Correct answers concerning the origins of past civilizations in the Americas were not found until the Book of Mormon was published. Discusses mounds in North and South America. Notes distinct historical periods in Mexico, Central America, and Peru.

Correct answers concerning the origins of past civilizations in the Americas were not found until the Book of Mormon was published. Discusses mounds in North and South America. Notes distinct historical periods in Mexico, Central America, and Peru.

Correct answers concerning the origins of past civilizations in the Americas were not found until the Book of Mormon was published. Discusses mounds in North and South America. Notes distinct historical periods in Mexico, Central America, and Peru.

Correct answers concerning the origins of past civilizations in the Americas were not found until the Book of Mormon was published. Discusses mounds in North and South America. Notes distinct historical periods in Mexico, Central America, and Peru.

Maintains that it is possible to identify geographical locations of the Book of Mormon. Asserts that the “Land of Nephi was . . . in the southern half of Costa Rica, between the 9th and 10th north degree parallel, south of the great wilderness. Bountiful . . . was very close to [the] 11° north parallel”

Review of Thomas R. Valletta, gen. ed. The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families. Review of Thomas R. Valletta, gen. ed. The New Testament for Latter-day Saint Families.

A theory proposed by E. D. Howe (Mormonism Unveiled) purports that Sidney Rigdon stole Spaulding’s manuscript and rewrote it for Joseph Smith to publish. It was research into the history of the manuscript that led to the conclusion that the Book of Mormon and Spaulding manuscript are not related. An excerpt from the manuscript is reprinted and Spaulding’s religious beliefs are explored. Rigdon’s denial is included.

This is a reprint from Western Reserve Historical Society 3:185-200, and is also found in Tract #77, March 23, 1886, RLDS Church. The author concludes that Spaulding’s Manuscript Lost and the Book of Mormon are not related, contrary to the theory suggested by Howe’s Mormonism Unvailed. An excerpt from Manuscript Lost is reprinted as well as Spaulding’s feelings about the Christian religion and the Bible. Rigdon’s denial that he wrote the book is included.

Draws comparisons between the Book of Mormon and the Spaulding manuscript and concludes that there is no resemblance between the two.

Fairchild gives his opinion, after comparing the Book of Mormon with the Spaulding manuscript, that there is “no resemblance between the two”

This polemical book recounts the history of the Book of Mormon and examines selected verses from the book in an attempt to discredit it.

A general overview of the main characters and events in the Book of Mormon, illustrated in color and probably intended for youth.

Samuel, Moroni's Young Warrier (1993), by Clair Poulson.

A presentation of photographs, notes, and comments dealing with ancient South and Central America. Discusses Hebrew and Egyptian parallels in the New World, four brothers as founders of the early South American culture, Christianity before Columbus, cement roads, and the use of metal. This work is reviewed in S.515.

Presents archaeological findings from ancient America that provide support for the Book of Mormon.

Contains pictures and explanations of ancient American cities, statues, and water systems. The author shows how the ancient American ruins are closely related to the remnants found in Old World civilizations such as those of the Egyptians, Saxons, Hebrews, and others.

Large booklet with black and white photographs depicting ruins in Latin America. One of the great discoveries that has been made is an exact date of the arrival of the Mayas. This date was deciphered from Mayan hieroglyphics and scientists claim it to be August 6, 613 B.C.

This series is a presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

This series is a presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

A presentation of photographs of Ancient American ruins, accompanied by brief descriptions and comments.

An aerial photograph of a defensive wall in Peru that “extends roughly due east from the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Santa River” It is compared with Alma 50:9- 11.

Large drawings designed for children illustrate the text of 3 Nephi, wherein Jesus visited the Nephites and blessed the children.

Looks at geographical and historical aspects of Central America and Mexico, seeking external evidence in support of the Book of Mormon.

An excerpt from the Autobiography of Thurlow Weed explains that Joseph Smith had approached Mr. Weed, a publisher, to print the Book of Mormon. Mr. Weed refused to print the work.

The Book of Mormon presents evidence that a single prophet wrote the book of Isaiah, not three, as biblical scholars have maintained.

