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Book of Mormon

FAIR Voice Podcast #17: Jasmin and Neal Rappleye

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Jasmin and Neal Rappleye of Book of Mormon Central join Hanna for an exciting conversation about Book of Mormon historicity.

Jasmin is the Web Architect and Content Manager for Book of Mormon Central. She administrates all the web properties of Book of Mormon Central and provides computer support for our users. She also serves as their chief Graphic Designer and the Peer Review Coordinator for the publication of KnoWhys. She enjoys creating new ways to visualize the Book of Mormon, and enjoys managing Book of Mormon’s volunteers.

She graduated magna cum laude from Brigham Young University in 2015 with a Bachelor’s degree in Ancient Near Eastern Studies. At Book of Mormon Central, she gets to combine her passion for religion in antiquity with her visual and technical skills. She enjoys creating new ways for users to digitally interact with the study of the Book of Mormon.

Neal Rappleye has been doing on going research on the Book of Mormon for several years. His work has been published by Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture, FairMormon, the Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum, LDS.net, and Meridian Magazine. He presented at the 2014 and 2016 Book of Mormon Lands Conferences, and is the co-recipiant of the 2013 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award from FairMormon. He maintains a personal blog, Studio et Quoque Fide (By Study and Also By Faith), http://www.studioetquoquefide.com/.

As a Research Project Manager for Book of Mormon Central, Neal selects, writes, and reviews content for KnoWhys, and oversees the production of the accompanying social media products.

As Operations Manager, Neal oversees the daily tasks and operations of the Book of Mormon Central staff.

Hanna SeariacHanna Seariac is a MA student in Greek and Latin at Brigham Young University. She is writing a book on the history of the priesthood and another one that responds systematically to anti-LDS literature. She works as a research assistant on a biblical commentary and as a producer on a news show. She values Jesus Christ, family, friends, hiking, baking, and really good ice cream.

FAIR Voice Podcast #10: Polygamy and 1 Corinthians 13

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Polygamy is a difficult concept for many to grasp, but Hanna dives into the Hebrew Bible and the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint’s to understand polygamy in a way that shows how it was not just acceptable– it was ordained and good for the time. She unapologetically explains how God consecrates everything for our good and how polygamy made sense for the time. She, then, dives into 1 Corinthians 13 and expresses love for the idea of love.

Hanna SeariacHanna Seariac is a MA student in Greek and Latin at Brigham Young University. She is writing a book on the history of the priesthood and another one that responds systematically to anti-LDS literature. She works as a research assistant on a biblical commentary and as a producer on a news show. She values Jesus Christ, family, friends, hiking, baking, and really good ice cream.

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 15

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Part 15: Jacob – Words of Mormon and conclusion

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This is the last part of the series. We hope it has helped the reader to appreciate the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon. We will consider some more examples from the short books on the small plates of Nephi and then wrap it all up with some final remarks.

116. Jacob 1:18 and 2 Nephi 5:26 — “priests and teachers”

In Jacob 1:18, Jacob mentions that he and his brother Joseph have been consecrated priests: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 15

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 14

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Part 14: 1 Nephi 10 – 2 Nephi 31

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of 1 Nephi and all of 2 Nephi. You will notice that there is quite a big leap from 2 Nephi 5 to 26. This is the largest gap in this series and primarily due to most of the chapters between being quotes directly from Isaiah. Except for this gap, you may notice from the arc graph that there are no other really large gaps, indicating that internally consistent details are found frequently all throughout the Book of Mormon.

107. 1 Nephi 10:5 and 1 Nephi 11:27 — “Redeemer of the world”

As Nephi is describing what he saw in vision, he writes: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 14

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 13

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Part 13: Ether 11 – 1 Nephi 3

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of Ether, the Book of Moroni and some of 1 Nephi. After Joseph Smith had dictated to the end of Moroni, he went on to dictate 1 Nephi from the small plates.

98. Ether 11:6, Mosiah 8:8, Mosiah 21:26, Alma 22:30, and Omni 1:22 — “Dry Bones”

There were prophets in the days of Shiblom, found in Ether 11:4-6. We find a very subtle example of internal consistency in the fulfillment of one of their prophecies: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 13

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 12

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Part 12: Ether 1-7

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the Book of Ether. The history of the Jaredite plates have already resulted in references from other books to Ether (see items 21 and 44 in previous parts of this series). This part contains more examples of links to other books as well as perhaps the most complex example of internal consistency (item 95).

94. Ether 1:3 and Mosiah 28:17 — the contents of the Jaredite record 

In Ether 1:3, Moroni tells us that the first part of the Jaredite record “speaks concerning the creation of the world, and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower.” This was also described in Mosiah 28:17 [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 12

Historicity: Not By Scholarship Alone

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As I reflected upon the relationship between faith and scholarship, I have come to realize something I feel is crucial in regards to historicity of scripture: we should evaluate historicity as a matter of faith; not as a matter of scholarship. When examining whether or not the Book of Mormon, Book of Abraham, or Book of Moses contain any historical truth, we often overlook necessity of the fundamental principle of it: “it rests first upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.”[1] Satan moves scriptures wholly to a secular sphere because it invites skepticism. While many evidences exist in favor of the historicity of the Book of Mormon[2] and Book of Abraham[3], there exists much to explore and uncover. Indeed, we do not have a complete picture of any ancient civilization, especially not in the Americas. By transitioning the conversation about historicity into an entirely secular sphere, we do not encounter scriptures on the terms that they must be encountered upon. [Read more…] about Historicity: Not By Scholarship Alone

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 11

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Part 11: 3 Nephi 19 – 4 Nephi

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of 3 Nephi plus 4 Nephi. It also includes references to Mormon. In the description of the Savior’s visit to the Americas, there are several particularly interesting and unique examples of internal consistency in the text, as we will discuss below.

87. 3 Nephi 19:4 and 3 Nephi 7:19 — Nephi raising his brother from the dead

We learn a detail about Nephi in 3 Nephi 19:4 [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 11

Chiasmus in the News

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by John W. Welch

Strong interest in the study of chiasmus, especially in biblical texts and in the Book of Mormon, continues to abound. Indeed, so much is being regularly published on this subject that it takes a very watchful eye and lots of effort just to keep tabs on all that is coming out.

Of special interest is a book written by Dr. Joshua a Berman of Bar Ilan University in Israel and published by Oxford University Press in 2017. Entitled Inconsistency in the Torah: Ancient Literary Convention and the Limits of Source Criticism, this study reports results that emerged from a year of study by a group “composed of eight of the most distinguished names in Pentateuch criticism.” The book challenges theories about the composition of biblical texts, and Berman’s lucid and detailed investigations cannot be ignored. [Read more…] about Chiasmus in the News

Q&A with editors of Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity

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Available from the FairMormon Bookstore

This book includes a mixture of scholarship about all of Joseph Smith’s translation projects, including the highly anticipated paper by Thomas A. Wayment and Haley Wilson-Lemmon on the use of the Clarke Commentary in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. We had the opportunity to discuss the book with Michael Hubbard MacKay and Mark Ashurst-McGee. A review of the book will be forthcoming.

Q1: What is the purpose of the book?

Mike and Mark: The book was conceived as an attempt to cover all of the various Joseph Smith translation projects—not only the Book of Mormon and the “New Translation” of the Bible and the Book of Abraham but also the excerpt from the new account of John (D&C 7), the excerpt from the “record of John” (in D&C 93), the Kinderhook plates, and anything else. This had actually never been done before—at least not at this depth. [Read more…] about Q&A with editors of Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity