BYU Studies

This is a Book Review by Richard E. Bennett examine's Documents, 1 January–15 May 1844,  Vol. 14 of the Documents series of the Joseph Smith Papers, Edited by Alex D. Smith, Adam H. Petty, Jessica M. Nelson, and Spencer W. McBride (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2023). Bennett explains the many merits and details provided by the publication, which puts knowledge once held privately...

A poem by Isaac James Richards. This poem won second place in the 2023 BYU Studies poetry contest. Richard's draws inspiration from Joseph's Smith's words: "I retired to the woods to make the attempt," in an exploration of faith and prayer. To read the poem on our website, CLICK HERE.

This personal essay by Ellis William LeRoy Jr. explores the author's "house calls" as a physician to an elderly man's home. After years of knowing the man, he expressed the desire to be baptized. Considering the man's poor health, the rite had to be specially performed with the addition of chair and other special accommodations. This inspiring essay explores faith and miracle...

This article examines the “NHM” naming pattern in Near Eastern Language to find evidence that the “place… called Nahom” described in the Book of Mormon is the "Nahm" region of the Arabian Peninsula. The author Neal Rappleye uses evidence from historical sources, such as maps and inscriptions, and linguistic studies of Near Eastern language to identify “Nahom" within its correct hist...

This article by Michael Austin and Rachel Meibos Helps details the cultural significance of literature in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Beginning in 1888, a movement headed by Bishop Orson F. Whitney introduced education programs for male and female youth of the church. These included recommended booklists, traveling libraries, and formal lessons. Over the course of the twentiet...

This book notice by BYU studies editor Matthew B. Christensen explains the series of short books published by Deseret Books: The Let's Talk About series. This series examines interesting and difficult topics including: Let's Talk about Polygamy, Let's Talk about Religion and Mental Health, Let's Talk about the Book of Abraham, Let's Talk about Faith and Intellect, Let's Tal...

This article, written by Scott C. Woodward, explores the scriptural evidence of Christ experiencing not only sin, but also individual physical and emotional pain as part of his Atonement. This is termed by Woodward as the "Empathetic Atonement." Although Woodward acknowledges that there is significant support for the fact that Christ does understand us perfectly, his analysis forwards th...

In this personal essay, Victoria Webb Rutherford shares her experience of fostering and adopting two boys who had suffered from complex trauma. She reflects on the challenges and joys of parenting children with unique challenges, and how her faith and family history helped her along the way. She also explores the meaning of grafting wild branches into a tame olive tree, as described in the Book of...

This article by Brandon J. Metcalf and Jeffery L. Anderson explores the life and legacy of President Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His journals span decades and document his personal growth, his health challenges, his ministry as an Apostle and a prophet, and his role in some of the most significant events in Church history. His journ...

“He Is God and He Is with Them”: Helaman 8:21–23 and Isaiah’s Immanuel Prophecy as a Thematic Scriptural Concept by Matthew L. Bowen How does the Book of Mormon’s Immanuel Prophecy Connect the Nephites, the Mulochites, and Jesus Christ? The Book of Mormon contains many prophecies about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. One of these prophecies is the Immanuel prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, wh...

This book notice by BYU Studies editor, Matthew B. Christensen, examines the recent book edited by Dallin D. Oaks, Paul Baltes, and Kent Minson. The book is an exploration of the significance and practices surrounding names within the context of the faith and culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Read the book notice here.

This book notice is about "Every Needful Thing: Essays on the Life of the Mind and the Heart," which was edited by Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye and Kate Holbrook. It is a collection of essays by Latter-day Saint women scholars from various disciplines and countries. The essays explore how writers balance their faith, scholarship, family, and community, and how they learn by both study and fa...

A poem by Daniel Teichert. This poem won third place in the 2022 Clinton F. Larson Poetry Contest, sponsored by BYU Studies. To read the poem on our website, click here.

The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is a digital database of over 3,000 images inspired by the Book of Mormon. It aims to recover the full history of art based on this book of scripture and inspire new and varied artistic production to further illuminate the scriptures and bring viewers closer to Christ.

Scott Hales reviews Joseph Smith and the Mormons, a graphic novel by Noah Van Sciver. Of the book, he wrote, "While no reader may be wholly satisfied with  Joseph Smith and the Mormons,  the book is unquestionably a landmark text in Latter-day Saint literature—it is, perhaps, the best Mormon graphic novel to date—and an important touchstone in artistic representations of Joseph Smith."

"Salad Days," is a poem by Alixa Brobbey. It won second place in the 2022 Clinton F. Larson Poetry Contest, sponsored by BYU Studies.

Charity is more than a Christlike virtue we show towards others. It is a virtue we should employ in reading the scriptures as well. In his article "Charity as an Exegetical Principle in The Book of Mormon," Matthew Scott Stenson explains that when we read the scriptures with an open mind, real intent, and the love of God in our hearts, we are reading with charity as we are slow to judge...

The testimonies of Len and Mary Hope are among the earliest audio-recorded testimonies of Black Latter-day Saints. In this article, learn more about these faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and how they came to be baptized.

When covenant women are together, they become each other’s shelter. The storms might be raging around them, but they don’t feel the rain or hear the thunder because they’re so busy laughing and loving each other.

In ““Show Them unto No Man: Part 1. Esoteric Teachings and the Problem of Early Latter-day Saint Doctrinal History” Barry R. Bickmore examines how two texts, the Book of Mormon and the book of Moses, demonstrate exotericism (doctrine available to all) and esotericism (doctrine intended for a select group of people). The article also discusses how believing Latter-day Saint historians tend to couch...

From BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 62, Number 1 In this essay, Cristie Cowles Charles reflects on her journey coming to terms with ADHD as an adult. This essay took first place in the BYU Studies Essay Contest in 2023.

In this article, Jenet Jacob Erickson explains that fathers and mothers tend to play distinctive roles nurturing children’s development. It reviews social science research that shows how mothers and fathers differ in their psychological orientations, strengths, and styles of interaction with children, but also how they complement each other in influencing children’s social and emotional developmen...

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 Learn from Social Science about the Divine Pattern of Gender Complementarity in Parenting."

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 Studies Quarterly, please consider sharing it with a friend.

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 beyond this brief description because he does not appear in the text of the Book of Abraham. Presumably, if we had more of the story, we would know more about how he fit in the overall Abrahamic narrative. However, there are some things we...