Mormon's Sources

The 2011 Laura F. Willes Book of Mormon Studies lecture, presented September 8, 2011 on the campus of Brigham Young University.

A transcript is available at http://bit.ly/1cqQTM3.

John L. Sorenson is an emeritus professor of anthropology at BYU, and the author of the landmark book, "An Ancient American Setting for the Book of Mormon." In addition to authoring or co-authoring around 200 books, Sorenson previously served as editor of The Journal of Book of Mormon Studies.

Sorenson demonstrates his careful attention to detail and his ability to synthesize large amounts of data into a coherent theory regarding a potential location for the Book of Mormon, which itself does not explicitly identify its New World setting. In this case, he presents his explanation of the various sources that Mormon used to compose his abridgment of the Nephite record.

Established in 2007, the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies promotes a concentrated study of the Book of Mormon both as an ancient text and as an important publication in the modern world. As part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, the Willes Center advances efforts to understand the historical and spiritual value of this significant ancient source.