LDS Daily, in their June 9 issue reports on a book by Claude Richards written in 1934 titled J. Golden Kimball; the story of a unique personality​.  The book is available in libraries or you can download a PDF from the LDS Daily website.  Among his humorous statements is this gem about the Book of Mormon: “We have the Book of Mormon, and if there is anything on earth that has made trouble for this people, it is that book…But I am prepared to testify that it contains the word of God.”

One of the presenters will be Matt Roper from BYU’s Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. Roper will be discussing exciting new computerized statistical technology that allows accurate author identification with sample blocks as small as 2,000 words.  Previous techniques have required 5,000 word blocks. This improved technology means more Book of Mormon authors have now been analyzed stylistically and shown to have distinct and statistically identifiable wordprints.

Second Nephi is famous among readers of the Book of Mormon for its dense style. Nephi’s adoration of the words of Isaiah has puzzled many. What can we learn about the nature of prophecy and scripture by paying attention to Nephi’s repurposing of the biblical prophet?

Six scholars of the Mormon Theology Seminar address this and other questions in Reading Nephi Reading Isaiah: 2 Nephi 26–27. These essays shed new light on the Book of Mormon. Each provides an exemplary model for improved scripture study.

The fear that Moroni’s soldier’s speech (Alma 44:14) aroused in the Lamanite soldiers and the intensity of Zerahemnah’s subsequently redoubled anger are best explained by the polysemy (i.e., multiple meanings within a lexeme’s range of meaning) of a single word translated “chief” in Alma 44:14 and “heads” in Alma 44:18. As editor of a sacred history, Mormon was interested in showing the fulfilment of prophecy when such fulfilment occurred.

From the very beginning, Joseph’s story about the origins of the Book of Mormon seemed wild and unbelievable. Today, however, Joseph’s account enjoys a high degree of corroboration from (1) eyewitness accounts confirming Joseph’s possession of actual metal plates and other artifacts, with some even corroborating the involvement of an angel in providing access to the record; (2) eyewitness reports on the process of producing the text; and (3) evidence from the original manuscript.