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.
If you’ve ever wanted to take a deep dive into the cultural, intellectual, and historical implication of Joseph Smith, you may want to consider Sam Brown as your muse. A physician and scientist by day, Brown dives deep into the esoteric metaphysics of the early Latter-day Saint prophet in his Oxford University Press publication, Joseph Smith’s Translation: The Words and Worlds of Early Mormonism.
Gary Boatright discusses the Latter-day Saint “Wagon Box Prophecy” and explains what happens when a false (but faith-promoting) story becomes accepted as fact.
Historian Steven C. Harper is one of today’s foremost experts on Joseph Smith and the First Vision. He was the Managing Editor for Saints, Volume 1, a new narrative history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that recounts the the years 1815 to 1846, roughly from the time of Joseph’s First Vision to shortly after his martyrdom in Carthage, Illinois.
Historian Tony Williams has tried to do the impossible: Write a 200-page biography of Alexander Hamilton.
Learn how Andrew Walker overcame a gruesome football injury at Boston College to become of of Hallmark’s favorite leading men.
Spencer Fluhman and Philip Barlow are co-editors of the groundbreaking Maxwell Institute series, Brief Theological Introductions to the Book of Mormon.
More and more people are becoming aware that Joseph Smith ran for president in 1884. Fewer readers know that Joseph Smith utilized the Council of Fifty and hundreds of political missionaries to spread the word about his presidential campaign—and simultaneously preach the word of God. Historian Derek Sainsbury reveals new details about the Prophet’s campaign for president of the United States.
Author Claire Cock-Starkey has written about book lovers, libraries, and even some of history’s most famous last words. She turns her attention to museums in A Museum Miscellany (Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2019).