Rare Possessions: From The Archives of Book of Mormon Central

This is the first in a three-part series focusing on Orson Pratt's remarkable missionary tract "An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions" published in 1840. This tract included one of the first publications of the First Vision, and later influenced other documents such as the Wentworth Letter.

We are joined in this series by guest Dr. Steven C. Harper, the editor-in-chief of BYU Studies Quarterly, who is the foremost authority on the First Vision. He has recently published a book on that subject, entitled "First Vision: Memory and Mormon Origins" through Oxford University Press. It can be found at: https://www.amazon.com/First-Vision-Memory-Mormon-Origins/dp/0199329478

To read the tract, visit the Book of Mormon Central Archive:

https://www.archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/interesting-account-several-remarkable-visions-and-late-discovery-ancient-american-records-0

Concluding our series, this is Part 5 of 5 of "The Gospel to the Lamanites" by President Rey L. Pratt. In 1913, Pratt was President of the Mexican Mission during the publication of these articles in the Improvement Era.

For a full text of this article, visit the Book of Mormon Central:

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gospel-lamanites-parts-xvi-xvii

Continuing in our series from last week, this is Part 4 of 5 of "The Gospel to the Lamanites" by President Rey L. Pratt. In 1913, Pratt was President of the Mexican Mission during the publication of these articles in the Improvement Era.

For a full text of this article, visit the Book of Mormon Central Archives:

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gospel-lamanites-parts-xiii-xv

A continuation from our previous episode, this is Part 3 of 5 of "The Gospel to the Lamanites" by President Rey L. Pratt. In 1913, Pratt was President of the Mexican Mission during the publication of these articles in the Improvement Era.

For a full text of this article, visit the Book of Mormon Central Archives:

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gospel-lamanites-parts-ix-xii

A continuation from last week's episode, this is Part 2 of 5 of "The Gospel to the Lamanites" by President Rey L. Pratt. In 1913, Pratt was President of the Mexican Mission during the publication of these articles in the Improvement Era.

For the full text of this episode, please visit the Book of Mormon Central Archives: https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gospel-lamanites-parts-iii-viii

The first in a five-part series of articles published in the Improvement Era in 1913 by President Rey L. Pratt, the President of the Mexican Mission.

Remembered by many as the "Father of the Mexican Mission", for his lengthy missionary service in Latin America and other Spanish-speaking areas, he speaks of the history of the natives - whom he refers to as the "Lamanite" people - and the prophecies and promises relating to them.

For the text of this audio, visit the Book of Mormon Central Archives:

https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/gospel-lamanites-parts-i-ii

"'Secret Combinations' Revisited" by Daniel C. Peterson is a short article that appeared in the first issue of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.

This article revisited an early criticism of the Book of Mormon, that the use of the term "secret combinations" and some derivatives were a thinly veiled attack on Masonry in the early 19th century. Dr. Peterson spends some effort to show how such an assertion has little basis in context.

For the full text, visit the Book of Mormon Central Archive here: https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/276

This episode features a short essay on the origins of the name "Nephi" in the Book of Mormon. Part of this scholarship is to show the deep connections that support the historical claims about the Book of Mormon. Written by John Gee, and narrated by Stephen Smoot.

Read the article here: https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/node/233

"Winds and Currents: A Look at Nephi's Ocean Crossing", is a book chapter from Reexploring the Book of Mormon by John L. Sorenson. Based on previous published work by Sorenson, this chapter presents plausible data about the potential routes and stops which Nephi, Lehi and their family may have taken while on thier transoceanic voyage from Arabia to the New World.

Part 2 of the previous episode: In this paper from the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Latter-day Saint scholar Daniel C. Peterson explores research on the presence of Asherah, the divine consort of El (God), in both Israelite and Canaanite religious traditions from 1000-500 B.C.

After addressing this history, Peterson applies this context to Nephi's vision of the Tree of Life in 1 Nephi 11. This potential connection can provide Latter-day Saints with additional layers of understanding, and insight into the world of Lehi and Nephi.