Alma

In addition to literary forms, Mormon scholars appeal to other evidence to validate the Book of Mormon, such as the discovery of the name Alma. Daniel Peterson reports that Israeli archaeologist Yigael Yadin discovered a document from the early second century A.D., which turned out to be a land deed containing four names, one of which was "Alma, son of Yehudah." According to Peterson, this find "demonstrates Alma to be an authentically ancient Semitic masculine personal name, just as the Book of Mormon presents it." (Reynolds 1997, 146). But how exactly does it prove this? The fact is that Jewish names (of both individuals and cities) changed under Greek and Roman influence. For example, Josephus, the first century A.D. Jewish historian, refers in The Jewish War to Eleazar, son of Dinaeus, and Joseph, son of Dalaeus. Does this prove that Dinaeus and Dalaeus were "authentically ancient Semitic" names? Yadin's discovery does not provide a basis for concluding anything about the origin of the name Alma. It could be Semitic, but it could also be derived from Greek, Latin, or some other language. We simply do not know what its derivation is. And Yadin's discovery relates to a period 700 years after Lehi left Jerusalem.