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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

FAIR Voice Podcast #9: Interview with Chris Blythe on the Terrible Revolution

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Christopher Blythe, a research associate at the Maxwell Institute and co-editor of the Journal of Mormon History, released a new book Terrible Revolution: Latter-day Saints and the American Apocalypse. In this engaging interview, he discusses with Hanna some of the foundational sources that construct LDS theology on last days prophecies.

Hanna Seariac

Hanna 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 good ice cream.

2020 Interpreter Foundation Conference

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Tracing Ancient Threads in the Book of Moses

September 18-19, 2020
Due to the COVID-19 situation, this will be a live-streaming-only conference. For updates on conference details, watch this page

Presented by
The Interpreter Foundation
Brigham Young University Department of Ancient Scripture
Book of Mormon Central
FairMormon

[Read more…] about 2020 Interpreter Foundation Conference

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

FAIR Voice Podcast #8: Sunday Special on Clarke Commentary, Doctrine, and the Sacrament

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Perhaps the mostly highly anticipated article in Producing Ancient Scripture came from Wayment and Wilson-Lemmon regarding Joseph Smith’s use of the Adam Clarke commentary. Since the release of that article, many critics have used this as a way to challenge Joseph Smith’s truth claims. In this podcast, I explain how understanding intertextuality and seeing translation in a broader scope can enable us to view this an expansion of prophetic authority, to borrow an excellent phrase from Wayment. This launches into a brief discussion about what is doctrine and the sacrament. Join us for our next episode where we speak to Christopher Blythe about his latest book!

Hanna Seariac

Hanna 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 good ice cream.

FAIR Voice Podcast #7 (Short): How to be an Apologist pt. 2

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Please register for the FairMormon Conference that is on August 5-7. It’s a great opportunity to support FairMormon, hear from amazing speakers, and ask questions directly to speakers!

Let’s talk for a moment about the other side of apologetics: positive apologetics. Defend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proactively, not just reactively.

Hanna Seariac

Hanna 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 good ice cream.

FAIR Voice Podcast #6: How to be an Apologist

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Please register for the FairMormon Conference that is on August 5-7. It’s a great opportunity to support FairMormon, hear from amazing speakers, and ask questions directly to speakers!

So you want to defend the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Noble cause, worthy effort, totally worth your time– here’s a basic beginner’s guide on how to get started.

Note of correction (6 minute mark): It has been brought to my attention that those who I was referring to do not have an association with MRM. I apologize for my error, I was misinformed.

Hanna Seariac

Hanna 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 good ice cream.

FAIR Voice Podcast #5: Interview with John Gee on the Book of Abraham

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Please register for the FairMormon Conference that is on August 5-7. It’s a great opportunity to support FairMormon, hear from amazing speakers, and ask questions directly to speakers!

Today, Hanna interviews Professor John Gee of Brigham Young University.

John Gee is the William Gay Assistant Research Professor of Egyptology at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. They begin by touching upon the difference between John Gee’s and Brian Hauglid’s claims before going into a greater discussion about the Book of Abraham. John Gee relays the most important evidences for the Book of Abraham, outlines faithful positions on historicity that believers can have, discusses his favorite Abrahamic stories, and much more. He offers a preview of what his FairMormon presentation will be. In a truly great interview, John Gee offers an excellent case for why the Book of Abraham has historical probability and also, why that matters.

Note: At the end, Hanna says “historical probability” and it should be “historical plausibility.”

 

Hanna Seariac

Hanna 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 good ice cream.

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