Learn more about the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including historical findings about Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and more.
Historian Matthew L. Harris is the co-editor of The LDS Gospel Topics Series: A Scholarly Engagement (Signature Books, 2020). The book contains a scholarly assessment of Latter-day Saint history Gospel Topics Essays like the First Vision, plural marriage, and becoming like God. In this interview, Matt Harris explains more about the book.
Retired BYU professor Louis Midgley reflects on his life and the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 20th century. A portion of his interview is quoted in the new Interpreter Foundation publication, Hugh Nibley Observed.
Historian Keith Erekson takes readers behind the scenes of the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. He’s also written about patriarchal blessings, Joseph Smith’s teachings about Christ, and how to dispel “Latter-day Myths.”
Excerpts from Joseph Smith’s Translation of the Bible (JST) have been included as footnotes in the Latter-day Saint standard works since 1978. The translation process used by the Prophet remains a source of mystery today. Some scholars feel that Joseph Smith consulted and borrowed from Adam Clark’s commentary of the Bible. Others, like Kent P Jackson, believe there are flaws in the hypothesis.
Pioneer Prophet is the latest biographical contribution to the life of Brigham Young. Written by Presbyterian historian John Turner, the book examines the complexity of a man known as “American Moses,” “Lion of the Lord,” and “Brother Brigham.” In this interview, Turner reflects on the biography’s research and reflection a decade after its initial publication by Harvard University Press.
Latter-day Saints have a passion for their history. Whether discussing Joseph Smith and Brigham Young or 20th century leaders, the culture has a strong affinity for the past—both its facts and mysteries. In this interview, author Joseph Geisner takes readers behind the scenes of his new book, Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Signature Books, 2020).
Neylan McBaine is the CEO of Better Days 2020, founder of Mormon Women, and author of Pioneering the Vote: The Untold Story of Suffragists in Utah and the West.
Scholar Matthew Grey shares his latest research on Joseph Smith’s usage of Hebrew in the Book of Abraham. Grey published a chapter on the topic in Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity (University of Utah Press, 2020).
It’s difficult to separate the life of Joseph Smith from his recurring role as a “translator.” The meaning and methods of the Prophet’s translation activities sometimes meant different things, such as the different approaches and outcomes for his translation of the Book of Abraham, Book of Mormon, and the Bible. Thomas Wayment’s chapter in Producing Ancient Scripture contributes to our knowledge about Joseph Smith and his translation of the Bible.
How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon, Bible, and Book of Abraham? What did translation mean to the Prophet? What do we know about how the Latter-day Saint founder produced ancient scripture—and what has yet to be revealed? In this interview, Michael Hubbard MacKay and Mark Ashurst-McGee discuss findings from their book about Joseph Smith’s translations.