Brant A. Gardner

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 This series of blog posts has been a comparison between two possible real-world locations for the Book of Mormon: The Heartland and Mesoamerica. For the Heartland model, it is clear that the most important facet of the proposal is the declaration that the […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 The discovery of DNA has had many repercussions in medicine and criminal science. Using DNA to trace connections through time has also led to multiple uses in genealogy as well as in researching the ancient movements of populations. It is in the tracing […]

Abstract: There are many questions that can be asked about the translation of the Book of Mormon. This paper focuses on a single question: What was the relationship between the English translation and the Nephite text? Of course, without the original, we must speculate, but it is suggested that there are two concepts used in […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 In a second-hand account of a second-hand account, Elder LeGrand Richards, then an Apostle, related: I have never seen this in print, but I heard President Callis make this statement: that after the Book of Mormon came forth the Prophet Joseph was terribly […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 War is a major theme in the second half of the book of Alma, but by the time readers encounter those detailed accounts of military actions, we are not surprised. Warfare is endemic in the Book of Mormon. Even early in the formation […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 How well do the Mesoamerican and Heartland models fit with the text’s requirements for population and social complexity? As background, we should cover what the text says about those two aspects of Nephite society. At the time of the Nephite destruction at Cumorah, […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 Once we have a proposed location for the Book of Mormon, the next step is to understand the historical populations that existed on that location. The two fundamental considerations are whether there were people there at all and secondly, whether they were there […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 Samuel the Lamanite’s prophecy of destruction came to pass in the “the thirty and fourth year, in the first month, on the fourth day of the month.” The beginning of the description of the destruction emphasized that it was greater than any in […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 Comparing the proposed narrow or small necks of land between the Sorenson and Neville models should begin with the place where each takes basic information. These are the important reference verses in the Book of Mormon: And it came to pass that Hagoth, […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 Some of the most important geographic information about the Book of Mormon lands is found in Alma 22:27-34. Mormon had been speaking of the mission of the sons of Mosiah when he inserted the largest block of geographic information we have in the […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 Sorenson’s Map and Non-Cardinal Directions A very common assumption modern readers bring to the Book of Mormon is that most of the English words in the text mean precisely what we assume they do. Royal Skousen and others have examined the words in […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 When comparing the Heartland geography to the Mesoamerican geography I use the version Jonathan Neville proposed in his book Moroni’s America.[1] I use John L. Sorenson’s map for the Mesoamerican setting. There were some small but important changes between his 1984 An Ancient […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 As part of the Gospel Topics essay in Book of Mormon geography, it is declared: The Book of Mormon includes a history of an ancient people who migrated from the Near East to the Americas. This history contains information about the places they lived, […]

Part 1  |  Part 2  |  Part 3  |  Part 4  |  Part 5  |  Part 6  |  Part 7Part 8  |  Part 9  |  Part 10  |  Part 11  |  Part 12  |  Part 13 This post begins a series of blog posts in which I will compare two proposed locations for the Book of Mormon. An important caveat is that I have published on the Mesoamerican model and prefer it. Having stated that I do begin with […]

Review of Covenant of Christ, A Modern English Version of the Book of Mormon (Restoration Scriptures Foundation, 2024). 525 pages. $26.95 (hardback), $21.36 (paperback).

Review of Warren P. Aston, Godfrey J. Ellis, and Neal Rappleye, Into Arabia: Anchoring Nephi’s Account in the Real World (Orem, UT: The Interpreter Foundation; Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2024). 298 pages. $44.99 (hardback), $39.99 (paperback). Abstract: Into Arabia is a collected reprint of six articles. The first chapter reprints an article that first […]

The way the Nephites kept track of their historical records changed with the first year of the reign of the judges. At that point, the previous sporadic listing of years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem became a very complete listing of years. At first, the counts were fixed to the reign of the judges […]

Abstract: James Lucas had the opportunity to respond to the review of the book that he and Jonathan Neville wrote, By Means of the Urim & Thummim. He elected not to really respond to the issues I brought up but rather summarized his essential points. That doesn’t leave much to respond to. However, there is […]

Review of James W. Lucas and Jonathan E. Neville, By Means of the Urim & Thummim: Restoring Translation to the Restoration (Cottonwood Heights, UT: Digital Legend Press & Publishing, 2023). 288 pages. $19.95. Abstract: In their book, James Lucas and Jonathan Neville present two major theses relative to translation of the Book of Mormon. The […]

Review of Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith’s Gold Plates: A Cultural History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2023). 264 pages, $34.95 (hardback). Abstract: The gold plates were only a physically present artifact for a brief time and only for a select few people. Then they were gone, but the effect of their original presence echoes […]

