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Book of Mormon

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Books of the Book of Mormon
Small Plates of Nephi
Contribution of Mormon
Additions by Moroni

LDS Standard Works

The Book of Mormon (originally, The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi) is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, named after the prophet/historian Mormon, who according to the text compiled most of the book. It was published by the founder of the movement, Joseph Smith, Jr., in March 1830 in Palmyra, New York, USA. The purpose of the Book of Mormon, as stated on its title page, "is to show the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord has done for their fathers" and to convince "Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself to all nations."

Joseph Smith, Jr. said the book was a translation of Golden Plates. He related that he was shown the location of the plates by an angel at the Hill Cumorah, a hill near his home. Smith had no knowledge of ancient languages, but he said he received the translation through the power of God, with aid of the Urim and Thummim, which he said were with the plates. During the production of the work, (which Mormons regard as a translation), Smith obtained the affidavits of Three Witnesses and Eight Witnesses who testified they saw the plates. These affidavits are published as part of the Book of Mormon. When the book was complete, he said he returned the plates to the angel Moroni[1].

Along with the Bible, which is also held by Latter Day Saints to be the Word of God, the Book of Mormon is esteemed as part of the canon by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Community of Christ and other churches that claim Joseph Smith as their founder, accept the Bible "as far as it is translated correctly" (Articles of Faith), as well as the Book of Mormon, the Pearl of Great Price, and the Doctrine and Covenants as canonical scripture. In 1982, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints added the subtitle Another Testament of Jesus Christ to its editions of the book to help clarify and emphasize its purpose.

Since 1830, the belief in the Book of Mormon is the root of the main differences between the denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement and traditional Christian denominations.

Content

Overview

The title page of the Book of Mormon states:

The Book of Mormon [is] an account written by the hand of Mormon upon plates taken from the Plates of Nephi

Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.

An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever— And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.

The following dates, people, and named authors are claims made within the Book of Mormon itself.

  • 1 Nephi begins in ancient Jerusalem around 600 BC, at roughly the same time as the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible. It tells the story of a prophet, Lehi, his family, and several others as they are led by God from Jerusalem, across the Arabian peninsula, and then to the Americas by ship. The books from 1 Nephi to Omni recount the group's dealings from approximately 600 BC to about 130 BC, in which the community splits into two main groups, the Nephites and the Lamanites, and grow into separate sizable civilizations that war with each other.
  • The Words of Mormon, written in AD 385 by Mormon, is a short introduction to the books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, 3 Nephi, and 4 Nephi, all of which he abridged from a large quantity of existing records that detailed his nation's history from the time of Omni to his own life.
  • 3 Nephi is of particular importance because it contains an account of the resurrected and glorified Jesus's visit to the Americas sometime after his resurrection at Jerusalem, following his 40-day ministry and ascension into heaven. During his American ministry, Christ repeated much of the same doctrine and instruction given in the Gospels of the Bible and established an enlightened, peaceful society which endured several generations.
  • Mormon is an account of the events during Mormon's life, after the enlightened society of 3 Nephi and 4 Nephi deteriorated yet again into warring groups.
  • Ether is an abridgment of a record of an earlier people by Moroni. The account describes a group of families, headed by a man named Jared and his brother (referred to, in the text, as “the Brother of Jared,”) as it is led by God to the Americas. The Jaredite civilization existed on the American continent long before Lehi's family arrived in 600 BC, and it was much larger and more developed. Some have argued that the rise and fall of the Jaredite empire corresponds with that of the Olmec.
  • Moroni details the final destruction of the Nephites and the idolatrous state of the remaining society. He adds a few spiritual insights and mentions some important doctrinal teachings, then closes with his testimony and an invitation to pray to God for a confirmation of the truthfulness of the account.

Organization

The format of the Book of Mormon is similar to the Bible in that there are separate books purpotedly written by different authors who recorded the interactions of God with people. Generally, the book is composed of the following books, though editorial divisions in different churches' editions vary:

The book's sequence is primarily chronological. Notable exceptions include the "Words of Mormon" and the "Book of Ether". In the "Words of Mormon," the text says, "And now I, Mormon ... speak somewhat concerning that which I have written",[2] thereby claiming to be editorial comments by Mormon. The first two verses of the "Book of Ether," say, "And now I, Moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the Lord upon the face of this north country. And I take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of Limhi, which is called the Book of Ether."[3] The books of First Nephi through Omni are believed by Mormons to be first-person narratives, as are Mormon and Moroni. The remainder of the Book of Mormon is believed by LDS to be a third-person historical narrative, believed by LDS members to have been compiled and abridged by Mormon.

