BYU Studies
Alphabetical by Title

This compilation of groundbreaking Book of Mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on how the El Niño weather pattern may have made Lehi’s voyage to the Americas possible, geological insights into the destruction chronicled in 3 Nephi, and information about olives in antiquity. Contents “Lehi and El Niño: A Method of Migration” David L. Clark “In the Thirty and Fourth Year: A Geologist’s View of the Great Destruction in 3 Nephi” Bart J. Kowallis “‘Many Great and Notable Cities Were Sunk’: Liquefaction in the Book of Mormon” Benjamin R. Jordan “Recent Notes about Olives in Antiquity” Wilford M. Hess

Reprinted in The Prophetic Book of Mormon, The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley 8. 470–97. Reprinted in Social and Political Studies about the Book of Mormon: Articles from BYU Studies. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.
Hugh Nibley provides insights from Latter-day Saint scripture about the last days. In the Little Apocalypse of Matthew 24 and Joseph Smith—Matthew, Jesus prophesies of the events that will precede the end of the world and emphasizes that his Second Coming will be a complete surprise. People are not supposed to prepare for that day; rather, they should live every day as if the Lord were coming on that day. The only preparation is to avoid taking advantage of others, oppressing the poor, and living in luxury. The difference between the righteous and the wicked is that the righteous are the ones who are repenting. Strictly speaking, there are no “good guys”; everyone needs to repent. Numerous stories in the Book of Mormon illustrate distinctions between righteous and wicked behavior. These scripture stories were intended for our day so that we may learn how to properly prepare for the last days.

The 2015 publication of an Ensign article on, and especially photos of, one of Joseph Smith’s seer stones still owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints caused quite a sensation in the blogosphere. Mormon studies as a discipline has struggled to make sense of seer stones too. These responses are understandable, considering how often communities tend to presume little change in ritual practice over time and how identity groups tend to see others’ actually quite similar practices—separated by time or culture—as superstitious and our own as pious and commonsensical. This essay, by folklorist Eric Eliason, seeks to bring to bear the insights of both folklore scholarship and folklore-informed ancient Near Eastern scholarship on the issue of early Mormon seer stones in particular and American frontier folk magic in general.

The sermons published here provide us with insight into what messages the Smiths might have heard at Western Presbyterian. At the very least, they provide the opportunity to examine the Presbyterian message—or, rather, one example of it—on its own terms rather than through the vituperative war of words between the early Latterday Saints and their detractors. The sermons are revealing not because of any unusual eloquence or contribution to Presbyterian theology, but rather because Townsend preached on very typical subjects: the sinfulness of all human beings, the urgency of repentance, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and the sovereignty of God.

Beginning in 1870, Utah women from both polygamist and monogamist marriages attempted to establish their primacy as the standard-bearer of woman’s rights in the territory. Some sought support from leaders within the territory while others looked to those in the national arena. Ultimately, the activities of Mormon women helped to secure woman suffrage for Utah in 1870. Although it was the New Movement women who helped advance the women’s rights dialogue in the territory and establish a relationship between Utah’s women and eastern suffragists, their efforts prepared the way for an alliance between Mormon women and national suffragists. Many historians have overlooked the role of Mormon women in securing woman suffrage. Because Mormon women neither publicly drafted petitions nor held public demonstrations to seek the vote, many historians have concluded that they were not politically active until after they were enfranchised and then only in response to attempts to disfranchise them. However, the reaction of Mormon women to their enfranchisement and their readiness to assume an active political role in their communities suggest a different conclusion: that they were politicized prior to enfranchisement and their activities contributed to their own enfranchisement. Nineteenth-century woman suffragists in Utah left a legacy of activism, commitment and achievement.