Review of Avram R. Shannon and Kerry Hull, eds., A Hundredth Part: Exploring the History and Teachings of the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2023). 374 pages, $29.99 (hardback). Abstract: This volume collects papers published in multiple venues over a wide time span. A diligent researcher might find all […]

Review of Robert A. Rees, A New Witness to the World (Salt Lake City: By Common Consent Press, 2020). 244 pages. $9.95 (paperback). Abstract: Robert A. Rees has written about the Book of Mormon for over sixty years. In this book are collected sixteen essays that all focus on different aspects of the text of […]

Review of Terrence J. O’Leary, Book of Mormon: A History of Real People in Real Places (Pennsauken, NJ: BookBaby, 2020). 274 pages. Softcover, $20. Abstract: Terrence O’Leary enters the field of books attempting to describe a geographical and cultural background to the Book of Mormon. Placing the action of the text in Mesoamerica, O’Leary explains the Book of Mormon against his understanding of […]

Review of Daniel L. Belnap, ed., Illuminating the Jaredite Records (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University / Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2020). 320 pages. Hardback, $27.95. Abstract: Illuminating the Jaredite Record collects ten papers by different Book of Mormon scholars. This is the second publication from the Book of Mormon Academy at Brigham Young University, a collection of scholars interested in […]

Review of Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity, edited by Michael Hubbard MacKay, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Brian M. Hauglid (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2020). 544 pages with index. Hardback, $70. Paperback $45, eBook $40.[Page 257] Abstract: Producing Ancient Scripture is a collection of sixteen detailed essays with an introduction […]

[Page 321]Review of Samuel Morris Brown, Joseph Smith’s Translation: The Words and Worlds of Early Mormonism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020). 314 pages. $34.95 (hardback). Abstract: Samuel M. Brown opens up a new and expansive view of Joseph Smith as a religious thinker. Written for an academic audience, Brown is intentionally dealing with what can be seen and understood about […]

[Page 191]Review of William L. Davis, Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2020). 250 pages with index. $90.00 (hardback), $29.95 (paperback).   Abstract: Visions in a Seer Stone: Joseph Smith and the Making of the Book of Mormon introduces a new perspective in the examination of […]

[Page vii][Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the eighth (and final) installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This final installment is the Preface […]

[Page 329][Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the seventh installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and we […]

[Page 271][Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the sixth installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and we […]

[Page ]221[Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the fifth installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for […]

[Page 167][Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the fourth installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for […]

[Page 107][Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the third installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and we […]

[Page 47][Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the second installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and we […]

[Page 1] [Editor’s Note: We are pleased to present the first installment from a book entitled Labor Diligently to Write: The Ancient Making of a Modern Scripture. It is being presented in serialized form as an aid to help readers prepare for the 2020 Come Follow Me course of study. This is a new approach for Interpreter, and […]

[Page 139]Abstract: The Maxwell Institute Study Edition of the Book of Mormon is an important tool for personal and class study of the Book of Mormon. Not only does it provide a better reading experience, it has important features that enhance study. Review of Grant Hardy, ed. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, Maxwell Institute Study Edition (Provo, UT: […]

Review of Gerald E. Smith, Schooling the Prophet: How the Book of Mormon Influenced Joseph Smith and the Early Restoration (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2015). pp 305.Abstract: Schooling the Prophet provides a good survey of many early Latter-day Saint doctrines. It suggests that there is a causal link between the Book of Mormon and those doctrines. Sometimes it makes the case; many times it is close but doesn’t quite support the thesis of the book.

Review of Royal Skousen, Robin Scott Jensen, eds., The Joseph Smith Papers: Revelations and Translations Volume 3, Part 1: Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon 1 Nephi–Alma 35 (Salt Lake City: The Church Historian’s Press, 2015). pp 575.Abstract: All of the volumes in the Joseph Smith Papers series are beautifully presented, with important photographic and excellent typographic versions of the texts. This volume continues by providing this treatment for the Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon.

The Heartland hypothesis really doesn’t care much about geography. In fact, it is literally the last kind of analysis it cares about. Bruce H. Porter and Rod L. Meldrum lay out their methodology in an important book that provides an excellent overview of the Heartland hypothesis: “The proposed methodology presented in this book utilizes four […]

Mormon’s Codex: An Ancient American Book is unquestionably a monument to an impressive career defending, defining, and explaining the Book of Mormon. John L. Sorenson has been for the New World setting of the Book of Mormon what Hugh Nibley was for the Old World setting. From his earliest 1952 publications using anthropology and geography to defend the Book of Mormon to the 2013 publication of Mormon’s Codex, Sorenson has been the dominant force in shaping scholarly discussions about the Book of Mormon in its New World setting. With an impressive 714 pages of text with footnotes, Mormon’s Codex is physically an appropriate capstone to his long publishing career.