The version currently published by the LDS Church,[4] in addition to the main body of the work, contains the following:

  • A title page (believed to have been written by Moroni)
  • A modern day introduction written by church leaders
  • The "Testimony of Three Witnesses", the "Testimony of Eight Witnesses", and the "Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith" (as it concerns the Book of Mormon)
  • A brief explanation of the contents of the book
  • Chapter headings[5]
  • A "pronouncing guide" to names and places in the Book of Mormon
  • Footnotes and cross-references to the Bible
  • An index of doctrinal teachings.

Major themes

Another Testament of Christ

The crowning event of the Book of Mormon is the visitation of the resurrected Christ to the Nephites around 34 AD, shortly after his ministry in Galilee [6]. Every prophet in the book teaches about Jesus.

An angel prophesied to Nephi that Jesus's birth would be 600 years from the time he and his family left Jerusalem.[7] Many prophets in the Book of Mormon, beginning with Lehi and Nephi, saw in visions the birth, ministry, and death of Christ,[8] and were told his name.[9] At the time of King Benjamin, the Nephites were called "the children of Christ".[10] The faithful members of the church at the time of Captain Moroni (73 BC) were called "Christians" by their enemies, because of their belief in Christ.[11] For nearly 200 years after Jesus' appearance at the temple in the Americas, the land was filled with peace and prosperity because of the people's obedience to Christ's commandments.[12] The great prophet-general Mormon worked to convince the faithless people of his time of Christ (360 AD), and Moroni buried the plates with faith in Christ.[13] Many others also bore witness to the reality of the Messiah.

Some doctrinal teachings

The following teachings are especially notable in the Book of Mormon:

  • Christ spoke to the Jews in Jerusalem of “other sheep” (according to the LDS, He was referring to other Hebrews, not Gentiles) who would hear his voice,[14] which the Book of Mormon explains meant that the Nephites and other remnants of the lost tribes of Israel throughout the world were to be visited by Christ after his resurrection. The various groups had their own prophets, and each recorded their history and dealings with God. These records will eventually be had among men, and will complement the Bible and Book of Mormon.[15]
  • The Old Testament prophet Isaiah prophesied of the coming forth of The Book of Mormon, whose prophets would "whisper out of the dust."[16]
  • The land of the Jaredites, Nephites, and Lamanites, which is the American continents, is choice above all other lands.[17]
  • "Inasmuch as ye keep [the Lord's] commandments, ye shall prosper in the land, but inasmuch as ye keep not my commandments, ye shall be cut off from my presence."[18]
  • Men and women are "free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."[19]
  • All mankind must be born again, for the natural man is an enemy to God until he yields to the holy spirit and is born of Christ, being changed to a state of righteousness, becoming his son or daughter.[20]
  • "Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy."[21] Partaking of the fruit of the tree of life, which tree "is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men" and "is the most desirable above all things" will bring the most joy to the soul.[22]
  • Between death and the resurrection the spirit returns to God and awaits the resurrection in either a place of rest or a place of darkness and torment. At the resurrection, the spirit and body shall be reunited, not one hair of the head shall be lost, and this resurrection shall come to all.[23]
  • Giving to the poor (charity) is emphasized as a necessary aspect of living the gospel of Christ.[24] Service to others is essential, and is the same as serving God.[25]
  • It stated that the Lord "denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile". (2 Nephi 26:33)

Verifiability: the challenge of the Book of Mormon

The book invites the reader to make a personal investigation into the truthfulness of the writings. The invitation is associated with a promise that God will give an undeniable witness of its truthfulness through the Holy Ghost.

"Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.
"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."[26]

A witness from the Holy Ghost is a very personal event and the experience varies widely. Of those who claim to have received a witness, most consider it to be sacred, to be of great import, and to be the basis of their "testimony". The act of telling others of one's spiritual experiences and declaring one's faith is called "bearing testimony". Everyone can emulate Peter, whose testimony of Christ came from the Father,[27] by seeking answers and wisdom directly from God.[28]

Origin of the Book of Mormon

See Linguistics and the Book of Mormon for additional information and analysis on authorship.

There are differing views on the origin of the Book of Mormon. If the book is what it purports to be, then it is an ancient record compiled and abridged by Mormon, a pre-Columbian resident of the Western Hemisphere who recorded the spiritual history of generations of his people, the teachings of their ancestors, the Hebrews, and was later translated by Joseph Smith. If not, then the origin of the book is a work of man; the following are the leading alternative theories: it was written by Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith plagiarised others' writings and compiled them as the Book of Mormon, or one of Smith's associates wrote the book for Smith.

Joseph Smith's own account of the authorship of the Book of Mormon

See also: Golden Plates
File:Josephreceivingtheplatesccachristensen.gif
Joseph Smith Jr. receives the Golden Plates from the angel Moroni in 1827.