Latter-day Saint philosopher James E. Faulconer’s Made Harder series raises many more questions than it answers. And that is precisely the point. Faulconer wrote The Book of Mormon Made Harder on the premise that our scripture study is only as good as the questions we bring to the endeavor. While many books about the Book of Mormon provide useful shortcuts, chapter synopses, timelines, and memorizable bullet-points, this book consists almost entirely of challenging questions (with occasional commentary for clarity’s sake) because, in Faulconer’s experience, questions themselves are the key to reflective and deep scripture study. This book is intended to make reading harder—and therefore fresher—by priming your pondering pump with insightful study questions. So much of modern life is geared to finding faster and easier ways to do the same old things. The Made Harder series is proof that making things easier does not always make them better.

In this essay James Faulconer, a BYU professor of philosophy and dean of honors, outlines some general suggestions for scripture study. He presents his extensive notes on Mosiah 4 to show the treasures that can be found by careful and thorough scripture study. His study methods include considering context, examining word meaning, and looking for patterns.

Today the modernist view of history in which texts only represent events is so predominant that most Latter-day Saints automatically apply it to the question of scriptural historicity. Unfortunately, historical scholarship rarely lines up with our understanding of scripture as well as we would like. Problems arise when we use modernist tools to examine scripture written by premoderns, who considered their writing not as mere representation but as incarnation—an embodiment of the symbolic ordering of the world. The premodernist reading of the scriptures more accurately reflects Latter-day Saint beliefs: whereas modernism would use reason to understand history (and thus the Divine in history, i.e., scripture), premodernism uses divinely revealed scripture as well as ritual, ritual objects, and ritual language to give order to history. Instead of examining scripture as just another element of history, premoderns consider scripture to be the defining element in history.
The historicity of scripture is important to most Christians and especially to Latter-day Saints. [1] Christians disagree among themselves about how to understand scriptural history, but few deny that, in some important sense, Christian scripture is historical. However, given the challenges to scriptural history, challenges that are especially strong for Latter-day Saints who take the Book of Mormon to be historical, what are we to make of the claim that scriptures are history? Given those challenges, is it possible to understand scripture as literal history? The answer to that question—positive, I will argue—lies in answering the question of what we mean by history.

This is not an essay in the usual sense. Instead, it is a close reading of Moroni 10, looking verse by verse at what Mornoi might be teaching us. The overarching question is, to what does Moroni exhort us as he seals his book and writes his final words? Examining each of Morni’s eight exhortations, Faulconer shows one way to study scriptures and perhaps to think about them afresh. In addition to the importantadmonition to pray about the truth of the Book of Mormon, he sees in this chapter a message of God’s mercy and of our need for charity.

Review of Second Witness: Analytical and Contextual Commentary on the Book of Mormon, 6 vols. (2007), by Brant A. Gardner.

Faulconer discusses the evolution of his testimony of the Book of Mormon; years passed before he recognized the importance of that book to his life as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After reading an article explaining the tree of life that is written about in 1 Nephi, he gained a deeper understanding of the purpose of the Book of Mormon—that the book prepares members of the church to enter into covenants with God in the temple and explains what those covenants are. In addition to that objective, the book testifies of and brings people to Jesus Christ.

Letters responding to C. L. Sainsbury’s letter (July/August issue) seeking inclusion of Nephite history on an international timeline. Contributors contend that no archaeological evidence exists for the Book of Mormon, point out the book’s similarity to the Bible, and enclose the Smithsonian Institution’s statement concerning the Book of Mormon.

Reviews the changes made in the 1981 edition of the triple combination. Book of Mormon changes are provided on pages B-1 and B-2.

Reviews the changes made in the 1981 edition of the triple combination. Book of Mormon changes are provided on pages B-1 and B-2.

Concepts from the Book of Mormon contributed to how the church was built up and conducted. Oliver Cowdery was instructed to draw upon the Book of Mormon in formulating his vision of how the restored church should be organized and regulated. His 1829 Articles of the Church of Christ were a precursor to Joseph Smith’s 1830 Articles and Covenants of the Church of Christ (now known as Doctrine and Covenants 20). Three key aspects of church organization that originated in the Book of Mormon include baptism and priesthood authority, the ordination of priests and teachers, and the administration of the Lord’s supper.

