Well, that was interesting.  Following my last post, which expressed some public concerns regarding the recent Interpreter article addressing the Documentary Hypothesis, the editors decided to republish an essay I wrote over a decade ago on temple imagery in Jacob’s Book of Mormon sermons. I find this interesting because the article was written over a decade ago, and first published in a book dedicated to Mormon studies researcher Matt Brown in 2014, i.e. seven years ago, and I’ve gone through some deep, personal changes since that time.  But I also find this interesting because I w ..read more

Since the 19th century, scholars have made exciting discoveries that shed significant light on the Bible. One of these findings is the fact that the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Christian Old Testament) were not composed by a single individual, but instead consist of a redaction of originally independent literary works. This view, known as the Documentary Hypothesis (DH), challenges traditional religious beliefs that the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) is connected with the prophet Moses. The DH presents unique challenges for Latter-day Saints, who not only revere the Bible, but al ..read more

I’ve been intrigued with what seem to be esoteric[1] influences flowing into Joseph Smith, and esoteric elements flowing out of him — into Mormonism.  And as I consider how he fits into the larger scheme of esoteric-Christianity, I see the concepts of an original, powerful language, and the ability to “see” and “translate” ancient scriptural texts — as major manifestations of his esoteric production.  What can we know about the beginnings and subsequent development of a “Pure” language in his revelations and translations, his use of a folk-magic seerstone to see and translate buried ..read more

In his most recent podcast episode, Radio Free Mormon spent an hour and a half exploring the possibility of the influence of Adam Clarke’s early nineteenth century Bible commentary on the Book of Mormon. In the wake of the publication of an important new essay by Thomas Wayment and Haley Wilson-Lemmón, showing that Smith made hundreds of revisions to the New Testament based on his reading of Clarke’s commentary, it is possible now to explore further the breadth and depth of the influence of Clarke’s commentary on Joseph Smith, Jr.’s textual productions. Radio Free Mormon’s new episode aims to ..read more

A review of Joseph W. Geisner, ed., Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2020). Writing Mormon History, edited by Joseph W. Geisner, is a collection of essays by prominent historians of Mormonism about the process of writing some of the field’s most important books. Some of the authors focus on personal narrative, some on writing and research process, and some on the most interesting and important findings from their books. In all cases, I felt that I really got to know the authors—even the ones I’ve never actually met in real life. I ..read more

The Writings of Oliver H. Olney: April 1842 to February 1843 – Nauvoo, Illinois Edited by: Richard G Moore Published by: Kofford Books, June 2020 Genre: Documentary History Pages: 340 Binding: Cloth   ISBN: 978-1-58958-762-5 Price: 38.95 In 1981, my parents took me to see Raiders of the Lost Ark. I loved it! When we got home from the theater, I ran around our yard playing “Archaeologist”.  With a “whip” in my hand and a hat on my head, I fended off bad guys as I looked for secret caves and lost treasures. I knew that when I grew up, I wanted to be able to make cool discoveries like ..read more

Title: Mercy without End: Toward a More Inclusive Church, by: Lavina Fielding Anderson, Published by: Signature Books, Published in: 2020. Genre: Faith, Personal Essays Pages: 277 Binding: Paper ISBN: 978-1-56085-283-4 Price: 18.95 Jana Riess begins her brief foreword to Mercy Without End by mentioning that she was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Princeton the day after Lavina Fielding Anderson was excommunicated from the Church in Utah. Riess then briefly narrates the impact that this conjunction of events had on her life.  I have my own “Lavina Fielding ..read more

Title: Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon by William Davis, Published by the University of North Carolina Press Genre: History Year Published: 2020 Pages: 250 Binding: Cloth, Paper, eBook ISBN: Cloth, 978-1-4696-5565-9; Paper, 978-1-4696-5566-6; eBook, 978-1-4696-5567-3 Price: Cloth, 90.00; Paper, 29.95; eBook, 22.99 The 21st century is a culture saturated in the written word. We are surrounded by books, magazines, and newspapers, we read and write blogs, we spend hours sharing and typing posts on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, we self-publi ..read more

Title: Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier Author: Ben Park Published by: Liveright    Genre: History Year Published: 2020 Number of Pages: 324 Available in : Cloth & Digital ISBN: 978-1-613149-486-4 Price: Cloth, 28.95; Digital List Price 26.23 Grand Parade, America’s Freedom Festival at Provo For generations, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints living in the United States have tried very hard to cultivate an image of themselves as fiercely loyal American citizens.  Modern Mormons love to wave the flag ..read more

Utah, the Murder Hornet, err, Beehive State! It was not a planned, coordinated effort (I think), and the books were released out of order, but along with fires, plagues, and murder hornets, the last year has given the world of Mormon Studies a near perfect trilogy for understanding the why’s and the history of radical Mormon politics. Last out, first in the series is, Kingdom of Nauvoo: The Rise and Fall of a Religious Empire on the American Frontier by Ben Park (2020, Liveright Books).  Drawing on the previously unavailable Council of Fifty Minutes, Park explains Joseph Smith’s radical ..read more