According to the accounts of Joseph Smith and his associates, the original record was engraved on thin, malleable sheets of metal with the appearance of gold and bound with three rings at one edge. The leaves were engraved on both sides with considerable skill. According to the account presented in the book, it is an abridgment of earlier records by Mormon and his son, Moroni, about 400 AD. At the end of Moroni's ministry (approximately 421 AD), he hid these plates along with several other items in a stone box in a hillside (now named the Hill Cumorah) near Palmyra, New York.

On September 22, 1823, Joseph Smith stated that he was directed by God through the angel Moroni to the place where the plates were stored. He was not immediately allowed to take them, but after four years was finally entrusted with them. Through the power of God and the Urim and Thummim he was able to translate the characters (which, according to the Book, were related to 600 BC Egyptian with Hebrew influence[29]) into English.[30]

Joseph Smith claimed he was commanded to show the plates to several people and no one else. Accounts by these individuals are recorded in the front of the Book of Mormon as "The Testimony of Three Witnesses" and "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses." Some of the witnesses later became disaffected with Joseph Smith's leadership and the church, but none withdrew their testimony of what they signed.

The golden plates were commonly referred to as a "Golden Bible," particularly by non-Mormons, though a few members also used the term in early descriptions. The label "Golden Bible" actually predates the Book of Mormon as legends of such an artifact existed in Canada and upstate New York while Joseph Smith was growing up in Vermont.[31]

Joseph Smith as author

Joseph Smith listed himself as "author and proprietor" of the Book of Mormon on the title page[32] of the first (1830) edition of the Book of Mormon. Many critics use this as evidence to demonstrate that Joseph Smith simply wrote the Book of Mormon and later claimed to have translated it. In reality this was the required language of the copyright laws of the time,[33] and Smith clarified in the preface of the 1830 edition that he translated the record.[34]

Smith as a plagiarist of contemporaries

In the early 20th century LDS Seventy B.H. Roberts authored a manuscript entitled Studies of the Book of Mormon,[35] in which he critically examined the claims and origins of the Book of Mormon. In his manuscript, Roberts compared the content of the Book of Mormon with View of the Hebrews, a book written by Ethan Smith (no relation to Joseph Smith), pastor of a church in Poultney, Vermont. View of the Hebrews was published in 1825, some five years before the Book of Mormon and called for recognition of Native Americans as the lost tribes of Israel and for bringing them back into the Christian fold. Speculation regarding the possible origins of the Native Americans was common in the era.

David Persuitte, in his book, Joseph Smith and the Origins of The Book of Mormon, shows extensive parallels between passages in View of the Hebrews and in the Book of Mormon, but notes no instances of direct copying, nor does he demonstrate that Smith ever read or even encountered the book. Had he owned a copy, Smith could be said to have been inspired by View of the Hebrews. However, it is known that Ethan Smith had visited Palmyra in support of his book, so the idea of Joseph Smith being exposed to View of the Hebrews is plausible.

However, if such plagiarism did exist, most blame would have to be placed on the shoulders of Oliver Cowdery. Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith were related and often associated together. Cowdery was educated and trained as a typesetter/printers assistant in the 1800s and worked at the Poultney Gazette in the summer of 1823 (the paper became known as the Northern Spectator in December of 1823) when Ethan Smith brought the View of the Hebrews manuscript to be published. Soon thereafter Cowdery left the paper and within a few months Joseph Smith had reported the first divine visitation on September 21, 1823. This employment at the Poultney Gazette would not have been Cowdery's first exposure to View of the Hebrews; his family, including father William and stepmother Keziah, were noted as being longstanding members of Ethan Smith's congregation in Poultney when he arrived and assumed leadership in November 1821. Ethan Smith made no secret of his theories presented in View of the Hebrews during sermons.

Some claim Smith plagiarized material from the manuscript for an unpublished novel by Solomon Spaulding. The story revolves around a group of seafaring Romans who sail to the New World around two millennia ago.

One of Smith's colleagues as author

According to this family of theories, someone else wrote the book and allowed Smith to take credit for it. Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery have been posited as possible authors or co-authors. Both Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery had more formal education and either could have helped Smith author the book. According to one theory, after dictating the primary text, Smith and his scribes would spend the evenings poring over the text, editing and making adjustments. In this case, the Book of Mormon would be considered a collaboration between Smith and his scribes, primarily Oliver Cowdery.

Sidney Rigdon and Oliver Cowdery both denied having written the book, and in fact Cowdery was one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon. He became disaffected with Joseph Smith's leadership and with the church and was excommunicated in 1838 on a variety of charges, including the never-retracted claim that Smith was an adulterer. Yet the chronically-ill Cowdery never denied his testimony of having seen the golden plates and a decade later returned to the church. Whatever he may have disagreed with, he claimed for his entire life that he believed the plates were real.

