FAIR Topical Guide

Guide Home > Scripture and Influential Writings > Book of Mormon > Old World Context

Additional Topics

The following are additional topic areas related to Old World Context. 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.

• Nahom [7]

FAIR Resources

These links are either to Web pages hosted on the FAIR Website, or to FAIR Papers. FAIR Papers are short articles about specific topics or questions, written by members of FAIR. These articles can be downloaded and read in PDF format and are intended to be distributed by e-mail or print for the general use of our patrons. (To read FAIR Papers you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. It can be downloaded free from the Adobe Web site.) Click on a title below to visit a FAIR Web page or to read the latest version of a FAIR Paper.

"Book of Mormon anachronisms:Red sea versus reed sea," FAIR Wiki (City Unknown: FAIR) This FAIR Wiki article responds to the claim that since most Bible scholars believe the Israelites crossed the "Reed Sea" (vs. the mistranslated "Red Sea") that the Book of Mormon follows this blunder.

S. Kent Brown, "Arabia and the Book of Mormon," (2001 FAIR Conference presentation.) Current research from the Near East supports the Book of Mormon as an authentic ancient text.

Cooper Johnson, Arabia and the Book of Mormon.

Ensign Articles

These articles cited below provide information on the topic of this page. The Ensign is one of the official publications of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When you click on one of the article links below, you are whisked to the article found in the archives of the Church's Web site.

C. Wilfred Griggs, "The Tree of Life in Ancient Cultures," Ensign, June 1988, 27. This symbol from antiquity finds a full and highly consistent portrayal in the Book of Mormon.

Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, "In Search of Lehi's Trail, Part 1," Ensign, September 1976, 33. An investigation of the location of the trail Lehi's company used to travel across Arabia. While this research has been superceded by that of the Astons, it is still good reading.

Lynn M. Hilton and Hope A. Hilton, "In Search of Lehi's Trail, Part 2," Ensign, October 1976, 34-35. An investigation of the location of the trail Lehi's company used to travel across Arabia. While this research has been superceded by that of the Astons, it is still good reading.

Keith H. Meservy, "Jerusalem at the Time of Lehi and Jeremiah," Ensign, January 1988, 23. Lehi and his family fled a city headed for destruction. What was that Jerusalem like? Jeremiah paints a vivid picture of a land filled with wickedness.

Hugh W. Nibley, "The Lachish Letters: Documents from Lehi's Day," Ensign, December 1981, 48. These ancient documents give significant support to the historical picture painted at the beginning of the Book of Mormon.

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.

Ehab Abunuwara, "Into the Desert: An Arab View of the Book of Mormon," JBMS 11:1 (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2002), 60-65, 111 As an Arab convert to the Church, Abunuwara talks about how the Book of Mormon's Lehite journey matches the culture of his ancestors.

William J. Adams, Jr., "Lehi's Jerusalem and Writing on Metal Plates," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1994), 204-206

Warren P. Aston, "Across Arabia with Lehi and Sariah: "Truth Shall Spring out of the Earth"," JBMS (City Unknown: FARMS, 2003), 8-25, 110-13 Aston examines the many parallels between what the Book of Mormon records during the Lehi trek through the wilderness, and what we currently know of the ancient Arabian landscape.

RoseAnn Benson and Stephen D. Ricks, "Treaties and Covenants: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Terminology in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2005), 48-61 Benson and Ricks demonstrate that the Book of Mormon follows authenticly ancient Old World customs regarding treaties and covenants as well as what these covenants mean to the people of God.

David Bokovoy, "From Distance to Proximity: A Poetic Function of Enallage in the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Mormon," JBMS (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000), 60-63 This essay analyzes examples of poetry in the Hebrew Bible and the Book of Mormon that do not conform to the same standards to which prose is typically confined.

S. Kent Brown, "Refining the Spotlight on Leh and Sariah," JBMS, 15:2 (City Unknown: FARMS, 2006), 44-120 Dr. S. Kent Brown examines the possible route and likely stops made by the Lehites and they made their way through Arabia.