The 1829 “Articles of the Church of Christ” is a little-known antecedent to section 20 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This article explores Joseph Smith’s and Oliver Cowdery’s involvement in bringing forth these two documents that were important in laying the foundation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Section 20 was originally labeled the “Articles and Covenants.” It was the first revelation canonized by the restored Church and the most lengthy revelation given before the first priesthood conference was held in June 1830. Scriptural commentators in recent years have described the inspired set of instructions in section 20 as “a constitution for the restored church.” In many respect, the Articles and Covenants was the Church’s earliest General Handbook of Instructions. Although Latter-day Saints typically associate the Articles and Covenants with the organization of the Church on April 6, 1830, this regulatory document had roots in earlier events: in the earliest latter-day revelations, in statements on Church ordinances and organization from the Book of Mormon, and in the preliminary set of Articles written by Oliver Cowdery in the last half of 1829.

The latter-day restoration of the gospel included the restoration of much significant truth to the Bible. It brought about the restoration of biblical history that had been lost and the restoration of biblical texts that had been changed or omitted or were in need of clarification. More important, it included the restoration of biblical doctrine that had been either removed, distorted, or simply misinterpreted by a world that did not enjoy the fulness of the gospel.
Shortly after the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint was organized, the Prophet Joseph Smith was instructed by the Lord to undertake a careful reading of the Bible to revise and make corrections in accordance with the inspiration that he would receive. The result was a work of profound significance for the Church that included the revelation of many important truths and the restoration of many of the “precious things” that the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi had foretold would be taken from the Bible (1 Ne. 13:23–29). In June 1830 the first revealed addition to the Bible was set to writing. Over the next three years, the Prophet made changes, additions, and corrections as were given him by divine inspiration while he filled his calling to provide a more correct translation for the Church. Collectively, these are called the Joseph Smith Translation (JST), a name first applied in the 1970s, or the New Translation, as Joseph Smith and others in his day referred to it.

This chapter documents Oliver’s position as the main scribe of the Book of Mormon translation in 1829.

Reproduces 1 Nephi 1:1, 1 Nephi 6:8-9; 2 Nephi 3:24-66 (RLDS versification) to demonstrate the elements of Hebrew poetry found in each passage. Briefly discusses poetic parallelism.

We belong to the greatest cause on earth. We are the pioneers of the future. Let us go forth like the armies of Helaman and build the kingdom of God.

We hope you are men who are “true at all times in whatsoever thing [you are] entrusted.” [Alma 53:20] … I plead for greater consistency between our beliefs and actions.

Discusses the establishment of the LDS church, the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the Spaulding manuscript, and points out the biblical passages extant in the Book of Mormon.

Understanding men and women’s inability to merit salvation through their own efforts can lead one to rely “alone upon the merits of Christ”. Nephi put it this way: “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man”. Nephi had seen his weak and fallen condition and realized that without the strength of the Lord, he would not be able to overcome the world and his own personal struggles. When we see clearly that we are lost and that we need Him, we can be led to rely on His goodness and His grace in our lives. This reliance on the merits of Christ involves more than simply passive belief. It includes recognizing our fallen nature and finding access to grace through making and keeping sacred covenants.

For a juvenile audience, an account of Mormon’s role in compiling the records of the Book of Mormon.

Children’s flannel board story of Alma and the people he baptized at the waters of Mormon, and Alma the Younger’s conversion.

Children’s flannel board story concerning the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and its translation by Joseph Smith.

Children’s flannel board story about the Jaredites.

Contains four lectures given by the author at a conference at BYU on the Indian program of the Church. Lecture one explains the curse on the Lamanites and explains how curses come through disobedience. Lecture two deals with the promised restoration of the Lamanites and their role in building the New Jerusalem. Lecture three discusses statements by church authorities on the Lamanite’s role in the building of the New Jerusalem and missionary work among the Lamanites. Lecture four speaks concerning the era when the Lamanites will blossom as a rose (D&C 49:24).

The Book of Mormon identifies the remnants of Israel and clarifies their destiny.

Selects numerous Book of Mormon geographical sites and locates the places on a map. Various notes and opinions on the Book of Mormon are included.

