Posted in Arabian Peninsula Bible Book of Mormon Critics Evidence

About That Burial Marker in Yemen for a Man Named Ishmael: Impossible That He Was a Hebrew?

Neal Rappleye recently reported that a grave marker in Yemen bearing the name Ishmael could fit the time and place for the burial of Ishmael inn the Book of Mormon. David Bokovoy argues that this is impossible because the marker bears the image of a face, and real Jews forbade images of faces. I discuss why that is an oversimplification of ancient Jewish practices. If cherubim in the Tabernacle can have faces, I suppose a grave marker can, too, as long as no idolatry was intended.

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Posted in Ancient Near East Bible Books Scholarship Scripture Translation

The Valediction of Moses: A 2,700-Year-Old Biblical Document Long Said to Be a Forgery Gains New Respect

A version of the book of Deuteronomy, long said to be forgery, has just been declared authentic after all, making it the most ancient biblical scroll known in the modern…

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Posted in Ancient Near East Bible Book of Mormon Evidence Origins Scholarship Scripture

The Book of Mormon’s Ties to the Northern Kingdom of Israel: New Research from Dr. Richley Crapo

One of the more novel arguments I’ve seen against the Book of Mormon was the graduate work of Kyle Beshears, “Davidic References in the Book of Mormon as Evidence Against…

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Elijah in the Book of Mormon

 Giuseppe Angeli, Elijah Taken Up in a Chariot of Fire, c. 1740/1755. From the National Gallery of Art. I am increasingly touched by the way in which subtle elements from…

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Praise for Jared W. Ludlow’s New Book, Exploring the Apocrypha from a Latter-day Saint Perspective

Jared W. Ludlow’s new book, Exploring the Apocrypha from a Latter-day Saint Perspective (Springville, UT: Cedar Fort, Inc., 2018) is a valuable resource for Latter-day Saints seeking to better understand…

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“I Have Said, ‘Ye Are Gods'” — The Latest Scholarship on the Controversial 82nd Psalm

Latter-day Saints often need to discuss or defend LDS teachings about the potential of sons and daughters of God to become more like him (our version of theosis, which we…

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Did the Exodus Happen? A Case Where Evidence of “Plagiarism” May Be Evidence of Authenticity in the Biblical Record

Here’s a case in which evidence of “plagiarism” in the Bible may actually be evidence for the authenticity of the record of the Exodus. Fascinating story. See Joshua Berman, “Was…

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