The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of early texts that suggests that the weight of early Christian doctrine wasn’t on the cross but on the work of Christ as a teacher, marking the way of eternal progress for the living and the dead.

This talks about the teaching of the Lord after his resurrection.

This talked about how the dead received baptism.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of Christ’s second mission, when he rose from the dead.

The conclusion to the series, this article goes into the details of ancient saints and apostles and their stances on baptism for the dead.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Tests the story of Lehi against various markers certain Egyptologists use to test the authenticity of other Egyptian stories.

This talks about the teaching of the Lord after his resurrection.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Looks at the various dreams of prophets and how they related to the prophets’ lives at the time they had them.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Discusses the distinction that Lehi dwelt in a tent as showing him of a different class as those who dwelt in sturdier houses.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

States that Lehi’s family did not run into any important contacts throughout their eight years of wandering the desert because they didn’t light fires. It discusses this being a common practice even today so as to not attract the attention of prowling raiding parties.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Discusses Middle Eastern traditions of naming a place you have discovered after you and how that relates to the names of places within the Book of Mormon.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of early desert poems.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

States that the actions of Lehi’s sons when they go back for the brass plates are typical of people from that time and even from today in the Middle East.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A discussion about the history of using metal plates for more important records.

Draws the conclusion that Lehi took the shortest and safest route through the desert during his journeys in the Book of Mormon.

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

““Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

“The Religious Picture”: Changes in the religious world and in scholarship concerning religion are illustrated by numerous quotations from various writers.“

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

““Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

Changes in religious scholarship further illustrated. Quotations are arranged under headings such as “Revelation,” No Longer a Dirty Word,” “Neo-orthodoxy,” and “Science.”“

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

“Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

“Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

““Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

This report is a summary of the teachings of the early church fathers on the nature of God.“

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

“Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

““Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

Including such topics as no more infallible books, more revelation needed, the language problem, the textual problem, Paul quotes the ancients, the statue of John, the historical Jesus, and the present impasse.“

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences. This report includes excerpts from the Expository Times by Nibley in the form of a G-2 Report. 14 pages, s.s., 1984. Most excerpts deal with the state of Christianity in 1983 and 1984.

““Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

Two topics or reports are included. Includes various quotations from the Expository Times on Old Testament biblical research. See “New Age of Discovery” in Since Cumorah, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 7.“

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

“Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

““Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

Topics include the flood, the patriarchal age, the Old Testament as history, the Old Testament in its Near Eastern setting, patterning, language of the Old Testament, and the integrity of the text.“

A series of handouts prepared in the fifties and early sixties for distribution to various audiences.

“Years ago, it was my custom to communicate to the General Authorities in an occasional brash and self-appointed newsletter (called a ‘G-2 Report’) items of interest dealing with new discoveries which I considered significant. My boldness was not ill-received.” —Quoting a letter from Nibley to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, 2 October 1979.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

The epistolary form of this series of articles, is the style in which the writer most commonly expounds his views. Although “Professor F.” to whom these letters are addressed is a purely fictitious anthropologist in an eastern university, he is typical of many a real correspondent, and the letters themselves are no less typical. If “F.” seems unduly meek and teachable, that is because with the limited space at our disposal it would be folly to engage in long and needless controversies.

This talks about the teaching of the Lord after his resurrection.

This talked about how the dead received baptism.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Gives a historical parallel to the Big Wind to show that it such a thing was possible.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study into the deseret, or honeybee.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Studies the Jaredite practice of “drawing off” followers to an army to builds its forces and bides its time to show that this was a normal practice at the time.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Looks at ancient thrones and suggests that they all go back to the old Asiatic pattern.

The purpose of these articles is to (1) call attention to some of the long-ignored aspects of the Joseph Smith account of Enoch in the book of Moses and in the Inspired Version of Genesis and (2) provide at the same time some of the evidence that establishes the authenticity of that remarkable text. Contemporary learning offered few checks to the imagination of Joseph Smith; the enthusiasm of his followers presented none.

Addresses the dangers of oversimplifying the scriptures and attempts to look at the Book of Mormon without such oversimplification.

This exciting and penetrating comparison of the Joseph Smith book of Enoch, with four known variant manuscripts of that ancient work, provides yet another evidence of the Prophet’s inspiration and the scope of his vision in the great work of the Restoration.

A conclusion to the World of the Jaredites series.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

“Demonstrates not only that

our interpretation of Ezekial 37:15ff is

a possible one—for there are many

possibilities—but that it is also the

one most likely intended by the

Prophet Ezekiel. “

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A look at what the sticks of Judah and Joseph were or what they referred to.

This talked about how the dead received baptism.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A discussion of the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph as scepters.

A conclusion to the Stick of Judah and the Stick of Joseph series.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of new discoveries that answer questions critics of the Book of Mormon had been using to disprove its authenticity.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Discusses forgery throughout religious history and how we might test whether or not Joseph Smith forged the Book of Mormon.

This talked about how the dead received baptism.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Looks at circumstancial evidence attending the production of the Book of Mormon and how it suggests that the Book of Mormon is true.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Discusses the language of the Scrolls, specifically how it is not the language the Jews of the time should have been speaking and writing.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Suggests that the author of the Book of Mormon merely wanted people to believe in it and studies what the author might have gained from that.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Addresses the idea that the Book of Mormon may include as many or more Egyptianisms as Hebraisms and suggests that the translation of the Book of Mormon had to have been done by revelation in order for people to believe in its verity.

The purpose of these articles is to (1) call attention to some of the long-ignored aspects of the Joseph Smith account of Enoch in the book of Moses and in the Inspired Version of Genesis and (2) provide at the same time some of the evidence that establishes the authenticity of that remarkable text. Contemporary learning offered few checks to the imagination of Joseph Smith; the enthusiasm of his followers presented none.

A conclusion to the New Approaches to Book of Mormon Study series.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

This talk was later called, “How Will It Be when None More Saith ‘I Saw’?”

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

A discussion of what a prophet is and a suggestion that a prophet’s reward isn’t acceptance in this life.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses what a prophet is not to show what a prophet is.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Addresses the need for scriptures and revelation and suggests that the two are not controversial but complementary.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Considers the second of two twin pillars of conventional Christianity: tradition, specifically traditions within the Church and how the Church breaks other Christian traditions.

