Presented at
2025 Abraham and His Family Conference
Saturday, May 3 and Saturday, May 10, 2025
Sponsored by The Interpreter Foundation, Brigham Young University Religious Education,
Scripture Central, and FAIR Latter-day Saints
This paper extends previous studies using Restoration scripture with what is now known about ancient scribalism in oral cultures to map out the transmission of advanced literacy and the prophetic record from Adam to Abraham. God’s blessing to Abraham features the maintenance and transmission of the Josephite version of this prophetic record down to the last days when it will become a primary instrument in bringing the gospel and salvation to all peoples. The first section of this paper will show how both Abrahamic and non- Abrahamic prophets were shown great visions and were commanded by the Lord to write what they had seen and heard. The second section contextualizes the tradition of prophetic writing with the history of writing itself with particular attention to the origins of Hebrew and Egyptian languages and script which are most relevant to the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The role of family-based scribal schools in maintaining these sacred records across the generations in oral cultures will also be explained. The third section will use this background to formulate and defend one hypothetical account that describes how the scriptures were initiated and maintained from Adam to Abraham, providing a possible back story for the Abrahamic scriptures in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The final section will apply all the previous findings to interpret the sense of mission exhibited by the Nephite prophets who saw themselves creating and perpetuating the record of God’s revelations to a remnant of Abraham’s posterity—a record that would play a key role in the last days in preparing all peoples for the Lord’s return and the final judgment. All together, these insights explain how Abraham’s seed would become a blessing to all the kindreds of the earth.
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Noel B. Reynolds
Noel Reynolds (PhD, Harvard University) is an emeritus professor of political science at Brigham Young University, where he taught a broad range of courses in legal and political philosophy, American Heritage, and the Book of Mormon. His research and publications are based in these fields and several others, including authorship studies, Mormon history, Christian history and theology, and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
