BIG Shoutout to Symmachus from the Backyard Professor

[Moksha]

If you got one of those hats with two drink holders and a built-in straw, it would save time in always opening that thermos.

Good video.

[Tom]

Greg Smith swings and misses on the name Alma: https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1100&v=YU ... e=youtu.be

[Philo Sofee]

Greg Smith swings and misses on the name Alma: https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1100&v=YU ... e=youtu.be

Good find, and yes if that is Greg Smith he definitely struck out on Alma. All wrong information and wrong headed. Not a man's name in Joseph Smith's day...

[Kishkumen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rodeGihInBA&t=26s

My take on Dan Peterson's Calgary Canada fireside Thursday night. I use and thank Symmachus's stellar research to destroy Peterson's information. Alma is toast. Nahom is toast. The Book of Mormon archaeology and scholarship is toast. It's only an hour long presentation.

Very cool! DM has certainly been blessed by Symmachus' amazing thinking and scholarship!

[Symmachus]

Thank you for making use of my little post, Philo. I hope it was lucid enough to be helpful. You forcefully and correctly presented the main point, which is that the name has to be Aramaic, and that its vocalization is not "Alma" but rather "3allima." Although I appreciate that it would have been overly technical for your live cast, for me, the delicious part of writing that post was that the apologist's favored etymology (Alma = young man) would mean that Alma's name should have been Galma or Ghalma, according to the phoneme inventory for the Nephite language that Stubbs's work assumes (section 5.9, and his examples). If the apologetic etymology is correct, then that is one more count against Stubbs; if Stubb's is correct, then the etymology doesn't work, which makes it that much harder to claim that the name "Alma" is found in the Bar Kochba documents. These guys never produce a coherent structure for their often contradictory "evidences."

I have to say that I was really taken aback at the number of "Almas" contemporary with Joseph Smith that you mentioned in your video—and in Palmyra! This is answers one of those "critics say..." set ups they apologists like so much, but does anyone have a reference to a critic actually having a problem with the name as Alma as a male name?

[drumdude]

FJ: "Finally, at the Obsession Board, they are claiming in your discussion about the name Alma you completely left out the fact that Alma was a fairly common male name where Joseph lived. I hope this wasn’t the case. A brief 5 minute search on FamilySesrch completely busts this myth."


What myth? I don't recall saying anything at all about the name Alma in Joseph Smith's day. I did point out in passing, of course, that it's an authentically ancient Semitic masculine personal name, which is true and which wasn't known until relatively recently.

[Moksha]

Alma's name should have been Galma or Ghalma, according to the phoneme inventory for the Nephite language

The Nephite language probably has linguistic connections to Arrakis (Dune) due to sounding similar to Ghanima Atreides, the sister of the God Emperor. That would make sense given the prime directive of the Prophets Guild being, "The tithing must flow".

[Philo Sofee]

Thank you for making use of my little post, Philo. I hope it was lucid enough to be helpful. You forcefully and correctly presented the main point, which is that the name has to be Aramaic, and that its vocalization is not "Alma" but rather "3allima." Although I appreciate that it would have been overly technical for your live cast, for me, the delicious part of writing that post was that the apologist's favored etymology (Alma = young man) would mean that Alma's name should have been Galma or Ghalma, according to the phoneme inventory for the Nephite language that Stubbs's work assumes (section 5.9, and his examples). If the apologetic etymology is correct, then that is one more count against Stubbs; if Stubb's is correct, then the etymology doesn't work, which makes it that much harder to claim that the name "Alma" is found in the Bar Kochba documents. These guys never produce a coherent structure for their often contradictory "evidences."

I have to say that I was really taken aback at the number of "Almas" contemporary with Joseph Smith that you mentioned in your video—and in Palmyra! This is answers one of those "critics say..." set ups they apologists like so much, but does anyone have a reference to a critic actually having a problem with the name as Alma as a male name?

You are very welcome my friend. Thank you for the excellent research, and we all are looking forward to much much, more from your mighty pen.