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John Gee’s Troubling Review of the Joseph Smith Papers Volume on the Book of Abraham

Update, Aug. 29, 2019: There has been an important and welcome update to John Gee’s recent article, “The Joseph Smith Papers Project Stumbles,” at The Interpreter that clarifies and to…

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Posted in Uncategorized

The Making of a Myth: A Possible Explanation for the Mysterious Ignorance of Champollion (Among Scholars)

I’ve been puzzled several times by the mysterious ignorance of Champollion in the early nineteenth century — not among ordinary Americans of that day, but among modern scholars writing about…

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Posted in Book of Abraham Critics Scripture

A Few Reasons Why Hugh Nibley Is Still Relevant for Book of Abraham Scholarship

I’m grateful to the Interpreter Foundation for publishing my lengthy, controversial, and painful (at least to me) article reviewing the Joseph Smith Papers’ volume on the Book of Abraham, a…

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JSP-BOA
Posted in Book of Abraham Critics history Scripture

The Twin Book of Abraham Manuscripts: Do They Reflect Live Translation Produced by Joseph Smith, or Were They Copied From an Existing Document?

A number of critics of the Book of Abraham and even some LDS scholars have alleged that a pair of Book of Abraham manuscripts with a few Egyptian characters in…

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Hugh Nibley Observed
Posted in Book of Abraham Critics

He Whose Name Cannot Be Spoken: Hugh Nibley

Whether you agree with Hugh Nibley or not, those doing research on the Book of Abraham and the Kirtland Egyptian Papers must recognize that he was certainly the most prolific…

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Posted in Book of Abraham Evidence history Origins Scholarship Scripture

Moses Stuart or Joshua Seixas? Exploring the Influence of Hebrew Study on the Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language

Update, June 16, 2019: After searching in many places (Hebrew texts, Masonic literature, and sources on ciphers and scripts) for alternate sources for the archaic Hebrew letter beth that W.W….

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Posted in Ancient Near East Book of Abraham Egyptian Evidence Scholarship Translation

Do the Kirtland Egyptian Papers Prove the Book of Abraham Was Translated from a Handful of Characters? See for Yourself!

In a small but highly valuable and colorful book on the Book of Abraham, John Gee’s A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri (Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and…

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Pearl of Great Price
Posted in Book of Abraham Critics Scripture

My Uninspired “Translation” of the Missing Scroll/Script from the Hauglid-Jensen Presentation

While I have expressed disappointment with what was said, or rather, what wasn’t said, at the Maxwell Institute’s recent presentation, “A Window into Joseph Smith’s Translation” of the Book of…

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Posted in Book of Abraham Evidence Miracles Scholarship

If It Sounds Like a Duck: A Possible Egyptian Linguistic Component in Book of Mormon Names

A 2018 BYU Studies article, “An Egyptian Linguistic Component in Book of Mormon Names,” represents another significant contribution regarding the apparent influence of the Egyptian language on Book of Mormon…

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Matthew Bowen’s New Name as Key-Word Offers a Stunning Surge in Book of Mormon Word Plays Related to Names

While attending the 2018 FairMormon Conference in Provo this summer, I was fortunate to be able to get a copy of a popular new book that sold out on its…

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