Reprinted in Immortality: Famed Discourses on Eternal Progression and Future Existence and The World and the Prophets, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 3.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses the degree to which a spiritual message can or must be implemented in a physical manner.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses the weaknesses of judging prophets based on our experience of peaceful living and of the “quiet” life.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses the claim that a prophet is just another preacher and explains that this is false.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Suggests that the Church is the only non-speculative church in a world of speculative churches, which enhances its claim of being the primitive church.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

A discussion of members as Christians by the definition of believing in Christ and a discussion of how the idea of Christianity as one who subscribes to the creeds of Christiandom came to be.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discussion of better ways to remember the dead.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses man’s tendency to only believe in God’s word where it matches man’s understanding and how this ties in with the Plan of Life.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses the idea that members consistently find themselves in the company of ancient saints and removed from behaviors and acts of contemporary Christians, especially when it comes to the search for God.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

A discussion of what martyrdom is and how Joseph Smith’s relates to those found throughout history.

Part of a weekly lecture series featured on KSL radio.

A discussion about liberty and ancient beliefs involving such.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Suggests that the end of the primitive church came about due to the ceasing of prophetic revelations.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

A history of schools and how they’ve affected prophets over the years.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

A comparison of Latter-day Saint pioneers with ancient members and followers of Christ.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Talks about what St. Augustine’s great task was during life.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Addresses various peoples’ ideas that one can find certitude without revelation and discusses the idea that where there is no revelation, there is no certitude.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses Mysticism, the definition most scholars give it, and how that relates to prophets.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discussion of rhetoric having the impression of knowledge with no actual knowledge. This is contrasted with revelation, which provides true knowledge.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Looks at the idea of miracles within the Church and compares them with those found in the world.

Reprinted as a chapter in The World and the Prophets, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 3.

Radio talk on the Book of Mormon as a witness of continuing revelation and God’s dealings with mankind.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Talks about Hebrews 6: 4, 6. Suggests that it is possible for men to be gifted with everything only to later lose everything; then, it is not possible for them to regain those blessings by their own works.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Discusses a scientific religion that matches exactly with human experience and suggests that this is not actually a religion but a reduced, meaningless attempt.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

A discussion of how prophets are essential to a True Church.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Suggests that religion is not practical for this life but is essential for the next.

Reprinted in The World and the Prophets, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 3.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

Suggests that joy is the main message prophets bring to mankind.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

The essays cover such subjects as early accounts of Jesus’ childhood, the Savior’s forty-day ministry after his resurrection, baptism for the dead in ancient times, the passing of the primitive church, and the early Christian prayer circle.

A discussion on the question: “Was the church Jesus founded expected to remain upon the earth for a limited time only, or was the ‘apostolic church’ destined ‘to remain firm and steadfast until the end of the world’?”

A series of articles in three sections printed in 12 parts running from January 1955 through December 1955.

A discussion of the three main arguments modern claimants fall back on to save at least the tattered remnants of the true church: (1) the perfectly irrelevant “gates of hell” passage, (2) the “simple fact” that the church has persisted in the world unintermittently for nigh onto two-thousand years, and (3) that God simply would not allow a comoplete dissolution of his church.

A series of articles in three sections printed in 12 parts running from January 1955 through December 1955.

A discussion of eschatology and how it relates to and influences religion.

Part 1 of 5.

An exploration into the book of Ether and its ties to Egypt told via a fictional account.

Part 2 of 5.

An exploration into the book of Ether and its ties to Egypt told via a fictional account.

Part 3 of 5.

An exploration into the book of Ether and its ties to Egypt told via a fictional account.

Part 4 of 5.

An exploration into the book of Ether and its ties to Egypt told via a fictional account.

Part 5 of 5.

An exploration into the book of Ether and its ties to Egypt told via a fictional account.

Later published with the second part as a chapter in Lehi in the Desert; The World of the Jaredites; There Were Jaredites, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 5.

A look into Babylonian folklore and ritual, written as a story about three students and their professor.

Later published with the first part as a chapter in Lehi in the Desert; The World of the Jaredites; There Were Jaredites, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 5.

A comparison of Babylonian folklore and Jaredite records, also comparing ritualistic elements and less religious aspects of both records.

The Improvement Era was a magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A discussion of shining stones throughout different religious stories, including several in the Book of Mormon.

Reprinted in Lehi in the Desert; The World of the Jaredites; There Were Jaredites, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 5.

Discussions of the book of Enoch and its relationship to the Book of Abraham and other ancient texts and folklore.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A description of stories of ancestors from various countries.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of conquest during the time the Book of Mormon was written and how the Book of Mormon fits in with that culture.

The description of the Jaredite boats seem to resemble the boat of Ut-Napitshtim, who was the Sumerian counterpart of Noah. Old Jewish and even older Indian sources record the use of shining stones that protect the owner beneath the water. These have been traced back to Babylonian tales of the deluge. Since the Jaredite record reports that their boats were patterned after Noah’s ark, ancient myths that surely have their foundation in real events help to provide greater understanding of the book of Ether. The book of Ether meets all the criteria of epic traditions of heroic societies. The remains of heroic societies are difficult to identify.

This wide-ranging series discusses the “epic milieu” of the second millennium B.C. and places the Jaredites in their historical context alongside the Babylonians, Egyptians, early Greeks, and others. It makes a comparison between the book of Ether and ancient writings of Babylon, Egypt, Sumer, and others.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of the book of Ether and how it matches other societies of its day.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Looks at ancient architecture and suggests that ancient Jaredite architecture may still exist, but we have yet to identify them.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

This is a general introduction to the lessons. It declares the purpose of the course as being to illustrate and explain the Book of Mormon, rather than to prove it. In many ways the Book of Mormon remains an unknown book, and the justification for these lessons lies in their use of neglected written materials, including ancient sources, which heretofore have not been consulted in the study of the Book of Mormon. In spite of the nature of the evidence to be presented, the average reader is qualified to pursue this course of study, though he is warned to avoid the practice common among the more sophisticated critics of the Book of Mormon of judging that book not in the light of the ancient times in which it purports to have been written but in that of whatever period the critic himself arbitrarily chooses as the time of its production. The Book of Mormon must be read as an ancient, not as a modern book. Its mission, as described by the book itself, depends in great measure for its efficacy on its genuine antiquity. After stating this purpose, the present lesson ends with discussion of the “Great Retreat” from the Bible, which is in full swing in our day and can only be checked in the end by the Book of Mormon.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

“The Book of Mormon can and should be tested. It invites criticism, and the best possible test for its authenticity is provided by its own oft-proclaimed provenance in the Old World. Since the Nephites are really a branch broken off from the main cultural, racial, and religious stock, that provenance can be readily examined.” In case one thinks the Book of Mormon has been adequately examined in the past, it is well to know that today all ancient records are being read anew in the light of new discoveries. In this lesson we discuss some of the overthrows of the last decades that make it necessary to undertake the thoroughgoing re-evaluation of ancient records, including the Bible. The old evolutionary interpretation is being re-examined, while in its place is coming the realization that all ancient records can best be understood if they are read as a single book.

