“According to Their Language, unto Their Understanding”: The Cultural Context of Hierophanies and Theophanies in Latter-day Saint Canon

Mark Alan Wright

Studies in the Bible and Antiquity 3 (2011)

Wright discusses the “fainting” of Alma in Mosiah 27 in context of ancient Mesoamerican prophetic calls.

Armenian Apocrypha Relating to Abraham

E. Douglas Clark

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 2 (2014)

Medieval Armenian texts contain traditions about the patriarch Abraham. This article points out content that is of significance to Latter-day Saints.

The Book of Abraham, Revelation, and You

Kerry Muhlestein

Ensign 48, no. 12 (Dec. 2018)

Two examples show that academic information related to the book of Abraham has improved recently: that the Egyptians did practice human sacrifice, and that there were writings by Egyptian priests about Abraham and Moses. The author tells that he has unanswered questions about the book, but personal revelation has led him to conclude that the book of Abraham is inspired.

The Creation of Humankind, An Allegory? A Note on Abraham 5:7, 14–16

Richard D. Draper

Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant (2005)

How literally should we understand the creation of Adam from the dust of the earth? One of Joseph Smith’s sermons taught that “God made man out of the earth and put into him Adam’s spirit.” Brigham Young taught that this description is symbolic, and many Latter-day Saints view the account of the creation of Adam and Eve as allegoric: symbolic rather than literal.

The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources

Kevin Barney

Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant (2005)

This article reviews the origins and history of the book of Abraham text. They suggest that the book may have had its origin as a Semitic text that experienced the normal transmission processes of copying, translation, and redaction from the time of Abraham until the Greco-Roman era. The facsimiles may have been Egyptian religious vignettes that were adopted or adapted by an Egyptian-Jewish redactor.

Abraham

E. Douglas Clark

Encyclopedia of Mormonism (1992)

Abraham was foreordained as a prophet and received divine promises for himself and all people. This short article outlines his life and the sources about him and the covenant.

The Abrahamic Covenant

S. Michael Wilcox

Ensign 28, no. 1 (Jan. 1998)

The Abrahamic covenant actually began with Adam. Abraham was promised innumerable posterity both as literal descendants and as those who would accept the gospel. Modern revelation, namely in the Doctrine and Covenants, describes how we should do the works of Abraham today.

“In the Land of the Chaldeans”: The Search for Abraham’s Homeland Revisited

Stephen O. Smoot

BYU Studies Quarterly 56, no. 3 (2017)

Stephen Smoot examines Genesis and the book of Abraham regarding Abraham’s journeys. Abraham’s homeland may have been in southern Iraq, but Syria or northern Mesopotamia should also be considered.

Chiasmus in the Book of Genesis

Gary A. Rendsburg

“Chiasmus: The State of the Art,” BYU Studies Quarterly 59, supplement (2020)

Genesis 25–35 is studied as the Jacob cycle. Gary Rendsburg identifies the chiastic structure of this narrative and points out themes. The focal point of the Jacob cycle is Genesis 30:22–25, in which Rachel gives birth and Jacob decides to return to Canaan. This article points out many details that show how these events are part of the major themes of the Bible: the covenant with God, the land of Canaan, and the people of Israel.

Judaism

Roger R. Keller

Light and Truth: A Latter-day Saint Guide to World Religions (2012)

This article describes Jewish holy days. Passover celebrates the angel of death passing over the homes of the Israelites, and the Jews remember what the Lord has done for them by eating unleavened bread and bitter herbs.

Teaching Matthew’s Genealogy (Matt. 1)

Eric D. Huntsman

Good Tidings of Great Joy: An Advent Celebration of the Savior’s Birth, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (Jan. 2015)

Huntsman discusses the significance of genealogies in the Old Testament and how Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. He analyzes Matthew’s objectives in selecting and structuring the genealogy, emphasizing its three sections of fourteen generations each, which highlight key periods in Israel’s history.

The Ebla Tablets and the Abraham Tradition

David Noel Freedman

Reflections on Mormonism: Judaeo-Christian Parallels (1978)

The Ebla tablets, discovered in 1975, mention Abram, David, Esau, Ishmael, Israel, Micaiah, Michael, and Saul. While we can’t be sure that these are the same people so named in the Bible, it is very likely. Even more astonishing it that the tablets mention together the “five cities of the plain,” listed in the same order in Genesis 14: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. These were flourishing cities at the time of Abraham and Lot. These tablets add historical data to the Genesis account.

