Posted in Book of Abraham Critics history

The Pure Language Project

To understand the strange Kirtland Egyptian Papers, we may need to understand the fascination with “pure language” that was found among some early Latter-day Saints. Brian Hauglid wrote this in…

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Posted in Book of Abraham language

My Hypothesis Overturned: What Typos May Tell Us About the Book of Abraham

In my previous post, “The Smoking Gun for Joseph’s Translation of the Book of Abraham, or Copied Manuscripts from an Existing Translation?,” I suggested that examination of the “smoking guns”…

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Posted in Book of Abraham Critics Evidence Scripture Translation

The Smoking Gun for Joseph’s Translation of the Book of Abraham, or Copied Manuscripts from an Existing Translation?

Thanks to the Joseph Smith Papers website and its section on the Book of Abraham, we can explore in detail the surviving manuscripts related to production and translation of the…

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Posted in Book of Abraham Egyptian language Problems Translation

Puzzling Content in the Egyptian Alphabet and Grammar

When I first started looking at the Kirtland Egyptian Papers in detail on the Joseph Smith Papers site, I was immediately struck by the surprisingly specific and narrowly focused content…

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

Do the Kirtland Egyptian Papers Prove the Book of Abraham Was Translated from a Handful of Characters? See for Yourself!

In a small but highly valuable and colorful book on the Book of Abraham, John Gee’s A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri (Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and…

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Pearl of Great Price
Posted in Book of Abraham Critics Scripture

My Uninspired “Translation” of the Missing Scroll/Script from the Hauglid-Jensen Presentation

While I have expressed disappointment with what was said, or rather, what wasn’t said, at the Maxwell Institute’s recent presentation, “A Window into Joseph Smith’s Translation” of the Book of…

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BOA Facs. 1
Posted in Book of Abraham Critics Evidence

Friendly Fire from BYU: Opening Old Book of Abraham Wounds Without the First Aid

Note: Since the Maxwell Institute launched another revision of their website, it appears that most links to their past material are broken, including the link to their own video of…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Evidence Gospel of Jesus Christ International Miracles MIssionary work Prayer Service Stories

“Here, Take My Camera”: Responding to the Miraculous Message and Convincing Power of the Book of Mormon

The Shanghai International District Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held March 17 and 18, 2018, in Shanghai. The highlight by far was the musical…

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Posted in Uncategorized

Worse Than I Thought: Apologies for My Mistake about the CES Letter and Joseph’s Cosmology

In my previous post, “Joseph Smith and the Concept of Multiple Inhabited Worlds: Just Simple Borrowing from Others?,” I made a serious blunder when I criticized the CES Letter regarding…

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Posted in Uncategorized

The Explanatory Power of an Ancient Setting for the Book of Abraham: One Example

Critics of LDS scriptures sometimes exert great efforts to find parallels to Joseph’s environment and modern sources of knowledge to account for our sacred texts. Such parallels can be interesting,…

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