Tells of the mysterious stories concerning three men who had reported that an angel had appeared telling of a “gold log” in the area that had been hidden for fourteen hundred years in a stone chest.

“In this essay, I want to zoom in on one aspect of the Book of Mormon’s prophesying, which is that it describes its future form as a book. Even when this prophecy uses sonic terms--describing words spoken by the Lord as ’hiss[ing] forth’--the Book of Mormon imagines itself as a codex and its recipients (believers and nonbelievers alike) as readers of texts inscribed within it…The book’s physical presence, both within its narrative time line and in the nineteenth century of its emergence, is never far from the surface of its import…I predict that an important line of inquiry in Book of Mormon studies will be serious engagement with its status as a material object. One future for Book of Mormon studies, in other words, lies in the fields of Book and Print history.” [Author]

This chapter discusses the origins of Native Americans. It claims that in providing for a Hebraic origin of Native Americans, the Book of Mormon opens the door for other peoples, histories, and texts to be revealed.

This essay examines Joseph Smith’s 1830 publication, The Book of Mormon, within the context of early nineteenth-century efforts to produce and preserve documents relating to the history of the United States. The essay argues that Smith’s book poses a challenge to contemporary notions of history by destabilizing the idea of an ur-text through its manipulations of biblical stories and depictions of its own, fraught manuscript history. Ultimately, the essay concludes the Book of Mormon’s presentation of textual inadequacy, redundancy, and confusion serve its larger goal of revising Anglo-Protestant accounts of American history. Smith’s work presents readers with an image of Puritan settlers as destroyers rather than builders of “a city on a hill,” complicating nineteenth-century understandings of providential history and subsuming Protestantism into an alternate story of American Christianity.

This essay evaluates Grant Hardy’s Understanding the Book of Mormon, particularly assessing Hardy’s claim that narrative theory can allow readers from a variety of perspectives to (at least temporarily) sidestep the Book of Mormon’s controversial history and engage with the text as a literary artifact. The paper argues that Hardy’s approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the book’s complex deployments of narrative voice and temporality but ultimately cannot efface the interpretive differences that stem from such divergent positions as belief and unbelief.

John Taylor, Curtis E. Bolton, and John Pack presented a French edition of the Book of Mormon to Emperor Napoleon, who suffered great losses by ignoring the sacred record.

A reaffirmation by Larry S. Ferguson on behalf of his father Thomas Stuart Ferguson that he (Thomas Stuart Ferguson) believed the Book of Mormon to be the word of God until the day that he died.

The Spanish conquest of Mexico resulted in the deliberate destruction of almost all written native records. Fortunately there were some who remembered the contents of the destroyed records. One of those was Ixtililxochitl who wrote as best he could a history of ancient America. This book uses parallel quotations from the Works of Ixtililxochitl and the Book of Mormon. Striking similarities confirm to a remarkable degree the story of the Book of Mormon.

A comparison between the Book of Mormon and Spanish, Mexican, and Guatemalan sources, such as Works of Ixtlilxochitl, Popul Vuh, and Totonicapan. Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon independently, with no help from historical sources, as most lay unpublished in archives or had not reached the United States.

Ferguson looks at the conflicting theories that the original Hill Cumorah was in New York or in Mesoamerica and concludes that it was in Mesoamerica.

The author reports on the discovery of two Persian gold plates. One was engraved in the 4th century B.C. in the days of Darius II and the other dates to the 5th century B.C.

A book containing text and pictures that illustrate archaeological claims about the Book of Mormon.

Shows “striking agreements between the Book of Mormon history and the independent findings of modern archaeological-historical research”

New archaeological discoveries in Mesoamerica confirm the validity of the Book of Mormon. The authors discuss historical accounts, traditions, and myths and display photographs of ancient pictographs concerning Quetzalcoatl as the Christ figure in America who taught Christian values and ordinances. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. This work is reviewed in S.742.

Comparisons are made between the stories and claims of the Book of Mormon and ancient American myths, legends, and archaeological finds. Includes a discussion of Quetzalcoatl.

This article advances several questions and answers about the Book of Mormon, including: Are all the Indians Lamanites? No. Did any white people survive the battle of Cumorah? Yes. Did the Book of Mormon people occupy the greater part of the western hemisphere? No. Is it true that the Nephites and Lamanites spent most of their time at warfare? No. Do archaeologists accept the Book of Mormon and use it as a guide in discovering ruined cities? No.