The note of universalism is very strong in the Book of Mormon, while the conventional views of tribal and national loyalties are conspicuously lacking. This peculiar state of things is an authentic reflection of actual conditions in Lehi’s world. Lehi, like Abraham, was the child of a cosmopolitan age. No other time or place could have been more peculiarly auspicious for the launching of a new civilization than the time and place in which he lived. It was a wonderful age of discovery, an age of adventurous undertakings in all fields of human endeavor, of great economic and colonial projects. At the same time the great and brilliant world civilization of Lehi’s day was on the very verge of complete collapse, and men of God like Lehi could see the hollowness of the loudly proclaimed slogans of peace (Jer. 6:14, 8:11) and prosperity. (2 Ne. 28:21.) Lehi’s expedition from Jerusalem in aim and method was entirely in keeping with the accepted practices of his day.

A discussion of Lehi’s beginnings, including what the world Lehi knew was like and how it was on the verge of collapse. It shows that Lehi’s expedition was entirely in keeping with the accepted practices of his day.

There are many indications in the book of First Nephi that Lehi was a merchant. That title meant a great deal in Lehi’s day; there is ample evidence that the greatest men of the ages engaged in the type of business activities in which Lehi himself was occupied. But along with that, these same men were great colonizers, seekers after wisdom, political reformers, and often religious founders. Here we see that Lehi was a typical great man of one of the most remarkable centuries in human history, and we also learn how he was delivered from the bitterness and frustration that beset all the other great men of his time.

“Here we see that Lehi was a typical great man of one of the most remarkable centuries in human history, and we also learn how he was delivered from the bitterness and frustration that beset all the other great men of his time.

“

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Only within the last few years has it been realized that the ancient Hebrews were not the primitive agricultural people that scholars had always supposed they were, but among other things that they were always very active in trade and commerce. Their commercial contracts reached for many hundreds of miles in all directions, which meant an extensive caravan trade entailing constant dealings with the Arabs. In Lehi’s day the Arabs had suddenly become very aggressive and were pushing Jewish merchants out of their favored positions in the deserts and towns of the north. To carry on large-scale mercantile activities with distant places, it was necessary for merchants to have certain personal and official connections in the cities in which they did business; here we mention the nature of such connections. Jewish merchants were very active in Arabia in Lehi’s day, diligently spreading their religion wherever they went and settling down not only as tradesmen in the towns but as permanent cultivators and colonizers in the open country. Lehi’s activity in this regard is more or less typical and closely resembles that of his predecessor Jonadab ben Rekhab.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Here we discuss Lehi’s personal contacts with the Arabs, as indicated by his family background and his association with Ishmael, whose descendants in the New World closely resemble the Ishmaelites (Bedouins) of the Old World. The names of Lehi and some of his sons are pure Arabic. The Book of Mormon depicts Lehi as a man of three worlds, and it has recently become generally recognized that the ancient Hebrews shared fully in the culture and traditions of the desert on the one hand and in the cultural heritage of Egypt on the other.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

The Book of Mormon insists emphatically and specifically that Lehi had acquired at least a veneer of Egyptian culture. Only within the last few decades have students come to appreciate the intimate cultural ties between Egypt and Palestine in Lehi’s day. Here we note some of the discoveries that have brought about that surprising realization. Though Lehi’s loyalty to Egypt seems mainly cultural, there is a good deal in the Book of Mormon to indicate business ties as well. Here we present two documents describing business dealings between Egypt and Palestine in ancient times: the one depicts the nature of overland traffic between two regions, the other gives a picture of trade by sea. That Lehi was interested also in the latter type of commerce is apparent from the prominence of the name of Sidon in the Book of Mormon.

From Nephi we learn that the Elders of the Jews were running things and that these Elders hated Lehi. From other sources, it is known that Jerusalem at the time actually was under the control of the Sarim, an upstart aristocracy that surrounded and dominated the weak king and hated and opposed both the prophets and the old aristocratic class to which Lehi belonged. This accounts for Nephi’s own coldness toward “the Jews at Jerusalem.” Among the considerable evidence in the Book of Mormon that identifies Lehi with the old aristocracy, the peculiar conception and institution of “land of one’s inheritance” deserved special mention. Also the peculiar relationship between city and country has now been explained, and with it the declaration of the Book of Mormon that Christ was born in the land of Jerusalem becomes a strong argument in support of its authenticity. Another significant parallel between the Book of Mormon and the political organization of Jerusalem in Lehi’s day is the singular nature and significance of the office of judges. The atmosphere of Jerusalem as described in the first chapters of the Book of Mormon is completely authentic, and the insistence of Nephi on the greatness of the danger and the completeness of the destruction of Judah has recently been vindicated by archaeological finds.

Nephi tells us a great deal about conditions in Jerusalem in his day. Lessons 8, 9, and 10 take a closer look at the city on the eve of its overthrow.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

There is no more authentic bit of Oriental “culture-history” than that presented in Nephi’s account of the brothers’ visits to the city. Because it is so authentic it has appeared strange and overdrawn to western critics unacquainted with the ways of the East, and has been singled out for attack as the most vulnerable part of the Book of Mormon. It contains the most widely discussed and generally condemned episode in the whole book, namely, the slaying of Laban, which many have declared to be unallowable on moral grounds and inadmissible on practical grounds. It is maintained that the thing simply could not have taken place as Nephi describes it. In this lesson, these objections are answered.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Laban is described very fully, though casually, by Nephi and is seen to be the very type and model of a well-known class of public official in the Ancient East. Everything about him is authentic. Zoram is another authentic type. Both men provide food for thought to men of today: both were highly successful yet greatly to be pitied. They are representatives and symbols of a decadent world. Zoram became a refugee from a society in which he had everything, as Lehi did, because it was no longer a fit place for honest men. What became of “the Jews at Jerusalem” is not half so tragic as what they became. This is a lesson for Americans.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

To appreciate the setting of much of Book of Mormon history it is necessary to get a correct idea of what is meant by wilderness. That word has in the Book of Mormon the same connotation as in the Bible and usually refers to desert country. Throughout their entire history, the Book of Mormon people remain either wanderers in the wilderness or dwellers in close proximity to it. The motif of the Flight into the Wilderness is found throughout the book and has great religious significance as the type and reality of the segregation of the righteous from the wicked and the position of the righteous man as a pilgrim and an outcast on the earth. Both Nephites and Lamanites always retained their nomadic ways.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

