Shows / BYU Studies
BYU Studies
BYU Studies publishes scholarship that is informed by the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Submissions are invited from all scholars who seek truth "by study and also by faith" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118), discern the harmony between revelation and research, value both academic and spiritual inquiry, and recognize that knowledge without charity is nothing (1 Corinthians 13:2). For more information, visit our website at byustudies.byu.edu
Episodes
BYU StudiesIt Takes Two: An Interview between Jenet Jacob Erickson and Steven C. Harper
In this interview between Jenet Jacob Erickson and Steven C. Harper, they discuss Professor Erickson's recent article in BYU Studies, "It Takes Two: What We…
BYU StudiesConclusion: Ask the Right Questions and Keep Looking
The authors of A Guide to the Book of Abraham offer their concluding thoughts. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. If you enjoyed this issue of…
BYU StudiesShulem, One of the King's Principle Waiters (Facsimile 3, figure 5)
Figure 5 in Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham is identified as “Shulem, one of the king’s principal waiters.” We don’t know anything more about the man Shulem…
BYU StudiesIsis the Pharaoh (Facsimile 3, figure 2)
The interpretations of figure 2 in Facsimile 3 of "King Pharaoh" or the goddess Isis are not as disparate as they might seem. From BYU Studies Quarterly…
BYU StudiesAbraham and Osiris (Facsimile 3, figure 1)
Joseph Smith's identification of figure 1 of Facsimile 3 as Abraham has clashed with the interpretation of Egyptologists who see the figure as Osiris. But is…
BYU StudiesFacsimile 3: Judgment Scene or Presentation Scene?
Facsimile 3 of the Book of Abraham has been identified in the past as a scene of the judgment of the dead. This interpretation has been prevalent among…
BYU StudiesGod Sitting upon His Throne (Facsimile 2, figure 7)
Joseph Smith identifies figure 7 in Facsimile 2 as "God sitting upon his throne." The figure appears in other ancient Egyptian hypocephali (round amulets like…
BYU StudiesThe Four Sons of Horus (Facsimile 2, figure 6)
Joseph Smith's succinct interpretation of figure 6 in Facsimile 2 "converges nicely" with current Egyptological knowledge. From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume…
BYU StudiesThe Hathor Cow (Facsimile 2, figure 5)
Figure 5 in Facsimile 2 of the Book of Abraham, a figure of an upside-down cow, is identified by Joseph Smith with an elaborate explanation. From the…
BYU StudiesOne Day to a Cubit (Facsimile 2, figure 1)
One of the more puzzling comments in the Book of Abraham comes from the explanation given in figure 1 of Facsimile 2, which speaks of “the measurement…
BYU StudiesThe Purpose and Function of the Egyptian Hypocephalus
Facsimile 2 of the Book of Abraham is a type of document called a hypocephalus, an amuletic disc placed beneath the head of the mummies of priests or their…
BYU StudiesThe Idolatrous Priest (Facsimile 1, figure 3)
The explanation accompanying figure 3 of Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham identifies it as “the idolatrous priest of Elkenah attempting to offer up Abraham…
BYU StudiesFacsimile 1 as a Sacrifice Scene
Facsimile 1 of the Book of Abraham visually depicts the narrative contained in Abraham 1:12–19. As interpreted by Joseph Smith, this scene depicts the…
BYU StudiesA Semitic View of the Facsimiles
Latter-day Saints have offered a number of different approaches to interpreting the facsimiles and the validity of Joseph Smith’s interpretations. One…
BYU StudiesApproaching the Facsimiles
The facsimiles in the Book of Abraham attract attention as visual aides in our scriptures. What are some of the most common approaches to interpreting them?…
BYU StudiesThe Ancient Owners of the Joseph Smith Papyri
Thanks to the work of Egyptologists over the past decades, in addition to knowing what texts the extant Egyptian papyri acquired by Joseph Smith in 1835…
BYU StudiesThe Ancient Egyptian View of Abraham
Some might ask how likely it would have been for the ancient Egyptians to have known anything about the biblical figure Abraham. In fact, evidence survives…
BYU StudiesAbrahamic Legends and Lore
As a central figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, there are many extrabiblical traditions about the life of the patriarch Abraham. Much of the Book of…
BYU StudiesJews in Ancient Egypt
A question that readers of the Book of Abraham might have is how a late copy of Abraham's record ended up in the possession of an ancient Egyptian living many…
BYU StudiesEgyptianisms in the Book of Abraham
An Egyptianism is a literary or linguistic feature of the Egyptian language. Since Egyptian was not well understood in Joseph Smith's day, it is thought that…
BYU StudiesChiasmus in the Book of Abraham
Chiasmus is a literary structure commonly found in the Bible, but does it also appear in the Book of Abraham? From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4.