There is no evidence that Joseph Smith knew of or was in contact with Sidney Rigdon until after the Book of Mormon was published. Most histories state that Parley P. Pratt, a member of Rigdon's congregation near Kirtland, Ohio, was baptized around September 1830 in Palmyra. Soon after, Pratt returned to Ohio, which is when Rigdon learned of Smith and the Book of Mormon and was baptized. According to these accounts, Rigdon first met Smith in December 1830, nine months after the Book of Mormon's publication.

Similiarities of some segments to the King James Version

Segments of the Book of Mormon, for example 1 Nephi chapters 20-21 and 2 Nephi chapters 7, 8, and 12-24, match nearly word-for-word the chapters 48-49, 50, 51-52:1-2, and 2-14 (respectively) of the King James Translation (1611) of the Book of Isaiah. The book claims that Nephi quoted the prophet Isaiah from the "Brass Plates" which were brought with them out of Jerusalem. Additionally, the footnotes and chapter headings acknowledge this and encourage readers to compare Isaiah and 2 Nephi. Of the 433 verses of Isaiah quoted in the Book of Mormon; over half are not verbatim. These changes vary from a minor preposition change to significant changes in meaning. Also, Mosiah chapter 14 matches KJV Isaiah 53, 3 Nephi chapter 22 matches KJV Isaiah 54, 3 Nephi chapters 24-25 match KJV Malachi 3-4, and 3 Nephi chapters 12-14 match KJV Matthew 5-7, all without any claims of quoting from the "Brass Plates".

Critics argue that the word-for-word quotations are taken from the KJV, and Book of Mormon prophets couldn't have been quoting an original source. The similarity to KJV, when the majority of modern Christian and Jewish biblical scholars have accepted that the sources used for the King James translation are no longer the earliest or most reliable sources (e.g. see Nag Hammadi library and Dead Sea scrolls), thus, the inclusion of what are considered to be later additions or errors by transcribers, cast doubt on the existence of an independent copy of a 600 BC source. One example is Mark 16:15–18 which is quoted nearly word-for-word in Mormon 9:22–24. The passage concerning believers holding snakes and drinking poison does not appear in many early manuscripts and is widely believed to be composed in the 2nd century (e.g. see the New International Version Bible, 1984, Mark 16: "[The most reliable early manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.]").

Additionally, the book reflects the 1611 KJV literary and linguistic style. This is unsurprising since the KJV was the most commonly used translation of the Bible when the Book of Mormon was produced.

Views of its historicity

Latter Day Saint views

The dominant and widely accepted view among Latter Day Saints is that the Book of Mormon is a true and accurate account of three ancient American civilizations whose history it documents. Joseph Smith stated, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”[36]

Since the time of its publication, it has been common among Latter Day Saints to view and explain the Book of Mormon as a comprehensive history of all Native Americans;[37] this understanding of the Book of Mormon is referred to as the "hemispheric model." However, other Latter Day Saints believe that the hemispheric model is an assumption not supported by a close reading of the text, nor by the teachings of Joseph Smith, who stated repeatedly that he believed the events in the Book of Mormon took place in Central America.

The locations of the cities mentioned in the Book of Mormon are not identifiable. Several groups of Mormon apologists, including the Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR) and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), have proposed that the city Zarahemla is located somewhere within Central America because of the description given in Alma 22:27 as a narrow neck of land bordering sea on the west and on the east. This approach, often referred to as the "Limited Geography Model," argues for a more limited view of the Book of Mormon, suggesting that the book is a history of only a small group of Native Americans in Central America. This theory, presented by Joseph Smith and others as early as 1842, has been gaining substantial support recently because it more accurately represents the descriptions given within the text itself. For instance, the populations and civilizations described in the Book of Mormon were too small (only a few million) to fill entire continents; moreover, there is much evidence that one common assumption of the past (that Book of Mormon civilizations were alone in America) is probably incorrect.

In more recent discourses, church leaders have emphasized that the Book of Mormon is a divine work of a spiritual nature, and its purpose is to teach of Christ; and that it was not written to be taken as a historical, geological, archaeological, or anthropological guide.[38]

The introduction page to the Book of Mormon states that those who desire may gain a knowledge of its truth through asking God (see book of Mormon Book of Moroni Chap. 10 verse 3-5). This could be considered the official stance on determining historicity.

Critics' views

Researchers and LDS apologists point to the available history of the several major civilizations in Mesoamerica in the Book of Mormon time period (Olmec, Maya, Mixtec, Zapotec and Aztec) where there is ample archaeological data and some recorded history. Some of these were very advanced in language, writing, mathematics and astronomy. Furthermore, ample evidence has been uncovered of the types of plants, animals and implements available to the early inhabitants. The Book of Mormon makes multiple reference to plants, animals, weapons and technology, many of which do not match current knowledge concerning that time period.

