A combination of factors, including the evidence appearing at the right time, at the right place, and in the right relative distance to another site mentioned in the record, converge to make nahom strong archaeological evidence for the book. Many readers have posed this question, both out of genuine interest and also as a challenge to the books authenticity. Ancient hebrew did not use vowels, so nhm could be easily be translated nahom. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. Summaries of the book of mormons old world setting depicting nahom, such as that published in 1997 by noel b. Down the arabian peninsula paralleling the red sea in a nearly southsoutheast direction. Nahom the nhm stone discovery and the related mormon assertions connecting this to the book of mormon site of nahom have been discussed and debated vigorously between hopeful mormons and doubtful critics. Because the altar has been dated to about the sixth or seventh century bc the time of lehis journey, it is plausible that the nihm referred to on the altar could be the same place written about in the book of mormon. Included in the article was a picture of the stone with a caption that reads, on this altar is written the word nahom. Along the way they stopped at a place called nahom. Book of mormon central evidences of the book of mormon. Budding apologists create book of mormon nahom evidence. Three altar inscriptions have been discovered containing the name nhm as a tribal name and dating from the seventh to sixth centuries bc. How is nahom explicable in terms of the general etymology of book of mormon place names.
Theres no evidence that joseph ever once said the word nahom besides the one time when he translated the book of mormon. The book of mormon makes this matter an issue by speaking of the place that was called nahom 1 ne. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. Stephen smoot at book of mormon central walks viewers through the discovery of. Surprisingly, evidence for nahom as a book of mormon name is based primarily on historical, geographic, and archaeologicaland only secondarily on etymological considerations. When lds scholars publish evidence for the book of mormon, critics are quick to say something along the lines of, oh, that was just a lucky. Apr 12, 2016 theres no evidence that joseph ever once said the word nahom besides the one time when he translated the book of mormon. Kent brown, new light from arabia on lehis trail, in echoes and evidences of the book of mormon, edited by donald w.
I couldnt possibly cover every book of mormon correlation in one sitting. Additionally, one, of several possible, semitic root words for nahom means to comfort or console, and nhm was the location of an ancient burial site, which apologists claim lends credence to the theory that nhm is the book of mormons nahom. Book of mormon minimalists and the nhm inscriptions. Aston, newly found altars from nahom in journal of book of mormon studies 102 may 2002, 5661 accessible online from under publications or authors. Naturally, a person reasonably assumes that, if the majority of the nhm tribe dwelt in a certain area, they would have had a place for themselves that bore their tribal name. Three altar inscriptions have been discovered containing the name nhm as a tribal name and dating from the seventh to sixth. A documentary of insights and evidences of the book of mormon. Nahom, a proper name given to the burial place of ishmael in 1 nephi 16. New light from ancient yemen, journal of book of mormon studies, 81 1999.
If you arent familiar with the nahom nhm apologetic. Many readers have posed this question, both out of genuine interest and also as a challenge to the book s authenticity. I would be happy to hear anyones thoughts on the series as a whole, which includes an in depth examination of the historical and geographical context of the book of mormon description of lehis journey, and my theory that joseph smith used a map to construct the journey. When the group made a stop to bury ishmael, nephi states that the place was called nahom 1 nephi 16. Nahom, and then proceeds with a blog post and discussions in multiple comment areas on youtube and the blog. Though mormons tend to believe there is a connection between the nhm stone and the book of mormon. The book of mormon narrative follows a group of jews that left jerusalem for the new world in 600 b.
This site can be used as a study guide to help understand the book of mormon. Ancient altars in yemen bear the inscription nihm, a variant of the word nahom. In other words, if the book of mormon had said the lehi and his party traveled past babylon, there was another potential nahom bullseye waiting in mesopotamia. The book of mormon is false, therefore there can be no evidence, therefore this is not evidence. The site at nahom even dates back to lehis time period. A historical perspective ryan thomas pt1, pt2, pt3. James gee, the nahom maps, journal of book of mormon and restoration scripture 17, no. From jerusalem to nahom the narrative suggests that after they left jerusalem they traveled. The book of mormon claims that the family of lehi stopped at a location that was named nahom. The book of mormon s description of nahom and other geographic features of the arabian peninsula provide good evidence that the book of mormon is true. The volume has long invited scrutiny from all branches of science. While lehi names all his other stopping places himself, nahom appears to be a preexisting place name, which could potentially be located. Is nahom nhm in the book of mormon the best evidence.
According to the book this is the location where a member of the group is buried after he passes away during their travel. Book of mormon lehis magical mariner tour through arabian sand to the promised land. The name nhm and the place called nahom in the book of mormon. Whenever desperate book of mormon apologists realize that their new world claims have failed totally, they will cite nahom. Nahom is a place referenced in the book of mormon 1 nephi 16. Aston, a history of nahom, byu studies quarterly 51, no. Jun 20, 2017 nahom nhm, on the other hand, is in a location that fits with the book of mormon narrative, the name has been documented to before nephis time or close to it, and its features fit well with the book of mormon description. Responding to the new video on nahom as archaeological.
