John L. Sorenson
John L. Sorenson was born on 8 April 1924. He was an emeritus professor of anthropology at Brigham Young University and the author of An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, as well as many other books and articles on the Book of Mormon and archaeology.
Professor Sorenson first did archaeological work in Mesoamerica while pursuing a masters degree at BYU. From January until June 1953 he was involved in the New World Archaeological Foundation's initial fieldwork (under the direction of Pedro Armillas) in the state of Tabasco in Mexico.
Dr. Sorenson held a PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles. He began teaching at BYU in 1963, and he later established BYU's anthropology department. He also served as head of social sciences for the General Research Corporation based in Santa Barbara, California, and was the founder of Bonneville Research Corporation.
Brother Sorenson was the father of eight boys, had one adopted daughter, had twenty-three grandchildren, and had ten great-grandchildren.
John L. Sorenson passed away on December 8, 2021—leaving us with his faith, family, and works.
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Mormon's Codex: An Ancient American Book
From 60 years of academic study of ancient Mesoamerica and its relationship to the Book of Mormon. Here Sorenson reveals that the Book of Mormon exhibits what one would expect of a historical document produced in the context of ancient Mesoamerican civilization. He also shows that scholars discoveries about Mesoamerica and the contents of the Nephite record are clearly related. Indeed, Sorenson lists more than 400 points where the Book of Mormon text corresponds to characteristic Mesoamerican situations, statements, allusions, and history. Are we to simply suppose that mere coincidence can account for similarities of this magnitude? The parallels are too striking and too sweeping to answer in the affirmative. Even the greatest savant of the early 19th century let alone a marginally literate frontier farm boy could not possibly have produced a volume as rich in Mesoamericana as the Book of Mormon. The only format in which a record such as the Book of Mormon could have been preserved is that of a native Mesoamerican book, referred to by scholars as a codex. According to the record itself, the text was compiled by a man named Mormon, who lived in the Mesoamerican isthmus area in the late fourth century. Mormon passed the record to his son Moroni, who survived him by more than 35 years and made modest additions to the text. A significant contribution to the fields of Book of Mormon studies and Mesoamerican studies, Mormon s Codex is John Sorenson s magnum opus. It contains copious explanatory material, extensive footnotes, over 1,300 bibliographical references, illustrations, an appendix, and detailed maps. This long-awaited volume will appeal to informed general readers, archaeologists, and scholars alike.
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An Ancient American Setting For The Book Of Mormon
"Where did the Book of Mormon events take place?" Ever since the publication of the Book of Mormon, its readers have asked this question. And the book itself provides some intriguing clues. But only recently has enough information come to light to make it possible to place the book in a plausible geographical, historical, and cultural setting.
In An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon, Dr. John L. Sorenson, chairman of the Department of Anthropology at Brigham Young University, presents a credible model for an ancient American background for the Book of Mormon. This model takes notice of extensive details given in the Book of Mormon descriptions of the land southward and of the land northward, of battle movements, of cities built and abandoned, of population and demographic data. Hundreds of geographical, historical, and cultural facts fall into place as his model is carried to its logical conclusions.
How does Dr. Sorenson proceed? In a word, he asks more questions than he answers. His words are probing and carefully weighed. The results are great surprises and rewarding insights on every page. He asks questions like "Who were these people?" "What might they have looked like?" "Who were their neighbors?" "How many of them were there?" "How did they live, eat, speak, work, or fight?" He finds plausible answers to these questions by matching specific data from reliable archaeological and anthropological studies of Mesoamerica with the entire spectrum of cultural and historical information from the Book of Mormon.
An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon is a thorough work of scholarship, a book that must be read by every serious student of the Book of Mormon.
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Images of Ancient America - Visualizing Book of Mormon Life
Never before has a systematic treatment of life in Mexico and Central America (Mesoamerica) so clearly and richly portrayed the daily lives of that area's ancient people and their likely connections to the record known as the Book of Mormon. The careful research and hundreds of high-quality illustrations and photographs in Images of Ancient America shape vague ghosts from the past into flesh-and-blood people.
You will read about and see many aspects of ancient culture in Mesoamerica, America's zone of highest civilization, including:
- Daily Life
- Foods
- Clothing
- Houses and Furnishings
- Family and Kin
- Health
- Cities and Villages
- Government
- Warfare
- Worship
- Priests and Prophets
- Writing
- Art
- Music and Dance
The scholarly information and historically accurate images in each section of the book shed new light on Book of Mormon peoples. In addition, a survey of Book of Mormon geography and history shows scenes in Mesoamerica where the events described in that book likely took place.
