DOCSLIB.ORG

Textual Variants Part1

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Running Head analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon ᔢ analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon [ i ] the critical text of the book of mormon Volume One The Original Manuscript 4 Volume Two The Printer’s Manuscript part one Copyright 3 1830 Preface 1 Nephi 1 – Alma 17:26 part two Alma 17:26 – Moroni 10:34 Testimony of Three Witnesses Testimony of Eight Witnesses 4 Volume Four Analysis of Textual Variants part one Title Page 3 Witness Statements 1 Nephi 1 – 2 Nephi 10 part two 2 Nephi 11 – Mosiah 16 part three Mosiah 17 – Alma 20 part four Alma 21–55 part five Alma 56 – 3 Nephi 18 part six 3 Nephi 19 –Moroni 10 Addenda Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon Royal Skousen the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies brigham young university provo, utah 2014 ©2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Royal Skousen and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form, including but not limited to printed, electronic, or digital means, without written permission from the copyright holders. library of congress cataloguing-in-publication data Skousen, Royal. Analysis of textual variants of the Book of Mormon / Royal Skousen. p. cm. — (The critical text of the Book of Mormon ; v. 4) Includes bibliographical references. 1. Book of Mormon—Criticism, Textual. I. Title. II. Series. BX8627.S56 2004 289.3Ⱥ22—dc22 2004010131 ISBN: 978–0–934893–07–1 [Part One] ISBN: 978–0–934893–08–4[Part Two] ISBN: 978–0–934893–11–4 [Part Three] ISBN: 978–0–934893–12–1 [Part Four] ISBN: 978–0–934893–13–8[Part Five] ISBN: 978–0–934893–78–7 [Part Six] printed in the united states of america Table of Contents ᔢ Introduction 3 Principles of Textual Criticism The Original Text Textual Variants Conjectural Emendations 9 Publishing the Critical Text Project 10 Discussion of the Readings Scriptural Citations Bolding and Italics Spellings Punctuation Versification Manuscript Transcriptions Quotations Pronunciations Variables Constant References 14 Citing the Textual Variants Standard Textual Sources Early Sources for the Title Page Variant Specifications Adding and Deleting Words Indicating Whether the Original Manuscript Is Extant Changes within a Textual Source Ambiguities in the Manuscripts Additions and Deletions in the Manuscripts Types of Manuscript Changes Changes Made by Different Scribes Lemmatized Variants Special Symbols 23 Acknowledgments ᔢ Analysis of Textual Variants 27 Title Page 37 Witness Statements 41 1 Nephi 1–22 469 2 Nephi 1–33 analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon [ v ] Table of Contents 933 Jacob 1–7 1071 Enos, Jarom, Omni 1121 The Words of Mormon 1133 Mosiah 1–29 1573 Alma 1–63 2873 Helaman 1–16 3177 3 Nephi 1–30 3557 4 Nephi 3583 Mormon 1–9 3713 Ether 1–15 3889 Moroni 1–10 3963 Addenda [ vi ] analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon Running Head [this page left intentionally blank] [ 2 ] analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon Running Head Introduction Principles of Textual Criticism ᔢ The Original Text The purpose of this volume of the critical text (volume 4) is to determine the original English-language text of the Book of Mormon, to the extent that it can be determined by human means. I will generally refer to this text as simply the original text (that is, without repeating the attribute “English-language”). In other words, the term “original text” does not refer to the ancient-language text that the Book of Mormon was translated from. Basically, the original text refers to the English-language text that Joseph Smith saw by means of the interpreters and the seer stone. Although I myself believe that Joseph actually saw words of English, it is also possible that the English-language text he saw was in his mind’s eye rather than literally in the physical instruments. Under either interpretation, the term “original text” refers to the English-language text that Joseph received by revelation, but not necessarily to what Joseph dictated or what his scribes wrote down. Obviously, we do not have access to what Joseph himself actually saw. And of the current text of the Book of Mormon, only 28 percent is extant in the original manuscript (the text that the scribes wrote down as Joseph dictated the Book of Mormon). The printer’s manuscript (the copy of the original manuscript that Joseph’s scribes later made) is fully extant except for three manuscript lines. But this sec- ond manuscript is already twice removed from what was revealed to Joseph Smith. We also know that the 1830 edition (the first printed edition) was set from the original