BYU Studies
Alphabetical by Authors

The Book of Mormon contains an interesting historical and religious record covering the period from before 2,000 B.C. to A.D. 400 Internal reconstruction of Book of Mormon geography shows that the specific events mentioned in the book probably took place in those parts of Mexico and Guatemala known as Mesoamerica; it was also in Mesoamerica that many of the great ancient American civilizations once flourished. Records were kept by the people of those civilizations, in addition to the book translated by Joseph Smith, and certain of the Prophet’s detractors claim that he had access to those records and “was familiar with the advanced state of the native civilizations in Central and South America as well as the relics of the early inhabitants of western New York because of the many books available on these topics,” further asserting that the Book of Mormon is simply a fanciful rewriting of already available material.The question having been raised, it is instructive to look at what substantial, authentic information on pre–A.D. 400. Mesoamerican history was available in western New York in 1829.

This popular text, used throughout the Church for the study of world religions, has been revised and expanded. Two additional authors, several new chapters, a number of new illustrations, and much updated material add fresh perspectives to the former edition’s tried-and-true approach. The result portrays the vivid spectrum of truth as it extends across cultures and religious systems. The book presents a…

Historians of the Latter-day Saint tradition have often dissected the origins, members, and activities of the Danites—and much has been made about Joseph Smith’s involvement with the group—but what often gets overlooked is how this nascent organization drew from a broader political tradition of rights and belonging within a democratic society. The society was more than just a replication of frontier vigilante justice. Indeed, the creation of the Danites—as well as its constitution—represented the culmination of tense discussions concerning who can and cannot reside within a particular community. It looked both outward toward Missouri neighbors and inward toward Mormon dissenters. The Danite constitution was the Latter-day Saint attempt to stake their political right to not be forcibly removed while also justifying their liberty to define the boundaries of their own community. This article traces the intellectual genealogy for this debate in an attempt to accomplish two objectives: first, to add layers to what happened in Far West, Missouri, in spring and summer 1838, including a better understanding of why the Saints were seen as so threatening to their neighbors and how the members of the faith justified their decision to fight back; and second, to better understand the broader antebellum culture’s struggle to define constitutional rights in an era where majoritarian rule seemed to verge on outright oppression. This article then concludes by highlighting how the actions in Missouri set the stage for another constitution written six years later in Nauvoo, another moment in which the Saints’ seemingly radical actions reflected broader political anxieties. Indeed, America’s democratic tradition is rife with moments of defining conflict, and the Mormon-Missouri War should be understood as exemplifying that uneven trajectory.

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David L. Paulsen, professor emeritus of the Brigham Young University Philosophy Department, is one of the most prominent LDS theologians. His writings span an impressive array of topics. BYU Studies has collected all his articles, book chapters, and reviews and arranged them by topic in three impressive ebooks, of which this is the first. In this first volume, readers will find a brief overview of Paulsen’s life; an account of a spiritual experience he had in Bellingham, Washington; and his writings on various theological topics: what it means to be Christian, Joseph Smith’s challenges to the theological world, a survey of teachings about Mother in Heaven, Trinitarianism, the problem of evil, the problem of the unevangelized, and redemption of the dead.

David L. Paulsen, professor emeritus of the Brigham Young University Philosophy Department, is one of the most prominent LDS theologians. His writings span an impressive array of topics. BYU Studies has collected all his articles, book chapters, and reviews and arranged them by topic in three impressive ebooks, of which this is the second. In this second volume, readers will find Paulsen’s writings on the nature of God, including early Mormon modalism and other myths, the social model of the Trinity in 3 Nephi, the corporeality of God, divine determinateness, and the logically and ontologically possible proofs of God’s existence.

David L. Paulsen, professor emeritus of the Brigham Young University Philosophy Department, is one of the most prominent LDS theologians. His writings span an impressive array of topics. BYU Studies has collected all his articles, book chapters, and reviews and arranged them by topic in three impressive ebooks, of which this is the third. In this third volume, readers will find dialogues, reviews, and rejoinders by Paulsen and others regarding his work. It includes dialogues with Christian theologian Clark Pinnock, a review of Mormonism in Dialogue with Contemporary Christian Theologies, Paulsen’s replies to various reviews of his works, and Paulsen’s reviews of the work of others.

Personal letters written by Hugh Nibley during his youth show the fundamental consistency of his personality, style, beliefs, concerns, and penetrating perceptions throughout his lifetime.
An analysis of personal letters written by Hugh Nibley during his youth.

Famine and hard times in Utah in the mid-1850s convinced Church leaders that God was not pleased with the state of the Kingdom. Consequently, they initiated a program of rebaptism, rededication, and retrenchment among the Saints between 1856 and 1857. Jedediah Grant exerted much influence during this period, helping to convince members to change and repent. Over time, however, the fervor subsided and was replaced by a more moderate and reasoned approach to reform. This short-lived but somewhat controversial period saw excommunications and heavy-handed rhetoric, but also spiritual rejuvenation, forgiveness, and recommitment. Paul H. Peterson’s 1981 dissertation paints a clear and fascinating picture of the Mormon Reformation.