The Israelites always looked back upon the days of the wandering in the wilderness as the true schooling of the Chosen People and the time when they were most nearly fulfilling the measure of their existence. The concept of man as a wanderer and an outcast in a dark and dreary world is as old as the records of the human race. The desert has always had two aspects, that of refuge and asylum on the one hand, and of trial and tribulation on the other: in both respects, it is a place where God segregates and tests his people. Throughout the history of Israel, zealous minorities among the people have gone out into the wilderness from time to time in an attempt to get back to the ways of the Patriarchs and to live the old Law in its purity, fleeing from Idumea or the wicked world. This tradition remained very much alive among the early Christians and is still a part of the common Christian heritage, as can be seen from numerous attempts of Christian groups to return to the ways of Israel in the desert. Only the restored Church of Jesus Christ, however, has found itself in the actual position of the ancient saints, being literally driven out into the desert.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

As outcasts and wanderers, the Nephites took particular pains to preserve unbroken the records and traditions that bound them to their ancestors in the Old World. Special emphasis is laid in the Book of Mormon on one particular phase of the record; namely, the care to preserve intact that chain of religious writing that had been transmitted from generation to generation by these people and their ancestors “since the world began.” The Book of Mormon is a religious history. It is specifically the history of one religious community, rather than of a race or nation, beginning with the “people of Nephi,” who became established as a special minority group at the very beginning of Book of Mormon times. The Nephite prophets always preached that the nation could only maintain its integrity and its very existence by remaining a pious religious society. Alma founded a church based on religious traditions brought from the Old World: it was a Church in the Wilderness, a small group of pious dissenters who went forth into the desert for the purpose of living the Law in its fullness. This church was not unique among the Nephites; other “churches of anticipation” flourished in the centuries before Christ, and after Christ came many churches carrying on in the apocalyptic tradition.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

The mystery of the nature and organization of the Primitive Church has recently been considerably illuminated by the discovery of the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls. There is increasing evidence that these documents were deliberately sealed up to come forth at a later time, thus providing a significant parallel to the Book of Mormon record. The Scrolls have caused considerable dismay and confusion among scholars, since they are full of things generally believed to be uniquely Christian, though they were undoubtedly written by pious Jews before the time of Christ. Some Jewish and Christian investigators have condemned the Scrolls as forgeries and suggest leaving them alone on the grounds that they don’t make sense. Actually they make very good sense, but it is a sense quite contrary to conventional ideas of Judaism and Christianity. The Scrolls echo teachings in many apocryphal writings, both of the Jews and the Christians, while at the same time showing undeniable affinities with the Old and the New Testament teachings. The very things which made the Scrolls at first so baffling and hard to accept to many scholars are the very things which in the past have been used to discredit the Book of Mormon. Now the Book of Mormon may be read in a wholly new light, which is considered here in lessons 14, 15, 16, and 17.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Alma’s church in the wilderness was a typical “church of anticipation.” In many things it presents striking parallels to the “church of anticipation” described in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Both had gone forth into the wilderness in order to live the Law in its fullness, being dissatisfied with the official religion of the time, which both regarded as being little better than apostasy. Both were persecuted by the authorities of the state and the official religion. Both were strictly organized along the same lines and engaged in the same type of religious activities. In both the Old World and the New, these churches in the wilderness were but isolated expressions of a common tradition of great antiquity. In the Book of Mormon, Alma’s church is clearly traced back to this ancient tradition and practice, yet until the recent discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, no one was aware of its existence. We can now read the Book of Mormon in a totally new context, and in that new context, much that has hitherto been strange and perplexing becomes perfectly clear.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

In the light of the Dead Sea Scrolls, all the Apocryphal writings must be read again with a new respect. Today the correctness of the 91st Section of the Doctrine and Covenants as an evaluation of the Apocrypha is vindicated with the acceptance of an identical view by scholars of every persuasion, though a hundred years ago, the proposition set forth in the Doctrine and Covenants seemed preposterous. What all the apocryphal writings have in common with each other and with the scriptures is the Apocalyptic or eschatological theme. This theme is nowhere more fully and clearly set forth than in the Book of Mormon. Fundamental to this theme is the belief in a single prophetic tradition handed down from the beginning of the world in a series of dispensations but hidden from the world in general and often confined to certain holy writings. Central to the doctrine is the Divine Plan behind the creation of the world that is expressed in all history and revealed to holy prophets from time to time. History unfolds in repeating cycles in order to provide all men with a fair and equal test in the time of their probation. Every dispensation, or “Visitation,” it was taught, is followed by an apostasy and a widespread destruction of the wicked, and ultimately by a refreshing or a new visitation.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

This lesson is on an unusual theme. The Book of Mormon story of Moroni’s “Title of Liberty” gives valuable insight into certain practices and traditions of the Nephites, which they took as a matter of course but which are totally unfamiliar not only to the modern world but to the world of Biblical scholarship as well. Since it is being better recognized every day that the Bible is only a sampling (and a carefully edited one) of but one side of ancient Jewish life, the Book of Mormon must almost unavoidably break away from the familiar things from time to time, and show us facets of Old World life untouched by the Bible. The “Title of Liberty” story is a good example of such a welcome departure from beaten paths, being concerned with certain old Hebrew traditions which were perfectly familiar to the Nephites but are nowhere to be found either in the Bible or in the apocryphal writings. These traditions, strange as they are, can now be checked by new and unfamiliar sources turned up in the Old World and are shown to be perfectly authentic.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

In Nephi’s description of his father’s eight years of wandering in the desert, we have an all but foolproof test for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. It can be shown from documents strewn down the centuries that the ways of the desert have not changed, and many first-hand documents have actually survived from Lehi’s age and from the very regions in which he wandered. These inscriptions depict the same hardships and dangers as those described by Nephi and the same reaction to them. A strong point for the Book of Mormon is the claim that Lehi’s people survived only by “keeping to the more fertile parts of the wilderness,” since that is actually the custom followed in those regions, though the fact has only been known to westerners for a short time. Nephi gives us a correct picture of hunting practices both as to weapons and methods used. Even the roughest aspects of desert life at its worst are faithfully and correctly depicted.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

A valuable passage about fire-making in 1 Nephi furnishes the perfect clue to the nature of Lehi’s contacts in the desert. He avoided all contact whenever possible. This behavior is perfectly consistent with the behavior of modern Arabs and with known conditions in the desert in Lehi’s day. The whole story of Lehi’s wandering centers about his tent, which in Nephi’s account receives just the proper emphasis and plays just the proper role. Another authentic touch is Lehi’s altar-building and sacrificing. The troubles and tensions within Lehi’s own family on the march, and the way they were handled and the group led and controlled by Lehi’s authority are entirely in keeping with what is known of conditions both today and in ancient times. The description of the role and the behavior of women in 1 Nephi are also perfectly consistent with what is known of actual conditions from many sources.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Long ago Sigmund Freud showed that dreams are symbolic, that they take their familiar materials from everyday life and use them to express the dreamer’s real thoughts and desires. Lehi’s dreams have a very authentic undertone of anxiety, of which the writer of 1 Nephi himself seems not fully aware; they are the dreams of a man heavily burdened with worries and responsibilities. The subjects of his unrest are two: the dangerous project he is undertaking and the constant opposition and misbehavior of some of his people, especially his two eldest sons. It may be instructive for the student to look for these two themes in the dreams discussed here. This lesson is devoted to pointing out the peculiar materials of which Lehi’s dreams are made: the images, situations, and dream-scenery, which, though typical, can only come from the desert world in which Lehi was wandering. These thirteen snapshots of desert life are submitted as evidence for that claim.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