This compilation of groundbreaking Book of Mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles that explore comparisons between the American Revolution and Book of Mormon governments, Nephi’s justification of his ascent to leadership, protracted war in the Book of Mormon and in modern times, and much more. Contents “The Book of Mormon and the American Revolution” Richard Lyman Bushman “The Political Dimension in Nephi’s Small Plates” Noel B. Reynolds “Cosmic Urban Symbolism in the Book of Mormon” Steven L. Olsen “The Gadianton Robbers and Protracted War” Ray C. Hillam “Scriptural Perspectives on How to Survive the Calamities of the Last Days” Hugh Nibley

Robert J. Matthew’s first article in the Autumn 1968 issue of BYU Studies dealt primarily with the making of the Inspired Version of the Bible. It considered two major aspects: (1) the preparation of the manuscript notes by the Prophet Joseph Smith and his scribes, and (2) the publication of the printed editions by The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS). This article will discuss a number of passages that are unique to the Inspired Version and also some of the implications in the text that are frequently overlooked. There are at least three levels at which one may read the Inspired Version. The first and simplest level is to compare it with the King James Version to find the variant readings. The second and perhaps the most informative level is to analyze each variant to determine the actual change in meaning that resulted from the Inspired Version rendition. The third and most difficult level is to examine the Inspired Version not only for content but also for style. This level is not limited to what is said but also involves an analysis of how it is said. The third level is particularly important because it deals with the question of whether the Inspired Version is a restoration of the original text of the Bible. Although not all of the variants in the Inspired Version are suitable for this kind of critical examination, a number of passages are thus suited, and these are highly interesting and even provocative when analyzed. Such passages have characteristics about them which strongly suggest inspiration and even restoration of the original text in some instances.

Royal Skousen has been working on the critical text project of the Book of Mormon since 1988. He has concluded that there are three important findings resulting from the critical text project of the Book of Mormon. The first is that Joseph Smith received an English-language text word for word, which he read off to his scribe. The second is that the original English-language text itself was very precisely constructed; where textual error has occurred in its transmission, the earliest reading is usually the superior reading. The third is the identification of 256 changes in the text that make a difference in meaning or in the spelling of a name, changes that would show up in any translation of the book. This article presents thirty of the most significant of these 256 changes. All of the thirty changes discussed in this paper make a difference in meaning. Nearly all of them would show up when translating the text into a foreign language. The author has grouped the changes according to various types of change. In each case, he provides a brief summary of the evidence for the change and why it is significant for serious study of the text.

It is difficult for me to respond to David Paulsen. I am not—nor have I ever claimed to be—a theologian.I will not presume to engage many of the issues or to intrude on the conversations in his paper.I am intrigued,however, by several themes raised in his paper. I will comment, first, on the crisis of authority; second, on the centrality of epistemology and the perils of theological circularity; and third,on the quintessentially modern enterprise of apologetics.

Poetry. No abstract available.

This compilation of fascinating articles on the books of Moses and Abraham from the Pearl of Great Price is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on the Antonio Lebolo, the mummies, and the papyri; other topics related to the book of Abraham and its origins; the Kirtland Egyptian Papers; and insights into the ministries of Moses and Enoch. Contents “A Prologue to Genesis: Moses 1 in Light of Jewish Traditions” E. Douglas Clark “Behold I” Kent P. Jackson “The Narrative Call Pattern in the Prophetic Commission of Enoch (Moses 6)” Stephen D. Ricks “Changes in the Book of Moses and Their Implications upon a Concept of Revelation” James R. Harris “Robert J. Matthews and the RLDS Church’s Inspired Version of the Bible” Thomas E. Sherry “Prolegomena to Any Study of the Book of Abraham” Hugh Nibley “Fragment Found in Salt Lake City” Hugh Nibley “Joseph Smith and the Lebolo Egyptian Papyri” James R. Clark “A Letter Regarding the Acquisition of the Book of Abraham” Christopher Lund “As Things Stand at the Moment” Hugh Nibley “The St. Louis Museum and the Two Egyptian Mummies and Papyri” Walter L. Whipple “Human Sacrifice and the Book of Abraham” William J. Adams Jr. “Abraham in Egypt: A Collation of Evidence for the Case of the Missing Wife” Thomas W. Mackay “What Is ‘The Book of Breathings’?” Hugh Nibley “A Translation and Commentary of the Joseph Smith Hypocephalus” Michael Dennis Rhodes “The Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers” Hugh Nibley “Antonio Lebolo: Excavator of the Book of Abraham” H. Donl Peterson

