Friday, October 23, 2020

For Jimmy Akin: Listing of Articles Relating to Latter-day Saint Scripture and Related Topics

(This is for Jimmy Akin of Catholic Answers, but I am sure others will appreciate this listing as the search function on this blog is poor) I have tried to limit myself to articles I have posted on this blog (or the PPTX of presentations I have given by invitation here in Ireland). I will, when necessary, link to works by others where I have not addressed a certain issue on this blog. I will add to this where necessary as I find other posts on this issue. I have based the issues based on the following video:


Joseph Smith, Mormon Prophet - Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World





The Status and Authority of the Bible


Not By Scripture Alone: A Latter-day Saint Refutation of Sola Scriptura (book-length work)--you might appreciate much of it, as it refutes the common but errant "book-ends" argument from Luke 11//Matthew 23. It also deals with Jude 3 and απαξ, a verse you raise near the end of this presentation.


Latter-day Saints and the Bible


On the Use of the KJV Isaiah in the Book of Mormon


Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Mosiah 14, and KJV Chapter and Verse Separations in the Book of Mormon


The Anthon Transcript Episode 


David P. Wright on Charles Anthon's Recollection of his meeting with Martin Harris


One non-LDS Scholar on Martin Harris and Charles Anthon


On "Deformed Egyptian" in the Anthon Transcript (cf. Hebrew as “Deformed English”)


The Witnesses, Martin Harris' "Spiritual Eyes" (and Grant Palmer's misunderstanding thereof), etc


"Spiritual Eyes" in pre-1830 literature (cf. FairMormon, "Book of Mormon/Witnesses/"Eye of Faith" and "Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris.")


Richard Lloyd Anderson, Attempts to Redefine the Experience of the Eight Witnesses (deals with William Smith and the plates being covered, etc; cf. his 1981 book, Investigating the Book of Mormon Witnesses and Matthew P. Roper, Comments on the Book of Mormon Witnesses: A Response to Jerald and Sandra Tanner)


The Book of Abraham

Issues Relating to the BOA Text

Slides of a presentation I gave in Dublin (October 2018):
The Onomasticon of the Book of Abraham: Evidence for Authenticity


D. Charles Pyle, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons): What do the Book of Abraham papyri held in the University of Chicago archives actually say?


The Geocentric Cosmology of the Bible


Abraham 2:22-25 and the Genesis Apocryphon from Qumran (cf. John Gee on Abraham Presenting Sarah as his Sister


FairMormon on the meaning of "By His Own Hand"


Issues Relating to the Facsimiles, etc


David Bokovoy on the Book of Abraham Facsimiles and the Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources (cf. Kevin L. Barney, The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources)


Answering Cecil Andrews on "Kolob" in the Book of Abraham


John Gee, Shulem, One of the King’s Principal Waiters



Recent M.A. Thesis on Facsimile 3

Quinten Zehn Barney, The Neglected Facsimile: An Examination and Comparative Study of Facsimile No. 3 of the Book of Abraham


Prophecies by Joseph Smith


Stephen O. Smoot, “Joel Kramer vs. the Bible and Joseph Smith” (a review of Joseph Smith vs. the Bible which I helped research) (I helped research this [see footnote no. 1])

Robert Boylan, Refuting James Walker on Joseph Smith's Prophecies

Idem, Did Joseph Smith Predict that the Second Coming would happen in 1890/91?

Idem, Oliver Granger and "Sacred Remembrance"

Idem, Is D&C 71:9 a false prophecy?

Idem, An Examination and Critique of the Theological Presuppositions Underlying Reformed Theology (there is a lengthy discussion of contingent foreknowledge and related issues in this paper)

Idem, Did Joseph Smith Prophesy Falsely About Not Being Able to Be Killed By His Enemies?


D&C 87 (the "Civil War" Prophecy)

Kerry A. Shirts, "A War on the Civil War Prophecy"

Jeff Lindsay, "Accurate Prophecies of the Civil War"

cf. The Treaty of London (1915) and D&C 87:3


JST


Did Joseph Smith finish his revision of the Bible in 1833?


D&C 107:45 and the nature of the JST


Russell M. Nelson Viewing Many of the Changes in the JST as Clarifications, not Textual Restorations


Julie M. Smith on Joseph Smith's Own Use of the JST


The JST’s Hit-and-Miss Attempt at Harmonisation


Adam Clarke's Influence on JST Isaiah 34:7 and Joseph Smith's Rejection of the Song of Solomon as Inspired Scripture


Does JST Luke 10:23 teach Modalism?


Quick thoughts on JST Hebrews 6:1


Is Hebrews 5:7-8 speaking of Melchizedek or Jesus?


Note on JST John 1:1 and λογος


Andrew Skinner on JST Matthew 4:1


Purported Contradictions


Contradictions in Latter-day Saint Scripture?


The LDS interpretation James 1:5 vis-a-vis "internal witness of the Holy Spirit"


The "Mormon" interpretation of James 1:5 from Scholars of the Epistle of James (cf. “Testing God,” Gideon, and Praying about the Book of Mormon and Gideon and the Dry Fleece, God giving "signs" to His people, and Praying about the Book of Mormon)


On "Reformed" Egyptian


William J. Hamblin, "Reformed Egyptian"

On the use of Egyptian characters/language in Semitic/Semitic-Egyptian mixed texts, etc, see:


The Excavations at Kadesh-barnea (1976-78) by Rudolph Cohen. The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 44, No. 2, (Spring, 1981), pp. 93-107.