One of the most revealing things about Lehi is the nature of his great eloquence. It must not be judged by modern or western standards, as people are prone to judge the Book of Mormon as literature. In this lesson, we take the case of a bit of poetry recited extempore by Lehi to his two sons to illustrate certain peculiarities of the Oriental idiom and especially to serve as a test-case in which a number of very strange and exacting conditions are most rigorously observed in the Book of Mormon account. Those are the conditions under which ancient desert poetry was composed. Some things that appear at first glance to be most damning to the Book of Mormon, such as the famous passage in 2 Nephi 1:14 about no traveler returning from the grave, turn out on closer inspection to provide striking confirmation of its correctness.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

In this lesson, we test certain proper names in the Book of Mormon in the light of actual names from Lehi’s world, unknown in the time of Joseph Smith. Not only do the names agree but the variations follow the correct rules, and the names are found in correct statistical proportions, the Egyptian and Hebrew types being of almost equal frequency, along with a sprinkling of Hittite, Arabic, and Greek names. To reduce speculation to a minimum, the lesson is concerned only with highly distinctive and characteristic names and to clearly stated and universally admitted rules. Even so, the reader must judge for himself. In case of doubt, he or she is encouraged to correspond with recognized experts in the languages concerned. The combination of the names Laman and Lemuel, the absence of Baal names, the predominance of names ending in -iah, such facts as those need no trained philologist to point them out; they can be demonstrated most objectively, and they are powerful evidence in behalf of the Book of Mormon.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

In the writer’s opinion, this lesson presents the most convincing evidence yet brought forth for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Very likely, the reader will be far from sharing this view, since the force of the evidence is cumulative and based on extensive comparative studies that cannot be fully presented here. Still the evidence is so good, and can be so thoroughly tested, that we present it here for the benefit of the reader who wishes to pursue the subject further. Since Gressmann, Jeremias, Mowinckel, and many others began their studies at the start of the century, a vast literature on the subject of the Great Assembly at the New Year and the peculiar and complex rites performed on that occasion has been brought forth. Yet nowhere can one find a fuller description of that institution and its rites than in the Book of Mormon. Since “patternism” (as the awareness of a single universal pattern for all ancient year rites is now being called) is a discovery of the last thirty years, the fact that the now familiar pattern of ritual turns up in a book first published almost 130 years ago is an extremely stimulating one. For it is plain that Mosiah’s account of the Great Year Rite among the Nephites is accurate in every detail, as can be checked by other year-rites throughout the world.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

The Latter-day Saint claim that Ezekiel’s account of the Stick of Joseph and the Stick of Judah is a clear reference to the Book of Mormon has, of course, been challenged. There is no agreement among scholars today as to what the prophet was talking about, and so no competing explanation carries very great authority. The ancient commentators certainly believed that Ezekiel was talking about books of scripture, which they also identify with a staff or rod. As scepters and rods of identification the Two Sticks refer to Judah and Israel or else to the Old Testament and the New. But in this lesson, we present the obvious objections to such an argument. The only alternative is that the Stick of Joseph is something like the Book of Mormon. But did the ancient Jews know about the Lord’s people in this hemisphere? The Book of Mormon says they did not, but in so doing specifies that it was the wicked from whom that knowledge was withheld. Hence it is quite possible that it was had secretly among the righteous, and there is actually some evidence that this was so.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

In this lesson, we pick out some peculiar items in the Book of Ether to show how they vindicate its claim to go back to the very dawn of history. First, the account of the great dispersion has been remarkably confirmed by independent investigators in many fields. Ether, like the Bible, tells of the Great Dispersion, but it goes much further than the Bible in describing accompanying phenomena, especially the driving of cattle and the raging of terrible winds. This part of the picture can now be confirmed from many sources. In Ether, the reign and exploits of King Lib exactly parallel the doings of the first kings of Egypt (entirely unknown, of course, in the time of Joseph Smith) even in the oddest particulars. The story of Jared’s barges can be matched by the earliest Babylonian descriptions of the ark, point by point as to all peculiar features. There is even ample evidence to attest the lighting of Jared’s ships by shining stones, a tradition that in the present century has been traced back to the oldest versions of the Babylonian Flood Story.

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has brought to light the dual nature of ancient Judaism, in which “the official and urban Judaism” is pitted against the more pious Jews “intent on going back to the most authentic sources of Jewish religion . . . in contrast to the rest of backsliding Israel” (Moscati). The official Judaism is the work of “intellectuals” who are not, however, what they say they are, namely seekers after truth, but rather ambitious men eager to gain influence and followers. The Book of Mormon presents a searching study of these people and their ways. There is the devout Sherem, loudly proclaiming his loyalty to the Church and his desire to save it from those who believe without intellectual proof. There is Alma, who represents the rebellion of youth against the teachings of the fathers. There is Nehor, the Great Liberal, proclaiming that the Church should be popular and democratic, but insisting that he as an intellectual be given special respect and remuneration. There is Amlici, whose motive was power and whose tool was intellectual appeal. There is Korihor, the typical Sophist. There is Gadianton whose criminal ambitions where masked by intellectual respectability. For the Old World an exceedingly enlightening tract on the ways of the intellectuals is Justin Martyr’s debate with Trypho, and also an interesting commentary on the Book of Mormon intellectuals whose origin is traced directly back to the “Jews at Jerusalem.”

A commentary on the “intellectuals” of the official Judaism and suggests that they were not seekers after truth but were rather ambitious men eager to gain influence and followers.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Crime has a conspicuous place in the Book of Mormon. It is organized crime and for the most part singularly respectable. Here we trace the general course of criminal doings in the Book of Mormon, showing that the separate events and periods are not disconnected but represent a single great tradition. Petty crime is no concern of the Book of Mormon, but rather wickedness in high places. The Book of Mormon tells us how such comes into existence and how it operates, and how it manages to surround itself with an aura of intense respectability and in time to legalize its evil practices. Finally, the whole history of crime in the Book of Mormon is directed to our own age, which is described at the end of the book in unmistakable terms.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

The long summary at the end of this chapter tells what it is about. It is a general picture of Nephite culture, which turns out to be a very different sort of thing from what is commonly imagined. The Nephites were a small party of migrants laden with a very heavy and complete cultural baggage. Theirs was a mixed culture. In America, they continued their nomadic ways and lived always close to the wilderness, while at the same time building cities and cultivating the soil. Along with much local migration attending their colonization of the new lands, these people were involved in a major population drift towards the north. Their society was organized along hierarchical lines, expressed in every phase of their social activity.

