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A Textual History of the Book of Abraham: Manuscripts and Editions
Brian M. Hauglid
In July 1835 at Kirtland Ohio, a traveling antiquities dealer brought to Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, four Egyptian mummies and several rolls of papyri. Upon inspection Smith determined that one of the rolls contained a lost record of the patriarch Abraham. After purchasing these artifacts for $2400 Smith generated through translation five chapters that appeared during March 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois in the Times and Seasons, a Mormon periodical, under the title “The Book of Abraham”. This book has since become a canonized text of scripture for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A Textual History of the Book of Abraham: Manuscripts and Editions serves as a source book for interested researchers and scholars. It includes a brief introduction to the Book of Abraham and a detailed record of textual variants from the time it first appeared in the Times and Seasons until its latest edition (1981). This volume also produces for the first time typographic transcriptions with facing grayscale images of the surviving handwritten manuscripts of the Book of Abraham. Several appendices offer additional helpful resources such as contemporary accounts related to the translation of the Book of Abraham and a full set of color high-res images of the surviving Abraham manuscripts. A valuable reference tool for scholars interested in researching the textual history of the Book of Abraham.
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An Approach to the Book of Abraham
Hugh Nibley
Originally published in 1957, An Approach to the Book of Mormon is Dr. Hugh Nibley’s classic work on the Book of Mormon. A gifted scholar with expertise in ancient languages, literature, and history, Nibley shows numerous details in the Book of Mormon narrative to be in accord with cultural traits of the Middle East.
He examines Lehi as a representative man of his time, the Jews and the caravan trade, Lehi’s Arab and Egyptian connections, politics in Jerusalem, the pioneer tradition, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Apocrypha, Lehi’s dreams, proper names, Old World ritual in the New World, the Jaredite barges and shining stones, and many other fascinating topics.
By establishing the Book of Mormon securely in an ancient setting and historical framework, this pioneering study answers criticisms, illuminates the complexity and historical accuracy of the book, places it alongside the Bible and other great works of antiquity, and points the way for further research.
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The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount: A Latter-Day Saint Approach
John W. Welch
The Sermon on the Mount has had greater influence on the history and character of Christianity than any other text in the Bible. Yet as biblical scholar Hans Dieter Betz has recently lamented, “New Testament scholarship up to the present has offered no satisfactory explanation of this vitally important text.”
The Sermon at the Temple and the Sermon on the Mount, by John W. Welch, offers, for the first time, a thorough Latter-day Saint interpretation of Jesus’ famous sermon. The author relies especially on crucial information and details that only the Book of Mormon can supply.
In New Testament Palestine, Jesus gave the Sermon on a mount. In the Book of Mormon’s Bountiful, he gave it at the temple (see 3 Nephi 11—18). Close examination of the Savior’s words spoken in Bountiful reveal that they have temple significance, particularly for Latter-day Saints. The relationship of the Sermon to the temple generates an extraordinary explanation of the Sermon on the Mount as a sacred and holy text.
While it remains possible to understand the Sermon on the Mount in many different ways, the unique Book of Mormon approach offers insights that make consistent sense of the Sermon as a whole and, at the same time, gives clear meaning to each of its parts. Chapters in this study of the two sermons include “The Temple Context and Unity of the Sermon at the Temple,” “Joseph Smith and the Sermon at the Temple,” “The Common Israelite Background,” “The Sermon at the Temple and the Greek New Testament Manuscripts,” and “Toward an Understanding of the Sermon as a Temple Text.”
Some have seen the presence of the Sermon on the Mount in 3 Nephi as a problem for the Book of Mormon. Now the Savior’s words emerge, not as a mere copy of several chapters from the King James Version, but as a profoundly constituted text. The Sermon at the Temple is one more way the Book of Mormon restores plain and precious covenants pertaining to the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ that were once lost.
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Eloquent Witness: Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple
Hugh Nibley
One of the stunning aspects of Dr. Hugh Nibley's genius was his persistent sense of wonder. That trait induced him to range widely through very disparate subjects of study- all covered in volume 17 of The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley on Himself, Others, and the Temple. In this compilation of materials, most of which have been published previously outside the Collected Works volumes, Nibley explores the ancient Egyptians, the temple, the life sciences, world literature, ancient Judaism, and Joseph Smith and the Restoration. The contents of this volume illustrate the breadth of his interest through autobiographical sketches, interviews, book reviews, forewords to books, letters, memorial tributes, Sunday School lessons, and various writings about the temple.
