Let’s Talk About the Book of Abraham is an easy-to-read summary of the important gospel topic. In this interview, Egyptologist Kerry Muhlestein looks at the history of Abraham’s book, discusses the facsimiles, and weighs the limitations of current theories—including his own.
Marcus Whitman was a missionary in the 19th century who played an important role in the development of the American West. He and his wife, Narcissa Whitman, have been revered since perishing in an 1847 Indian attack. But the story isn’t what it seems. Blaine Harden tells the startling account as he expounds on his latest book, Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West.
It’s a golden age for New Testament studies. Scholars like N. T. Wright and Mike Bird increase biblical literacy by teaching about the history and theology of ancient scripture. In this interview, F. B. A. Asiedu continues the tradition by addressing a historical mystery: Why is Josephus largely silent about Paul and early Christianity?
While Latter-day Saints don’t have a formal theology, the tradition is rich with revealed truth and ongoing inquiry. Yet to Be Revealed, a special issue of BYU Studies, explores meaningful questions for which the Church has not offered definitive positions. The volume highlights how prophetic teachings have, at times, emphasized different dimensions of doctrine. In this interview, editor Eric Eliason discusses topics such as God’s progress in knowledge and the King Follett Sermon, exploring how to engage varied perspectives faithfully.
Historian David D. Hall is a an expert on the Puritans, and the author of The Puritans: A Transatlantic History. The book is published through Princeton University Press, an academic publisher that has also released high-quality scholarship such as that found in Masada: From Jewish Revolt to Modern Myth.
What were the Kinderhook plates? Did the Prophet Joseph Smith fall for a hoax? What do and don’t we know about the story? In this interview, Don Bradley and Mark Ashurst-McGee look the the history of Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook forgeries.
Proclaim Peace: The Restoration’s Answer to an Age of Conflict is a new Maxwell Institute publication by Patrick Mason and David Pulsipher. The authors explain how the book came to be, theorize about the next steps in their theories, and discuss the role of peace in creating a Zion society.
Historians Brian and Laura Hales reflect on their years spent researching polygamy and plural marriage, and talk about their latest projects.
Rev. Andrew Teal’s relationship with Jeffrey R. Holland led him to Utah as a Visiting Scholar at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Studies. He intended to study the life of Joseph Smith, but plans changed when he severely burned his feet. The Oxford scholar discusses his background, his friendship with Elder Holland, and the way suffering has refined his relationship with the Savior.
What is polygamy? Did Joseph Smith have more than one wife? Did Latter-day Saints love or hate plural marriage? Historian Brittany Chapman Nash tackles these questions and more in a candid interview.