Revisions of the book mormon

The book of mormon is indeed a gift intended to bring us, gods children, to a knowledge of the true gospel of jesus christ. Utah was buzzing with people trying to determine what had been changed and why. If you are witnessing to mormons this is a great resource. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been written in. Church removes racial references in book of mormon. The work of comparing the page 51 books was a long, tedious job for a working man. Book of mormon problems lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. Revisions to the gospel topics essay on book of mormon geography. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed.

Then i would like to turn to the issue of changes in the text to the book of mormon. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39 changes in the book of mormon by jerald and sandra tanner. Whats so remarkable about this part of the translation of the book of mormon is the breakneck pace of the work the translation of the text during this time was completed in an astounding 65 to 72 working days based on the number of pages in the 1830 edition of the book of mormon. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as. Royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu and a recognized expert of the textual history of the book of mormon, has identified 5,280.

Mar 21, 2012 a fine introduction to the book of mormon, and part of an intriguing series i plan to look into lives of great religious books. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Former lds bishop earl erskine talks about the changes he found in the book of mormon on polygamy. From a geographical standpoint, some lds scholars believe mesoamerica to be the setting of the book of mormon. A new english edition of the book of mormon is not scheduled to be printed at present. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Oct 11, 2018 in this episode, kwaku and david discuss the thousands of revisions that have been made to the book of mormon. This six book set, entitled analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon atv, fulfills the central task of the critical text project, to restore the original text of the book of mormon to the extent possible using scholarly means. Joseph used a rock in a hat for the book of mormon dictation but may have also used the 1769 kjv edition bible and possibly other sources in aiding in producing the book of mormon. The book of mormon, combined with the spirit, is the greatest witness one has of the truthfulness of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, said elder tad r.

Enrique serpa bustamante, a member from lima, peru, thinks of the book of mormon as letters from a loving parent. If you are investigating mormonism the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or lds church, you are probably studying it in private meetings in your home with missionaries from that church. The book of mormon by joseph smith, paperback barnes. Joseph smith said 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, history of the church, vol. Some textual corrections were made to the book of mormon based on close comparisons with early manuscripts. The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with. Critical texts have previously been prepared for important historical and literary works but until fairly. The bulk of the revisions are grammatical and the hosts point out a few of the most common changes. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. A popular charge of antimormons is that the church is guilty of fraud because of changes in the book of mormon, or that the book of mormon cant be true and divine because corrections have been made. Wright 1858, new york, basically a reprinting of the 1840 nauvoo edition. The book of mormon s most spectacular recorded event was a postresurrection appearance of jesus christ himself among the nephite people 3 nephi 11. See natural born seer, 3868 for an extensive list of book of mormon changes.

Multiple revisions of the book of mormon and the temple endowment ceremony are two examples. That revision and others to the theology and christology in the 1830 book of mormon came in 1837, just in time for the quiet 1838 rollout by joseph smith of his newly invented and neverbeforeheard first vision and its uniquely mormon theolog. What follows are examples of some of the most significant revisions made to the book of mormon, the doctrine and covenants, and the pearl of great price. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. In reality, though, the kind of stylistic accuracy achieved by these changes has little to do with what joseph meant when he called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth. The book of mormon claims that jesuss atonement provided for the immortality for all people. This should not have been necessary, however, given the manner in which joseph is supposed to have produced this book. To obtain copies of their work please write to utah lighthouse ministry p. While early critics noticed changes between various editions of the book of mormon, the first book to focus strictly upon those changes was lamoni calls 1898, 2000 changes in the book of mormon. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon. In 1981, part two of the churchs historic english scriptures project came to fruition with new editions of the book of mormon, doctrine and covenants, and pearl of great price. Well, of course, there is no truth in that statement. But to achieve exaltation or godhood it is available only to mormons who obey the teachings specific to the book of mormon. In early 1830 joseph smith published the book of mormon, a 269,938word volume that discusses religious themes intermingled with a history of ancient american peoples.

Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes. Isaiah variants in the book of mormon religious studies. To those who are investigating mormonism by richard packham. These include endowments, celestial marriage, and specific tithing. It is true that when the book of mormon was printed the printer was a man who was unfriendly. Changes to the bible in comparison most scholars agree that there are about 24,000 changes between 1611 version and the 1769 version of the kjv bible. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors. Recent changes to the book of mormon regarding race, blackness, skin color, etc thats not all. The few significant modifications were made by the prophet joseph smith to clarify the meaning of the text, not to change it.