Beginning with a mobile defense, the Nephites soon adopted the classic system of fortified cities and strong places, their earth-and-wood defenses resembling those found all over the Old World. Settled areas with farms, towns, and a capital city were separated from each other by considerable stretches of uninhabited country. The greatest military operation described in the Book of Mormon is the long retreat in which the Nephites moved from one place to another in the attempt to make a stand against the overwhelmingly superior hereditary enemy. This great retreat is not a freak in history but has many parallels among the wars and migrations of nations. There is nothing improbable or even unusual in a movement that began in Central America and after many years ended at Cumorah.

Discusses the Nephite strategy for defense and compares it with wars and migrations of nations throughout time.

In this work the Book of Mormon is seen in a new perspective; we see it in a world setting, not in a mere local one. It takes its place naturally alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity and becomes one of them.

Book of Mormon archaeologists have often been disappointed in the past because they have consistently looked for the wrong things. We should not be surprised at the lack of ruins in America in general. Actually the scarcity of identifiable remains in the Old World is even more impressive. In view of the nature of their civilization, one should not be puzzled if the Nephites had left us no ruins at all. People underestimate the capacity of things to disappear and do not realize that the ancients almost never built of stone. Many a great civilization has left behind not a single recognizable trace of itself. We must stop looking for the wrong things.

First of the series “Mixed Voices“: A Study in Book of Mormon Criticism in the Improvement Era.

A witty exposé of anti-Mormon methods of Book of Mormon criticism.

Second of the series “Mixed Voices“: A Study in Book of Mormon Criticism in the Improvement Era.

A witty exposé of anti-Mormon methods of Book of Mormon criticism.

Third of the series “Mixed Voices“: A Study in Book of Mormon Criticism in the Improvement Era.

Shows ways in which the Book of Mormon was out-of-sorts with the nineteenth century and, thus, not just another book of that time.

Fourth of the series “Mixed Voices“: A Study in Book of Mormon Criticism in the Improvement Era.

Shows ways in which the Book of Mormon was out-of-sorts with the nineteenth century and, thus, not just another book of that time.

Fifth of the series “Mixed Voices“: A Study in Book of Mormon Criticism in the Improvement Era.

Shows ways in which the Book of Mormon was out-of-sorts with the nineteenth century and, thus, not just another book of that time.

Reprinted in The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 8.

A look into how and where anti-Mormon sources get their ideas and information, and how to protect against them.

Sixth of the series “Mixed Voices” on Book of Mormon criticism

This article responds to the assertion that the Book of Mormon is a product of the religious and political milieu of the American frontier.

Reprinted combined with part two in The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 8.

The good and bad sides of comparing the Book of Mormon to other works.

Reprinted combined with part one in The Prophetic Book of Mormon, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 8.

The good and bad sides of comparing the Book of Mormon to other works.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of claims that Joseph Smith’s first vision was a fabrication due to the time lapse between when it was written and when it was published.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Looks at various summaries of Joseph Smith’s vision and how the deleted portions of these summaries make them lose all authenticity and truth.

This talked about how the dead received baptism.

A conclusion to the Joseph Smith Story series.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The purpose of the somewhat labored pages that follow is to lead up to better things by giving the reader some idea of what we are dealing with, of the scope and nature of the writings that are now being read with wonder and amazement by students of religion, and of the strange doctrine and baffling problems they present.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Studies the Dead Sea Scrolls related to wording found in the New Testament previously thought to be peculiar to that book alone.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A discussion of the Christian Apocrypha as compared with the Jewish Apocrypha.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Studies the Logia and compares it with other early religious writings.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Discusses the history of keeping secrets within religions and within scriptures.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Continues the discussion from the previous installment.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A discussion of original Christian writings versus ones that replaced those when they were lost and what students of such literature might learn from looking at both.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

The conclusion to the three part article about the secrecy in the primitive church and how that influenced it during its time and after it was lost.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Looks at how quickly people changed Christianity after the apostles’ deaths, especially in regards to the secret teaching God had given to the apostles while they were alive.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A comparison of the imagery of the “Plan“ of Salvation as found in the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A comparison of the imagery of the “Plan“ of Salvation as found in the Book of Mormon and the Bible.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A comparison of the histor of Zenos in the Book of Mormon and an unnamed prophet of the Thanksgiving Hymns.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

A comparison of the allegory of the olive tree with Hymn 10 of the Thanksgiving Hymns from Qumran.

Part 1 of a series on the similarities and issues between religious texts.

An article highlighting the issues that arise when comparing documents.

Part 2 of a series on the similarities and issues between religious texts.

Beginning as a continuation of part 1 of the series, this article dives more into rituals and ceremonies done in ancient times, specifically by kings and rulers, that line up with Book of Mormon rituals and ceremonies.

Part 3 of a series on the similarities and issues between religious texts.

Dr. Nibley continues with the windows that the Book of Mormon opens on strange and forgotten customs and traditions that are just now being brought to light.

Part 4 of a series on the similarities and issues between religious texts.

As new documents are discovered, the comparative study of the Book of Mormon goes forward. We continue a brief glance at some of the more important scrolls that have not yet appeared in book form nor been translated into English

Part 5 of a series on the similarities and issues between religious texts.

The scholarly study of the Book of Mormon goes forward with the discovery of ancient documents. We continue a brief glance at some of these which have not yet appeared in book form nor been translated into English.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Discusses recent discoveries that cast new light on the identity of the unknown prophet Zenos and are producing information “that no man dreamed of” concerning the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Suggests that any investigation of the Book of Mormon will bring up more problems, not solutions, meaning our prejudices may show answers as solutions, but we don’t always understand things correctly.

“Since Cumorah: New Voices from the Dust” looks at the changing attitudes of biblical scholars toward basic questions about scripture allow room for claims made by the Book of Mormon. Discusses external evidences, the primitive church, Lehi, Zenos, the olive tree, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Continues the discussion from “Problem, Not Solutions.”

The final article in the Improvement Era series Since CUmorah: New Voices from the Dust.

A summary of the Since Cumorah series, and some final thoughts.

A continuation of “Since Cumorah: New Voices From the Dust.”

A discussion on whether Lehi and his family brought traces of Persian culture to the Americas because of Zoroaster’s influence on Jewish thought.