Earl M. Wunderli has written a book that works through the reasons he fell out of belief in the Book of Mormon. These are combined with issues that he has added to his original reasons. His presentation is clearly intended to suggest that what he found compelling will also be compelling to other readers. Should it? This review looks at how his arguments are constructed: his methodology, the logic of the analysis, and the way he uses his sources. Although he argues that it is the Book of Mormon that is the imperfect book, his construction of the arguments makes that designation ironic.

Chapter 19 is not a separate chapter in the 1830 edition. However, in the 1830 edition, the chapter V in which it is included ends where we have verse 21. Because that was an original chapter break, I am looking at chapter 19 only up to verse 21 to have the opportunity of looking at […]

Our chapter 18 is not a separate chapter in the 1830 edition. 1 And it came to pass that they did worship the Lord, and did go forth with me; and we did work timbers of curious workmanship. And the Lord did show me from time to time after what manner I should work the […]

The Book of Mormon is a literate product of a literate culture. It references written texts. Nevertheless, behind the obvious literacy, there are clues to a primary orality in Nephite culture. The instances of text creation and most instances of reading texts suggest that documents were written by and for an elite class who were able to read and write. Even among the elite, reading and writing are best seen as a secondary method of communication to be called upon to archive information, to communicate with future readers (who would have been assumed to be elite and therefore able to read), and to communicate when direct oral communication was not possible (letters and the case of Korihor). As we approach the text, we may gain new insights into the art with which it was constructed by examining it as the literate result of a primarily oral culture.

1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness. 2 And so great were the blessings of […]

1 I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the […]

1 Nephi 16:1-6 1 And now it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had made an end of speaking to my brethren, behold they said unto me: Thou hast declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear. 2 And it came to pass that I said unto them that I […]

William G. Dever correctly posits that “in history-writing of any kind, the choice of method is fundamental, because to a large degree it determines the outcome of the inquiry. Where you arrive depends not only upon where you think you are going, but also upon how you decide to get there.”1 In his own work, […]

1 Nephi 15:1-3 1 And it came to pass that after I, Nephi, had been carried away in the Spirit, and seen all these things, I returned to the tent of my father. 2 And it came to pass that I beheld my brethren, and they were disputing one with another concerning the things which […]

1 Nephi 14:1-6 1 And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks— 2 And harden not their hearts against […]

1 Nephi 13:1-3 1 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms. 2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms. 3 And he said unto me: These are the nations […]

1 Nephi 12:1-5 1 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me: Look, and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren. And I looked and beheld the land of promise; and I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of […]

1 Nephi 11:1 1 For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an […]

The 1830 chapter III included our chapters 10-14 1 Nephi 10:1 1 And now I, Nephi, proceed to give an account upon these plates of my proceedings, and my reign and ministry; wherefore, to proceed with mine account, I must speak somewhat of the things of my father, and also of my brethren. Nephi’s division […]

I am expressing my own opinions, and not those of the Interpreter Foundation.  As Royal Skousen worked through the Book of Mormon manuscripts he discovered that there had been editing that made a smoother English reading where the original dictation had been somewhat grating to the ear. In at least one of those occasions, Skousen suggests […]

1 Nephi 9:1 The Book of Mormon writers have a different sensibility to ending chapters than modern readers do. They often finish their chapters in places where we would expect that the major shift in topic or time would introduce something new. This modern sense of where a break should occur has created the break […]

Given the possible controversy that might be raised, I should make it clear that these are my own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Interpreter Foundation. There have been a number of times over the years when I have been involved with studying the Book of Mormon where I will explain something […]

1 Nephi 8:1 This is a fascinating insertion of a mundane event in between a prophetically required return to Jerusalem and the next prophetic event. Nephi will begin his discussion of the vision of the Tree of Life which will serve as a major textual shift. Perhaps it was Nephi’s way of indicating that there […]

Review of E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2012), 240 pp. $16.00.

