Is Nahom really the strongest evidence for the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon? In this episode, we take a deep dive into one of the most cited archaeological “proofs” of the Book of Mormon -the discovery of altars inscribed with the letters NHM in Yemen.
John Dehlin and attorney and former clerk from the Idaho Supreme Court, Kolby Reddish examine what the text of the Book of Mormon actually says about Nahom, where it’s supposed to be located, and whether the archaeological evidence matches up. Along the way, we look at how apologists, scholars, and critics have each interpreted this find -and what it really says about the historicity of the Book of Mormon.
We also examine whether or not Joseph Smith could have known about Nahom (or Nehem) from maps or Biblical references, and how issues like confirmation bias and faith-based reasoning play into the debate.
This conversation aims to be evidence-based, thoughtful, and respectful -seeking understanding amid polarization in the Mormon and ex-Mormon communities.
2 Responses
I was hoping y’all would address the Frederick G. Williams note. I’ll 0ast part of it below.
That quote would suggest that Nahom should be near the 19th degree of North latitude (where Lehi’s group took the eastward turn). But, the Nehem region appears to fall between the 15th and 16th degrees…..at least a couple hundred miles south of the 19th degree.
I think it would be interesting if we paid more attention to this quote and see what it tells about Joseph’s use of maps, etc.
See below:
“The course that Lehi traveled from the city of Jerusalem to the place where he and his family took ship, they traveled nearly a south, south east direction until they came to the nineteenth degree of North Latitude, then nearly east to the Sea of Arabia…….”
Didn’t the show with Dr. Coe years ago clearly show the BoM has no credibility? Sorry, but all this effort about Nahom seems superfluous.