BYU StudiesBy His Own Hand upon Papyrus
Some have wondered how the papyrus acquired by Joseph Smith could have possibly been written by Abraham's "own hand" when it dates to circa 300 BC, many…
BYU StudiesAncient Near Eastern Creation Myths
What does the Book of Abraham's Creation account have in common with creation myths from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia? From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61…
BYU StudiesCreation from Chaos
Traditional Christianity teaches that God created the universe ex nihilo, or "out of nothing." By contrast, Joseph Smith taught that God created the universe…
- BYU Studies
The Fall of Lucifer
The Bible and ancient extrabiblical texts sometimes make allusions to Lucifer's fall from heaven. Is the mythic archetype of a fallen angel also present in…
BYU StudiesThe Son of Man
The Book of Abraham's passage about the premortal council identifies Jesus not with his name, but a title: "One answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I…
BYU StudiesThe Foreordination of Abraham
The Book of Abraham clearly teaches the idea of a premortal existence and the divine foreordination of rulers. Do these teachings find a plausible context in…
BYU StudiesThe Divine Council
The Creation account in the Book of Abraham tells of a plurality of Gods who carry out the Creation. Significantly, these Gods are said to have taken "counsel"…
BYU StudiesKolob, the Governing One
One of the more memorable contributions of the Book of Abraham is its depiction of Kolob—which, in recent years, some Latter-day Saint scholars have sought to…
BYU StudiesShinehah, the Sun
One of the astronomical terms defined in the Book of Abraham is Shinehah, which is said to be the sun (Abr. 3:13). What is the sun's significance in ancient…
BYU StudiesAbrahamic Astronomy
The Book of Abraham is noteworthy for its description of what is sometimes called “Abrahamic astronomy.” Scholars looking at the astronomical portrait in…
BYU StudiesAbraham the Seer
A careful reading of the Book of Abraham reveals a recurring theme of Abraham as a seer, or someone who sees or otherwise has a visual interaction with divine…
BYU StudiesDid Abraham Lie about His Wife, Sarai?