This article argues against those that believe that the Ancient Americans had no knowledge of the wheel by presenting five reproductions of wheeled toys and several scholarly views on the existence of such in Mesoamerica.

A thirteen-page paper defending the Book of Mormon from an archaeological viewpoint.

A polemical work against Mormonism. Argues that Solomon Spaulding is responsible for most of the text of the Book of Mormon, through the agency of Sidney Rigdon; the 1834 Anthon denial is cited; the testimonies of the Book of Mormon witnesses are discredited on the grounds that they had disreputable characters; and the author claims that Mormons have departed from the doctrines of the Book of Mormon.

Review of Matthew L. Jockers, Daniela M. Witten, and Craig S. Criddle. “Reassessing authorship of the Book of Mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification.”

Review of Matthew L. Jockers, Daniela M. Witten, and Craig S. Criddle. “Reassessing authorship of the Book of Mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification.”

The abundance of skeptical theories about who wrote the Book of Mormon has led many scholars to seek scientific data to discover the answer. One technique is stylometry. Having first been developed in the 1850s, stylometry seeks to find the ” wordprint” of a text. Although these stylistic studies are not as accurate as a human’s fingerprint, they can give researchers a good idea either of differences in style between authors or of who might have written a text from a list of possible authors. Beginning in the 1960s individuals have completed four major stylometric studies on the Book of Mormon, studies that varied in both findings and quality of research. In addition to these four studies, this article presents a fifth study—using extended nearest shrunken centroid (ENSC) classification—that incorporates and improves on the earlier research.

One of the issues that swirls around discus- sions of Book of Mormon geography is the rightful place the editorials in the 1842 Times and Seasons must take. The story of the editorials begins with Joseph’s receipt of John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood’s Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chaipas, and Yucatan, published in 1841. In early 1842, the Times and Seasons published several enthu- siastic articles that drew attention to the discoveries of Stephens and Catherwood in Central America and compared them favorably with the Book of Mormon. Two of these articles were signed by the editor, while three other articles were unsigned. Historical sources indicate that the Prophet Joseph Smith served as editor of the paper for all of the issues published between March 1 through the October 15, 1842. During this time, however, apostles John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff assisted the Prophet in his work in the printing office. Since these articles were not specifically signed by Joseph Smith, some have questioned whether the Prophet wrote them himself, or if someone else wrote them, with or without his approval.

Abstract: This article is the third in a series of three articles responding to the recent assertion by Jonathan Neville that Benjamin Winchester was the anonymous author of three unsigned editorials published in Nauvoo in 1842 in the Times and Seasons. The topic of the unsigned editorials was the possible relationship of archeological discoveries in Central America to places described in the Book of Mormon narrative. The first article shows that, contrary to Neville’s claims, Winchester was not a proponent of a Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon, but rather a hemispheric one. Since this was a view commonly held by early Mormons, his ideas did not warrant any anonymity for their dissemination. The second article shows that, also contrary to Neville’s claims, Joseph Smith was not opposed to considering Central American geographic parallels to the Book of Mormon. The Prophet even seemed to find such possibilities interesting and supportive of the Book of Mormon. This third article shows that despite Neville’s circumstantial speculations, the historical and stylometric evidence is overwhelmingly against Winchester as the author of the Central America editorials.

The author rearranges the order in which Joseph Smith “composed” the Book of Mormon in order to explain textual problems. 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon are placed last according to handwriting analysis and subjects covered.

“The remaining pages of this essay will present a few of what, for me in 1984, were discoveries of some importance. These do not by any means constitute a comprehensive explanation of the Book of Mormon. Nor are they offered as proofs of my thesis that the book is modern, but as examples of how the assumption that it is modern resolves otherwise significant difficulties.” [From author’s introduction]

In the early 1900s, some discussion arose among Church members about the roles of God the Father and Jesus Christ. The First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued the following in 1916 to clarify the meaning of certain scriptures where Jesus Christ, or Jehovah, is designated as the Father.

Announcement of a new Spanish-language Book of Mormon that includes study helps, chapter headings, footnotes, and an index.