The Seal of Smryw by R. B. Y. Scott. Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 14, Fasc. 1, (Jan., 1964), pp. 108-110.


A Hebrew "Receipt" from Arad by  A. F. Rainey. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 202, (Apr., 1971), pp. 23-30


"A Paganized Version of Psalm 20:2-6 from the Aramaic Text in Demotic Script by Charles F. Nims and Richard C. Steiner. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 103, No. 1, Studies in Literature from the Ancient Near East, by Members of the American Oriental Society, Dedicated to Samuel Noah Kramer, (Jan. - Mar., 1983), pp. 261-274.


New Evidence for Hieratic Numerals on Hebrew Weights by Ivan Tracy Kaufman Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 188, (Dec., 1967), pp. 39-41.


Three Hebrew Ostraca from Arad by Yohanan Aharoni. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 197, (Feb., 1970), pp. 16-42


Northwest-Semitic Names in a List of Egyptian Slaves from the Eighteenth Century B. C. by W. F. Albright Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 74, No. 4, (Oct. - Dec., 1954), pp. 222- 233


Kadesh Barnea: Judah's Last Outpost by Carol Meyers Source: The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 39, No. 4, (Dec., 1976), pp. 148-151


Toward a Precise Date for the Samaria Ostraca by: Anson F. Rainey Source: Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 272, (Nov., 1988), pp. 69-74


The Use of Hieratic Numerals in Hebrew Ostraca and the Shekel Weights by Yohanan Aharoni. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, No. 184, (Dec., 1966), pp. 13-19


The Samaria Ostraca: An Early Witness to Hebrew Writing by Ivan T. Kaufman. The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 45, No. 4, (Autumn, 1982), pp. 229-239


The Aramaic Text in Demotic Script: The Liturgy of a New Year's Festival Imported from Bethel to Syene by Exiles from Rash Author(s): Richard C. Steiner. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 111, No. 2, (Apr. - Jun., 1991), pp. 362 -363


Northwest Semitic Incantations in an Egyptian Medical Papyrus of the Fourteenth Century B. C. E. by Richard C. Steiner.  Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 51, No. 3, (Jul., 1992), pp. 191-200


The 116 Pages etc

Don Bradley, The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories (Greg Kofford Books, 2019)


Matthew P. Roper, A Black Hole that is not So Black (review of vol. 1 of Answering Mormon Scholars by the Tanners) (see pp. . 174-75 [pp. 21-22 of the PDF document itself], "The Loss of the 116 Pages")


Book of Mormon Issues vis-a-vis historicity, etc

On unique Book of Mormon Places:

On the Arabian Peninsula (discovery of Nahom and Bountiful as well as the River of Laman/Valley of Lemuel and place Shazer)


Mulek, Son of Zedekiah: Discovery of a Unique Book of Mormon personality

Jeffrey R. Chadwick, Has the Seal of Mulek Been Found?

 

Jeff Lindsay, Mulek, Son of Zedekiah



On the New World

Brant A. Gardner, The Traditions of the Fathers: The Book of Mormon as History (Greg Kofford Books, 2015)

Jerry Grover, Geology of the Book of Mormon (on the volcanism in the Book of Mormon and how it fits a Mesoamerican setting at the right time, too--circa 30 AD)

On Onomasticon-related issues

The various articles by my friend Matthew L. Bowen on paronomasia and onomasticon in the Book of Mormon published by Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Other articles of interest




Responding to William Whalen on Alleged Anachronisms in the Book of Mormon (review of some purported anachronisms [e.g., "Gospel"; "Synagogue"] taken from  The Latter-day Saints in the Modern World [rev ed.; Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 1967])


Issues Relating to LDS Theology (plurality of Gods, etc)

Blake T. Ostler, Out of Nothing: A History of Creation ex Nihilo in Early Christian Thought
Daniel O. McClellan, James Patrick Holding refuted on Creation Ex Nihilo
Psalm 139:7 and Latter-day Saint Theology
Refuting Jeff Durbin on "Mormonism" (exegetes Isa 43:10; 44:6, 8 and other relevant texts such as Gen 20:13 where Abraham states his belief in the ontological existence of plural gods--cf. the Book of Abraham; cf. C.J. Labuschagne on the language of "incomparability" in the Old Testament and Literature of Surrounding Cultures)


My Biggest Issues with Roman Catholic Dogmatic Claims

As theology was raised in the above presentation, here are my three biggest issues with Catholic dogmatic theology:

The Mass as a Propitoatory Sacrifice and related doctrines (e.g., Transubstantiation; Concomittance):
See the listing of articles at Responses to Robert Sungenis, Not By Bread Alone (2000/2009)

The Second Council of Nicea and the Veneration of Images (NB: not the use of images for teaching purposes or even "having" religious art): See the listing of articles at Answering Fundamentalist Protestants and Roman Catholic/Eastern Orthodox on Images/Icons

Mariology (esp. personal sinlessness of Mary and, related to such, Immaculate Conception, in light of patristic tradition, see). On this, see the book I wrote (available as a PDF), Behold the Mother of My Lord: Towards a Mormon Mariology


Robert S. Boylan
IrishLDS87ATGmailDotCom
23 October 2020
 





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