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The Book of Mormon and DNA Research: Essays from The Farms Review and the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies
Daniel C. Peterson
In the last few years, the topic of how DNA research fits in with the text of the Book of Mormon has become increasingly divisive. Now, for the first time in one volume, respected DNA scientists, geneticists, and Book of Mormon scholars provide their views on DNA and the Book of Mormon.
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The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon
John W. Welch
The Legal Cases in the Book of Mormon begins with a discussion of important background information, including legal practices in the ancient Near East, the ideal of righteous judgment, and the legal cases recorded in the Bible. John W. Welch then devotes a chapter to each of the legal cases in the Book of Mormon—from the formative cases of Sherem and Abinadi to the landmark trials of Nehor and Korihor, the wrenching prosecution of Alma and Amulek, and the politicized proceedings of Paanchi and Seantum.
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Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon
Donald W. Parry
Poetic Parallelisms in the Book of Mormon: The Complete Text Reformatted comprises the entire text of the Book of Mormon formatted into historical narrative or parallelistic forms.
All of these forms and figures are designed to present the central message of the Book of Mormon—Jesus Christ and his gospel—in an unforgettable, understandable, artistic, and fascinating way.
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Journey of Faith: From Jerusalem to the Promised Land
S. Kent Brown and Peter Johnson
The DVD documentary Journey of Faith (Maxwell Institute, 2006) continues in expanded form in this book, Journey of Faith: From Jerusalem to the Promised Land. The documentary was filmed in the Middle East at locations that scholars believe mark or approximate the route that took Lehi’s party across Arabia to reach the seaside location where they eventually embarked by ship to the New World. Like the DVD, the book will enrich one’s study of the opening chapters of the Book of Mormon.
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Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant: Proceedings of the 1999 Book of Abraham Conference
John Gee and Brian M. Hauglid
This third volume in the series Studies in the Book of Abraham includes nine papers from a FARMS-sponsored conference on the Book of Abraham, one of the canonized works of scripture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Three papers on related subjects are also included. An assumption underlying the papers in this volume is that the Book of Abraham is both an authentic and ancient text.
In seeking to illuminate the background of the Book of Abraham from historical, geographical, cultural, scientific, and doctrinal perspectives, these studies deal with three broad themes: astronomy in the Book of Abraham, the Joseph Smith Papyri, and the nature of the Abrahamic covenant. As a whole, the research highlighted in this volume affirms that the Book of Abraham is what it claims to be—an ancient text. This becomes clear, for example, when certain nonbiblical themes reflected in the text are found to abound in extrabiblical traditions from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
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The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri: An Egyptian Endowment
Hugh Nibley
When Hugh Nibley first wrote The Message of the Joseph Smith Papyri, he wrote it for an audience that understood things both Egyptian and Latter-day Saint. It was an audience that at the time did not exist. For the bemused audience that did find the book, many failed to comprehend it. Many of Nibley's readers have supposed that, like Nibley's other works, it was designed to be read straight through and have expressed frustration at the difficulty of doing so. Only the first few chapters are designed to be read in this manner. The rest of the book is a commentary on a particular text, Papyrus Louvre N. 3284, which Nibley introduced in his early chapters. If the reader desires to know a bit more about a particular passage in the text, he or she should go to the appropriate place in the commentary.
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Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary LDS Perspectives on the Christian Apostasy
Noel B. Reynolds
This book takes a fresh look at the apostasy of the early Christian church. Most Latter-day Saint scholars and leaders previously based their understanding of the Christian apostasy on the findings of Protestant scholars who provided a seemingly endless array of evidences of apostasy in Christian history.
Since the classic treatments of this topic were written, many newly discovered manuscripts written during the first Christian centuries have come to light, giving a clearer picture of what the early Christian experience was like. Drawing on this material, LDS scholars today are able to shift the focus of study to the causes of the apostasy rather than the effects.
