The book of Ether goes over like a lead balloon. It’s freighted with the history of two millennia, mired with lurid violence. The story is heavy—ill-suited, perhaps, to show the “great things” of God’s deliverance, as the title page of the Book of Mormon promises. Surely, it is too earthbound for greatness. The book lifts off, nonetheless.
The Book of Abraham is a volume of holy scripture translated by Joseph Smith. The text is unique because we possess some of the Egyptian papyri the Prophet may have used during his translation. However, the text on extant fragments doesn’t align with what’s found in the book—and that’s led to many debates. Ultimately, the Church says that the book’s power lies in study, prayer, and personal revelation. This article walks you through some of the latest research findings, including exclusive From the Desk interviews.
Two distinct classes of demonic entities exist in the Book of Mormon: “unclean spirits” and “devils.” While some of the book’s teachings mirror demonology from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, others introduce new concepts. For instance, the prophet Jacob describes Satan as the leader of disembodied devils, Lehi1 characterizes the adversary as “miserable,” and Jesus refers to the devil as the “father of contention.” Theologian Daniel Becerra explores these unique perspectives on Book of Mormon demonology in this interview.
The Book of Mormon has a complex relationship with the Christian Bible. It interacts with and, in some cases, reinterprets the stories and texts of the Bible in unique ways. In this interview, Michael Austin describes some of the ways in which the Book of Mormon reinterprets the Bible.
Prophets, priests, and kings were anointed in the Old Testament. And the title Christ in the New Testament literally translates as “anointed one.” But what does that mean? This post draws from the comments of Tim Mackie and John Collins in a seven-part series by the Bible Project explaining that anointing is a ritual in which people and places are set apart as portals between heaven and earth. The story starts in the Garden of Eden and ends with contemporary Christian disciples.
The Book of Mormon is a religious text translated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the 1800s. Latter-day Saints view the scripture as canon—alongside the Bible, Pearl of Great Price, and Doctrine and Covenants. It clarifies the role of Jesus as the Son of God, details his visit to the Americas, and sheds light on the afterlife and Latter-day Saint theology. This compilation of resources provides academic and devotional insight into the Book of Mormon.
The Book of Alma is one of the richest books in the Book of Mormon in both theology and narrative. Alma2 is a powerful preacher who has a remarkable conversion story and dramatic (albeit tragic) missionary journeys. Similarly, the sons of Mosiah, also have dramatic stories of missionary work. In this interview, Kylie Nielson Turley discusses the theology in Alma 1–29 found in the stories of figures like Alma, Amulek, and Abish.
When the Urim and Thummim are identified [in the Old Testament] with the gems of the breastpiece, light is often associated with them. 4QpIsa i 4–6 can be interpreted in this way. Josephus clearly links a miraculous light with the divine revelation. The oracular shining or dimming of a stone on the breastpiece is also found in subsequent Jewish and Samaritan tradition.
The Book of Mosiah is a theologically rich collection of stories and sermons in the Book of Mormon. The sermon of King Benjamin, the story of Abinadi, and the conversion of Alma1 all bring some important thoughts to the table. This interview with James E. Faulconer discusses some of the theological contributions in the Book of Mosiah.
Here is a question. If you are trying to do any kind of serious research into ancient documents, why would you ever prefer to use a translation, rather than the original texts themselves? In the case of the Bible, however, there is one translation that it really pays to know. Often, when we read Scriptures, we might debate exactly how they were read and understood in very early times. In the case of the Septuagint, we have a reliable snapshot of just how Jewish people did just that at a particular moment in time, and the resulting picture is often startling.