This ebook contains articles from BYU Studies on a variety of topics related to the Doctrine and Covenants. Christopher C. Jones recounts research that has allowed us to identify the person addressed in D&C 39 (James Covel, not James Covill) and again referred to in section 40. Learning that Covel was a Methodist minister, not a Baptist, enabled Jones to learn a great deal about this formerly unknown person. John W. Welch and Trevor Packer examine a newly found manuscript of D&C 65; Steven C. Harper discusses Lazarus, the rich man, and D&C 104:18; David J. Whitaker explains the use of pseudonyms in earlier editions of the D&C; Dean C. Jessee and John W. Welch examine Joseph Smith’s letter from Liberty Jail, March 20, 1839; Ronald E. Bartholomew details the textual changes that occurred in the development of D&C 130:22; and George S. Tate considers the vision received by Joseph F. Smith (now D&C 138) in the context of the Great War and the 1918 influenza epidemic. Contents “An Examination of the 1829 ‘Articles of the Church of Christ’ in Relation to Section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants” Scott H. Faulring “Mormonism in the Methodist Marketplace: James Covel and the Historical Background of Doctrine and Covenants 39–40” Christopher C. Jones “The Newly Found Manuscript of Doctrine and Covenants Section 65” John W. Welch and Trevor Packer “The Rich Man, Lazarus, and Doctrine and Covenants 104:18” Steven C. Harper “Substituted Names in the Published Revelations of Joseph Smith” David J. Whittaker “Revelations in Context: Joseph Smith’s Letter from Liberty Jail, March 20, 1839” Dean C. Jessee and John W. Welch “The Textual Development of Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 and the Embodiment of the Holy Ghost” Ronald E. Bartholomew “‘The Great World of the Spirits of the Dead’: Death, the Great War, and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic as Context for Doctrine and Covenants 138” George S. Tate

Addressing some of the most consequential yet esoteric subjects and events in Latter-day Saint Church history, this 1971 dissertation makes available items from early Mormon history never previously so thoroughly documented. Specifically, Dr. Larry C. Porter carefully delineates the dynamics of Joseph Smith’s life and movement (and the subsequent movement of the Church) in the context of the infant years of the Church, an era whose documented treatment has been previously obscure and sketchy.

This article examines the Inspired Version of the Bible translated by Joseph Smith, the first president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Matthews compares Joseph’s Inspired Version with the Bernhisel Manuscript, which has never been published. He also illustrates how Joseph Smith’s revision of the Bible was significant to the establishment of the church.

Issued by the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve in 1995, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” has instructed and inspired Latter-day Saints throughout the world, including many LDS scholars who seek to strengthen and defend marriages and families. This new volume, edited by Alan Hawkins, David Dollahite, and Thomas Draper, all of The School of Family Life at Brigham Young University, draws together the best of their latest findings.

This compilation of groundbreaking articles about succession in the presidency after Joseph Smith’s death is selected from over fifty years of LDS scholarship published by BYU Studies. This volume features articles on succession in Church leadership, the passing of the mantle from Joseph to Brigham, two years of hostility and distrust after the Martyrdom, a declaration of the Twelve regarding Apostolic succession, and a review of a book on the subject. Contents “The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844” D. Michael Quinn “Joseph, Brigham and the Twelve: A Succession of Continuity” Ronald K. Esplin “‘I Roll the Burthen and Responsibility of Leading This Church Off from My Shoulders on to Yours’: The 1844/1845 Declaration of the Quorum of the Twelve Regarding Apostolic Succession” Alexander L. Baugh and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel “The Mantle of the Prophet Joseph Passes to Brother Brigham: A Collective Spiritual Witness” Lynne W. Jorgensen “From Assassination to Expulsion: Two Years of Distrust, Hostility, and Violence” Marshall Hamilton Review of Reed C. Durham Jr. and Steven H. Heath, Succession in the Church Reviewed by Duane E. Jeffrey

The Archive of Restoration Culture was founded on the belief that Joseph Smith and the Restoration cannot be appreciated without an understanding of his environment. Student-scholars began working on the Archive project in 1997 and were followed during the next two years by other teams of advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The papers in the volume are the fruits of their labors. They show how far afield Joseph Smith’s thoughts ranged, and how many of his contemporaries were wrestling with similar issues—the role of Israel, the nature of priesthood, the quest for the visionary. The nineteen articles collected in this book are divided into the following categories: priesthood and Church government, visionary leaders in the age of Joseph Smith, distinctive doctrines of the Restoration in historical context, and the cultural background of the Restoration. Joseph Smith becomes both more recognizable and more unusual when placed against this background.