manuscript for about one-sixth of the Book of Mormon text (namely, from somewhere in Helaman 13 through the end of Mormon). That part of the 1830 edition is also twice removed from the original text. The rest of the 1830 edition was taken from the printer’s manuscript, so five-sixths of the 1830 edition is thrice removed from the original text. ᔢ Textual Variants Most of the changes discussed here in volume 4 will involve textual variation for some word or phrase. In citing each of these passages, I list the specific individual variants according to 22 textual sources: namely, the original manuscript (when extant), the printer’s manuscript, and 20 significant editions of the Book of Mormon. I will refer to editions published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as LDS editions. Similarly, editions published by the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon [ 3 ] Introduction named the Community of Christ) will be referred to as RLDS editions. Also, I will distinguish between the two churches as the LDS Church and the RLDS Church, but these names should be understood as conven- ient references to the o¤cial names of these churches. I will also maintain this terminology when referring to the di›ering LDS and RLDS textual traditions. Generally speaking, I rely on the earliest extant source (or sources) in determining the reading of the original text. In many instances, usage elsewhere in the text will strongly support the earliest reading. As an example, consider the following case of textual variation: 1 Nephi 12:18 and a great and a terrible gulf divideth them yea even the [sword 0|word 1ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of the justice of the eternal God The unknown scribe 2 in the original manuscript (represented by the number 0) wrote “the sword of the justice of the eternal God”. When Oliver Cowdery copied this passage into the printer’s manuscript (repre- sented by the number 1), he misread scribe 2’s original sword as word, with the result that all the editions (from the 1830 edition to the 1981 LDS edition, represented as A through T) have read “the word of the justice of the eternal God”. The critical text will accept the earliest reading. Significantly, usage elsewhere in the Book of Mormon strongly supports this use of sword. Nowhere else is there any reference to “the word of God’s justice”, but there are seven other references to “the sword of God’s justice”: Alma 26:19 the sword of his justice Alma 60:29 the sword of justice Helaman 13:5 the sword of justice (two times) 3 Nephi 20:20 the sword of my justice 3 Nephi 29:4 the sword of his justice Ether 8:23 the sword of the justice of the eternal God Note in particular that the phraseology in the last example (Ether 8:23) is precisely the same as the original reading in 1 Nephi 12:18. Throughout this volume, I will usually refer to usage elsewhere in the text when evaluating the variant readings. One particular problem that arises in the Book of Mormon text is that the grammatical usage, espe- cially in the earliest sources, is nonstandard. Generally speaking, I will accept such nonstandard usage, even though it may very well be that in some cases the original text read according to standard usage. As an example, consider how the scribes wrote down the past-tense form drowned in the manuscripts. Oliver Cowdery always wrote the standard form, drowned. Scribe 3 of the original manuscript also wrote down the standard past-tense form but with the spelling drownd. On the other hand, scribe 2 of the original manuscript wrote down drownded. In the following list, Oliver Cowdery is the scribe except as noted: original manuscript printer’s manuscript 1 Nephi 4:2 drownded (scribe 2) drowned 1 Nephi 8:32 drownd (scribe 3) drowned 1 Nephi 17:27 drowned drowned 1 Nephi 18:13 drowned drowned [ 4 ] analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon Introduction Alma 63:8 drowned drowned 3 Nephi 8:9 <not extant> drowned 3 Nephi 9:4 <not extant> drowned 3 Nephi 10:13 <not extant> drowned The critical text will accept drownded in the one place where we have evidence for its occurrence (namely, in 1 Nephi 4:2), even though all other occurrences of the past-tense form support drowned. It is possible that scribe 2 of the original manuscript (or even Joseph Smith) is responsible for the introduction of the nonstandard form drownded. But drownded is an actual form in dialectal English and the original text may have actually read drownded. Therefore, the critical text will accept it as the original text but only for this one occurrence in the earliest text (the original manuscript).
Recommended publications
  • “The Word Is in Christ Unto Salvation” Alma 32-35