LDS Funded Archaeology

In 1951 Thomas Ferguson, a LDS member, petitioned Mormon President David O. McKay to financially back the founding of the New World Archeological Foundation (hereafter NWAF). Ferguson requested at first a five year grant to dig throughout Mesoamerica for evidence of the veracity of the Book of Mormon claims. His petition was granted and the first five years were funded from 1955 to 1959. At the end of this period, additional funding was granted and continues to this day.[citation needed]

In a 1961 newsletter Ferguson predicted that although nothing had been found, the Book of Mormon cities would be found within 10 years. In 1972, Christian scholar Hal Hougey wrote Ferguson questioning the progress given the stated timetable in which the cities would be found.[39] Replying to Hougey as well as secular and non-secular requests, Ferguson wrote in a letter dated 5 June 1972: "Ten years have passed... I had sincerely hoped that Book-of-Mormon(sic) cities would be positively identified within 10 years — and time has proved me wrong in my anticipation."[40]

During the period of 1959-1961, NWAF colleague Dee Green was editor of the BYU Archeological Society Newsletter and had an article from it published in the summer of 1969 edition of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, pp 76-78 in which he acknowledged that the NWAF findings did not back up the veracity of the Book of Mormon claims. After this article and another six years of fruitless search, Thomas Ferguson published a 29 page paper in 1975 entitled Written Symposium on Book-of-Mormon Geography: Response of Thomas S. Ferguson to the Norman & Sorenson Papers. The full text will be omitted here, but he summed up as thus on page 29: "I'm afraid that up to this point, I must agree with Dee Green, who has told us that to date there is no Book-of-Mormon geography...". In referring to his own paper, Ferguson wrote a 20 February 1976 letter to Mr & Mrs H.W. Lawrence in which he stated: "...The real implication of the paper is that you can't set the Book-of-Mormon geography down anywhere — because it is fictional and will never meet the requirements of the dirt-archeology. I should say — what is in the ground will never conform to what is in the book."[41]

The archaeological investigations of NWAF-sponsored projects have contributed towards the documentation and understanding of pre-Columbian societies, particularly in Mesoamerica. Currently BYU maintains 86 documents on the work of the NWAF at the BYU NWAF website and these documents are used outside both BYU and the LDS church by researchers.

Archaeology

Main article: Archaeology and the Book of Mormon

The main arguments against the Book of Mormon are made on an archaeological basis based on the large size and the long time span of Book of Mormon civilizations. It is generally held that the size and the span of Book of Mormon civilizations is comparable to the size and span of other great, ancient civilizations that are archaeologically highly prominent. More arguments arise when considering the statements in the Book of Mormon about animals such as horses, cattle, swine, goats, etc; crops such as wheat; and technology such as steel swords and possibly wheeled chariots that are currently not found in the pre-Columbian archaeological record.

Mormon critics often point to a lack of evidence supporting the Book of Mormons claims. Apologists counter that Mesoamerican archaeology is a young field and that evidence will eventually surface. One example of evidence lacking is that although horses lived in the ancient americas, they are thought to have gone extinct about 8,000 years before the time of the Book of Mormon. A counter-argument states that a horse specimen, discovered in Florida, has been carbon-dated to roughly 100 B.C., and that other horse remains, which have not yet been carbon-dated, have been discovered in the precolumbian archaeological contexts of Lotlun and Mayapan in mesoamaerica, however no scientific report can be traced relating to any of these finds. Another example of evidence lacking is that the Book of Mormon referred to elephants[42] being used by one of the groups. Currently, none of the book's claims are substantiated; however, a good deal of them are problematic in terms of both dating and locating. Nonetheless, current archaeological knowledge does not confirm the Book of Mormon's claims.

Linguistics

Main article: Linguistics and the Book of Mormon

An additional criticism concerns linguistics. The Nephites, and possibly the Lamanites, would have spoken a modified Semitic language up to at least AD 400, where the Book of Mormon stops. However, no spoken Semitic language has survived in the Americas to modern times. Critics argue that the 1,000 years after the end of the period covered in the Book of Mormon do not suffice to account for the difference among Native American languages nor for their complete distance from Semitic languages. A common counterargument is that the Book of Mormon mentions contact with other civilizations[43] with their own non-Semitic languages that might have influenced or supplanted any Semitic language being spoken. In addition, the Book of Mormon claims that the peoples mentioned therein are the primary ancestors of the Native Americans; it does not conclude that they are the sole ancestors. A popular topic among Latter-Day Saint apologetics is the presence of an ancient Hebrew literary pattern called chiasmus in the Book of Mormon. Mosiah 3: 18-19, Alma 31: 13-14, and the entire chapter of Alma 36 are said to display the literary properties of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon.