Dec 18, 2014 village performing arts centre full time 2014 perform turn it off from the book of mormon. When it comes to the book of mormon translation, there is what is called a tight translation and there is what is called a loose translation. The king james version of the bible is, in all likelihood, the most successful of all the english translations. The methodology employed by call was unsophisticated.

Jerald and sandra tanners 1965 publication, 3,9 changes in the book of mormon, has probably had a greater influence. If the book of mormon is the most correct book, why are. The claim is often heard that there are more than 4000 changes to the book of mormon text. The printing and binding of the book of mormon were finished and the book was offered for sale to the public on march 26, 1830, just eleven days before the church was officially organized. Some are mere spelling corrections, but others are significant changes. Non mormon writers have criticized the grammar of the book of mormon stating that god could not make the many grammatical mistakes that are found in the book of mormon. Yet, the book which joseph smith declared was the most correct of any book on earth history of the church, vol. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. As stated earlier, the mormon church has made many changes to the book of mormon in order to correct josephs poor grammar and spelling. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. The copying of the printers manuscript, which was used by the typesetter, had been started in july 1829. The 1830 book of mormon summary of changes this gives an intriguing explanation of the origin of the words cumorah and moroni. The book of mormon spooky mormon hell dream lyrics by azmad202. If you want a short 200 small pages introduction to the book of mormon or to the lds faith more generally, you could do a lot worse than this.

The text has also undergone many significant revisions, which critics see as a rebuttal of its divine origins. The arguments are rather weak but need to be dealt with thats the purpose of this page. Have there been thousands of changes in the book of mormon. Understanding the nature of the thousands of small changes in the book of mormon may be helpful and interesting. There is only one version, unless you are asking how many. That compares to over 4,000 changes in the book of mormon and many in the doctrines and covenants. Today, the lds church is most prevalent in the united states, latin america, canada, europe, the. Intro 3,9 changes in the book of mormon major changes between the 1920 and 1981 ed. Martin harris acted as joseph smiths scribe from 12 april to 14 june 1828, and at the end of this period they had written out 116 pages.

The significance of the work, in literary terms, is that the text of the book of mormon represents a first draft one with little revision to smiths original stream of narrative creation. Our heavenly father wrote letters through the prophets, giving counsel, comfort, and guidance for our good and blessing us at all times. Mormonsa nickname often used to refer to members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saintsbelieve in, revere, and study the holy bible, using the king james translation. In comparison most scholars agree that there are about 24,000 changes between 1611 version and the 1769 version of the kjv bible. What are 1769 kjv edition errors doing in book of mormon. Im first going to describe the critical text project, some of its major findings. Tom ragen turn it off from the book of mormon village.

Some 58 are paraphrased and 11 others are variants and or paraphrases. These changes have only been applied to the first part of the book of mormon. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. The printers manuscript was consulted again by joseph smith and others when the second edition of the book of mormon was printed in 1837 in kirtland, ohio. The publication of the book was done under adverse circumstances, and there were a few errors, mostly. The first edition of the book of mormon went on sale in palmyra on march 26, 1830, and smith formally organized a church less than two weeks later. To those who are investigating mormonism the mormon church.

Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon gives readers detailed access to the central task of professor royal skousens book of mormon critical text project, the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken to recover the original englishlanguage text of the book of mormon. Types of changes in the book of mormon text the following statistics are derived from my computerized collation of the two manuscripts of the book of mormon the original and the printers manuscripts and 20 standard page 173 editions of the book of mormon fifteen lds editions, from 1830 to 1981, the 1858 wright edition, and four rlds. Today, mormons use the book of mormon in much the same way that christians use and study the bible. Translating the book of mormon religious studies center. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the book of mormon.

The church takes no position on the specific geographic location of book of mormon events in the ancient americas. The mormon religion was officially founded in 1830 when the book of mormon was published. The bulk of the revisions are grammatical and the hosts point out a few of the most. It is to the variants that we will give our attention here. Does the book of mormon appear to erect barriers against wouldbe believers who tend to rely on their heads more than their hearts. Why is this so if the book of mormon was translated accurately by the hand of god. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of.

Understanding textual changes in the book of mormon. A photoreprint of the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon with all changes marked compared to a 1964 edition. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes the. Then i turn to five changes in the text the five chestnuts that critics of the book of mormon continually refer to. Since these changes are so minor, it is not necessary to include them until it is printed. For example, there have been 891 changes of which to who, 177 changes of exceeding. Prior to 1874, the rlds used an edition of the book of mormon published by james o. Book of mormon changes almost all spelling, grammar, and.