    “The Word Is in Christ Unto Salvation” Alma 32-35

    BM#28 “The Word Is in Christ unto Salvation” Alma 32-35 I. Introduction II. Alma 32 III. Alma 33 IV. Alma 34 V. Alma 35 VI. Conclusions I. Introduction Alma, the younger, and his missionary companions go forth to teach the Zoramites. The people who are most receptive to their message are “among the poor class of people” (Alma 32:2). Because of their humility, Alma and his companions have success with them. Henry B. Eyring states, “Just as soil needs preparation for a seed, so does the human heart for the word of God to take root. Before he told the people to plant the seed, Alma told them that… the circumstances of their lives, which led them to be humble, had prepared them. They were then ready to hear the word of God.” (“To Touch a Life with Faith,” in Ensign, November 1995, 38). In Alma, Chapter 35, we learn that those who had converted to the gospel, “and they were many,…were cast out of the land…and they came over also to the land of Jershon” (Alma 35:6). As stated, the Zoramites who became members of the Church, were expelled from their own land. As refuges, they found acceptance by the people of Ammon in the land of Jershon. Outline of Alma 32-35: “Alma 32:1-27 Alma encourages the humble Zoramites to exercise faith and give place in their hearts for the word of God. “Alma 32:28-43 Alma compares the word of God to a seed that is planted in people’s hearts.
  • 2. Biblical Texts Introduced Into the Book of Mormon

    2. Biblical Texts Introduced Into the Book of Mormon

    2 Biblical Texts introduced into the Book of Mormon One thing is clear in reading the Book of Mormon. It reads like the Bible. Why this is so has been discussed since 1830. This chapter will cite the opinions of individuals who have studied the use of the Old Testament and New Testament in the composition of the Book of Mormon. Paul Gutjahr wrote concerning the Antebellum print culture: "The absolute dominance of the King James Version in early American culture allowed its language and style to establish itself in a unique linguistic role. Because Elizabethan English was no longer the common idiom among antebellum Americans, Americans associated the style of language found in the King James Version with the sacred. Thus, the King James Version not only contained holy words, but its massive presence and linguistic influence in American culture fostered the impression that all holy words must sound like the language found on its pages. "Joseph Smith had intentionally tried to emulate the biblical style of the King James in his volume. Far from attempting to make his book fit in with the contemporary idiom, Smith wanted his book to stand out and give the impression that it was holy scripture. While various translators of the Bible in English were beginning to take the 'eth' endings off words in this period, Smith was putting them on..."1 When a person examines the Book of Mormon it becomes evident that large portions were supplied from biblical texts and used during the dictation of the book. It is apparent that Joseph Smith Jr., the revelator/editor of the Book of Mormon, worked from an already present text of the King James Version of the Bible.
  • Mosiah First Translation

    Mosiah First Translation

    Mosiah First Translation – taken from John Welch, The Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon, as found in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations 1820-1844, p. 115-117 Footnote 111. See note 72 above. Two theories exist about the order in which the Book of Mormon was translated in 1829. The book of Lehi was translated and lost in 1828. In March 1829, the translation resumed with both Samuel Smith and Emma acting as scribe for a few pages (document 12). In April 1829, Oliver Cowdery arrived and the pace of the work accelerated. Where in the text did Joseph begin at this time? Did he pick up where the 116 pages had left off (around the time of King Benjamin near Mosiah 1), or did he start at the beginning of the Small Plates (with 1 Nephi 1)? A few considerations make the “Mosiah-first” theory more plausible than the “Nephi-first” theory: First, which scripture triggered the experience of the Three Witnesses in June 1829, toward the end of the translation? Was it Ether 5:2–4 or 2 Nephi 27:12, 22? If they were translating 2 Nephi in June, this would strongly indicate that they had begun with Mosiah in April and had returned after finishing Moroni in May to translate the Small Plates of Nephi in June. On the other hand, if they were translating the Book of Ether in June, this would support the Nephi-first theory, since in the few days remaining in June after the experience of the Three Witnesses there would have been only enough time left to finish Ether and Moroni.
  • Vol. 21 Num. 1 the FARMS Review