Whether you are interested in the achievements of ancient Mesoamerican civilization, life among the Nephites, or both, you will enjoy the superior photographs and illustrations and the clear, insightful discussions found in Images of Ancient America.
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Mormon's Map
As Mormon edited the Book of Mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that were setting the events described in that book. John L. Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map — "Mormon's Map" — using information in the text.
Mormon's Map answers such general questions as, "What is the overall shape of the Book of Mormon lands?" And "What can we learn about distances and directions?" It also answers more specific questions like, "How was geography central to the defeat of the robbers of Giddianhi?"
Mormon's Map gives a model that we can apply to stories from the record, shedding a new light on the influence of geography on Nephite history, increasing our understanding of that book and its characters, and making events and places more concrete in our minds.
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Nephite Culture and Society - Collected Papers
For many years I have devoted time and energy to analyzing The Book of Mormon, especially to learn what it says about the ancient peoples it describes. One criterion I have striven to apply to my work is to be as attentive as possible to details in the text about the setting in which events in the scripture were played out. In that spirit my 1985 book, An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon compared the internal picture of life in Book of Mormon times that I had derived from study of the text with the large body of data that scholars and scientists have accumulated about the area where the scriptural peoples probably dwelt. That is Mesoamerica (central and southern Mexico and northern Central America).
Since 1985 I have completed further studies along the same lines. A number of the writings that resulted have been published but have not been conveniently accessible to nonspecialists. Other pieces have not been published at all. This collection of papers makes available for general readers further materials that can increase their understanding of the Nephite record beyond what is available in An Ancient American Setting.
While some of my writing has featured comparisons with data from outside the scripture, these pieces consist almost entirely of internal analyses. I am of the opinion that it is important at this point in time for scholars to study the Nephite volume by analyzing its text intensively. Students of the ancient book need to put themselves as thoroughly as possible into Nephite settings and modes of thinking before trying to translate the ancient writings to modern-day terms.
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The Geography of Book of Mormon Events - A Source Book
Videos
Additional Publications
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A Whole Bunch of Reasons Why Book of Mormon Geography Could Not Have Included North America
John L. Sorenson
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External Evidences of Scripture (A Panel)
Noel B. Reynolds, John L. Sorenson, Arthur Wallace, and Paul R. Cheesman
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Transoceanic Crossings
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Bibliography of John Leon Sorenson
Bibliography of John Leon Sorenson, Edited by Robert F. Smith., 2018.
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Interview with John L. Sorenson
Interview with John L. Sorenson. Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2016.
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Transoceanic Voyaging: How Ancient America Became Civilized
Transoceanic Voyaging: How Ancient America Became Civilized., 2013.
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An Open Letter to Dr. Michael Coe
An Open Letter to Dr. Michael Coe." Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 1 (2012): 91-109.
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Mormon's Sources
Mormon's Sources." Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture 20, no. 2 (2011): 2-15.
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Mormon's Sources
Mormon's Sources. Provo, UT: Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, 2011.
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Mormon Scholars Testify: John L. Sorenson
Mormon Scholars Testify: John L. Sorenson. Mormon Scholars Testify, 2009.
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Valuing Davis Bitton
Valuing Davis Bitton." The FARMS Review 19, no. 1 (2007): 9-11.
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Out of the Dust: Steel in Early Metallurgy
Out of the Dust: Steel in Early Metallurgy." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15, no. 2 (2006): 108-109, 127.
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Ancient Voyages Across the Ocean to America: From "Impossible" to "Certain"
Ancient Voyages Across the Ocean to America: From "Impossible" to "Certain"." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 14, no. 1 (2005): 4-17, 124-125.
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A Rare Gem
A Rare Gem." The FARMS Review 15, no. 1 (2003): 15-17.
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Before DNA
Sorenson, John L., and Matthew Roper. "
Before DNA." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 12, no. 1 (2003): 6-23, 113-115.
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How Could Joseph Smith Write So Accurately about Ancient American Civilization?
How Could Joseph Smith Write So Accurately about Ancient American Civilization?" In Echoes and Evidences of the Book of Mormon, edited by Donald W. Parry, Daniel C. Peterson and John W. Welch, 261-306. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2002.
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The Book of Mormon as a Collectible
Sorenson, Matthew R., and John L. Sorenson. "
The Book of Mormon as a Collectible." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 10, no. 1 (2001): 44-51, 79.
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Religious Groups and Movements among the Nephites, 200-1 B.C.