The Book of Abraham portrays God as instructing Abraham to call Sarai his sister when they came to Egypt in order to preserve his life. Was identifying her as…
BYU StudiesThe Abrahamic Covenant
The Abrahamic Covenant, as presented in the Book of Abraham, follows the pattern of other ancient treaties and covenants from Abraham's day. Recognizing the…
BYU StudiesThe Plains of Moreh
Scholars believe that the "plain of Moreh" found in the King James Version was a mistranslation by the original King James translators. It would be better…
BYU StudiesAbraham's Converts in Haran
The Book of Abraham's account of Abraham's sojourning speaks of the souls that Abraham and his family had "won" in Haran (Abraham 2:15). These souls may be…
BYU StudiesThe Name of the Lord
On two occasions in the Book of Abraham, the Lord reveals to Abraham his true name: Jehovah. Why is it significant that the Lord twice revealed his true name…
BYU StudiesZeptah and Egyptes
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. The Book of Abraham describes how “the land of Egypt [was] first discovered by a woman, who was the daughter…
BYU StudiesThe Blood of the Canaanites
The first chapter of the Book of Abraham contains a short detail about Pharaoh, the king of Egypt being "a descendant from the loins of Ham, and a partaker of…
BYU StudiesPotiphar's Hill
In the first chapter of the Book of Abraham, the priest of Pharaoh offered sacrifices on an altar "by the hill called Potiphar's Hill" (Abraham 1:10). This…
BYU StudiesThe Plain of Olishem
The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham mentions a location called "the plain of Olishem" (Abraham 1:10). Was Olishem a real place? From BYU Studies…
BYU StudiesSobek, the God of Pharaoh
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. The opening chapter of the Book of Abraham identifies "the god of Pharaoh" as being one of the idolatrous gods…
BYU StudiesThe Idolatrous God of Elkenah
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. As told in the Book of Abraham, Abraham was nearly sacrificed by a "priest of Elkenah" before he was saved by…
BYU StudiesHuman Sacrifice
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. The Book of Abraham begins with an account of Abraham nearly being sacrificed to the idolatrous gods of his…
BYU StudiesAbraham and Idrimi
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. Abraham was not the only author of an autobiographical text in the ancient Near East. A first-person narrative…
BYU StudiesUr of the Chaldees
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. This episode discusses how additional information from the Book of Abraham gives us a potentially more…
BYU StudiesThe Priesthood Ban and the Book of Abraham
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ, including prominent members, have attempted to justify the former…
BYU StudiesThe Relationship between the Book of Abraham and the Joseph Smith Papyri
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. It is clear that Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Book of Abraham was connected to the Egyptian…
BYU StudiesThe "Kirtland Egyptian Papers" and the Book of Abraham
From BYU Studies Quarterly, volume 61, number 4. Historically, skeptics have alluded to documents known as the Kirtland Egyptian Papers to cast doubt on the…
BYU StudiesWhat Egyptian papyri did Joseph Smith possess?
From volume 61, number 4 of BYU Studies Quarterly:In early July 1835, Joseph Smith acquired some Egyptian papyri from which he claimed to translate the Book of…
BYU StudiesHow did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Abraham?
From volume 61, number 4 of BYU Studies Quarterly: This episode describes how Joseph Smith's methods of translating ancient scripture expand the meaning of…
BYU StudiesIntroduction to 61:4 - A Guide to the Book of Abraham
The Book of Abraham is considered holy scripture by Latter-day Saints. Scholars have explored the book from various perspectives and have made compelling…
BYU StudiesWriting Mormon History: Historians and Their Books
BYU Studies editor Tina Hawley describes Joseph W. Geisner's Writing Mormon History: Historians and Their Books.
BYU StudiesLife and Times of John Pierce Hawley: A Mormon Ulysses of the American West
Adam Oliver Stokes reviews Life and Times of John Pierce Hawley: A Mormon Ulysses of the American West by Melvin C. Johnson.
BYU StudiesSigns of the Times: Racism, Tribalism, and Disinformation before the Comings of Christ
Each of the major narrators/compilers of the Book of Mormon evince varying degrees of understanding that their work is destined for modern readers who would…
BYU StudiesA Short Tribute to My Genealogical Butcher Chart
Linda Hoffman Kimball's lighthearted poem joyfully explores the mix of our ancestors that blend together to create a unique individual.
BYU StudiesBecoming Zion: Some Reflections on Forgiveness and Reconciliation
At one point several years ago, Deidre Nicole Green faced betrayal and deception which she said "crescendoed into blatant and dehumanizing cruelty" toward her…
BYU StudiesAll Things Sing Praise
Not all expressions of gratitude are spoken. Susan Elizabeth Howe's poem gives voice to those whose praise is often overlooked. Listen to it today, just in…
BYU StudiesGospel Ethics
Much of classical philosophy can feel out-of-touch, given that the authors often lived lives of luxury. A more recent philosophy, called the ethics of care…