Sorenson author of an ancient american setting for. Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map mormons map using information in the text. Finally there is a way to really explore john sorenson s book of mormon geography. The map, though admittedly tentative, offers three services to readers of the book of mormon. Unfortunately sorenson never gives an exact figure and provides no map. John sorenson s landmark works, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city. See more ideas about archaeology, the book of mormon, book of mormon. Sorenson attempts to reconstruct that mental map mormon s map using information in the text. The book makes a lot of seemingly good approximations of where the book of mormon predominately took place. A project to share with the world what is the book of mormon.
A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day. Sep, 2012 the trajectory of book of mormon studies by john sorenson. The author states his bias and assumptions up front, then explores relevant textual references from the book of mormon, and then draws conclusions. As the ancient prophet mormon edited the scriptural texts that would become the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that comprised the setting for the events described in that book. As mormon edited the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical features that were setting the events described in that book. I admit that my own model was tainted by preconceptions john sorenson, the geography of book of mormon events, pp. The lamanite city jerusalem in the land of nephi was named by lehite migrants after the old world site from which their ancestors came alma 21. Sorenson born april 8, 1924 is an emeritus professor of anthropology at brigham young university byu and the author of an ancient american setting for the book of mormon as well as many other books and articles on the book of mormon and archaeology sorenson first did archaeological work in mesoamerica while pursuing a masters degree at byu. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints does not officially endorse any one particular geographical model for where the events in the book of mormon transpired in the new world.
Book of mormon and mound builder myth dan vogel youtube. In this text, sorenson reconstructs the internal geography of the book of mormon. Unfortunately, exploring and testing his geographic model in. A limited geography model for the book of mormon is one of several theories by latter day saint movement scholars that the book s narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire western hemisphere as believed by some early latter day saints. We have explored four days and have found eight pyramids and many lesser structures and there are more at.
Book of mormon in north america maps book of mormon evidence. The book of mormon geography lands and map with dna evidence. Sorenson born april 8, 1924 is an emeritus professor of anthropology at brigham young university byu and the author of an ancient american setting for the book of mormon as well as many other books and articles on the book of mormon and archaeology. Before we examine some of the possible locations for book of mormon geography however, i would like to stress the fact that as of today, the lord has not revealed where the nephites or lamanites lived, and as such, the lds church has taken no official stance on anything related to book of mormon geography. Site correlations more about these maps land northward. I am personally assured that the nephite map is now known with quite high probability. Sorenson molecular genealogy foundation book of mormon and dna.
Aug 06, 2012 similarly, sorenson has correlated mesoamerican archaeology with book of mormon content. A memorable book of mormon lands tour guatemala, honduras, belize and mexico 11 days10 nights day 1 fri. Sorenson outlined his model in his seminal 1985 work, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, john l. This map was created by me to help bring the book of mormon stories to life. The map spans jaredite and nephitelamanite periods during which settlements changed over time.
The geographical setting of the book of mormon is the set of locations of the events described. The imperative for a historical book of mormon the. Underwater archaeology and the book of mormon in sorenson. Remember, as well, that there is no indication that this group used pack animals or wheeled conveyances to help speed their journey. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. The jaredites book of ether came to the new world at the time of the tower of babel. Sorenson was born in 1924 in smithfield, utah, where he grew up. Book of mormon geographymodelslimitedsorenson 1955. Book of mormon geography jeff lindsays site and the. The trajectory of book of mormon studies by john sorenson. Scholar details striking parallels between book of. Proposed map of the lands and sites of the book of mormon. Sorenson first developed his model in 1953 and committed it to paper in 1955. And they built a great city by the narrow neck of land, by the place where the.
This book of mormon map along with a wall map are available for down loading in color and the book of mormon geography book a promised land, the land of promise with all the mormon maps and details is also available at alpha publishing at. If the book of mormon is not historical, and if it is read only as fiction, then any pretense to it being an additional witness for the divinity of jesus in any worthwhile sense is obliterated. May 31, 2018 see book of mormon central, did interactions with others influence nephis selection of isaiah. Compare them to a map of palestine to view the correlations. An ancient american book see a video further down the page. Tvedtnes, the hebrew background of the book of mormon, in rediscovering the book of mormon, edited by john l. These maps are not drawn to scale and are for illustration only. They were instructed to build eight barges in which to sail to america. Sorenson maps book of mormon narratives in detail on the realworld landscape, and he asserts close chronological parallels between the book of mormon and developments in mesoamerican cultures. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints does not officially endorse any one particular geographical model for where the events in the book of mormon. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon.
Jan 01, 2000 john l sorenson is one of the best book of mormon scholars, having written seveal excellent texts, such as an ancient american setting for the book of mormon and images of ancient america. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship, 20, 67, 358 360, 630631, for a proposal of possible ship constructions as well as hagoths departure location. Oct 20, 20 the book of mormon must be historical and read as history in order for it to really contain the fullness of the theological power it claims to have. For many years the smithsonian institution in washington has received inquiries concerning the book of mormon, its role in the institutions scientific activities, and a number of specific informational questions about ancient american archaeology. The likelihood of such a setting was greatly strengthened by john l. Views on book of mormon geography, privately circulated book of mormon working paper no. Critique of a limited geography for book of mormon events.
