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“Under This Head Ye Are Made Free”

One of many recent discoveries regarding ancient wordplays in the Book of Mormon is presented by Matthew L. Bowen in “The Scalp of Your Head: Polysemy in Alma 44:14–18,” Interpreter:…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Origins Translation

A Thought on Book of Mormon Origins

The full significance of Martin Harris’s visit to Charles Anthon has been diminished in the way Latter-day Saints typically retell the story. A consequence of that visit was an apparent…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Moses Hebrew literature Scripture

The Chain that Veils: A Word Play in Moses 7:26?

As I’ll explain in more detail in the near future, an important verse in considering possible connections between the ancient brass plates and the Book of Moses is found in…

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Scholars and Faith: The Conversion of Heinz Cassirer

One of the tragedies of modern biblical scholarship is the unnecessary loss of faith it has brought to many believers who have mistaken the frequently shifting declarations of scholars for…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Mormon Hebrew language wordplays

Possible Hebrew Wordplay in 2 Nephi 1:23?

(Taken from a post recently published at The Nauvoo Times.) Recently in “The Strength of Moses,” I explored an interesting theory from Noel Reynolds about the relationship between the Book…

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The Strength of Moses

Having just addressed some basic problems in the use of the Documentary Hypothesis, or, more generally, biblical criticism (“Higher Criticism”) as a tool to dismiss Book of Mormon evidence from…

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Another Test: The 1835 Doctrine and Covenants Use of Command Syntax and What It Tells Us About the Language in the Book of Mormon

In a recent post examining the language of the Doctrine and Covenants, I found that the Early Modern English style of using “did” for past tense, such a common feature…

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Posted in Apologetics Book of Mormon Early Modern English Evidence language Scholarship Translation

Update on Early Modern English in the Book of Mormon: One Potential Test to Identify the Possible Influence of New England Dialect on the Dictated Text

Executive Summary: I remain impressed with the detailed, data-rich work of Carmack and Skousen regarding Early Modern English (EModE) influence in the original text of the Book of Mormon. However,…

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Posted in Book of Mormon Problems

Jaredite Barges: Clearing the Air (with the Help of a Confusing Electric Piano)

I was sure the simple instructions were wrong as I assembled the frame for the Casio electric piano I purchased for my wife for Mother’s Day. When it came time…

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The Human Side of Trees

Diane Wirth has an interesting article at the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum (BMAF.org), “Cutting Down a Tree: a Metaphor for Death in Scripture and Mesoamerica.” It draws some connections…

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