As evidenced by the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah was subject to the same abridging as the Book of Mormon prophets

As evidenced by the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah was subject to the same abridging as the Book of Mormon prophets

As evidenced by the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah was subject to the same abridging as the Book of Mormon prophets

As evidenced by the Dead Sea Scrolls, Isaiah was subject to the same abridging as the Book of Mormon prophets

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

30 pamphlets, weekly radio addresses from 7 March to 17 October.

The flood of newly discovered Jewish and Christian documents that are changing the complexion of religious studies in our time has been matched by equally significant, if less spectacular, developments in an area of no less interest to Latter-day Saints— that of the religious practices and beliefs of the Egyptians. Recent challenges that question the authenticity of many statements in one of the standard works of the Church, the Pearl of Great Price, have reopened an old discussion at a time when fresh discoveries and interpretations are putting an entirely new face on the whole problem. Brother Hugh Nibley, who for many years has been gathering data relevant to the study of the Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham, presents in this fascinating series some of the materials that must be considered in the reappraisal of certain Egyptological aspects of the Pearl of Great Price for which the time is now ripe. The reader is warned to be prepared for surprises. Although Dr. Nibley pulls no punches, he is still animated by a healthy respect for all qualified Egyptologists, including his own revered instructors, in the rudiments of the mysteries of hieroglyphics, and promises to proceed with such caution and discretion that even they will approve of his methods, however much they may disagree with his conclusions

A warning that by bringing up “the ghosts of the dead,” serious scholars will need to be prepared to learn that previous thinking was fallible.

The flood of newly discovered Jewish and Christian documents that are changing the complexion of religious studies in our time has been matched by equally significant, if less spectacular, developments in an area of no less interest to Latter-day Saints— that of the religious practices and beliefs of the Egyptians. Recent challenges that question the authenticity of many statements in one of the standard works of the Church, the Pearl of Great Price, have reopened an old discussion at a time when fresh discoveries and interpretations are putting an entirely new face on the whole problem. Brother Hugh Nibley, who for many years has been gathering data relevant to the study of the Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham, presents in this fascinating series some of the materials that must be considered in the reappraisal of certain Egyptological aspects of the Pearl of Great Price for which the time is now ripe. The reader is warned to be prepared for surprises. Although Dr. Nibley pulls no punches, he is still animated by a healthy respect for all qualified Egyptologists, including his own revered instructors, in the rudiments of the mysteries of hieroglyphics, and promises to proceed with such caution and discretion that even they will approve of his methods, however much they may disagree with his conclusions

Suggests that in the modern day, the ever enlarging problems require scholars to bring to the discussion whatever might help solve it, no matter what that may be or how much time it may take.

The flood of newly discovered Jewish and Christian documents that are changing the complexion of religious studies in our time has been matched by equally significant, if less spectacular, developments in an area of no less interest to Latter-day Saints— that of the religious practices and beliefs of the Egyptians. Recent challenges that question the authenticity of many statements in one of the standard works of the Church, the Pearl of Great Price, have reopened an old discussion at a time when fresh discoveries and interpretations are putting an entirely new face on the whole problem. Brother Hugh Nibley, who for many years has been gathering data relevant to the study of the Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham, presents in this fascinating series some of the materials that must be considered in the reappraisal of certain Egyptological aspects of the Pearl of Great Price for which the time is now ripe. The reader is warned to be prepared for surprises. Although Dr. Nibley pulls no punches, he is still animated by a healthy respect for all qualified Egyptologists, including his own revered instructors, in the rudiments of the mysteries of hieroglyphics, and promises to proceed with such caution and discretion that even they will approve of his methods, however much they may disagree with his conclusions

Brings up a claim from experts that Joseph Smith incorrectly translated the Book of Abraham and shows how their claims are inaccurate.

The flood of newly discovered Jewish and Christian documents that are changing the complexion of religious studies in our time has been matched by equally significant, if less spectacular, developments in an area of no less interest to Latter-day Saints— that of the religious practices and beliefs of the Egyptians. Recent challenges that question the authenticity of many statements in one of the standard works of the Church, the Pearl of Great Price, have reopened an old discussion at a time when fresh discoveries and interpretations are putting an entirely new face on the whole problem. Brother Hugh Nibley, who for many years has been gathering data relevant to the study of the Facsimiles in the Book of Abraham, presents in this fascinating series some of the materials that must be considered in the reappraisal of certain Egyptological aspects of the Pearl of Great Price for which the time is now ripe. The reader is warned to be prepared for surprises. Although Dr. Nibley pulls no punches, he is still animated by a healthy respect for all qualified Egyptologists, including his own revered instructors, in the rudiments of the mysteries of hieroglyphics, and promises to proceed with such caution and discretion that even they will approve of his methods, however much they may disagree with his conclusions

Looks at a proposition that the original document of the Pearl of Great Price is available for us to investigate and shows the inaccuracies of this claim.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Discusses just how well-equipped Dr. Spalding’s illustrious jury really were, individually and collectively, to make a pronouncement on the Book of Abraham.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Continues the discussion from the previous installment.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

An explanation that experts are usually specialists in only one field and that as such, their studies may sometimes miss some of the more obvious points from looking too closely. It then looks at how this relates to Egyptologists’ opinions of Joseph Smith as a translator.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A look at Theodore Deveria’s introduction to Egyptology and Hebrew and his studies on the Book of the Dead.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A discussion on the reopening of the Joseph Smith vs. the Scholars due to the finding of the original papyrus from which Fascimile No. 1 in the Book of Abraham was taken.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A discussion on whether parts of Fascimile No. 1 should have a hand or part of a wing from a bird to provide commentary on previous scholars’ opinions on the piece.

Continued in “Part 6. Facsimile No. 1: A Unique Document (continued).”

Presents considerable evidence to suggest that “Egyptian hieroglyphic is not a naive picture-writing, but a special code governed by strict rules, without a knowledge of which it cannot be read.”

“In the previous installment, Dr. Nibley presented considerable evidence to suggest that “Egyptian hieroglyphic is not a naive picture-writing, but a special code governed by strict rules, without a knowledge of which it cannot be read.” Turning to a discussion of the three facsimiles of the Book of Abraham, Dr. Nibley says that these facsimiles are “strictly ritual,” and that they are directly related to the theme of the Book of Abraham—“the transmission of priesthood and authority. . . .”

“

A study of Egyptian art and how it relates to the art found in Facsimile No. 1.

Because of widespread interest in the relationship of the Book of Abraham and the recently discovered Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri (see Era, January and February 1968), and in an effort to keep readers up-to-date with Dr. Nibley’s penetrating and incisive analysis of this relationship, this series’ monthly space will be enlarged and the series will be treated as a special supplement for Era readers. Through enlarged sections of Dr. Nibley’s research, readers will also be better able to see the flow of discussion and understand the author’s findings. Beginning with this issue, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price” will be found at the end of the magazine, until the series’ anticipated completion sometime in 1970.

