Mormon & Archaeology

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

Interested in understanding the Book of Mormon in its ancient historical setting and context? Start here.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

🧵Book of Mormon Study Notes: 1 Nephi 1, part 1: Historical Background 🧵

I’m going to experiment with doing threads on specific BoM chapters and passages with some context from the ancient world. Naturally, I thought I’d start with 1 Nephi 1 and go from there. 1/x

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@SaturdaysWar @JasminRappleye The Scripture+ brand was mistaken for HER, & its her image & likeness (which she legally owns rights to) that is the source of the confusion, so what would they sue her for? If anything, she should be asking them to make it more clear that she's no longer connected to the brand.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

The mere existence of branding confusion is not legally actionable; creating brand confusion through the use (or imitation) of trademarked branding elements is legally actionable. This isn't hard.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

If the confusion were created by her imitation of Scripture Central branding assets, they probably would. But the confusion is actually caused by the fact that both brands have been associated with her image and likeness, & SHE (like everyone) owns her own image and likeness.

[Stacker @stackerco]

This back and forth is getting interesting.

Looks like John may have confused Scripture Central for Jasmine.

But in making that point, Jasmine may be arguing Scripture Central should sue her too.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

In the wake of the tragedy in Michagan, people are fiercely arguing about whether we are Christians. I'd like to remind everyone there is actual scholarship on this subject, by both LDS and non-LDS scholars & theologians, which supports our inclusion in the Christian faith.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

I’ve noticed an uptick in the ole’ “Mormons aren’t Christian” canard. Such theological arguments not exactly my personal forte, but I’ve read a handful of books on the subject. Here are my top 5 recommendations (ordered from oldest to most recently published). 🧵

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@stackerco @grok That's not the claim I was ever responding to. Please learn to follow an argument. Can you or can you not explain why the Muhlestein paper does not illustrate that some "apologetic" arguments are acceptable to non-LDS Egyptologists?

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

Kerry Muhlestein published a paper on the Joseph Smith Papyri (including the surviving portion of facsimile 1) in the Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections.

https://t.co/FQVX3KDQsQ

[Stacker @stackerco]

You talk about their credentials and peer review process.

How many of Gee and Muhlestein’s papers on the book to Abraham have been recognized as legitimate by their non-LDS peers and have been published outside of LDS circles?

How many of Peterson’s loan shifting (tapir =horse) have been recognized by his peers outside of non LDS?

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@stackerco @grok If you don’t think that illustrates that at least some “apologetic” arguments acceptable to their non-LDS peers, you need to explain why that is. Can you do that? Or will you continue to obfuscate?

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@stackerco @grok The Muhlestein paper I cited makes some of the exact same arguments LDS scholars make in BoA publications, cited LDS BoA publications to that effect, and was accepted for publication in an Egyptological venue.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

I am not a poor tenant farmer. I am a decently well-off middle class individual. And that amount of money would tempt me. It would have been world changing for the Smiths and others in their orbit.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

You … can’t possibly be serious. Trying to use AI to prove that lower socio-economic class Palymrans in the 1820s would not have found alloyed gold plates extraordinarily valuable is both dumb and lazy.

[Scott “Drunch Punk” Johnson @scrojohnson]

@JasminRappleye @counseloftrent @catholiccom @ldsfair @themormonr @InterpreterFnd @BHRobertsFound How does this new research fit with the narrative of the plates’ value being so great add to inspire villagers’ hysteria?
🤔

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

Multiply that across just the lower end estimate of total plates by Coates (187), and that’s nearly half a million dollars worth of material in today’s money (2500 x 187 = $467,500).

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@scrojohnson @JasminRappleye @counseloftrent @catholiccom @ldsfair @themormonr @InterpreterFnd @BHRobertsFound Most "gold" of the ancient world was alloyed with copper. In the Hebrew Bible, the text distinguishes between "gold" and "pure gold," with gold most likely being a gold-copper alloy. So "gold plates" is a perfectly acceptable description of tumbaga plates from a Israelite POV.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@scrojohnson @JasminRappleye @counseloftrent @catholiccom @ldsfair @themormonr @InterpreterFnd @BHRobertsFound Be honest, some one hands you a stack of metal plates that look like C or D in this, would you really not describe them as "gold" or "the appearance of gold"?

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@stackerco @grok You asked me where the images came from. Reuben Hedlock is germane to knowing the answer that question. Given that you clearly didn't know it, how on earth were you going to judge the accuracy of any answer from me? You are here pontificating about stuff you know nothing about.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@stackerco I think it is misleading to use the reconstruction of a non-Egyptologist that was never, ever accepted by any Egyptologist in print as the "Egyptological" representation of the image.

[Mormon & Archaeology @MormonArchaeol1]

@stackerco @grok "And you’re asking me to name the dude who sketched the figures in the facsimiles Joseph was trying to recreate."

You're asking me if I know where these images come from, but you obviously don't even know their history and how they came to be. Stunning.