This volume of essays reports new research by several LDS scholars in different fields. They identify common myths and misconceptions about the apostasy and promote better understanding of when and why the apostasy occurred.
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Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 1: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988-1990
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley is one of the best-known and most highly revered of Latter-day Saint scholars. For over forty years this near-legendary teacher has enthralled his readers and listeners with his encyclopedic knowledge, his wit, and his untiring research in defense of Latter-day Saint beliefs.
Now you can join Dr. Nibley in the first of four Honors Book of Mormon classes that he taught at BYU during 1988-90. Part one contains twenty-nine lectures focusing on 1 Nephi through Mosiah 5. It is vintage Nibley, with his insights, humor, and passionate convictions, discussing a book that he loves and knows so well.
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Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 2: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988-1990
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley is one of the best-known and most highly revered of Latter-day Saint scholars. For over forty years this near-legendary teacher has enthralled his readers and listeners with his encyclopedic knowledge, his wit, and his untiring research in defense of Latter-day Saint beliefs.
Now you can join Dr. Nibley in the first of four Honors Book of Mormon classes that he taught at BYU during 1988-90. Part two contains twenty-seven lectures focusing on Mosiah 6 through Alma 41. It is vintage Nibley, with his insights, humor, and passionate convictions, discussing a book that he loves and knows so well.
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Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 3: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988-1990
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley is one of the best-known and most highly revered of Latter-day Saint scholars. For over forty years this near-legendary teacher has enthralled his readers and listeners with his encyclopedic knowledge, his wit, and his untiring research in defense of Latter-day Saint beliefs.
Now you can join Dr. Nibley in the first of four Honors Book of Mormon classes that he taught at BYU during 1988-90. Part three contains twenty-nine lectures focusing on Alma 45 through 3 Nephi 20. It is vintage Nibley, with his insights, humor, and passionate convictions, discussing a book that he loves and knows so well.
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Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Semester 4: Transcripts of Lectures Presented to an Honors Book of Mormon Class at Brigham Young University, 1988-1990
Hugh Nibley
Hugh Nibley is one of the best-known and most highly revered of Latter-day Saint scholars. For over forty years this near-legendary teacher has enthralled his readers and listeners with his encyclopedic knowledge, his wit, and his untiring research in defense of Latter-day Saint beliefs.
Now you can join Dr. Nibley in the first of four Honors Book of Mormon classes that he taught at BYU during 1988-90. Part four covers 3 Nephi 6 through Moroni 10. It is vintage Nibley, with his insights, humor, and passionate convictions, discussing a book that he loves and knows so well.
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Glimpses of Lehi's Jerusalem
Jo Ann H. Seely, David Rolph Seely, and John W. Welch
Imagine Jerusalem around 600 BC, the world of Lehi, Sariah, Laban, Zoram, Josiah, and Jeremiah. How did people live? What motivated them? And what eventually destroyed their city? The answers to such questions foster better understanding of the prophetic words of Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob in the Book of Mormon.
Much of that era was lost forever when Jerusalem met its prophesied fate and was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Temple of Solomon and the city walls were torn down, buildings burned, treasuries looted, people killed or deported, records lost or destroyed, and certain religious beliefs changed or extinguished. Glimpses of Lehi’s Jerusalem offers modern readers a vivid look at revealing events in a crucial quarter century in world history. Nineteen distinguished scholars unite their expertise in varied disciplines to discuss what is known about Jerusalem around 600 BC, an axial period that shaped the contours of civilizations—including those depicted in the Book of Mormon—for centuries to come.
Ranging in coverage from aspects of ordinary domestic life to extraordinary religious institutions, the topics undertaken in this book shed light on politics, culture, archaeology, women, agriculture, literacy, law, history, prophecy, and religion in ancient Jerusalem from the vantage points of Israel, Egypt, Babylon, and Arabia.
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Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon: History and Findings of the Critical Text Project
M. Gerald Bradford and Alison V.P. Coutts
This colorful, informative book features reports on the multi-pronged effort to determine as far as possible the original English-language translation of the Book of Mormon. Royal Skousen, the editor and principal investigator of the original and printer’s manuscripts of the Book of Mormon, details the project’s history and some of the more significant findings. Robert Espinosa reviews his team’s painstaking work of preserving and identifying remaining fragments of the original manuscript. Ron Romig narrates the investigation into the printer’s manuscript, and Larry Draper explains how the press sheets for the 1830 edition reveal overlooked details of the printing process. In an insightful response, Daniel C. Peterson interpolates evidence from Skousen’s research to show the divine manner in which the Book of Mormon came forth.