Luke 6:20–49, the Sermon on the Plain

S. Kent Brown

The Testimony of Luke, BYU New Testament Commentary, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (Feb. 2019)

This post provides an introduction, a new version of the Greek text, verse-by-verse commentary, and analysis of Luke 6:20–49, known as the Sermon on the Plain.

Reexamining Lot

RoseAnn Benson

Religious Educator 14, no. 1 (2013)

Peter calls Lot “righteous, godly, and just.” The book of Abraham tells us that Abraham and Lot prayed together, and that Jehovah told Abraham to take Lot with him. Lot chose grazing lands near Sodom. The article suggests that Lot preached the gospel in Sodom and Gomorrah and may have felt compassion for those people that caused his apparent reluctance to leave. The Joseph Smith Translation helps us understand that Lot was not participating in sin.

“None Were Greater”: A Restoration View of Melchizedek

Dennis A. Wright

Ensign 28, no. 2 (Feb. 1998)

Alma 13 and other Restoration scriptures help us understand the life and role of the prophet-king Melchizedek: that he was a child of faith even though Salem was a wicked place; that he blessed and ordained Abraham; that he kept the storehouse of tithes.

Enoch and the City of Zion: Can an Entire Community Ascend to Heaven?

David J. Larsen

BYU Studies Quarterly 53, no. 1 (2014)

One of the most significant additions to the book of Genesis in Joseph Smith’s inspired translation of the Bible is to the story of the prophet Enoch, who the biblical record briefly implies was taken up into heaven alive. In Joseph Smith’s rendering of the story, however, not only Enoch, as an individual, ascends into heaven, but also his entire community. This article explores the notion of communal ascent in ancient Jewish and Christian literature and seeks to find affinities with the story of Enoch’s Zion found in the LDS book of Moses. Ancient narratives such as the History of the Rechabites provide some interesting parallels, however the idea of a group ascending into heaven is more strikingly presented in texts that are arguably designed for ritual purposes, as we see with the biblical Epistle to the Hebrews and the Hodayot and Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice texts from among the Dead Sea Scrolls. We can see in these texts a pattern that entails an individual being taken up into

Insights into the Book of Genesis

George A. Horton Jr.

The Joseph Smith Translation: The Restoration of Plain and Precious Truths (1985)

The Joseph Smith Translation teaches us that Noah’s family were saved because they hearkened unto the Lord.

The Ebla Tablets and the Abraham Tradition

David Noel Freedman

Reflections on Mormonism: Judaeo-Christian Parallels (1978)

The Ebla tablets, discovered in 1975, mention Abram, David, Esau, Ishmael, Israel, Micaiah, Michael, and Saul. While we can’t be sure that these are the same people so named in the Bible, it is very likely. Even more astonishing it that the tablets mention together the “five cities of the plain,” listed in the same order in Genesis 14: Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboiim, and Bela. These were flourishing cities at the time of Abraham and Lot. These tablets add historical data to the Genesis account.

The Melchizedek Material in Alma 13:13–19

John W. Welch

By Study and Also by Faith: Essays in Honor of Hugh W. Nibley, vol. 2 (1990)

Melchizedek’s role in Alma 13 is illuminated by analyzing various treatments of Melchizedek throughout history. Melchizedek is discussed not only in the Old Testament and the Joseph Smith Translation of the Genesis 14, but also in Jubilees, 2 Enoch, Qumran texts, Philo, and other ancient texts.

Come, Follow Me Interfaith Conversations | The Sacrifice of Isaac with Mark Diamond

Mark S. Diamond, Jacob Rennaker

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation Podcast (Feb. 2022)

A Jewish scholar, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, and a Latter-day Saint scholar, Dr. Jacob Rennaker, discuss what the narrative of Abraham binding Isaac means to Jews and Latter-day Saints. Why would a compassionate God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son? Why did Abraham not protest? The narrative demonstrates the deep, inscrutable faith of Abraham and also that God sent an angel to intervene. Both Jews and Latter-day Saints understand that devotion to God can require chastening, trial, and offering up all we have.

