Testaments
The last two days have been glorious - the 182nd annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The spirit I feel listening to conference is the same one I feel reading...
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Minon
The land of Minon only appears once by name in the Nephite record, in Alma 2:24 during the Amlicite - Lamanite invasion of Zarahemla ca. 87 B.C. It is referenced a second time in the second Lamanite...
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Peripatetic Amlici
I research The Book of Mormon text from 4 different sources:A well-worn printed copy of the 1981 LDS text in a standard triple combinationThe online 1981 LDS text from lds.orgRoyal Skousen's 2009 Yale...
View ArticleNoah
The land of Noah first appears in The Book of Mormon record, ca. 81 B.C. After obliterating Ammonihah, Lamanite armies made depredations in the land of Noah. Ten years later, ca. 72 B.C., the city and...
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Linguistic Littorals
Comparative linguists identify six major language families in Mesoamerica:Chibchan (spoken in the Isthmo - Colombian region from Honduras on the north to Colombia on the south)MayanMixe-Zoquean...
View ArticleThe East Seacoast Cities of the Nephites
The East Seacoast Cities of the NephitesThe land that we understand was settled by the Nephites, Lamanites, and Mulekites was essentially separated into two main areas, both of which are in the land...
View ArticleAll references to Narrow, Small, Neck, Pass, and Passage
Narrow, Small, Neck, Pass, and PassageNarrow pass and Narrow passageAl. 50:34 – Teancum stops Morianton and people before reaching the narrow pass, which led by the sea into the land northward, yea, by...
View ArticleOther Peoples in the Promised Land
Other Peoples in the Promised Land The Book of Mormon never states or even infers that the various groups of people mentioned in its pages were the only peoples living in the Americas during...
View ArticleBountiful - The Text
The city and land of Bountiful are more challenging than most other geographic referents in The Book of Mormon. 31 verses in the text contain 35 occurrences of the word "Bountiful," always as a...
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Bountiful - Context
Bountiful in the Old World had a number of salient characteristics:The Lehites chose the name 1 Nephi 17:5.It was a pleasant place of refuge from the desert 1 Nephi 17:6.Fruit, wild honey and meat from...
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Book Notice - Exodus Lost by Stephen C. Compton
Stephen C. Compton's important new2011 book about Olmec originsStephen C. Compton is unusual among contemporary scholars – a man at home in both the ancient Old World and the New. He spent a great deal...
View ArticleGreat Cities
The Book of Mormon speaks of many different kinds and sizes of human settlements. See the blog article "Nephite Political Geography" for a concise list. The text mentions dozens of cities explicitly...
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Captain Moroni in Space and Time
Captain Moroni stands like a colossus astride the Book of Alma war chapters. He is introduced to us in Alma 43:16 as the supreme commander of Nephite military forces, appointed at the young age of 25...
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Google Earth Downloads
The following Google Earth kmz files are available for you to download. These files were a test of the download technology we are using. All 9 files are included in the comprehensive Book of Mormon...
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V Garth Norman in Mexico City
Important Book of Mormon scholar, V. Garth Norman, has been invited by INAH to present his Izapa calendar studies at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City on Friday, August 17th, 2012 at...
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Book of Mormon Model
The following Google Earth kmz file is a comprehensive, though not exhaustive spatial model of Nephite cities, lands and places in the Book of Mormon. You must have Google Earth (available here free of...
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Sidon East then West
An interesting textual shift occurs at Alma 50:11, a passage describing events in the Nephite golden age ca. 72 - 71 B.C. Alma 50:23. Captain Moroni's ingenious fortifications worked so well at Noah...
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The Church in Zarahemla
We begin with an interesting research question: Could we locate the seven churches Alma1 founded in the greater land of Zarahemla Mosiah 25:23 ca. 120 B.C.? Terms of interest in the text include...
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Ammonihah Noah & Sidom all East of Sidon
On Thursday, August 2, 2012 I had a lengthy conversation with John L. Sorenson following his excellent presentation at the FAIR Conference about his forthcoming book, Mormon's Codex. I promised to send...
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Isthmuses
I have the pleasure of conversing with V. Garth Norman frequently. He is one of the most astute students of the Book of Mormon in our generation. He, along with many others, believes the narrow neck of...
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