Maxwell institute for religious scholarship, 20, 104106. Sorenson, in his 1985 book an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, created a model in which he postulated a correlation between certain book of mormon locations and the geography in the area centered around the isthmus of tehuantepec. Sorenson and others have discussed the history and development of latterday saint ideas about book of mormon geography, which have been literally all over the map, but no authoritative model exists. After attending utah state agricultural college now utah state university, he enlisted in the army air corps, where he was trained at the california institute of technology as a meteorologist and served in the south atlantic theater of operations. As the ancient prophet mormon edited the scriptural texts that would become the book of mormon, he must have had a map in his mind of the places and physical. Wed love to chat with you about your building needs. Sorenson s an ancient american setting for the book of mormon presented the best argument for a new world location for the book of mormon. Mesoamerica, the region of southern mexico, guatemala, and adjacent nations. An ancient american book salt lake city and provo, ut. The main passage mentions the land of nephi bordering on the seas, a narrow strip of wilderness, the land of zarahemla, and the headwaters of the river sidon see alma 22. His method was to determine what area best corresponds with the apparent mental map mormon had in mind when abridging the nephite record known today as the book of mormon. Parrish brady and shon hopkin, the zoramites and costly apparel. Book of mormon map and geography high def duration.
Many accounts of significant lands and cities are given in the book of mormon. Top 10 book of mormon map features book mormon history. The lamanite city jerusalem in the land of nephi was named by lehite migrants after the. Others recognize a setting among the mound builders as the books original setting. Joseph smith and other mens wives pt 1dan vogel duration. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. Symbolism and irony, journal of the book of mormon and other restoration scripture 22, no. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i.
Sorensons 1992 the geography of book of mormon events. The number of maps has only grown over the course of the 20th and into the 21st. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 1996 1985, 1. Dallin oaks on the book of mormon a mormon apostle. Sorenson himself expresses confidence in his interpretation of book of mormon geography. This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. It appeared that in order to accept that correlation one must accept that the nephites rotated north to what we typically. The mayan civilization built some splendid stone structures. Interpreting book of mormon geography byu scholarsarchive. Garth norman, book of mormon geography study on the narrow neck of land region, privately circulated book of mormon geography working paper no. It has been accepted for inclusion in byu studies quarterly by an authorized editor of byu scholarsarchive. Interactive book of mormon map virtual book of mormon.
John sorenson notes in his book, the geography of the book of mormon. Internal book of mormon geography focuses on the relationships between lands and other geographic features, independent of where they might be physically located on todays maps. Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other. Land of promise and hebraisms in the book of mormon. Vern holly maps shows book of mormon names are of recent origin. This book locates everything from the narrow neck, to zarahemla, from cumorah, to the land of promise, bountiful. No effort should be made to identify points on this map with any existing geographical location. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship, 20, 67, 358360, 630631, for a proposal of possible ship constructions as well as hagoths departure location. Deseret book, 20, ably demonstrate that there is a plausible geographical and cultural setting that can accommodate the book of mormon text. Until now, we have had maps made by a variety of book of mormon scholars which showed general areas, but with very few precise locations pinpointed. Mormon s map carefully and concisely accomplishes what it sets out to do.
Sorenson notes that the book of mormons most obvious geographical requirement is. Back on the ground, ferguson and sorenson set out by jeep for a. The book of mormon contains the purported stories of three different groups which sailed to the americas. Sorenson s groundbreaking book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, published in 1985.
Book of mormon geography your site for lds theology. The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. Deseret book, 1985 and his masterpiece, mormon s codex. Made popular by his 1985 publication an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, sorenson s geographic model for the book of mormon has withstood the test of time and remains the preeminent geographic model for book of mormon events. However, the version of mormons map set forth in sorensons book.
Jerry grovers book, which uses geological principles to explain the occurrence of natural events in the book of mormon, is. Sorenson in his book, mormon s map which i recommend for anyone who would like to study what the book of mormon says about its own geography. Aug 26, 2016 for the book of mormon salt lake city and provo, ut. Sorenson, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon salt lake city, utah. Hebrew 400 year prophecy from hopewell walls samuel the. Sorenson is the author of an ancient american setting for the book of mormon 3. Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of. Possible book of mormon sites in relation to each other possible relationships of sites in the book of mormon, based on internal evidence. Sorensons geography has been featured in the ensign sorenson 1984 and has become the favored model among apologists. Mar 10, 2020 archaeology supporting the historicity of the book of mormon.
After attending utah state agricultural college, he enlisted in the army air corps where he was trained at the california institute of technology as a meteorologist and served in the south atlantic theater of ww ii. However, when serious book of mormon students first begin with a detailed consideration of the internal map implicit to the book of mormon and then search for a plausible location that fits the book of mormon s map, there has consistently been one general result. In fact, other than publishing a map showing the locations of book of mormon peoples landings all in central or south america and making an occasional reference to indian traditions in support of the mormon book, the rlds published very little concerning anything related to the moundbuilders until six years after shooks critique appeared. Scholar details striking parallels between book of mormon. Book of mormon geography in nevillenevilleland book of. Jan 01, 2000 mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information gleaned from the text after years of intensive study.
The book of mormon itself is the best source for understanding the geographical locations contained therein. Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from. The purpose of constructing unbiased internal maps is to orient major lands, seas and landmarks mentioned. Why did mormon give so many details about geography. At least eighty versions of a book of mormon map have been produced.
Mormon s map is book of mormon scholar john sorenson s reconstruction of that mental map solely from information. Mormons codex is the culmination of a lifetimes labor by mormonisms preeminent mesoamerican specialist. Oct 02, 2014 finally there is a way to really explore john sorenson s book of mormon geography. An ancient american setting for the book of mormon john l. Underwater archaeology and the book of mormon in sorensons. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. For all of its strengths, however, one aspect of the model has remained perplexing. Since 1949 john sorenson has been collecting archaeological and anthropological evidence to show that joseph smith translated the book of mormon from a native mesoamerican codex, or book. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindiansmaya.
Eyring dedicated two new six story buildings known as t3 and. The book is exactly what it claims to bea detailed construction of a map which is consistent with the internal geography presented in the book of mormon. Sorenson biography book of mormon archaeological forum. After years of studying maps, mormon scripture, and spanish.