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Temple and Cosmos: Beyond this Ignorant Present
Hugh Nibley
In Temple and Cosmos, Brother Nibley explains the relationship of the House of the Lord to the cosmos. In Temple, the first part of the volume, he focuses on the nature, meaning, and history of the temple, discussing such topics as sacred vestments, the circle and the square, and the symbolism of the temple and its ordinances.
In the second part, Cosmos, he discusses the cosmic context of the temple-the expanding gospel, apocryphal writings, religion and history, the genesis of the written word, cultural diversity in the universal church, and the terrible questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? and Where are we going?
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Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon
Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson, and John W. Welch
The amazing achievements of the last hundred years in technology and science are paralleled by significant strides in Book of Mormon studies. Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon takes inventory of some of the most fascinating ancient elements of the Book of Mormon.
For many years now, Latter-day Saint scholars have called attention to significant parallels in the Book of Mormon with the ancient world that in many cases were unknowable in the world of Joseph Smith. The sheer number of these “bull’s-eyes” alone is impressive.
In this volume, scholars trained in biblical studies, archaeology, classics, history, law, linguistics, anthropology, political science, philosophy, Near East studies, literature, and other relevant fields present some of their favorite evidences that support the Book of Mormon’s claim to ancient origins. Their findings illuminate points present in ancient sources, details that are not obvious, intricate patterns, unusual or distinctive features, and information that was little or not known in the 1820s.
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Hebrew Law in Biblical Times: An Introduction
Ze'ev W. Falk
This book presents the scholar, historian, lawyer, and general student of the Bible with a highly readable and useful handbook. First published in Jerusalem in 1964, this concise yet knowledgeable treatise remains illuminating. Its skillful organization makes it the most accessible of all introductions to biblical law.
Falk’s research is grounded in historical, sociological, linguistic, and comparative data. His work yields interesting insights about technical legal terminology, vital social information behind the Israelite legal system, and broad perspectives on law among Israel’s neighbors, the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians.
Alongside its discussions of homicide, torts, property, contracts, slavery, and divorce, this book includes sections on law and religion, divine judgment, collective responsibility, blasphemy, and religious elements in biblical family law. These studies make it clear that Hebrew law in biblical times cannot be understood except as an integrated system of social institutions and religious values.
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When the Lights Went Out: Three Studies on the Ancient Apostasy
Hugh Nibley
When the Lights Went Out contains reprints of three classic Nibley essays on the fate of the primitive Christian church and its institutions and beliefs. In “The Passing of the Primitive Church,” Nibley presents forty striking and often neglected facets of church history. “The Forty-Day Mission of Christ” deals with the historical relevance of Acts 1:3, which claims that after Christ’s resurrection, he was “seen of them forty days, and [spoke] of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Nibley discusses the implications of the loss of the temple during the fall of Jerusalem in his “Christian Envy of the Temple.” Each of these three articles appeared separately in scholarly journals, 1959–66.
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Harmonizing Isaiah: Combining Ancient Scriptures
Donald W. Parry
The discovery of The Great Isaiah Scroll among the Dead Sea Scrolls shed new light on the traditional text of Isaiah. In Harmonizing Isaiah, Dead Sea Scrolls scholar Donald W. Parry provides his translation of the Isaiah Scroll combined with readings of other versions of Isaiah preserved in the Masoretic Text, the Book of Mormon, and the Joseph Smith Translation. With the Isaiah passages rendered in modern English and formatted into parallel lines of poetry, Harmonizing Isaiah is a helpful resource for teachers and students of the book of Isaiah.
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Visualizing Isaiah
Donald W. Parry
Visualizing Isaiah is a full- color book filled with beautiful photographs, maps, and charts that illuminate the words of the prophet Isaiah. Author Donald W. Parry, an expert on Isaiah and Old Testament texts, complements the book’s gorgeous graphic elements with insight into Isaiah’s world.
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