A study of the authenticity of the Book of Abraham and a discussion of where one might find more information on Abraham.

Because of widespread interest in the relationship of the Book of Abraham and the recently discovered Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri (see Era, January and February 1968), and in an effort to keep readers up-to-date with Dr. Nibley’s penetrating and incisive analysis of this relationship, this series’ monthly space will be enlarged and the series will be treated as a special supplement for Era readers. Through enlarged sections of Dr. Nibley’s research, readers will also be better able to see the flow of discussion and understand the author’s findings. Beginning with this issue, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price” will be found at the end of the magazine, until the series’ anticipated completion sometime in 1970.

A study of a tradition that came about during Abraham’s time where they would sacrifice their children to the Devils and worship images and how that relates to Abraham’s story and Fascimile No. 1.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A discussion of Abraham’s spiritual experiences and how the locations of the experiences provide more insight into them.

Because of widespread interest in the relationship of the Book of Abraham and the recently discovered Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri (see Era, January and February 1968), and in an effort to keep readers up-to-date with Dr. Nibley’s penetrating and incisive analysis of this relationship, this series’ monthly space will be enlarged and the series will be treated as a special supplement for Era readers. Through enlarged sections of Dr. Nibley’s research, readers will also be better able to see the flow of discussion and understand the author’s findings. Beginning with this issue, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price” will be found at the end of the magazine, until the series’ anticipated completion sometime in 1970.

Deals with Ur of the Chaldees and where that takes place.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A discussion of Abraham’s spiritual experiences and how the locations of the experiences provide more insight into them.

Because of widespread interest in the relationship of the Book of Abraham and the recently discovered Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri (see Era, January and February 1968), and in an effort to keep readers up-to-date with Dr. Nibley’s penetrating and incisive analysis of this relationship, this series’ monthly space will be enlarged and the series will be treated as a special supplement for Era readers. Through enlarged sections of Dr. Nibley’s research, readers will also be better able to see the flow of discussion and understand the author’s findings. Beginning with this issue, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price” will be found at the end of the magazine, until the series’ anticipated completion sometime in 1970.

Continuing his imaginary discussion between two students and a museum curator, in order to help readers better understand the complex issues of the case, the author has just established “that this lion-couch business” takes place on “great ritual occasions” as described in the Book of Abraham; such an occasion was “the supreme moment of the Sed-festival”

Because of widespread interest in the relationship of the Book of Abraham and the recently discovered Joseph Smith Egyptian papyri (see Era, January and February 1968), and in an effort to keep readers up-to-date with Dr. Nibley’s penetrating and incisive analysis of this relationship, this series’ monthly space will be enlarged and the series will be treated as a special supplement for Era readers. Through enlarged sections of Dr. Nibley’s research, readers will also be better able to see the flow of discussion and understand the author’s findings. Beginning with this issue, “A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price” will be found at the end of the magazine, until the series’ anticipated completion sometime in 1970.

A look at Egyptian culture and gods for better understanding of Fascimile No. 1.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

This intends to show that the book of the Dead fragments, the Breathing Papyrus, and the three facsimiles contain the elements of a single story, which happens to be the story of Abraham as told in the Book of Abraham and the early Jewish legends.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Questions and answers about Facsimile No. 1.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

Questions and answers about Facsimile No. 1.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A comparison of the stories of Heracles and Abraham to show them both as legends in the category of Victims of Procrustes.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A continuation of the comparison of the stories of Heracles and Abraham as legends in the category of Victims of Procrustes.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A continuation of the comparison of the stories of Heracles and Abraham as legends in the category of Victims of Procrustes.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A comparison between the sacrifice of Isaac and of Sarah to show the ritual and importance of the act.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of the story of how Sarah ended up at the royal palace

Reprinted in An Approach to the Book of Abraham, Collected Works of Hugh Nibley vol. 18.

A conclusion to the series A New Look at the Pearl of Great Price.

A discussion of the Book of Enoch as extracts of “The Writings of Moses.”

With the October 1975 issue, the Ensign began a series on the book of Enoch authored by Hugh Nibley. As Part 1 recounts, early Christian writers knew and respected the book of Enoch, but biblical scholars neglected it in scorn after the excitement of the Reformation was over. However, James Bruce, exploring the sources of the Nile in 1773, brought back three copies. Part 2 describes the critical response—or lack of it—to these documents and then turns to examining the four versions of the book of Enoch against which Joseph Smith’s writing must be judged.

This section of the examination of Enoch compared Joseph Smith’s book of Enoch step-by-step with four main classes of documents, commonly designated as the following: I Enoch (the Ethiopic texts, beginning with the three brought to England by Bruce in 1773), II Enoch (also called the Secrets of Enoch in Old Slavonic), III Enoch (Enoch texts in Greek), and scattered Hebrew and Aramaic Enoch fragments. Since these are to serve as checks on the reliability of the Prophet Joseph, the qualifications of each should be briefly considered.

Discusses how Christian Enoch’s writings are.

Suggests that what is written on earth is written in heaven and discusses how that comes into play with writing spiritual matters that the Lord has commanded be written.

The Improvement Era was an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1897 and 1970.

A study of the book of Enoch as a recording of sacred matters.

Suggests parallels to Moses 1, which lie far beyond the reach of coincidence or daydreaming. The number of details and the order in which they occur make it perfectly clear that we are dealing with specific works of great antiquity which come from a common source. To show what they mean, they compare Moses’s, Abraham’s, and Adam’s confrontations with Satan.

The purpose of these articles is to (1) call attention to some of the long-ignored aspects of the Joseph Smith account of Enoch in the book of Moses and in the Inspired Version of Genesis and (2) provide at the same time some of the evidence that establishes the authenticity of that remarkable text. Contemporary learning offered few checks to the imagination of Joseph Smith; the enthusiasm of his followers presented none.

Addresses the dangers of oversimplifying the scriptures and attempts to look at the Book of Mormon without such oversimplification.

This exciting and penetrating comparison of the Joseph Smith book of Enoch, with four known variant manuscripts of that ancient work, provides yet another evidence of the Prophet’s inspiration and the scope of his vision in the great work of the Restoration.

This follows the idea that Enoch had great cosmological visions.

The deliberate wickedness of the people at Enoch’s time created a moral turbulence that was reflected in chaotic nature, such as earthquakes.

In this installment, Brother Nibley first concludes his discussion of the veil, then uses scriptural sources from the book of Moses and nonscriptural accounts by apochryphal writers of texts not available to Joseph Smith to give us an intriguing image of Enoch’s holy city.

A discussion of the translation of the Dead Sea Scroll book of Enoch.

The “A” file is very good but only covers about 30 minutes while the “B” file covers 45 minutes but has pretty poor quality.