Religious Groups and Movements among the Nephites, 200-1 B.C." In The Disciple as Scholar: Essays on Scripture and the Ancient World in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson, edited by Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry and Andrew H. Hedges, 163-208. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2000.
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Last-Ditch Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon
Last-Ditch Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9, no. 2 (2000): 44-53, 82-83.
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Was There Hebrew Language in Ancient America? An Interview with Brian Stubbs
Stubbs, Brian D., and John L. Sorenson. "
Was There Hebrew Language in Ancient America? An Interview with Brian Stubbs." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 9, no. 2 (2000): 54-63, 83.
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The Sobering Lesson of the Grolier Codex
Sorenson, John L., and John W. Welch. "
The Sobering Lesson of the Grolier Codex. In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 296-298. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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Old World People in the New
Old World People in the New. In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 248-252. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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The Decline of the God Quetzalcoatl
The Decline of the God Quetzalcoatl. In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 234-236. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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Was There Leprosy Among the Nephites?
Was There Leprosy Among the Nephites?" In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 231-233. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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Challenging Conventional Views of Metal
Challenging Conventional Views of Metal. In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 187-189. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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New Technology and Ancient Voyages
New Technology and Ancient Voyages. In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 177-179. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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Evidence for Tents in the Book of Mormon
Evidence for Tents in the Book of Mormon. In Pressing Forward with the Book of Mormon: The FARMS Updates of the 1990s, edited by John W. Welch and Melvin J. Thorne, 135-138. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999.
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The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Record
The Book of Mormon as a Mesoamerican Record. In Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins, edited by Noel B. Reynolds, 391-521. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1997.
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Vive Zapato! Hurray for the Shoe!
Vive Zapato! Hurray for the Shoe!" Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 6, no. 1 (1994): 297-361.
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Notes and Communications: Comments on Nephite Chronology
Notes and Communications: Comments on Nephite Chronology." Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 2, no. 2 (1993): 207-211.
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Metals and Metallurgy Relating to the Book of Mormon Text
Metals and Metallurgy Relating to the Book of Mormon Text. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1992.
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Animals in the Book of Mormon: An Annotated Bibliography
Animals in the Book of Mormon: An Annotated Bibliography. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1992.
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Origin of Man
Origin of Man In Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 3. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
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Silk and Linen in the Book of Mormon
Silk and Linen in the Book of Mormon." Ensign 22, no. 4 (1992): 62.
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I Have A Question? I have heard that the sizes of the Nephite and Lamanite populations indicated in the Book of Mormon do not make sense. What do we know about their numbers?
I Have A Question? I have heard that the sizes of the Nephite and Lamanite populations indicated in the Book of Mormon do not make sense. What do we know about their numbers?" Ensign 22, no. 9 (1992): 27-28.
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Stephen Williams, Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory
Stephen Williams, Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory." Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 4, no. 1 (1992): 254-257.
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When Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?
When Lehi's Party Arrived in the Land, Did They Find Others There?" Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 1, no. 1 (1992): 1-34.
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Book of Mormon Peoples
Book of Mormon Peoples In Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Edited by Daniel H. Ludlow. Vol. 1. New York: Macmillan, 1992.
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Prophecy Among the Maya
Prophecy Among the Maya. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 263-265. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Nephi's Garden and Chief Market
Nephi's Garden and Chief Market. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 236-238. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Mesoamericans in Pre-Columbian North America
Mesoamericans in Pre-Columbian North America. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 218-220. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Mesoamericans in Pre-Spanish South America
Mesoamericans in Pre-Spanish South America. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 215-217. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
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"A Day and a Half's Journey for a Nephite"
"A Day and a Half's Journey for a Nephite". In Reexploring the Book of Mormon: The F.A.R.M.S. Updates, edited by John W. Welch, 187-188. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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The Nephite Calendar in Mosiah, Alma, and Helaman
The Nephite Calendar in Mosiah, Alma, and Helaman. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 173-175. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Possible "Silk" and "Linen" in the Book of Mormon
Possible "Silk" and "Linen" in the Book of Mormon. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 162-164. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Barley in Ancient America
Sorenson, John L., and Robert F. Smith. "
Barley in Ancient America. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 130-132. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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"Latest Discoveries"
"Latest Discoveries". In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 111-113. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Ancient Europeans in America?