Members of the Church help to distribute the Book of Mormon by giving the book as gifts to non-members, through the family-to-family program, by placing them in libraries and at fairs, exhibits, visitor centers, and by putting them in hotels, professional offices, etc., by permission.

Announcement of the number of Books of Mormon sold during 1992 coupled with a statement that modern English translations of the book were not authorized by the Church authorities.

An article in the September issue of Moody Monthly reported that analyses of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon and the Spaulding manuscript confirm that they were written by the same person. In this letter to the editor, Fisher exhorts the publishers to report the evidence on both sides of the issue. He mentions that Henry Silver, one of three handwriting analysts, withdrew from involvement after stating that he had been misrepresented in published statements. In response the editor refers to an extensive article on the subject in the November issue.

This pamphlet was written to dispel the false doctrine that Jesus Christ is the Supreme deity. Doctrines found in the scriptures agree with the beliefs of the Restoration that God the Father and Jesus Christ are distinct and separate persons in the Godhead, one in purpose but not in person.

A tract that argues against Moroni’s admonition to read the Book of Mormon (Moroni 10:4-5) and warns people against reading the book. The Book of Mormon is not doctrinally correct and its teachings do not accord with the Bible.

Reprint from Utah Academy of Science 8 (July 1, 1931): 1-32. Discusses theories of the origin of the American Indian: the Atlantis Theory and the Israelitish or Lost Ten Tribe and Hebrew Theory. The most challenging is the Book of Mormon theory.

An introduction to the Book of Mormon, featuring external evidences, teachings about God and Christ, immortality, and ethical and social teachings of the Book of Mormon.

Comprehensive study on the theories that have been held concerning the provenance of the American Indians from the time of Columbus to 1929.

An indexed bibliography of works dealing with the LDS church. References concerning the Book of Mormon are included.

Most scholarly attention to the First Vision is dedicated to determining whether it happened or whether whatever happened is reliably described in the few primary accounts we have of it. My interests lie in a different direction. I am interested in the First Vision accounts insofar as they tell us something about religion, not about history, and not least because my wager is that this story, as a story, exceeds the limits of history, especially when it becomes understood as scripture. Which is to say, I want to better understand the work done by this story among the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For this analysis of Smith’s representation of his quest and its positive resolution, I will rely chiefly on the 1832 and 1838 manuscripts as the most intentional of the four accounts. They not only share a historiographical purpose but also are related in their production, the 1838 manuscript having used the 1832 account as a base for its narrative structure and descriptive detail of events. In contrast, the intervening 1835 account is a report of a conversation with a sole interlocutor observed by a notetaking third party. It less useful as a primary source for Smith’s understanding of the larger significance of his initial spiritual experience. The 1842 Wentworth letter is as intentional as the other church histories but relies on secondary accounts for much of its content. Finally, because of its canonical status, the 1838 manuscript is not merely authoritative but generative of the faithful reader’s religious convictions. Therefore, it is uniquely relevant to this analysis of the First Vision’s meaning and function among the Saints.

One of the greatest blessings the Lord has showered upon Latter-day Saints is the guidance and noble example of modern-day apostles and prophets—men whose lives and words inspire, bless, and uplift. This volume brings together engaging biographies of these men—all 109 members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles called since the Restoration began. Featuring memorable stories and facts from the lives of those whom the Lord has called to lead His latter-day kingdom, this volume unfolds the panorama of latter-day Church history. ISBN 1-5734-5797-3

The whole title of the pamphlet is as follows: “A Chronological Data of the Book of Mormon Based on the Cycles, Eclipses, Earthquakes, and Comets, Including the Principal Events, Together with the Kings of the Old World, and the Whereabouts of the Lost Tribes and Their Tribes and Their Kings Who Reigned Contemporaneously”

A systematic response to William Palmer’s polemical tract. Contains documentary evidence from Sidney Rigdon that he had nothing to do with the Spaulding manuscript. Examines the language of the Book of Mormon, allegations of internal contradictions, and Book of Mormon inconsistencies with the Bible.