Passage in Christ: Reflections on Genesis 15

Terryl Givens

Old Testament Reflections (2026)

Teaching Matthew’s Genealogy (Matt. 1)

Eric D. Huntsman

Good Tidings of Great Joy: An Advent Celebration of the Savior’s Birth, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (Jan. 2015)

Huntsman discusses the significance of genealogies in the Old Testament and how Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. He analyzes Matthew’s objectives in selecting and structuring the genealogy, emphasizing its three sections of fourteen generations each, which highlight key periods in Israel’s history.

The Chronicles of Zacharias and Elisabeth: Part One of Three, the Angel Comes to the Priest Zacharias

S. Kent Brown

The Testimony of Luke, BYU New Testament Commentary, excerpted on the BYU New Testament Commentary website (Dec. 2014)

When Zacharias goes into the temple to offer incense, he is entering the Sanctuary, which is distinct from the larger temple grounds. The angel “was seen,” indicating seeing in a firsthand, sensory way. Three elements stand out in the angel’s words to this man. The first is embedded in the expression “thy prayer is heard.” The prayer that the angel points to is likely not a prayer for a son. The pronoun is singular and therefore does not include Elisabeth; besides, she is past childbearing. So why pray for a child? Rather, the prayer is one for the redemption of Israel that Zacharias offers in his priestly role as a matter of private but set worship. Hence, the angel is promising the fulfillment of his prayer for Israel’s redemption.

The Path of Angels: A Biblical Pattern for the Role of Angels in Physical Salvation

Taylor Halverson

The Gospel of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament (2009)

In Exodus 14, the angel of God saved the Israelites from the Egyptians by causing a cloud of darkness for the Egyptians and a light for the Israelites. This event may be the foundational event of Israelite identity: the Israelites are physically tested to their limit and saved while the Egyptians drown; they must trust Moses and God.

Come, Follow Me Interfaith Conversations | The Sacrifice of Isaac with Mark Diamond

Mark S. Diamond, Jacob Rennaker

The John A. Widtsoe Foundation Podcast (Feb. 2022)

A Jewish scholar, Rabbi Mark S. Diamond, and a Latter-day Saint scholar, Dr. Jacob Rennaker, discuss what the narrative of Abraham binding Isaac means to Jews and Latter-day Saints. Why would a compassionate God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son? Why did Abraham not protest? The narrative demonstrates the deep, inscrutable faith of Abraham and also that God sent an angel to intervene. Both Jews and Latter-day Saints understand that devotion to God can require chastening, trial, and offering up all we have.

Old Testament Types and Symbols

Gerald N. Lund

Literature of Belief: Sacred Scripture and Religious Experience (1981)

This article examines many Old Testament symbols. The bondage of Israel is a type of humanity’s bondage to sin. The Passover lamb is Christ. Leaven is a symbol of corruption, and unleavened bread is a symbol of purging ungodliness from our lives. The bitter herbs are a reminder of bondage. Eating in haste exemplifies that there must be no delay in following Christ. The firstborn being passed over from death is a symbol of deliverance from spiritual death. The actions of the angel of God (Exodus 13, 14) are symbolic of disciples receiving not only baptism by water but also baptism by fire.

Antonio Lebolo: Excavator of the Book of Abraham

H. Donl Peterson

BYU Studies 31, no. 3 (1991)

Antonio Lebolo, an Italian man, went to Egypt to excavate artifacts and then sold them. Ancient papyri with writings ascribed to Abraham and Joseph that Lebolo excavated arrived in the United States in 1833 and were brought to Joseph Smith in 1835. This article examines Lebolo’s life and legacy.

Joseph Smith and Egyptian Artifacts: A Model for Evaluating the Prophetic Nature of the Prophet’s Ideas about the Ancient World

Kerry Muhlestein

BYU Studies Quarterly 55, no. 3 (2016)

This article grapples with the content and history of the Egyptian drawings that Joseph Smith possessed, acknowledging that Joseph believed several things about the artifacts that are not fully congruent with modern academic Egyptology.

Teaching the Book of Abraham Facsimiles

Michael D. Rhodes

Religious Educator 4, no. 2 (2003)

Here are basic answers for questions raised about the book of Abraham papyri, specifically the three facsimiles.