S. Kent Brown, "The Exodus Pattern and the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) The memory of Israel’s exodus from Egypt runs so deeply and clearly in the Book of Mormon that it has naturally drawn the attention of modern students. A major focus of recent studies has fallen on the departure of Lehi’s family from Jerusalem as a replication, almost a mirror image—even in small details—of the flight of the Hebrews. Such interest is reasonable because Nephite teachers themselves drew comparisons between Lehi’s colony and their Israelite forebears. For instance, in an important speech, King Limhi referred to Israel’s escape from Egypt and immediately drew a parallel to Lehi’s departure from Jerusalem (Mosiah 7:19–20). Alma, in remarks addressed to his son Helaman, also consciously linked the Exodus from Egypt with Lehi’s journey (Alma 36:28–29). More than once a prophet or teacher who wanted to prove to others that divine assistance could be relied on appealed to God’s acts on behalf of the enslaved Israelites. This replication was the technique used by Nephi, for example, in his attempt to convince his recalcitrant brothers that God was leading their father, Lehi (1 Ne. 17:23–35). Furthermore, it was teachers in the Book of Mormon who first saw that the Exodus—the most wondrous of all God’s acts on behalf of any people—was to be transcended by the grandeur of the Atonement. In what follows, I propose to sketch out some of the primary colors of the wonderfully variegated vista of the Exodus that is portrayed in the Book of Mormon.

Jeffrey R. Chadwick, "An Archaeologist's View," JBMS, 15:2 (City Unknown: FARMS, 2006), 68-124 Chadwick, a professional archaeologist, reviews and responds to the Lehite travel theories presented by Aston, Wellington and Potter, and Brown.

Jeffrey R. Chadwick, "Has the Seal of Mulek Been Found," JBMS (City Unknown: FARMS, 2003), 72-83 In the Book of Mormon we learn that Mulek was a surviving son of the Bible's King Zedekiah. A recently discovered Judean stamp seal appears to confirm the existance of the Book of Mormon, Mulek.

Jeffrey R. Chadwick, "The Names Lehi and Sariah—Language and Meaning," JBMS (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000), 32-34 Jeffrey Chadwick explores the possible ancient meaning to the names Lehi and Sariah.

David Clark, "Lehi and El Niño: A Method of Migration," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) The acceptance of ad hoc ideas on Book of Mormon geography has been a continuing problem in Church history, and for a very good reason. Specifics are generally lacking, and attempts to quantify missing geographic data are frequently met with considerable skepticism. Some Church members find it equally difficult to accept the suggestion that naturally occurring events played a role in anything that is more easily explained by supernatural activity. Fully cognizant that addressing either subject is analogous to welcoming the African killer bees across the southern borders of our country, I offer a new idea on Lehi's transoceanic voyage, an idea that is firmly rooted in recent atmospheric and oceanographic observations.

Camille Fronk, "Desert Epiphany: Sariah and the Women in 1 Nephi," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000) While there is not a lot of text dedicated to the women of the Lehite party, Camille Fronk examines what we do know of the women, what they might have endured, how they might have reacted to circumstances, and what we know of women's lives in ancient Arabia.

John Gee, "New and Old Light on Shawabtis From Mesoamerica," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1997), 64-69 In 1992 FARMS published a notice that two Egyptian shawbtis (figurines) had been discovered in Mesoamerica in the 1920s. Gee takes a new look at these Egyptian figurines and questions their authenticity.

Ray C. Hilam, "The Gadianton Robbers and Protracted War," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) The Gadianton wars were different from most other wars in the Book of Mormon in that they were internal, often covert, and protracted. In part they grew out of internal dissent stemming from alienation and were fueled by a satanic lust for power. The characteristics of these protracted wars, are like some of the insurgencies and counterinsurgencies of modern times. Since World War II we have witnessed many forms of such wars in the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and Africa--strikingly similar to those in the Gadianton era.

