In addition to many articles Kerry Shirts has written on the Book of Abraham, he has a diverse series of podcasts that include detailed discussions about evidence supporting Joseph Smith’s interpretations of the facsimiles. For starters, I recommend this podcast on the Book of Abraham Egyptian facsimiles.
Kerry Shirts’ Podcasts – Many Details on the Facsimiles of the Book of Abraham
I’ve always been a fan of Kerry’s podcasts. He’s the one that got me hooked on Margaret Barker.
I can’t quite get a grip on Kerry’s scholarship. What do you know about his training or self-training, and his reputation among LDS scholars?
@ joseph antley
Margaret Barker’s work blew me away. I’m still trying to figure out her reputation among other scholars before I start whipping her out in Sunday School.
Speaking of reputation…
@ rick
I think that Kerry is an amateur, at least based on what I can tell. A very knowledgeable, articulate amateur, but an amateur nevertheless. Even if I’d be hesitant to cite him as an authority, his musings can provide a good starting point into reputable scholarship.
I welcome the chance to chime-in on Kerry.
I am a daily visitor to BackaYardProfessor.com I find his site the best on the web for the topics I like.
I don’t agree with him on everything, but his insights are great!
The problem with those who are more respected authorities is that they need to sell books or report to boards that don’t like too much controversy. They have to watch closely what they say. This assumes they could actually come up with an original thought.
Kerry can and does go right into a topic and give his views. Perhaps he misses the make more often than a heavily peer reviewed paper, but show we a journal anywhere who puts out the volume of material he does and comes anywhere near the insight Kerry imparts, it does not exist.
-David
But even when he may miss the mark, just look around, the mark is not too far from where he pointed you.
-David
And, this whole discussion bothers me.
This distinction between amateur and professional just seems like non-sense. Was Joseph Smith an amateur or a professional? I understand that a formal education can certainly be beneficial, but it can also stifle real insight, making people conform their thinking to certain narrow norms (see http://selfmadescholar.com/ ).
I think that trusting one person because they have a degree and viewing another suspiciously because he does not is a bad way to learn. Why not takes a person’s words and judge them by there content, not the air if respectability attached to the author.
-David