While secular and nonmormon scholars consider the book of mormon to be a work of fiction, latter day saints view the book as a chronicle of actual. A response to three patheos posts on nahom counterresponse by s. As seen by science, the book of mormon is stronger today than it was in 1830, 1844, 1950, or even 2000, so i expect it will continue to become stronger in the future. The location of nahom is determined using the following verses in the book of mormon. The death and burial of ishmael at nahom see 1 nephi 16. Mourning, consolation, and repentance at nahom book of. Archaeology itself can be divided and subdivided into numerous disciplines. I dont see that anyone has mentioned my series on nahom here, so i though that i would provide links for anyone interested. Oct 12, 2015 burying nahoma couple of recent blog posts from skeptics have once again announced that nahom in the arabian peninsula, the alleged soul shred of evidence for the book of mormon, the last hope for diehard believers and apologists, has been carefully examined latterday saint blogs is a portal for mainstream blogs about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, blogs by mainstream. Is nahom nhm in the book of mormon the best evidence that. Included in the article was a picture of the stone with a caption. Reynolds18 and the 1999 study aid charting the book of mormon, 19 continued to be expanded and deepened by scholars probing nephis deceptively simple text.
Bountiful is the name of two places described in the book of mormon, a religious narrative dictated in 1829 by joseph smith. This is a significant correlation in name and location. Mormons believe that this is evidence that joseph smith did not make up the book but that it is an actual record of an ancient group that migrated to the americas. The first location is set in the old world near jerusalem, and the second location is set somewhere in the americas. In his later years, nibley saw the arabian links he identified as his most important contribution to book of mormon research. In every other case prior to this, the names of locations were determined by lehi or the group as they arrived e. Joseph smith could not have known details about arabian geography that the book of mormon accur.
Kent brown joseph and the amazing technicolor dream map jeff lindsay pt1, pt2. Mormon discussions view topic nahom and the book of mormon. It all starts with a video posted by book of mormon central, evidences of the book of mormon. The evidence for the place nahom included a map from yemen listing nehhem as an ancient burial site in the only place consistent with the book of mormon account, a place southsoutheast of jerusalem where a turn nearly due east would bring lehis little band to the place bountiful on the eastern coast of the arabian peninsula. It has been suggested that joseph smith simply created the name nahom as a variant of the biblical names naham 1 chron. Jan 26, 2016 james gee, the nahom maps, journal of book of mormon and restoration scripture 17, no. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. Book of mormon archaeology is no longer an oxymoron. This location is referred to as the place where ishmael is laid to rest. Nahomarcheaological evidence of book of mormon mormon. Of course, there were the jaredites, but ethers record seemed to indicate to them that those people were all destroyed not long after lehi. The book of mormon mentions that ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called nahom. Recently, the lds church has claimed a stone was found in yemen which confirmed an event in the book of mormon, because it bore the inscription nhm which, according to lds apologists, corresponded to the book of mormon place name nahom.
Nephis party reaches an area which was called nahom 1 nephi 16. More detailed information on nahom is available at warren p. Written hebrew does not employ vowels, therefore, book of mormon nahom is nhm in hebrew. Many mormon apologists say this is proof that the book of mormon is true. Burying nahoma couple of recent blog posts from skeptics have once again announced that nahom in the arabian peninsula, the alleged soul shred of evidence for the book of mormon, the last hope for diehard believers and apologists, has been carefully examined latterday saint blogs is a portal for mainstream blogs about the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, blogs by. Another point to consider is the inconsistent and unverifiable etymology of book of mormon words.
I would be happy to hear anyones thoughts on the series as a whole, which includes an indepth examination of the historical and geographical context of the book of mormon description of lehis journey, and my theory that joseph smith used a map to construct the journey. If you arent familiar with the nahom nhm apologetic argument, i recommend just watching the video in its entirety. Because the altar has been dated to about the sixth or seventh century bc the time of lehis journey, it is plausible that the nihm referred to on the altar could be the same place written about. If there is significant examination by unbiased sources showing that this inscription has no relationship to the book of mormon nahom, then it would mean that there are no archaeological finds supporting a book of mormon placename. Jun 14, 2017 for many years after the book of mormon first appeared in 1830, many read it with the idea that lehi and his group were the only ones on the american continents. The family leaves jerusalem and travels to the red sea which is south of jerusalem in 1 nephi 2. As explored in this video, the location nahom in the book of mormon has been archaeologically confirmed. The overall trend in the date over the past 175 years fits the expectations for the book of mormon as history rather than hoax. Jun 14, 2015 whenever desperate book of mormon apologists realize that their new world claims have failed totally, they will cite nahom. Includes every geographical place mentioned in the book of mormon. A complete description of the book of mormon geography bomgeography, including an internal map model, external map model i. Three altar inscriptions containing nhm as a tribal name, and dating from the eighth to the seventh centuries b. As explored in this video by book of mormon central, the location nahom in the book of mormon has been archaeologically confirmed.
Included in the article was a picture of the stone with a. According to the book of mormon, one of the travelers in lehis group, ishmael, was buried at a place called nahom. The book of mormon name nahom becomes nhm when written in hebrew. But i heard than nahom isnt a specific place, but rather a. Supporting evidences of the book of mormon are broadly identifiable. This kind of detail in the book of mormon narrative, combined with the reference to nahom, is information that was unavailable in joseph smiths day and thus stands as compelling evidence of the antiquity of the text. It was also at this location that the path of lehis journey changed from a southern to an eastern direction before continuing toward the coast and the land 1 nephi 17. This inscription was subsequently presented as airtight evidence for the authenticity of the book. The tanners try to explain away the correctness of the routes described in the book of mormon by suggesting that some books in the 1830s did speak of a. The nhm altar find as an evidence for the antiquity of the book of mormon. One place name mentioned in this book, nahom has been identified by mormons by an inscription bearing the letters nhm in oman. Additionally, one, of several possible, semitic root words for nahom means to comfort or console, and nhm was the location of an ancient burial site, which apologists claim lends credence to the theory that nhm is the book of mormon s nahom.
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