Posted in Antiquity Book of Mormon Egyptian Evidence language Origins

New Life for Ancient Word Plays in the Book of Mormon: Paanchi, Ankh, and Deadly Oaths

It’s no secret that secret combinations are one of the most salient and intelligent aspects of the Book of Mormon. The patterns of behavior and potential dangers in exposed secret…

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Posted in Apologetics Book of Mormon Critics Evidence Geography language Problems Scholarship Science Translation

Update on Horses in the Book of Mormon

One of the toughest challenges for the Book of Mormon is the issue of horses. At first glance, it’s a simple case for rejecting the book. The Book of Mormon…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Abraham Egyptian Evidence Scholarship Translation

Some Resources for the Puzzling Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham

Latter-day Saints interested in the Pearl of Great Price have much to be excited about thanks to recent scholarship giving us many more insights into the significance and meaning of…

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Posted in Arabia Arabian Peninsula Book of Mormon Evidence

Fabulous Gift for Book of Mormon Fans: Watch Lehi in Arabia for Free

Perhaps the single best book related to Book of Mormon evidence is Warren Aston’s Lehi and Sariah in Arabia, available on Kindle. Related to it is the delightful DVD, Lehi…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Abraham Egyptian Evidence history language Scholarship Scripture Translation

John Gee’s Introduction to the Book of Abraham: A Lifetime of Book of Abraham Scholarship Distilled into a Valuable Book for a Broad Audience

It was a pleasure to read John Gee’s recently published An Introduction to the Book of Abraham (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and BYU Religious Studies Center,…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Mormon Critics Evidence Problems Scholarship Scripture

A Rookie Mistake in Forging an Ancient Document

Biblical Archaeology Review just shared an interesting story on a purportedly ancient Jewish document. As reported in October 2016, a papyrus mentioning the city of “Jerusalem,” “the king,” and “jars…

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Posted in Book of Mormon chiasmus Evidence Scholarship

Fifty Years of Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon: The Story of Its Discovery

One of my favorite stories from the world of Book of Mormon studies is the discovery of chiasmus in the text by a young missionary serving in Germany. Fifty years…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Evidence Temple

Ancient Temples, Shrines, and Altars Outside of Jerusalem

An old argument against the Book of Mormon is that no self-respecting Hebrew would even think of building a temple outside of Jerusalem as Nephi did in the New World….

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Posted in Apologetics Evidence Scholarship

Elder Holland on LDS Apologetics

Recent weeks have been interesting for the unofficial, highly heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory cluster of so-called “LDS apologists.” I fall into that motley group. In fact, I was doing LDS…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence Scholarship Translation

FairMormon 2017 Conference, Day Two

Day two of the FairMormon 2017 Conference offered another series of outstanding speakers with messages covering a broad spectrum of topics. (See also my summary of day one.) Ben Spackman…

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