The article describes the political views of early Mormons, particularly religious leader Joseph Smith, Jr., as Neoplatonic, fitting the notion of a philosopher-king derived from the philosopher Plato. Topics include the practice of theurgy, which involved ritual union with the divine, among ancient Greek philosophers, political notions in the Book of Mormon, and Neoplatonism among the Christian Church Fathers. Also noted connections between the Radical Reformation and Mormonism, the performance of theurgical magic rites by Joseph Smith, and Smith’s views on U.S. political life.

Letters praising the Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture and responding to articles published therein.

This thesis explores the second person pronominal usage of the English language in the Book of Mormon to discover the method of translation and the influence of God within the pages of the book. Fletcher finds “that the Book of Mormon is the word of God translated into the English of Joseph Smith” under the inspiration of God.

Finds that there is “ample proof in the Book of Mormon to identify the location” of the choice land. Both the Nephites and the Jaredites lived in the area of the United States of America.

Writes concerning the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the testimony of the Three and Eight Witnesses, the evils of the present world as presented in the scriptures, and the future establishment of the New Jerusalem.

Review of Lehi's Isle of Promise: A Scriptural Account with Word Definitions and a Commentary.

Review of Thomas R. Valletta, gen. ed. The Book of Mormon for Latter-day Saint Families. Review of Thomas R. Valletta, gen. ed. The New Testament for Latter-day Saint Families.

An evangelical tract explaining the purpose and teachings of the Book of Mormon, written by an apostle of the Church of Christ.

Retells the story of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Quotes from Joseph Smith as well as S. M. Smucker, Josiah Quincey, Oliver Cowdery, James H. Fairchild. Contains the testimonies of the eleven witnesses and evidences from archaeology and Indian legends that vindicate the book.

An apologetic reply to allegations that the Book of Mormon is not a work inspired by God wherein the author defends the Book of Mormon as having been written by an inspired prophet of God, Mormon, and translated by Joseph Smith who was called by God to perform the work.

A single volume cannot accurately measure the influence of a beloved colleague, but this one nevertheless stands as modest evidence of Robert L. Millet’s prodigious impact over a career that spanned nearly four decades. His retirement provided an opportunity to gather some of us who count him as a mentor, colleague, and friend. We offer this collection of essays as a monument to his remarkable career as an administrator, teacher, and writer. That these pieces range across topics, disciplines, and even religious traditions seems especially appropriate given Millet’s own broad reach. His students number in the thousands, his readers number perhaps ten times that number, and his friends in academia, the Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and around the globe in many faiths would be difficult to number indeed. Both in terms of his staggering literary production and in his broad collection of colleagues, it is not an overstatement to place Bob Millet among the most influential Latter-day Saint voices of the past quarter century. We who count ourselves grateful recipients of his generous influence hope this volume’s collective thinking, faith, and lively conversation form a worthy “thank you” to our cherished colleague and friend. ISBN 978-0-8425-2968-6

An alleged exposé of Mormonism and its beliefs wherein the Book of Mormon is considered to be “heavy” and “verbose” in style. The author asserts that most of the proper names of the Book of Mormon could have been formed from biblical, Latin, or modern names. Various anachronisms are noted, such as the assertion in the Book of Mormon regarding the presence of pre-Columbian domesticated animals, passages from Shakespeare, modern phraseology, and ungrammatical expressions. Numerous Book of Mormon phrases are listed that the author views as being peculiar to nineteenth-century revival language.

Review of The Easy-to-Read Book of Mormon: A Learning Companion (1995), by Lynn Matthews Anderson.

Contains nine lessons for learning German using the German translation of the Book of Mormon as the text. Each lesson contains different rules of grammar plus exercises.

Ford reviews the spectrum of early nineteenth-century American Universalism at the time of the publishing of the Book of Mormon, the responses of some contemporary Christian theologians who opposed Universalism, the early Mormon positions in these disputes as contained in the Book of Mormon, and some contributions of Joseph Smith’s subsequent revelations. He argues that the Book of Mormon refutes “modern” Universalism; the Book of Mormon’s treatment of the restorationist doctrines of salvation is ambiguous; and reflections and discussions between Joseph Smith and other early Church members over the issues disputed between Universalists and their opponents resulted in several revelations that progressively defined an official Mormon interpretation of the Book of Mormon and resulted in a novel and complex schema of human salvation that incorporates theological elements of both traditional Protestant Christianity and restorationism.

