith and Whitmer families. The 1834 Anthon denial is cited. The Spaulding theory is accepted by the author as the most likely source behind the Book of Mormon, which he inds full of errors of grammar and anachronisms.

A history of Western New York. Discusses Mormonism and the origins of the Book of Mormon. The writer favors the Spaulding origin and dismisses the Book of Mormon as a “money making” scheme.

Analyzes the history of the priesthood from the “beginning of the world to the present time” Chapter seven provides evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon by presenting a brief summary of its content, its purpose, the biblical prophecies that pertain to it, and the positive results that come from reading it.

These chapters of Lucy Smith’s history record that Joseph brought home the breast plate, the translation began, Mrs. Harris was opposed to the work, Martin Harris lost the 116-page manuscript, the Urim and Thummim was taken from Joseph Smith, and Oliver Cowdery wrote for Joseph as a scribe.

Retells the events of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon as told by Joseph Smith and his associates.

Briefly discusses Mormonism and the Book of Mormon. The author accepts the Spaulding theory for the origin of the Book of Mormon. He also discusses the 1834 Anthon denial regarding the “sealed book” incident.

Volume 1 includes a detailed description of the gold plates, an account of the Book of Mormon narrative, and the rise of the Spaulding theory.

“Givens’s By the Hand of Mormon was a watershed, to be sure, in terms of placing the Book of Mormon front and center in Mormon studies. But it was a seed that found purchase in fertile ground—soil that had been tilled for more than two decades largely by early American historians and religious studies scholars. Collectively, they had charted the course for what the study of the Book of Mormon, and the religious tradition from whence it came, could look like in the secular academy. Most of the scholars who are currently defining the shape and trajectory of Book of Mormon studies do not self-define as historians or religious studies scholars. Many have arrived at a similar methodological place as their forerunners did without deep familiarization with the earlier scholarship. They are nevertheless part of a shared intellectual tradition with diverse paths of genesis and development, all working despite the disciplinary fragmentation of the academy within the broad rubrics of postmodernism and postsecularity. In the end, the same general conditions that allowed for the emergence of Mormon studies have also given rise to Book of Mormon studies. Both of these multidisciplinary fields will be richer as they learn to incorporate and appreciate the diverse tributaries that have flowed into today’s scholarly currents.” [Author]

Children’s game based on Lehi’s vision (1 Nephi 8).

Abstract: The role played by the Holy Ghost is an especially important connecting thread that runs through the Book of Moroni. The book illuminates the various ways in which the Holy Ghost transforms fallen human beings into redeemed members of the kingdom of God. Three phrases — “cleave unto charity,” “possessed of it,” and “that ye may be filled with this love” — are particularly revelatory of the role the Holy Ghost plays in our exaltation. But the positive process illuminated by these phrases has an obverse. Those who reject the Holy Ghost cleave to and are possessed of Satan. They are filled with his hatred. Though his message is primarily positive, Moroni has witnessed and describes what happens to those who reject the influence of the Holy Ghost.

Bearing witness of the Father and of the Son—and especially of the Son—seems to be the major function of the Holy Ghost, Supreme Witness for God (1 Nephi 12:18).

This testimony of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon states that the spirit of God led the reader to a greater understanding of the original inhabitants of the American continent. This knowledge clarified many discrepancies in Christian theology.

A reprint from Scienti c American. It is a description of an old fort found in the Ohio valley that belonged to a highly civilized ancient people.

A manual comprising thirty-two lessons for the home- study seminary teacher. The manual contains teacher’s aids, charts, drawings, and scriptural commentary.

Hearkening to the call of Christ from His Spirit, or through another’s countenance, or both, we become genuinely honest, simple, solid, true—often together with someone we may not have trusted before.

Written to show Mormon missionaries, by the use of their own written material, the fallacy of their claims. The Book of Mormon itself is evidence of its fallacy. Shows the title page of the 1830 edition that proclaims Joseph Smith as its author. The Book of Mormon condemns polygamy and the book admits its own imperfection.

Through historical, scientific, and scholarly evidence, this article shows that there were indeed horses in ancient America, well before Spaniards. Nephi stated in the Book of Mormon that horses were found upon their arrival in the promised land.

Evidence that horses existed at a very early date before agricultural civilizations sprung up has been found, but only a small amount of evidence exists to prove that they were contemporary with pre-Colombian civilizations.

Report from the Society for Archaeological Research that cites nine scholarly books and articles that show evidence of horses in ancient America. Uses this to support the 14 occurrences of the word “horses” in the Book of Mormon.

A collection of written materials concerning horses in pre-Columbian America from the fifty years preceding 1933.

Through the years people have insisted the Book of Mormon is wrong because of its reference to horses, claiming that horses were not on the continent until the Spanish arrived. This article presents evidence that there were horses on the continent as the Book of Mormon claims there were.

The article discusses hospitality in religious texts, focusing on the importance of hospitality in the Book of Mormon. Other topics include instances of hospitality in the Old Testament, examples of hospitality in stories from the Book of Mormon including Nephi and Zoram, Alma and Amulek, and Ammon and Aaron, and hospitality in the Book of Mormon homiliaries.

The author proposes “first to explore the antecedents and development of the notion of Hebrew descent; next to examine this view vis- a-vis contending views in the early years of the American Republic—both in the dialogue of the learned men of the day and the popular view espoused from the pulpit and published in written form; and lastly to touch upon the relationship between the issue of Indian Origins and the ascription of Indian ancestry offered in the Book of Mormon”

A treatise that discusses the history and prophetic future of the tribes of Israel (including the Book of Mormon people) with particular emphasis on their divine mission and role among the nations of the earth.

This article is a challenge to read the Book of Mormon to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the delivery of the plates to Joseph Smith, and a warning against neglecting the scriptures. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, a spiritual guide, and it confirms the truths in the Bible. Testimonies of Parley P. Pratt and B. H. Roberts are included.

An essay that claims that the Book of Mormon was meant for the current age.

This articles discusses how the Book of Mormon points out that through marriage the Nephites united with the Mulekites who were of Jewish descent. Hence the tribe of Joseph (Nephites) mixed with the tribe of Judah (Mulekites) in a union that is presently found among the American Indians.

Abstract: We do not have the Book of Mormon metal plates available to us. We cannot heft them, examine the engravings, or handle the leaves of that ancient record as did the Three Witnesses, the Eight Witnesses, and the many other witnesses to both the existence and nature of the plates. In such a situation, what more can we learn about the physical nature of the plates without their being present for our inspection? Building on available knowledge, this article estimates the total surface area of the plates using two independent approaches and finds that the likely surface area was probably between 30 and 86 square feet, or roughly 15% of the surface area of the paper on which the English version of the Book of Mormon is now printed.

This article discusses Matthew 12:39 to show that there are no contradictions between 1 Nephi 3:7 and D&C 84:4. The author concludes that the injunction of the Lord to build a temple was hampered by such opposition that the plan of the Lord was merely postponed—”the purposes of the Lord will prevail.”