A Christmas Surprise: An Ancient Jewish Temple at the Same Time as Solomon’s Temple
The Dec. 23 newsletter from the Biblical Archaeology Society surprised me with a report about another ancient Jewish temple outside of Jerusalem. See “A Rival to Solomon’s Temple” by Marek…
Is the Book of Abraham Translation Dependent on the Kirtland Egyptian Papers? Revisiting The Pearl of Greatest Price
A potentially troublesome flaw in the discussion of the Book of Abraham in the generally good book by Terryl Givens (with Brian Hauglid), The Pearl of Greatest Price, is its…
A Breakthrough in Understanding the Book of Mormon: Don Bradley’s Brilliant Sleuthing on the Lost 116 Pages (or Lost 400 Pages!)
Don Bradley’s new book, The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon’s Missing Stories (Draper, UT: Greg Kofford Books, 2019), is something I’ve been looking forward to for many…
Preliminary Thoughts on the Accusation that the Church Violated Tax Law
In response to the news stories about a whistleblower’s complaint to the IRS regarding the Church’s failure to properly pay taxes on investment returns in a fund managed by Ensign…
Points to Consider in the Concoted “Egyptian” Characters in the KEP
Update, Dec. 24 and 26, 2019: The statement describing the papyri originally occurs in a letter signed by Oliver Cowdery, so it is his, not Joseph’s description. Perhaps because it…
Food for Thought: A 911 Dispatcher Hears the Hidden Plea for Help When a Woman Orders Pizza
The secret to effective communication is a widely overlooked action that few of us seriously try and even fewer do well: listening. Not just closing your mouth periodically to politely…
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…
Review of Dr. David Charles Gore’s The Voice of the People: A Valuable Approach to Dealing with Political Divides
David Charles Gore, The Voice of the People: Political Rhetoric in the Book of Mormon (Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute, 2019). 227 pages. As one interested but perpetually disappointed…
Word of Wisdom Update: Be Cautious with Green Tea Extract
For some past research, I once obtained some pure green tea extract that was 98% EGCG, the widely touted “catechin” from green tea, epigallocathechin-gallate, and used it in a few…
Back and Forth with the Book of Abraham: Fascinating Circular Footnotes
One of the things I love about blogging and writing occasional articles for The Interpreter, Meridian Magazine or other places is the ability to get rapid feedback from those with…
