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

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

Abstract: LDS discourse vis-à-vis Hagar has changed through the years since the foundation of the Church. Her story has been considered and utilized in a number of ways, the most prominent being as a defense of plural marriage. This paper traces the LDS usages of Hagar’s story as well as proposing a new allegorical interpretation of her place within the Abrahamic drama through literary connections in the Hebrew Bible combined with Restoration scripture.

A comparison of the Ten Commandments with the laws of Hammurabi of Babylonia

Abstract: In this article Matthew Brown examines the possible meaning behind the imagery of the handclasp between God in heaven and the earthly king. He focuses on this imagery as it is articulated in Psalms 27, 41, 63, 73, and 89. He argues that Psalms 41 and 73 feasibly indicate that when the king of Israel was initiated within the precincts of the temple into the office of kingship he passed through the veil of the Holy of Holies (see Exodus 26:33) and symbolically entered into God’s presence.
[Editor’s Note: Part of our book chapter reprint series, this article is reprinted here as a service to the LDS community. Original pagination and page numbers have necessarily changed, otherwise the reprint has the same content as the original.
See Matthew B. Brown, “The Handclasp, the Temple, and the King,” in Temple Insights: Proceedings of the Interpreter Matthew B. Brown Memorial Conference, “The Temple on Mount Zion,” 22 September 2012, ed. William J. Hamblin and David Rolph Seely (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation; Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2014), 5–10. Further information at https://interpreterfoundation.org/books/temple-insights/.].

Abstract: Most biblical students are familiar with the story of Hannah, who after years of barrenness, finally gave birth to the prophet Samuel. Some will remember her adversary, Peninnah, who allegedly tormented Hannah to tears. My objective in this article is to reclaim Peninnah’s good name by reinterpreting the passage found in 1 Samuel 1:6.

Consistency of gospel truths in all standard works

Consistency of gospel truths in all standard works

Emanuel Tov focuses on biblical texts found in Qumran. He discusses which texts were found, the significance of such a find, what the scrolls look like and are made of, scribal errors, and how the ancient texts relate to the texts we have today. Also included is a question-and-answer section that addresses such topics as the Teacher of Righteousness, copper plates, and the Temple Scroll.

This book presents the scholar, historian, lawyer, and general student of the Bible with a highly readable and useful handbook. First published in Jerusalem in 1964, this concise yet knowledgeable treatise remains illuminating. Its skillful organization makes it the most accessible of all introductions to biblical law. Falk’s research is grounded in historical, sociological, linguistic, and comparative data. His work yields interesting insights about technical legal terminology, vital social information behind the Israelite legal system, and broad perspectives on law among Israel’s neighbors, the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians. Alongside its discussions of homicide, torts, property, contracts, slavery, and divorce, this book includes sections on law and religion, divine judgment, collective responsibility, blasphemy, and religious elements in biblical family law. These studies make it clear that Hebrew law in biblical times cannot be understood except as an integrated system of social institutions and religious values.

Amos, Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Elijah

A first-person description of Hezekiah’s Tunnel

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

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

Originally presented as an address given on 19 June 1956 to the seminary and institute faculty at Brigham Young University.
Solving the problem of historicity of the Bible: how it came around, and what to do about it.

Concludes that Jasher is a medieval work and not the one mentioned in the Old Testament

How the Bible has influenced the growth of civilization

Helping students with reading disabilities to be able to understand the scriptures

How one can be a full-blooded non-Israelite and still be a literal descendant of one of the twelve tribes

Abstract: In the Book of Mormon, Nephi draws upon his own knowledge of the Jewish people, their culture and language, and the surrounding area to add to his understanding of Isaiah’s words, and commends that approach to his reader. In his book The Vision of All, it is clear that Joseph Spencer lacks knowledge in these topics, and it negatively affects his interpretation of Isaiah. Specifically, this lack of knowledge causes him to misinterpret the role of the Messiah in Isaiah’s teachings, something that was clear to Isaiah’s ancient readers.
Review of Joseph M. Spencer, The Vision of All: Twenty-five Lectures on Isaiah in Nephi’s Record (Salt Lake City: Greg Kofford Books, 2016). 318 pages. $59.95 (hardback); $29.95 paperback.

Review of Isaiah Plain and Simple: The Message of Isaiah in the Book of Mormon (1995), by Hoyt W. Brewster Jr.

A challenge to Anthony Hutchinson’s article “LDS Approaches to the Holy Bible,” published in Dialogue.