Daniel C. Peterson | |
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| Born | Daniel Carl Peterson (1953-01-15)January 15, 1953 (age 72) California, United States |
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| Employer | Brigham Young University |
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| Spouse | Deborah Stephens Peterson |
| Children | 3 |
Daniel Carl Peterson (born January 15, 1953)[1] is a retired professor ofIslamic Studies andArabic in the Department ofAsian andNear Eastern Languages atBrigham Young University (BYU).
A native ofsouthern California, Peterson received abachelor's degree inGreek andphilosophy fromBYU and, after several years of study inJerusalem andCairo, earned aPh.D. inNear Eastern Languages and Cultures from theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
Peterson was a professor ofIslamic Studies andArabic at BYU, where he taught courses in Arabic language and Islamic religion,history andculture. He has authored several books and numerous articles on Islamic andLatter-day Saint topics.[2][3]
He also founded and served asdirector of BYU'sMiddle Eastern Texts Initiative from 1992–2010.[4][5]
Peterson has served in various capacities including chairman of the board for what is now known as BYU'sNeal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship. In 2007, in recognition of his establishment of the Middle Eastern Texts Initiative, Peterson was named a Utah AcademyFellow and declared a lifetime member of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters.[6]
Peterson retired from BYU on July 1, 2021, but is still active in several public non-scholarly projects, including the production of a feature film that tells the story of thethree witnesses of theBook of Mormon.[7]
Peterson is known for his work as anapologist and scholar on subjects dealing with claims of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), of which he is a member. He is the founding editor-in-chief of theFARMS Review (now theMormon Studies Review), a periodical produced by theFoundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, serving since 1989. The institute replaced Peterson as editor in June 2012.[8][9]
Peterson is also a regular participant in online fora aboutMormonism where he discusses the Latter-day Saint faith and its apologetics.[10] One of his projects has been the development of a website featuring the testimonies of Latter-day Saint scholars.[11] The site is currently entitledLatter-day Saint Scholars Testify[12] and is part ofFAIR. As of 2025 it hosts 357 testimonies.
Peterson is the first and current editor-in-chief ofInterpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship.[9]
Peterson served as amissionary in the SwitzerlandZurichMission, withEdwin Q. Cannon serving as hismission president. Peterson later served on the Church's Gospel Doctrine Committee and as abishop.[13][better source needed]
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Peterson and his wife, the former Deborah Stephens, have three sons.
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