Lynn M. Hilton, "In Search of Lehi's Trail- 30 Years Later," JBMS (City Unknown: FARMS, 2006), 3-7, 110 Lynn Hilton looks at the scholarship from the last few decades regarding the likely path of Lehi's sojourn through the wilderness.

Paul Y. Hoskisson, "What's in a Name?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000) Paul Hoskisson explores the possible Hebrew roots for the name "Nephi."

David A. LeFevre, ""We Did Again Take Our Journey"," JBMS, 15:2 (City Unknown: FARMS, 2006), 58-122 LeFevre review and responsd the varying details in the Lehite travel theories presented by Aston, Wellington and Potter, and Brown.

Jeff Lindsay, Bountiful and Nahom in the Arabian Peninsula . Critics have long argued that the places in the Book of Mormon don't exist. This article discusses the place called Nahom which appears in the Book of Mormon and still exists in the Arabian Peninsula exactly where the Book of Mormon says it is. It also talks about Bountiful and other elements of Lehi's trail that are difficult for the critics to refute.

Jeff Lindsay, The Valley of Lemuel: Another "Blunder" Becomes Evidence FOR the Book of Mormon . The Valley of Lemuel and the River of Laman continues to draw fire from Anti-Mormons. They have been proclaiming that no such river exists and that no rivers are continually flowing. Here is evidence to the contrary that takes the wind out of their sails.

Garth L. Mangum, "The Economics of the Book of Mormon: Joseph Smith as Translator or Commentator," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1993), 78-89 From 1830 to the present those who find it difficult to accept "angelic visitations in the age of railroads" have searched Joseph Smith's nineteenth-century environment for sources of the subject matter of the Book of Mormon. For example, in 1990 Susan Curtis explains the economic subthemes of the book as Joseph Smith's commentary on "market capitalism." But the economic conditions of Joseph Smith's time and place are not reflected in the Book of Mormon. Its economic descriptions are consistent with our vast knowledge of the economic conditions of the ancient Middle East and not inconsistent with the little known of the economics of Mesoamerica of the relevant time period. Those more comfortable with Joseph Smith as universal commentator on the issues of his day would be well advised to ignore economics or limit that topic to the Doctrine and Covenants. Those who accept him as translator of ancient scriptural documents can gain additional reassurance from the economics of the Book of Mormon.

Daniel McKinlay, "The Brightening Light on the Journey of Lehi and Sariah," JBMS, 15:2 (City Unknown: FARMS, 2006), 78-125 McKinlay presents an overview and timeline of the theories and discoveries that LDS scholars have developed regarding the Lehite journey through Arabia.

Steven L. Olsen, "Cosmic Urban Symbolism in the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies (Provo, UT: BYU) The Book of Mormon's full significance cannot be reduced to early nineteenth- century American concerns. This article examines a basic aspect of the Book of Mormon which is viewed more adequately from the perspective of ancient civilizations rather than that of the American frontier. Ancient world civilizations believed that the perceived order of territorial environment, in its “natural” and built-up features, revealed the structure of a sacred universe. The epitome of this symbolic order was a capital city or ceremonial center. “In those religions which held that human order was brought into being at the creation of the world there was a pervasive tendency to dramatize the cosmogony by constructing on earth a reduced version of the cosmos, usually in the form of a state capital.” Characteristic of complex societies throughout the ancient world, this phenomenon is referred to as cosmic urban symbolism. The principles of cosmic urban symbolism account for many ideas and events in the Book of Mormon which are otherwise unexplained within a nineteenth-century American context.

Daniel C. Peterson, "Nephi and His Asherah," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000) Among the ancient Canaanites and Israelites, some believed that Asherah was the heaveny consort of the God "El." Peterson shows that Nephi's dream of the tree of life convincingly demonstrates a knowledge of this Asherah and her association with the tree of life, just as the ancients associated Asherah with the sacred tree. All of these things, of course, would not have been known to Americans in the early nineteenth century.

