The Book of Mormon and Other Hidden Books: Out of Darkness Unto Light

Authors

John A. Tvedtnes

Files

Description

If it existed in only one ancient copy, says John Tvedtnes, the Book of Mormon may have been unique. But in virtually every other way it resembles many ancient books. In this present volume, Tvedtnes shows perhaps fifty things about ancient records that must have been hilarious in 1830 but make perfect sense today: the ubiquity of intentionally hiding books in all kinds of ingenious containers made of many materials, including stone boxes and ceramic jars; books incised on obdurate surfaces, like metals, bones, and ivory; inked papyri and parchments treated with swaddling cloths soaked in cedar and citrus oils to prevent decay; many sealed and open records; waterproofing sealants like bitumen and white lime mortar; caves serving as repositories of treasures buried in many sacred mountains; the ancient perception of permanence and eternalism associated with the preservative functions of writing; and numerous ancient traditions of angels as writers and guardians of written records. Many twentieth-century discoveries of ancient documents have made all of this visible.

Copyright Status

© 2000 John A. Tvedtnes

ISBN

978-0934893534

Owning Institution

Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship

Publisher

The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies

Publication Date

2000

Disciplines

Religion | Religious Education

Recommended Citation

Tvedtnes, John A., "The Book of Mormon and Other Hidden Books: Out of Darkness Unto Light" (2000). Maxwell Institute Publications. 82.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mi/82