DNA

Main article: Genetics and the Book of Mormon

Recent studies have claimed that Native Americans do not have certain genetic markers in common with modern Middle Eastern DNA samples, and genetic research shows that they are more closely related to people in Asia than anywhere else. These studies have come mainly from Thomas Murphy and Simon Southerton.[44] Critics claim this contradicts the statement found in the introduction of the current edition of the Book of Mormon, which says that the Lamanites, descendants of Hebrews, are the "principal ancestors" of Native Americans, however there is no claim that they are the sole ancestors. There are three different people who are mentioned, of which one may be Asian.

In response to these arguments, David Stewart states that the studies fail to account for the fact that ancient Israelite DNA would be vastly different from their modern DNA.[45] He also said that mtDNA testing, which was the cornerstone in both studies, cannot even link different Jewish groups let alone compare them to American Indians faithfully. He concluded that the studies take a very limited and biased approach in order to control the outcome and that the studies ignore other basic DNA facts in order to come to their biased conclusion. A similar migration of Jewish people to Africa, the Lemba was recently genetically verified (via DNA markers) - see Lemba people. The Lemba also have a large percentage of genes often found in non-Arab Semites. However, it must be stated that this was not done using mtDNA, but rather the Cohen modal haplotype. A Dr. Soodyall notes that "using mtDNA the Lemba were indistinguishable from other Bantu-speaking groups." However, aside from their language the Lemba have distinctly Jewish traditions. It is also still debated as to when exactly this gene pool migrated to Africa, possibly in the modern era after Christ rather than in the same era as Lehi as some have asserted.

This ancient DNA research of pre-Columbian DNA (and comparison of it with ancient DNA from mediterranean excavations) is in excellent agreement with earlier archeological and lingustic facts supporting North-East Asian (versus mediterranean) origin of Native Americans. Study of ancient DNA of food, intestinal bacteria, dogs, pollen, etc in the Americas points to the same conclusion: no traces of large technologically advanced civilization of mediterranean origin were found in Americas.[citation needed] Critics assert that this is inconsistent with the Book of Mormon descriptions of large long lasting civilizations.

Smithsonian Institution statement on the Book of Mormon

The Smithsonian Institution issues a standard reply[46] to requests for their opinion regarding the Book of Mormon as an archaeological or scientific guide. In 1998, the Smithsonian revised the letter to remove its detailed response and limited its comment to briefly deny any use of the Book of Mormon as an archaeological guide by the institution.[47]

In literature

In his 1872 book Roughing It, American author Mark Twain criticized the Book of Mormon.

The book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the Old Testament for a model; followed by a tedious plagiarism of the New Testament. The author labored to give his words and phrases the quaint, old-fashioned sound and structure of our King James's translation of the Scriptures; and the result is a mongrel—half modern glibness, and half ancient simplicity and gravity.[48]

Role of the Book of Mormon in Mormonism

Joseph Smith said, “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book”.[49] The Book of Mormon is of prime importance to the church as one of the greatest differentiating factors of the Church as well as a spiritual foundation. It is held as a tangible evidence of the truthfulness of the church.

Members of the Church hold the Book of Mormon as the most important, correct, and basic book of scripture. Not placing enough emphasis on the Book of Mormon or ignoring it all together was decried in a revelation to Joseph Smith that pronounced a condemnation on the "whole church" for treating it “lightly,” until they should “repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I [the Lord] have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written, that they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom”.[50] While this revelation also applies to the early Church’s under-emphasis of the Bible (“the former commandments which [the Lord had] given them”), the importance of studying the Book of Mormon has also been stressed by every church president since Joseph Smith, Jr..

The Book of Mormon’s significance was reiterated in the late 20th century by Ezra Taft Benson, Apostle and 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In an August 2005 Ensign message, current LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley challenged each member of the church to reread the Book of Mormon again before year end. The book’s importance is commonly stressed at the twice-yearly General Conference and at special devotionals by General Authorities in the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the several Quorums of the Seventy

Book of Mormon Editions

Version of the Book of Mormon published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Book of Mormon is published today in the following forms:

  • by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the expanded title The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (since 1982)
  • for the Community of Christ by Herald House as The Book of Mormon - Revised Authorized Version (1966) and The Book of Mormon - Authorized Version (1908)
  • by the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates taken from the Plates of Nephi — an original edition compiled by a committee made up of Church of Jesus Christ apostles Thurman S. Furnier, Charles Ashton and William H. Cadman
  • for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) by Richard Drew, Burlington (Voree), Wisconsin — a photo enlarged facsimile of the 1840 edition
  • by Zarahemla Research Foundation as The Book of Mormon - Restored Covenant Edition
  • by the University of Illinois Press as The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition (2003) (this edition is based on the 1920 LDS edition)
  • by Doubleday under the title The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (2004)
  • by Herald Heritage (Herald House) (1970) 1830 Facsimile copy reproduction.
  • by ExperiencePress.org (2006) Two true reprints of the 1830 edition. The type was reset to match word, line & page the text of the original 1830 edition with one categorical exception: all known original typographical errors were corrected.[51]

Changes between editions

One critic has claimed to have documented almost 4,000 changes.[52] A portion of these changes have been discussed in official Church publications including the Ensign, Improvement Era, Millennial Star and Times and Seasons, and are consistent with early pre- and post-publication edits made by Joseph Smith. Some corrections were made due to earlier print or copy errors, or changes in punctuation.[citation needed]

Between today's editions of the book and the first edition there are approximately 3000 differences. Most of these changes had already begun in the 1837 edition. These changes are mostly corrections of punctuation, orthography and grammar; however, there are also several changes in wording, which critics allege were made to fit changes in teaching or political conditions.

Since 1989, BYU has published a critical text edition in four volumes. Volumes 1 and 2, published 2001, contains transcriptions of all the text variants of the English editions of the Book of Mormon, from the original manuscript up to the newest editions. Volume 4, in four parts (3 already published since 2005) contains a critical analysis of all the text variants. Meanwhile, volume 3, not yet published, is to describe the history of all the English-language texts from Joseph Smith to today.[citation needed]

See also: Linguistics and the Book of Mormon

Translations

The Book of Mormon has been translated into several languages other than English. All these translations are made from the original English text:

  • Danish, 1851 (first translation)[53]
  • French, 1852[53]
  • Welsh, 1852[53]
  • German, 1852[53]
  • Italian, 1852[54]
  • Hawaiian, 1855[54]
  • Spanish, 1875 (partial), 1886 (full)[54]
  • Swedish, 1878[54]
  • Maori, 1889[54]
  • Dutch, 1890[54]

The first non-English edition was a Danish translation 1851. In 1852, the first German translation followed. In 1876, the chapter division of the individual books was changed and verse numbering was added.

The entire book of Mormon has been translated into 72 languages; excerpts have been translated in a further 32 languages. Translations into Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Aymara, Bislama, Bulgarian, Cebuano, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Fante, Fijian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Haitian, Hawaiian, Hindi, Hmong, Hungarian, Igbo, Ilokano, Indonesian, Xhosa, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Khmer, Catalan, Q'eqchi, Gilbertese, Korean, Latvian, Lingala, Lithuanian, Malagasy, Maori, Marshallese, Mongolian, Navajo, Norwegian, Pangasinan, Polish, Portuguese, Cook Islands Maori, Romanian, Russian, Samoan, Swedish, Shona, Slovenian, Spanish, Swahili, Tagalog, Tahitian, Telugu, Thai, Tongan, Tswana, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, Yapese and Zulu are available.