Wm. Revell Phillips, "Metals in the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000) Wm. Revell Phillips notes some of the highlights of research done in those areas believed to associated with the Lehite's journey in Arabia. Phillips notes that, as described in the Book of Mormon, ore -- for shipbuilding -- was avaible in those very locations.

Noel B. Reynolds, "Lehi as Moses," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2000) Our understanding of Lehi's leadership comes through the writings of his son Nephi. While it has been previously noted that Nephi chose to tell the story of his "reign and ministry" (1 Nephi 10:1) in such a way that his readers would see Nephi himself as a second Moses, it has not been much observed that it may have been his father, Lehi, who first employed this device to persuade his descendants of his own divine calling. In this paper, Noel Reynolds shows that Lehi had used this device in an attempt to persuade his descendants to accept his difficult instructions and that in portraying himself as a second Moses, Nephi was following a model established at least two decades earlier by his own father (Nephi's small plates were probably written 20 to 30 years after Lehi's final teachings were given to his family.

Robert F. Smith, "Book of Mormon Event Structure: Ancient Near East," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1996), 98-147 The Book of Mormon annals open in an ancient Near Eastern context. The archaeological-historical context is carefully outlined here within a systematic chronology that is tied to fixed, absolute dates of recorded astronomical events—particularly those from cuneiform eponym calendars. The resultant matrix allows those early Book of Mormon events to be understood in a rational, familiar, and meaningful way, i.e., in a biblical context. In addition, an excursus is devoted to understanding the Arabia of the Book of Mormon as the Lehite exiles must have known it. Throughout it is clear that the world depicted by the Book of Mormon dovetails remarkably well with what we know of the ancient Near East.

Gerald Smith, Comparing Covenants in Dead Sea Scrolls and Book of Mormon.

Gerald Smith, Comparing Nephi's Psalm with a Psalm in the Community Rule Scroll. Compares the Psalm of Nephi (2 Nephi 4), with a Psalm in the Community Rule Scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls. You'll see how amazingly close they tie into each other.

Gerald Smith, Comparison Between Nephi's Psalm and Community Rule. Brief comparison between Nephi's Psalm (2 Ne 4), and a Psalm found in the Community Rule scroll of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Geza Vermes translation).

John A. Tvedtnes, John Gee and Matthew Roper; "Book of Mormon Names Attested in Ancient Hebrew Inscriptions," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2000), 42-51 A detailed and documented analysis of names in the Book of Mormon, demonstrating authenticity for the names and for the Book of Mormon.

John A. Tvedtnes, "Drought and Serpents," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1997), 70-72 In Ether chapter 9 we read how "serpents" came among the people due to a drought. Tvedtnes takes a look at this incident and how it might relate to a similar Old World incident.

Thomas A. Wayment, "The Hebrew Text of Alma 7:11," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo, UT: FARMS, 2005), 98-103 Wayment examines how Alma 7:11 may be a key in understanding the original language of the Brass Plates which Lehi brought from Jerusalem.

John W. Welch, "Legal Perspectives on the Slaying of Laban," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (Provo: FARMS, 1992), 119-141

John W. Welch, "The Narrative of Zosimus and the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies (1982), 1-21 This article demonstrates certain similarities existing between texts in 1 Nephi in the Book Mormon and a little-known document entitled “The Narrative of Zosimus.” The Narrative’s core material was written originally in Hebrew and appears to be at least as old as the time of Christ, and perhaps much older. There is no evidence that any knowledge about the Narrative of Zosimus existed in any English-speaking land prior to the publication of the Book of Mormon.

John W. Welch, "Weighing and Measuring in the Worlds of the Book of Mormon," JBMS (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1999), 36-46 John Welch examines the Book of Mormon's system of weights and measure and how they correspond to what we know from the ancient Old World.

Richard Wellington and George Potter, "Lehi's Trail: From the Valley of Lemuel to Nephi's Harbor," JBMS (City Unknown: FARMS, 2003), 26-43, 113-16 Having traveled through Arabia in search of features that could match Lehi's route through Arabia, Potter and Wellington offer their views and intepretations of their findings.

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