This volume presents the second series of papers from the Archive of Restoration Culture seminar on Joseph Smith and his times at the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History. The Archive of Restoration Culture was founded on the belief that Joseph Smith and the Restoration cannot be appreciated without an understanding of his environment. Advanced undergraduate and graduate students from several disciplines were drawn by the opportunity to examine Joseph Smith from the viewpoint of their disciplines, often in comparative perspective. This volume continues with the research papers written by the seminar participants in the years 2000 to 2002. Investigations range widely, covering varied topics arranged into the broad themes “Interpreting Sacred Texts,” “Cosmologies and Theologies,” “Temple and Ritual,” and “People and Places.” The nineteen papers in this volume show great imagination in the students’ innovative approaches to Joseph Smith’s character, his works, and his history.

As part of the Smith Institute’s women’s initiative, eight advanced students were invited to BYU in summer 2003 to research women’s history in the twentieth century. The eight papers in this volume are the fruits of their labors. The papers show the actions and reactions of faithful women affected by change in the Church, such as international growth and the institution of the correlation program, and by change in American culture, such as the social revolutions of the late twentieth century. While there were a number of great and important women to study, the scholars wanted also to consider the lives of the unsung. This volume reflects the scholars’ search for the generalities that create a master narrative of LDS women’s experience in the twentieth century interwoven with the individual stories, the poignant quotations, and the experiences of individual women.

The Book of Mormon contains an interesting historical and religious record covering the period from before 2,000 B.C. to A.D. 400 Internal reconstruction of Book of Mormon geography shows that the specific events mentioned in the book probably took place in those parts of Mexico and Guatemala known as Mesoamerica; it was also in Mesoamerica that many of the great ancient American civilizations once flourished. Records were kept by the people of those civilizations, in addition to the book translated by Joseph Smith, and certain of the Prophet’s detractors claim that he had access to those records and “was familiar with the advanced state of the native civilizations in Central and South America as well as the relics of the early inhabitants of western New York because of the many books available on these topics,” further asserting that the Book of Mormon is simply a fanciful rewriting of already available material.The question having been raised, it is instructive to look at what substantial, authentic information on pre–A.D. 400. Mesoamerican history was available in western New York in 1829.

Joseph Smith believed in sustaining the law. This book presents his main legal encounters in the context of his day. Party to more than two hundred suits in the courts of New York, Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, and elsewhere, he faced criminal charges as well as civil claims and collection matters. In the end, he was never convicted of any crime, and he paid his debts. These incidents were significant institutionally as well as personally. Eleven legal scholars analyze these legal encounters. Topics cover constitutional law, copyright, disorderly conduct, association, assault, marriage, banking, land preemptive rights, treason, municipal charters, bankruptcy, guardianship, habeas corpus, adultery, and freedom of the press. A 53-page legal chronology presents key information about Joseph’s life in the law. An appendix provides biographies of sixty lawyers and judges with whom he was involved, some being the best legal minds of his day. This book is for anyone interested in the life of Joseph Smith, whether general readers, historians, lawyers, or law students. Each chapter tells a fascinating story based on controlling legal documents—many just recently discovered—that allow detailed legal analysis and accurate understanding. The full book is available for free here: Sustaining the Law, edited by Gordon A. Madsen, Jeffrey N. walker, and John W. Welch Individual chapters: Preface Introduction Joseph Smith and the Constitution The Smiths and Religious Freedom Jesse Smiths 1814 Church Tax Protest Standing as a Credible Witness in 1819 Being Acquitted of a Disorderly Person Charge in 1826 Securing the Book of Mormon Copyright in 1829 Organizing the Church as a Religious Association in 1830 Winning against Hurlbuts Assault in 1834 Performing Legal Marriages in Ohio in 1835 Looking Legally at the Kirtland Safety Society Tabulating the Impact of Litigation on the Kirtland Economy Losing Land Claims and the Missouri Conflict in 1838 Imprisonment by Austin Kings Court of Inquiry in 1838 Protecting Nauvoo by Illinois Charter in 1840 Suffering Shipwreck and Bankruptcy in 1842 and Beyond Serving as Guardian under the Lawrence Estate 1842-1844 Invoking Habeas Corpus in Missouri and Illinois Defining Adultery under Illinois and Nauvoo Law Legally Suppressing the Nauvoo Expositor in 1844 Legal Chronology of Joseph Smith Lawyers and Judges in the Legal Cases of Joseph Smith Glossary of Early Nineteenth-Century Legal Terms Contributors Index