Evidences for the Book of Mormon?

[Curious_George]

Dear LDS Friends,

Recently, I was reading about how Joseph Smith's mentioned a man named "Mahujah-Mahijah" a century before archeologists verified his existence in the Dead Sea Scrolls. I would like more information on the matter, as well as on a related story about how the Book of Mormon contains over 14 Jewish names that were unknown in the days of your prophet, but were supposedly later discovered to be genuine.

Also, if you know of any other arguments and evidences that would tend to support the authenticity of LDS Scriptures, can you please point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Sincerely in Christ,

Geoffrey

[bytor2112]

Here is a good start...

[Traveler]

Dear LDS Friends,

Recently, I was reading about how Joseph Smith's mentioned a man named "Mahujah-Mahijah" a century before archeologists verified his existence in the Dead Sea Scrolls. I would like more information on the matter, as well as on a related story about how the Book of Mormon contains over 14 Jewish names that were unknown in the days of your prophet, but were supposedly later discovered to be genuine.

Also, if you know of any other arguments and evidences that would tend to support the authenticity of LDS Scriptures, can you please point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

Sincerely in Christ,

Geoffrey

The term "Mahijah" is recorded in the the LDS "Book of Moses" that was given to Joseph Smith by revelation, which is related to the time of Enoch (Old Testament) before the flood of Noah and is not part of the Book of Mormon. I cannot verify the claims of that name being known to archeologists.

However, the best source of archeological evidence I have found concerning the Book of Mormon is related to the description in the Book of Mormon concerning the journey of Lehi and his family leaving Jerusalem and trekking across the Arabian Peninsula. I have been able to identify 100 claims in the Book of Mormon that relate to the geography of the Arabian Peninsula that were not known in the Americas at the time of Joseph Smith - or for that matter even in the Western Societies.

There is some dispute where the Book of Mormon civilizations existed in the ancient Americas and to date nothing has been found to definitely tie any ancient civilization in the America's to the Book of Mormon. However, only 1% of the known ancient Mayan ruins have been investigated and recorded - so very little is know concerning the ancient American civilizations. But with that - nothing has been discovered to disprove the Book of Mormon and what has been found does have possible connections.

The Traveler

[Connie]

"The evidence for its truth, for its validity in a world that is prone to demand evidence, lies not in archaeology or anthropology, though these may be helpful to some. It lies not in word research or historical analysis, though these may be confirmatory. The evidence for its truth and validity lies within the covers of the book itself. The test of its truth lies in reading it. It is a book of God. Reasonable people may sincerely question its origin; but those who have read it prayerfully have come to know by a power beyond their natural senses that it is true, that it contains the word of God, that it outlines saving truths of the everlasting gospel, that it 'came forth by the gift and power of God ... to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.'" --Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley

That being quoted, I did find An Approach to the Book of Mormon by Hugh Nibley to be a very interesting read. It is an historical analysis of the Book of Mormon, and I enjoyed reading it. Here is a website where you can read it right online: An Approach to the Book of Mormon by Hugh W. Nibley

You also might want to spend some time poking around on these two websites:

Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship - Home

FAIR

[Curious_George]

Thank you for all the excellent, thoroughly detailed sources. I will peruse them over the next week. :)

[nellyleyva92]

I just read about the story of Nephi when he broke his bow in 1 Nephi 16.

I found this . I actually loved it! I even used google maps to search the references (Medina, Wadi Taynan, etc) and traced a route (here you go) and well, it seems that Nephi kind of described this route in 1 Nephi 16:13-16

Edited September 16, 2013 by nellyleyva92