Both races were excluded from leadership in the mormon church prior to the recent revisions of the book. It tells of the jaredites, people from the tower of babel who came to central america but perished because of their own immorality. This is the first published text of the book of mormon to show the precise history of many textual variants. Book of mormon central evidences of the book of mormon. Although it serves primarily as a religious text, it is to be interpreted literally as being an actual, historical record of the inhabitants of the ancient. Box 1884 salt lake city, utah 84110 or visit their website. The first and second rlds editions 1874, plano, illinois. The book of commandments, published in july 1833, was a compilation of early lds revelations.

A critical text of the book of mormon was published in 19841987 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. But the most common changes have not been in spelling, but in grammar. If the book of mormon is true, why do indians fail to turn white when they become mormons. As one mormon said, joseph smith wrote it, and joseph smith had the write to change it. Why were textual changes made to the book of mormon over the years after it was first published.

Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon, 2nd. Although joseph smith was the translator of the book of mormon, the spelling in the first edition was oliver cowdery s, and the punctuation was john h. Jul 01, 2011 lds leaders have added and deleted words and tampered with previously published revelations by writing in new material and falsely attributing it to an earlier date. The published text of the book of mormon has been corrected and edited through its various editions. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of. Book of mormontextual changeswhy were these changes made. Changes in the lds scriptures 20 at the end of february, 20, the deseret news featured an amazing article. Callister, emeritus general authority seventy and former sunday school general president in his tuesday, march 3, lds business college devotional held in the assembly hall on temple square, elder callister listed past and. The book of mormon bom is an abbreviated account of the inhabitants of the ancient americas from 2200 bc to 421 ad. Church members are asked not to teach theories about book of mormon geography in church settings but to focus instead on the book of mormons teachings and testimony of jesus christ and his gospel. Much like lamoni calls approach in the 1890s, jerald tanner sat down eighty years later with an 1830 edition and a 1964 edition of the book of mormon and annotated all changes he could identify. When these types of changes are made, they are rolled out to various online and print editions as they become available, purdy said in a statement. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been written in otherwise unknown characters referred to as reformed egyptian engraved on golden plates.

Miller author matthew roper when the book of mormon first appeared, skeptics said that references to horses, asses, elephants, and other animals such as swine and cows were out of place. Joseph smith said that the golden plates from which he supposedly got the book of mormon, were translated letterbyletter, and by the power of god and that the book of mormon was, the most correct of any book. Finally, the mormon church leaders became so embarrassed about the grammar that they decided to abandon the idea that god gave joseph smith the english that is found in the book. Examples of later verses in which the trinitarian image of gods was retained, are mosiah 16. Jun 23, 2012 the mormon church, as it has evolved, has been forced to rewrite the book of mormon in order to accommodate its efforts to convert native americans and africanamericans. Changes in the book of mormon exposed by earl erskine. The books in this set consider every significant textual change. Only a handful of copies were distributed before the. The book of mormon has undergone numerous textual revisions since its discovery in the 1820s, both before and after the death of joseph smith. In 2009, the gospel principles manual also underwent revsions. Contains a 16page introduction by jerald and sandra tanner which shows that the changes are not in harmony with the original text.

Royal skousen, changes in the book of mormon, interpreter. Of the 478 verses in the book of mormon quoted from the book of isaiah, 201 agree with the king james reading while 207 show variations. The book of mormon is divided into smaller books, titled after the individuals named as primary authors and, in most versions, divided into chapters and verses. An original first edition book of mormon has been photographed and is available for viewing at. He discusses each, and interested readers are directed to his online article for the specifics. Volumes have been written on its distinctive and rhythmic style, and it is still regarded as a triumph of modern english literature. The book of mormon is considered by mormons to be a companion to, not a replacement for, the bible. The book of mormon is supposed to be the account of people who came from the middleeast to the americas. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. The second edition of volume 4 of the book of mormon critical text project. The publication history of the book of mormon bruce satterfield department of religious education, brigham young university idaho this article appeared in the church news, jan. Seven years later, the second edition a minor revision of the book of mormon was printed in kirtland, ohio, by o.

The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as incorrect usage of jacobean english. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. Book of mormon since the first edition was published. Book of mormon, changes and missing doctrines this page displays many of the doctrines unique to mormonism which are nowhere to be found in the book of mormon itself, a book which supposedly contains the fulness. How many versions of the book of mormon are there answers. Lds leaders have added and deleted words and tampered with previously published revelations by writing in new material and falsely attributing it to an earlier date.