References

Specific

  1. ^ Lua error: Book <js_h> not found in Standard Works.
  2. ^ Words of Mormon 1:1–3
  3. ^ Ether 1:1–2
  4. ^ The version published by the LDS Church is known as "The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ"
  5. ^ Many of the chapter headings were written by Bruce R. McConkie, an Apostle
  6. ^ See 3 Nephi 11 to 3 Nephi 26)
  7. ^ See 1 Nephi 10:4, 1 Nephi 19:8; See also 3 Nephi 1).
  8. ^ 1 Nephi 11
  9. ^ Mosiah 3:8
  10. ^ Mosiah 5:7
  11. ^ Alma 46:13–15
  12. ^ 4 Nephi 1
  13. ^ See Lua error: Book <bm/ttlpg> not found in Standard Works.
  14. ^ See John 10:16 in the King James Version of the Bible
  15. ^ 3 Nephi 15:13–24, 3 Nephi 16:1–4, 2 Nephi 29:7–14
  16. ^ See Isaiah 29:4 from the King James Version of the Bible. (Compare 2 Nephi 26:15–16)
  17. ^ 1 Nephi 2:20; 1 Nephi 13:30; 2 Nephi 1:5; 2 Nephi 10:19; Jacob 5:43; Ether 1:38–42; Ether 2:7,10-15; Ether 9:20; Ether 10:28; Ether 13:2.
  18. ^ 1 Nephi 2:20; 1 Nephi 4:14; 2 Nephi 1:20; 2 Nephi 4:4; Jarom 1:9; Omni 1:6; Mosiah 1:7; Mosiah 2:22,31; Alma 9:13; Alma 36:1,30; Alma 37:13; Alma 38:1; Alma 48:15,25; Helaman 3:20; Helaman 5:20,22.
  19. ^ 2 Nephi 2:27
  20. ^ Mosiah 3:19; Mosiah 27:25; Alma 22:15–18; Moroni 10:34
  21. ^ 2 Nephi 2:25
  22. ^ 1 Nephi 11:22–23; 1 Nephi 8:12
  23. ^ Alma 11:42–45; Alma 40:11–23
  24. ^ 2 Nephi 9:30; Mosiah 4:26; Mosiah 18:8)
  25. ^ Mosiah 2:17
  26. ^ Moroni 10:3–5
  27. ^ see Matthew 16:16–17 from the King James Version of the Bible
  28. ^ See James 1:5 from the King James Version of the Bible
  29. ^ According toMormon 9:32–34
  30. ^ See Joseph Smith—History 1 for a complete record of Joseph Smith's account.
  31. ^ Bushman 2005
  32. ^ [1]
  33. ^ Copyright Act of 1790, section 3
  34. ^ [2]
  35. ^ [3]
  36. ^ From the Lua error: Book <bm/introduction> not found in Standard Works.
  37. ^ Mauss 2004
  38. ^ See, for example, James E. Faust, “The Keystone of Our Religion,” Ensign, Jan. 2004, 3, available at lds.org)
  39. ^ Harold H. Hougey, Letter to Thomas Stuart Ferguson, 20 May 1972, University of Utah as quoted in Stan Larson, "The Odyssey of Thomas Stuart Ferguson", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Spring 1990, p. 76
  40. ^ Thomas Stuart Ferguson, Letter to Harold H. Hougey, 5 June 1972, University of Utah as quoted in Stan Larson, "The Odyssey of Thomas Stuart Ferguson", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Spring 1990, p. 76
  41. ^ Thomas Stuart Ferguson, Letter to Mr. and Mrs. Harold W. Lawrence, 20 February 1976b, University of Utah as quoted in Stan Larson, "The Odyssey of Thomas Stuart Ferguson", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Spring 1990, p. 79. See image copy of the letter
  42. ^ Ether 9:19
  43. ^ Omni 1:12–18, Mosiah 24:1–4
  44. ^ Morris, Linda (2006-07-21). "Academic falls foul of Mormons". The Sidney Morning Herald. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ David Stewart M.D. "DNA and the Book of Mormon".
  46. ^ missingauthor. "Smithsonian Institution statement on the Book of Mormon".
  47. ^ Jeff Lindsay. "The Smithsonian Institution's 1996 "Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon"". {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 35 (help)
  48. ^ Twain, Mark (1872). Roughing It. gutenberg.org: Project Gutenberg. pp. Ch. XVI.
  49. ^ History of the Church 4:461
  50. ^ Doctrine and Covenants 84:55–58
  51. ^ [4]
  52. ^ 3913 Changes in The Book of Mormon Jerald and Sandra Tanner
  53. ^ a b c d Gilbert W. Scharffs. "Das Buch Mormon: The German Translation of the Book of Mormon". Journal of Book of Mormon Studies. 11 (1): 35–39. Retrieved 2006-11-26. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  54. ^ a b c d e f Hugh G. Stocks, Book of Mormon Translations, retrieved from http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/book_of_mormon/translations.html, 26-Nov-2006

General

  • Brewster, Quinn (1996). "The Structure of the Book of Mormon: A Theory of Evolutionary Development". Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 29(2): 109–140.
  • Bushman, Richard L. (2005). Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York: Alfred Knopf. ISBN 1-4000-4270-4.
  • Givens, Terryl (2002). By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-516888-7.
  • Jessee, Dean C. (1970). "The Original Book of Mormon Manuscript" (PDF). BYU Studies. 10(3): 259–278.
  • Mauss, Armand L. (2003). All Abraham's Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage. Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-02803-1.
  • Persuitte, David (2000). Joseph Smith and the Origins of The Book of Mormon (second edition ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-7864-0826-X. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  • Vogel, Dan (2004). Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet. Salt Lake City: Signature Books. ISBN 1-56085-179-1.

Further reading

  • Wesley Ziegler (2004). An Analysis of the Book of Mormon. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1417968559.
  • Elder William A. Morton (2004). Book of Mormon Ready Reference. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1417968508.
  • John Henry Evans (2004). Message and Characters of the Book of Mormon. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1417968184.
  • William E. Berrett and Milton R. Hunter (2004). A Guide to the Study of the Book of Mormon. Kessinger Publishing. ISBN 1417968826.

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Official sources

Sympathetic views

Critical views

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