Mapping Mormonism brings together contributions from sixty experts in the fields of geography, history, Mormon history, and economics to produce the most monumental work of its kind. More than an atlas, this book also includes hundreds of timelines and charts, along with carefully researched descriptions, that track the Mormon movement from its humble beginnings to its worldwide expansion. A work of this magnitude rarely comes along. Mapping Mormonism’s first edition proved to be a landmark reference work in Mormon studies; now it is further improved and updated with the latest information in this second edition. This work covers the early Restoration, the settlement of the West, and the expanding Church, giving particular emphasis to recent developments in the modern Church throughout all regions of the world. Of all the books on Church history, Mapping Mormonism may be the single most effective work to date at giving an expansive vision of the rise of the LDS Church⿿a vision as vibrant as those who have led the way in building Zion. In 2012, Mapping Mormonism won the Mormon History Association Best Book Award and the Cartography and Geographic Information Society Best Atlas Award.

With the many branch, ward, and stake organizations which currently bedeck the international scene of Mormonism, it is understandable that the activities of a small branch of Saints at Colesville, Broome County, New York, could have been virtually forgotten with the passage of time. Yet, at the close of 1830, it was one of some five principal branches serving as focal points for the gathering of the faithful in the new Church. Fayette, Seneca County, New York, served as the headquarters of the Church, while other branches existed at Colesville; Kirtland and Mentor, Geauga County, Ohio; and Warrensville, Cayahoga County, Ohio. The Colesville Branch was personally inaugurated by the Prophet Joseph Smith and its membership played a significant role in the initial years of the new dispensation. Drawn by Joseph’s affirmation of communication with the heavens and the supportive evidences contained in the Book of Mormon, the Colesville Saints gave impetus to the missionary zeal of the Restoration and provided elements of needed leadership for the rapidly expanding faith. From the very inception of “Mormonism,” the Saints comprising the Colesville Branch linked their lives inexorably with the Restored Gospel and the volume which had inspired their conversion, the Book of Mormon. They relinquished family, friends, homes and material comforts in pursuit of their testimonies. The Prophet Joseph Smith was not unmindful of these sacrifices. On August 22, 1842, while making entries in the Book of the Law of the Lord, he paid tribute to certain of the Colesville membership, which might well be applied to them all.

Martin Harris: Uncompromising Witness of the Book of Mormon reveals the compelling story of a man who had seen angels and knew Joseph Smith was a prophet but who nevertheless struggled to keep his faith in the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His is a story of fascination with worldly honors, flirtations with apostasy, and pride that nearly cost him the joy of his later years in the West. It is the biography of a witness who clung tenaciously to his testimony of the Book of Mormon. Well-known historians Susan Black and Larry Porter have written a landmark biography of Martin Harris, one of the most important figures in early Church history. Joseph Smith relied on his generosity and goodwill to publish the Book of Mormon, of which he was one of the Three Witnesses. But Latter-day Saints in the twenty-first century know relatively little about him, especially the decades he spent away from the Restoration—until now. This biography deserves a place on the bookshelves of historians and other interested Church members. Strongly recommend. Reid L. Neilson Assistant Church Historian and Recorder The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints This deeply researched book examines the life of one of Joseph Smith’s closest associates in the Church’s early years. It tells us more about signifi­cant episodes, such as the printing of the Book of Mormon, than anyone has ever known. Most important, it helps us reassess the character of Martin Harris, a key contributor to the Restoration. Harris emerges as a man of substance and judgment, a fitting witness to the angel and the plates. The book explains how he fell away and then returned but at no time backed away from his testimony. Richard Lyman Bushman Author, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling As one of the earliest believers in Joseph Smith’s spiritual claims, Martin Harris figured prominently in the early events of the Restoration. He observed firsthand many of the sacred scenes associated with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, assisted in its translation, was one of the book’s Three Witnesses, financed its publication, and was one of the first converts baptized into the Church of Christ. Authors Susan Easton Black and Larry C. Porter have produced an insightful, informative, well-­documented biography of Martin Harris’s lifelong religious sojourn—a life characterized by integrity, faith, and generosity, but most of all, testimony. This is solid, down-to-earth biographical history at its best. Alexander L. Baugh Professor, Church History and Doctrine, BYU

Addressing some of the most consequential yet esoteric subjects and events in Latter-day Saint Church history, this 1971 dissertation makes available items from early Mormon history never previously so thoroughly documented. Specifically, Dr. Larry C. Porter carefully delineates the dynamics of Joseph Smith’s life and movement (and the subsequent movement of the Church) in the context of the infant years of the Church, an era whose documented treatment has been previously obscure and sketchy.

In 1880 James T. Cobb, a graduate of Dartmouth and Amherst colleges and a resident of Salt Lake City, was making an attempt to establish the falsity of the Book of Mormon through an extensive examination of its origins. Among those to whom he directed letters of inquiry was William E. McLellan, whose close association with Joseph Smith and the witnesses of the Book of Mormon in the early years of the Church made him an appropriate subject for correspondence. William E. McLellan joined the Church in 1831. Although he became an early critic of Joseph Smith and other Church leaders, he nevertheless progressed to top leadership positions and on February 15, 1835, he was ordained as one of the original members of the Quorum of the Twelve. Yet due to his criticism of Church leadership he was excommunicated in 1838. The testimony reproduced in this article, written in reply to James T. Cobb’s inquiry, is significant because despite McLellan’s disillusionment with Joseph Smith, he nevertheless was unable to deny his conviction that the Book of Mormon was what it claimed to be.