Letter From the Smithsonian InstitutionVisitor Information and Associates' Reception Center Public Inquiry Mail and Telephone Information Services January 17, 2001 Your inquiry of January 10 concerning the Book of Mormon has been received in this office for response. The Book of Mormon is a religious document and not a scientific guide. The Smithsonian Institution has never used it in archeological research, and any information that you have received to the contrary is incorrect. Your interest in the Smithsonian Institution is appreciated. PIMS/ANTOI/4-1-98 While the Smithsonian says the Book of Mormon has not been used in any archeological research the question remains: "Have places and events spoken of in the Bible been verified archeologically?" If places and events spoken of in the Bible have been verified, why should we not hold the Book of Mormon up to the same light of accuracy in anthropology and archeology? Please Note these findings in the Bible!FOUND: The palace at Jericho where Eglon, king of Moab, was assassinated by Ehud FOUND: The east gate of Shechem where Gaal and Zebul watched the forces of Abimelech approach the city FOUND: The Temple of Baal/El-Berith in Shechem, where funds were obtained to finance Abimelech's kingship and where the citizens of Shechem took refuge when Abimelech attacked the city FOUND: The pool of Gibeon where the forces of David and Ishbosheth fought during the struggle for the kingship of Israel FOUND: The Pool of Heshbon, likened to the eyes of the Shulammite woman FOUND: The royal palace at Samaria where the kings of Israel lived FOUND: The water tunnel beneath Jerusalem dug by King Hezekiah to provide water during the Assyrian siege FOUND: The royal palace in Babylon where King Belshazzar held the feast and Daniel interpreted the handwriting on the wall FOUND: The royal palace in Susa where Esther was queen of the Persian king Xerxes FOUND: The royal gate at Susa where Mordecai, Esther's cousin, sat FOUND: Jacob's well where Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman FOUND: The Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a crippled man FOUND: The Pool of Siloam in Jerusalem, where Jesus healed a blind man FOUND: The tribunal at Corinth where Paul was tried FOUND: The theater at Ephesus where the riot of silversmiths occurred FOUND: Herod's palace at Caesarea where Paul was kept under guard Author: Bryant Wood of Associates for Biblical Research "The savage Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem is well documented both in the Bible and in the archaeological record." (Biblical Archaeology Review, 12/2000, p 46) "The evidence of this destruction is widely confirmed in Jerusalem
excavations." (Biblical Archaeology Review, 12/2000, p 46) Above Information Located By: Jude Three Ministries Where are the findings from the Book of Mormon? Mormons have stretched the truth and made unfounded statements to make the Aztec Indians part of the Book of Mormon people and claims of Pyramids in the Americas, but what do authorities on the subject state? Email sent to me 1/21/2001 Click here for letter: The National Geographic The National Geographic Society has not examined the historical claims of the Book of Mormon. We know of no archaeological evidence that corroborates the ancient history of the Western Hemisphere as presented in the Book of Mormon, nor are we aware of empirical verification of the places named in the Book of Mormon. Archaeologists and other scholars have long probed the hemisphere's past, and the Society does not know of anything found so far that has substantiated the Book of Mormon.
1. The Smithsonian Institution has never used the Book of Mormon in any way as a scientific guide. Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.Smithsonian Institution 1996 |