FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Scripture and Influential Writings > Book of Mormon > Anachronisms > Weapons and Warfare

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The following are additional topic areas related to Weapons and Warfare. If there is a bracket number after the topic, that number indicates how many actual articles there are related to that subject. If the link for the topic is not live, it simply means the topic is a 'planned area' for future growth.

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Michael R. Ash, "Book of Mormon Anachronisms Part 3: Warfare," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, April 2003) A short, pass-along FAIR Brochure that addresses claims of anachronisms in the Book of Mormon. This brochure looks at anachronisms related to warfare and implements of war.

Other Resources

The resources listed below are related items available on the Web that should be of interest. These links are to information not located on the FAIR Web site.

William J. Adams, Jr., "Nephi's Jerusalem and Laban's Sword," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1993), 194-95 How does the description of Laban's sword match known swords from the ancient Near East?

Michael R. Ash, Armor in the Book of Mormon.

Michael R. Ash, Tents in the Book of Mormon.

Michael R. Ash, War in the Book of Mormon.

Brett L. Holbrook, "The Sword of Laba as a Symbol of Divine Authority and Kingship," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1993), 39-72 Swords have often been seen as symbols of divine authority and kingship. Numerous examples from the mythology, literature, and history of the world attest to distinct patterns. The sword of Laban from the Book of Mormon fits these patterns and can be compared to the sword of Goliath. The sword of Laban can also be traced as part of the royal regalia that gives authority throughout Nephite history, and later as it appears in the Restoration. The sword of Laban as it is associated with Joseph Smith came to be an additional witness of his authority and of the divine sanction for his work.

Massimo Introviqne, "The Book of Mormon Wars: A Non-Mormon Perspective," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1996), 1-25 The Protestant Bible wars were fought between fundamentalists, who initially claimed for the Bible the same "truth" that Englightenment claimed for science, and liberals, who denied that historical "truth" could be achieved at all. In the present Book of Mormon wars the opposite seems to be true: the liberal camp appears deeply rooted in the Enlightenment paradigm, while the orthodox (but not fundamentalist) position often uses postmodernist arguments, claiming that absolute objectivity is a "noble dream" never achieved nor obtainable in historical studies. The article reviews the present Mormon controversies by comparing them to the discussions on biblical interpretation in the Roman Catholic Church, as summarized in the semiofficial 1993 document "The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church" by the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

Jeff Lindsay, Mesoamerican Fortifications and the Book of Mormon. This article explores how the discription of war and fortifications in the Book of Mormon is an evidence for the truthfullness of the book.

Jeff Lindsay, Metals, Weapons and the Book of Mormon.

Daniel N. Rolph, "Prophets, Kings, and Swords: The Sword of Laban and Its Possible Pre-Laban Origin," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1993), 73-79 The sword of Laban plays a prominent role in the Book of Mormon narrative as a Nephite national treasure. Scholarly analysis of this regal heirloom has primarily concentrated upon its physical construction in relation to ancient Near Eastern metallurgical technology. However, when examined within the cultural milieu of the ancient world, along with data from Church history, the scriptures, and Jewish tradition, the sword of Laban takes on new significance. Though the Book of Mormon reveals that the sword of Laban served as an ancestral and hereditary sword of the ancient Nephite prophets, evidence suggests that the weapon may have been the birthright sword of biblical tradition, a sacred heirloom that may have been wielded by the patriarchs up until the time of Joseph of Egypt. Laban, being a descendant of Joseph, inherited the birthright sword and the plates of brass, both treasures eventually coming into the possession of Nephi, who was both a prophet and a descendant of Joseph, as was Joseph Smith, Jr.

Matthew Roper, "Eyewitness Descriptions of Mesoamerican Swords," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1996), 150-158

Matthew Roper, "Swords and "Cimeters" in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 34-43

John L. Sorenson, "Last-Ditch Warfare in Ancient Mesoamerica Recalls the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 2000), 44-53 Sorenson examines current studies of ancient Mesoamerican warfare and how it compares to what we find in the Book of Mormon.

John A. Tvedtnes, ""The Workmanship Thereof Was Exceedingly Fine"," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1997), 73-75 Tvedtnes compares the description of the sword of Laban with descriptions of swords in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

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