Ancient Europeans in America?" In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 108-110. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Once More: The Horse
Once More: The Horse. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 98-100. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Seven Tribes: An Aspect of Lehi's Legacy
Sorenson, John L., John A. Tvedtnes, and John W. Welch. "
Seven Tribes: An Aspect of Lehi's Legacy. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 93-95. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Parallelism, Merismus, and Difrasismo
Sorenson, John L., Angela M. Crowell, and Allen J. Christenson. "
Parallelism, Merismus, and Difrasismo. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 80-82. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Winds and Currents: A Look at Nephi's Ocean Crossing
Winds and Currents: A Look at Nephi's Ocean Crossing. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 53-56. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Old World Languages in the New World
Sorenson, John L., Gordon C. Thomasson, and Robert F. Smith. "
Old World Languages in the New World. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon, edited by John W. Welch, 29-31. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: FARMS/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Two Figurines From the Belleza and Sanchez Collection
Sorenson, John L., and Robert F. Smith. "
Two Figurines From the Belleza and Sanchez Collection. In Reexploring the Book of Mormon: The F.A.R.M.S. Updates, edited by John W. Welch, 18-20. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1992.
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Seasons of War, Seasons of Peace in the Book of Mormon
Seasons of War, Seasons of Peace in the Book of Mormon. In Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, edited by John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne, 249-255. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1991.
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Seasons of War, Seasons of Peace in the Book of Mormon
Seasons of War, Seasons of Peace in the Book of Mormon. In Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, edited by John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne, 249-255. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1991.
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The Significance of the Chronological Discrepancy between Alma 53:22 and Alma 56:9
The Significance of the Chronological Discrepancy between Alma 53:22 and Alma 56:9. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1990.
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Seasonality of Warfare in the Book of Mormon and Mesoamerica
Seasonality of Warfare in the Book of Mormon and Mesoamerica. In Warfare in the Book of Mormon, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, 445-477. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1990.
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Fortifications in the Book of Mormon Account Compared with Mesoamerican Fortifications
Fortifications in the Book of Mormon Account Compared with Mesoamerican Fortifications. In Warfare in the Book of Mormon, edited by Stephen D. Ricks and William J. Hamblin, 425-444. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1990.
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The Composition of Lehi's Family
The Composition of Lehi's Family. In By Study and Also By Faith, Volume 2, edited by John M. Lundquist and Stephen D. Ricks, 174-196. Vol. 2. Provo, UT/Salt Lake City: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies/Deseret Book, 1990.
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Part 1: A History of Ideas: The Geography of Book of Mormon Events in Latter-day Saint Thought
Part 1: A History of Ideas: The Geography of Book of Mormon Events in Latter-day Saint Thought. In The Geography of Book of Mormon Events: A Source Book, 6-35. Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1990.
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The 'Mulekites'
The 'Mulekites'." BYU Studies Quarterly 30, no. 3 (1990): 6-22.
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Fortifications in the Book of Mormon and in Mesoamerica
Fortifications in the Book of Mormon and in Mesoamerica. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1989.
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Harold K. Nielsen, Mapping the Action Found in the Book of Mormon
Harold K. Nielsen, Mapping the Action Found in the Book of Mormon." Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1, no. 1 (1989): 119-120.
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Transoceanic Crossings
Transoceanic Crossings. In The Book of Mormon: First Nephi, The Doctrinal Foundation, edited by Monte S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., 251-270. Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1988.
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Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 2
Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 2." Ensign 14, no. 10 (1984): 12-23.
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Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 1
Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 1." Ensign 14, no. 9 (1984): 26-37.
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An Evaluation of the Smithsonian Institution "Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon"
An Evaluation of the Smithsonian Institution "Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon". Provo, UT: FARMS, 1982.
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Wheeled Figurines in the Ancient World
Wheeled Figurines in the Ancient World. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1981.
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Writing Systems Among the Book of Mormon Peoples
Writing Systems Among the Book of Mormon Peoples." New Era 7, no. 11 (1977): 48-50.
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Instant Expertise on Book of Mormon Archaeology
Instant Expertise on Book of Mormon Archaeology." BYU Studies Quarterly 16, no. 3 (1976): 429-432.
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The Land of Promise
The Land of Promise." New Era 5, no. 1 (1975): 20-29.
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The Gates of God
The Gates of God." New Era 5, no. 3 (1975): 18-25.
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The Years of the Jaredites
The Years of the Jaredites. Provo, UT: FARMS, 1969.
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Plain and Precious Prophecy
Plain and Precious Prophecy." The Instructor 97, no. 9 (1962): 309, 319.
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The Twig of the Cedar
The Twig of the Cedar." Improvement Era 60, no. 5 (1957): 330-331, 338, 341-342.
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The Challenge of the Maya Mystery
The Challenge of the Maya Mystery." Improvement Era 54, no. 10 (1951): 712, 738, 740.