Without discussing authorship or date of composition, Ford shows how the Book of Mormon fits into the theological spectrum of the early nineteenth century. He compares Book of Mormon theology with the Arminian, Calvinist, Universalist, Unitarian, and Methodist beliefs of the day and shows how the Book of Mormon addressed the following four contemporary religious disputes: free will and predestination, the desirability of moral evil, infant sin, and accountability of those ignorant of Christian teachings. Ford concludes that Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon deserve a place in the scholarship of nineteenth-century theology.

This article argues that the Mexican people are a chosen race of people. According to Isaiah 29:4 they have been brought down in the dust. However, they are descendants of Joseph, through Lehi (1 Nephi 5:14) and they will be redeemed (2 Nephi 30:5-6).

“In this study, it is argued that the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith’s first testament to the world and Mormonism’s keystone scripture, consistently contradicted the Northern Evangelical platform--plank by plank. It is argued that the Book of Mormon was a religious fiction. Religious or moralistic fiction was a genre many Evangelicals objected to on the grounds that it was basically dishonest and thus not a suitable medium for moral uplift. It is clear that early Mormons were influenced by such thinking, for they assumed that the Book of Mormon was an historical document. They had to do so, in effect, to read it in good conscience. Hence, Mormonism began as a result of a literary constructive misunderstanding of sorts. The definition of Evangelicalism used in this study is only applicable to the Evangelicalisms and Revivalisms of the northern United States around 1830. A number of scholars seem to agree that most northern Evangelicals were Whigs, that they abhorred slavery and were proponents of racial equality (in principle), that Revivalism advanced the cause of women’s rights and thus loathed universalism and other male-dominated societies (especially Freemasonry), and that most Evangelicals and Revivalists were postmillennialists. Whereas the Book of Mormon was critical of Jacksonian America, it was, in fact, a defense of the Jeffersonian and Jacksonian Republican (or Democratic) ideal. Most Evangelicals were Whigs and thus enemies of Jacksonianism. The Book of Mormon propounded a highly racist theory for the origin of non-whites, red and black, which militated against racial equality and justified slavery. A dark skin was not said to be the consequence of mere environmental factors, as Evangelical missionaries to the Indians and other philanthropists argued, but the result of a curse from God. It is argued that the Book of Mormon was a defense of the beleaguered patriarchal institution of Freemasonry, but a primitive or “apostolic” type. Indeed, the Book of Mormon defended the rights of males and all things male, castigating the evangelical woman and womanhood (not motherhood per se) in the process. Not unlike Universalist teaching, it defined Hell as a state of mind rather than a place of literal fire and brimstone, and spoke favourably of a universal resurrection, the salvation of all children who died without baptism and, most important, of purgatory. The Book of Mormon also propounded a proto-dispensationalist eschatology at odds with the Postmillennialism of the Edwardsians and the Revivalists and the Premillenialism of conservative divines. The Book of Mormon, it is argued, was a “comprehensive primitivist vision” that was “fully Northern” in the broad cultural sense. This neither wholly supports nor wholly rejects the argument that Mormons were outsiders and thus America’s insiders. As pugnacious and opportunistic it was idealistic, it was a remarkable product of popular consciousness because it had something important to say “in favor of” popular America and “against” the Evangelical “righteous empire.” (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

An interpretation of how the Book of Mormon and early Mormonism fit into American society at the time of the translation

Tells in Danish about the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, Mormon doctrine, and Mormons in Denmark.

Bears testimony as to the importance and the impact of the Book of Mormon in modern history and the LDS church.

A polemical booklet wherein the author hopes to “help stop the spread of Mormonism” and to encourage people to disbelieve the contents of the Book of Mormon. Contains ten photographed letters representing correspondences with Mormon authorities and others on questions pertaining to the Book of Mormon.

Abstract: This article offers evidence that at least some Book of Mormon authors may have understood the potential for post-mortal preaching of the gospel. Indeed, they may have recognized that the future Book of Mormon would be a tool to spread the gospel not only among the living but also among those in the spirit world. Prophecies about the message of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel being for all mankind may have broader scope than previously recognized, with application on both sides of the veil.