Category: Antiquity
Geocentric Astronomy in the Book of Abraham? Dan Vogel’s Refutation of LDS Scholars
Circumpolar star trails in a long-exposure photo of several hours, showing that stars closer to Polaris move on shorter trails, thus moving more slowly. The circumpolar stars always stay…
More on the Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers: Recent Explorations Based on Comments at Interpreter
One of the best things about finally having a reply from the Joseph Smith Papers Project on the issue of alleged flaws in scholarship in their volume on the Book…
Sights from a Trip to Israel and Jordan
One of the advantages of working in China is having long national holidays like the Chinese New Year, making it easier to take interesting trips to other lands. There’s a…
The Egyptian Context for the Book of Abraham: Why Hor, Priest of Thebes, Might Want an Abraham Text
One of the important but often overlooked issues in the debate over the origins of the Book of Abraham is why the ancient Egyptian owner of the Joseph Smith papyri…
An Ancient Tradition of Writing on Metal? Surprise (?) from a Newly Translated Ancient Hebrew Text
“Fate of Ark of the Covenant Revealed in Hebrew Text” is the title of an intriguing news item at LiveScience.com dated Jan. 7, 2014. It discusses a newly translated ancient…
Chrism, Temples, and Interesting Books and Texts
There are a few books I’d like recommend to serious LDS students of the Temple. Several time previously I’ve mentioned Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible by…
King Benjamin’s Speech: Forget Solomon Spaulding, Ethan Smith, and Shakespeare
Talk about great literature! Take a look at the powerful and classic ancient Semitic speech of King Benjamin in the early chapters of Mosiah in the Book of Mormon. In…
Mormon Temples and “Secrecy”
I’ve often received questions about the issue of “secrecy” in Mormon temples. To us, the key factor is what is sacred, not secret, but this still leaves many people confused,…
