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Title: Lehi in the Desert, the World of the Jaredites, There Were Jaredites (Book of Mormon) by Hugh Nibley, John W. Welch, Darrell L. Matthews, Stephen R. Callister ISBN: 0-87579-132-8 Publisher: Deseret Books Pub. Date: January, 1988 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $29.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.83 (6 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Mind of a Scholar Heart of a Believer
Comment: Hugh Nibley is revered by scholars and hobbyists of the Book of Mormon for good reason. His reputation for rigorous research and intellectual honesty are recognized by those who do not subscribe to the Christian precepts of the Book of Mormon as well as those who do. This book is a seminal work in the body collection of writing both for and against the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Any person with an interest in the authenticity of that book ought to add this compendium of Nibley's early writing to his/her collection.

What is remarkable about Nibley is his approach to studying the contextual clues found in the Book of Mormon. Any writer from any age will necessarily betray quite a lot about his background origin and beliefs by the things he chooses not to say and expound on as much as what he does say. Nibley draws our attention to phrases like "And my father dwelt in a tent" 1 Nephi 2:15 and "river of water" 1 Nephi 2:6. Seemingly odd phrases to a casual reader, but against the background of Nibley's vast knowledge of things Middle Eastern, they stand out as sharp evidence regarding the historicity and authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

I began writing this review in response to the two former reviews. Having come this far I am less interested in responding to them directly, however since there are a few glaring errors I feel compelled to take the time to correct them. First, the Book of Mormon introduction page does not "... state that the people in the Book of Mormon are the principal ancestors of the American Indians", nor anything of the kind. You may read it for yourself at .... if you have any questions. Secondly, while I am merely a hobbyist, it doesn't take a genius to recognize that Nibley's religion (the fact that he is LDS) is a testimony to his honesty rather than the converse. Consider how dishonest it would be for him to be a researcher that believed in the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and was not LDS? The comparison to the Tobacco industry is a silly one as chemistry is a hard science dealing in things that can be quantified and archaeology by its nature is necessarily speculative. I am not 100% certain of this, but I have never heard any reference to Nibley as church historian, and I don't believe he ever has been. I also did several searches on Google and the only pages I find that have the words "Hugh Nibley" and "church historian" are ones that contain information about Leonard J. Arrington, church historian. Last, is the thought that Nibley picks and chooses only evidence that supports the Book of Mormon, I'd like to extend hearty congratulations to the reader from Provo UT for recognizing that there is archaeological evidence supporting the Book of Mormon, and would like to know since he posits its existence what "evidence" was ignored?

The bottom line is that if you take seriously the question of the historicity and authenticity of the Book of Mormon you will read this book. If you don't, the book isn't exactly a light read, so you might try something by John Grisham instead.

Rating: 2
Summary: Nibley doesn't prove anything at all
Comment: First of all, Nibley is not an unbiased source of information at all. Cigarette companies hire their own researchers and scientists who provide evidence to indicate that cigarettes aren't harmful to your health. Look at who Nibley was working for when he wrote this book. I admit that Nibley has an encyclopedic knowledge of the ancient world of the middle east, but I disagree with his methodology. Nibley is very selective. Nibley examines a vast amount of information about the ancient world of the middle east, picks out the bits and pieces here and there which happen to support the Book of Mormon and ignores the rest. He lumps these bits and pieces together that happen to support the Book of Mormon and thus presents an inaccurate view of the ancient middle east. Nibley lacks intellectual honesty: he is not out to discover the truth, but to provide evidence, at all costs, that the Book of Mormon is true. The introduction page to the Book of Mormon states that the people in the Book of Mormon are the principal ancestors of the American Indians. Then why does DNA evidence indicate that the American Indians are from Asia? Why isn't there an obvious relationship between Hebrew and American Indian languages just as there is an undeniably relationship between the ancient language Latin and its descendents: French, Spanish, and Italian?

Rating: 1
Summary: If you are not Mormon, don't bother
Comment: Hugh Nibley is (or was) the Church Historian of the Mormon Church. If you are Mormon you will find it faith promoting. If you are not you will find it utter nonsense.

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Title: An Approach to the Book of Mormon (Book of Mormon) by Hugh Nibley, John W. Welch ISBN: 0875791387 Publisher: Deseret Books Pub. Date: March, 1988 List Price(USD): $27.95