1 Nephi 7:1 This verse should follow immediately after our 1 Ne. 6:6, without the chapter break which was added later. With this verse, Nephi moves back to historical time after the brief  break from his story into his own time. It is possible that the conceptual structure of his second chapter is intentionally parallel […]

Our chapter six begins the original chapter II, covering our chapters 6-9. Thus this chapter both begins and ends with references to the plates on which Nephi is writing. 1 Nephi 6: 1-2 The first two verses of the next section of Nephi’s work tie to a theme from the first. In 1 Ne. 5:14 […]

1 Nephi 5:1 Nephi shifts the scene from outside Jerusalem’s walls to in the wilderness near his father’s tent. There is no chapter break between our 1 Ne. 4:38 and this first verse in chapter 5, so Nephi saw them as not only connected, but probably as an intentional repetition that served to tie the […]

1 Nephi 1:1-4 After a previous failure, Nephi has to convince Laman and Lemuel to allow him one more opportunity.  Nephi sets up this attempt not only with the historical recounting of failure, but with the information he provides about Laban’s power and position when he has Laman and Lemuel say of him: “Behold, he […]

1 Nephi 3:1 1 Nephi 2:15 indicates “and my father dwelt in a tent.” That simple sentence has no specific meaning in the narrative, but is simply used as a division marker. In this case, the “the tent of my father” starts the discussion of Nephi’s revelation from the Lord that he would rule over […]

Interpreter is seeking volunteer source checkers. Source checkers are vital contributors who verify that the references in Interpreter publications are accurate. This is an ideal opportunity for students with access to a university library. Volunteers will gain resume-building experience working on an online and printed journal. Source checkers must be available to work on one […]

1 Nephi 2:1-2 There is no original chapter break at this point, though there is a clear shift in the narration. Nephi apparently saw the insertion of his editorial comment in 1 Nephi 1:20 (second sentence) as an aside rather than a complete separate separation. What we see in the sentence in the second half […]

The Book of Nephi An account of Lehi and his wife Sariah, and his four sons, being called, (beginning at the eldest) Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi. The Lord warns Lehi to depart out of the land of Jerusalem, because he prophesieth unto the people concerning their iniquity and they seek to destroy his life. […]

As I was reading Karel Van der Toorn, Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible ((Karel Van der Toorn, Scribal Culture and the Making of the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge and London: Harvard University Press, 2007).)) I began to recognize Nephi in Van der Toorn’s descriptions of scribes and the kinds of training they […]

I readily confess to being obsessed with the Book of Mormon. Perhaps to the detriment of my eternal salvation, I am often interested in things other than its instructions for my spiritual welfare. I have come to understand the people of the Book of Mormon as though they were my friends down the street. Of […]

At the end of 2012, Jack M. Lyon and Kent R. Minson published “When Pages Collide: Dissecting the Words of Mormon.” They suggest that there is textual evidence that supports the idea that Words of Mormon 12-18 is the translation of the end of the previous chapter of Mosiah. The rest of the chapter was lost with the 116 pages, but this text remained because it was physically on the next page, which Joseph had kept with him.In this paper, the textual information is examined to determine if it supports that hypothesis. The conclusion is that while the hypothesis is possible, the evidence is not conclusive. The question remains open and may ultimately depend upon one’s understanding of the translation process much more than the evidence from the manuscripts.

On next thursday and Friday, April 11 and 12, the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Utah S.J. Qunney School of Law is hosting a symposium on “Religion, Faith and the Environment”.  Speakers will include James Rasband, Dean of BYU’s Clark Law School, and Elder Marcus Nash […]

The 1985 publication of John L. Sorenson’s An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon presented the best argument for a New World location for the Book of Mormon. For all of its strengths, however, one aspect of the model has remained perplexing. It appeared that in order to accept that correlation one must accept that the Nephites rotated north to what we typically understand as northwest. The internal connections between text and geography were tighter than any previous correlation, and the connections between that particular geography and the history of the peoples who lived in that place during Book of Mormon times was also impressive. There was just that little problem of north not being north. This paper reexamines the Book of Mormon directional terms and interprets them against the cultural system that was prevalent in the area defined by Sorenson’s geographical correlation. The result is a way to understand Book of Mormon directions without requiring any skewing of magnetic north.

Andrew C. Skinner has recently published a short book entitled Third Nephi: the Fifth Gospel.[1] Two chapters emphasize a temple context for 3 Nephi, chapter 3, entitled “The Temple Context of the Fifth Gospel,” and chapter 4, “The Temple Sermon on Exaltation.” It is a theme first proposed by John W. Welch, whom Skinner cites […]

Information is available that the Harvard Theological Review will not be publishing the paper discussing what has become known as the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.” Several scholars who have examined the papyrus believe that while the paper is old, the text itself is recent. See a discussion here.

Abstract: Nephite apostates turned away from true worship in consistent and predictable ways throughout the Book of Mormon. Their beliefs and practices may have been the result of influence from the larger socioreligious context in which the Nephites lived. A Mesoamerican setting provides a plausible cultural background that explains why Nephite apostasy took the particular […]