    Vol. 21 Num. 1 the FARMS Review

    Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 Volume 21 Number 1 Article 18 2009 Vol. 21 Num. 1 The FARMS Review FARMS Review Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Review, FARMS (2009) "Vol. 21 Num. 1 The FARMS Review," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011: Vol. 21 : No. 1 , Article 18. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol21/iss1/18 This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. The FARMS Review The FARMS Review Published under the Auspices of the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies and the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies Director Paul Y. Hoskisson Editor Daniel C. Peterson Associate Editors Louis C. Midgley George L. Mitton Production Editor Don L. Brugger Cover Design Andrew D. Livingston Layout Alison Coutts Jacob D. Rawlins Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602–5900, USA Phone: (801) 422-9229 Toll Free: (800) 327-6715 FAX: (801) 422-0040 E-mail: [email protected] Web: maxwellinstitute.byu.edu The FARMS Review Volume 21 • Number 1 • 2009 ! Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship Brigham Young University © 2009 Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship Brigham Young University All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America ISSN 1550-3194 To Our Readers The Neal A.
  • Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325

    Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325

    Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325 Prepared by the Church Educational System Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah Send comments and corrections, including typographic errors, to CES Editing, 50 E. North Temple Street, Floor 8, Salt Lake City, UT 84150-2722 USA. E-mail: <[email protected]> Second edition © 1981, 2001 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America English approval: 4/02 Table of Contents Preface . vii Section 21 Maps . viii “His Word Ye Shall Receive, As If from Mine Own Mouth” . 43 Introduction The Doctrine and Covenants: Section 22 The Voice of the Lord to All Men . 1 Baptism: A New and Everlasting Covenant . 46 Section 1 The Lord’s Preface: “The Voice Section 23 of Warning”. 3 “Strengthen the Church Continually”. 47 Section 2 Section 24 “The Promises Made to the Fathers” . 6 “Declare My Gospel As with the Voice of a Trump” . 48 Section 3 “The Works and the Designs . of Section 25 God Cannot Be Frustrated” . 9 “An Elect Lady” . 50 Section 4 Section 26 “O Ye That Embark in the Service The Law of Common Consent . 54 of God” . 11 Section 27 Section 5 “When Ye Partake of the Sacrament” . 55 The Testimony of Three Witnesses . 12 Section 28 Section 6 “Thou Shalt Not Command Him Who The Arrival of Oliver Cowdery . 14 Is at Thy Head”. 57 Section 7 Section 29 John the Revelator . 17 Prepare against the Day of Tribulation . 59 Section 8 Section 30 The Spirit of Revelation .
  • Joseph Smith and the Creation of the Book of Mormon A

    Joseph Smith and the Creation of the Book of Mormon A

    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Performing Revelation: Joseph Smith and the Creation of The Book of Mormon A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies by William Davis 2016 © Copyright by William Davis 2016 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Performing Revelation: Joseph Smith’s Oral Performance of The Book of Mormon by William Davis Doctor of Philosophy in Theater and Performance Studies University of California, Los Angeles, 2016 Professor Michael Colacurcio, Co-Chair Professor Michael Hackett, Co-Chair In 1830, Joseph Smith Jr. published The Book of Mormon and subsequently founded a new American religion. According to Smith, The Book of Mormon represented the English translation of an authentic record, written in “Reformed Egyptian,” concerning ancient Israelites who migrated to the Americas in approximately 600 B.C.E. Smith’s purported translation of this sacred history, however, did not occur by traditional means. Rather than directly consulting the record and providing an English rendition, Smith employed a method of divination by placing a “seer stone” into the bottom of his hat, holding the hat to his face to shut out all light, and then he proceeded to dictate the entire text of The Book of Mormon in an extended oral performance, without the aid of notes or manuscripts. By his side, Smith’s scribes wrote down the entire text verbatim in the moment Smith uttered them. As a result, at over 500 printed pages, The Book of Mormon stands as one of the longest recorded oral performances in the history of the United States.
  • A More Perfect Priority?

    A More Perfect Priority?

    Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 Volume 6 Number 1 Article 12 1994 A More Perfect Priority? Matthew Roper Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Roper, Matthew (1994) "A More Perfect Priority?," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011: Vol. 6 : No. 1 , Article 12. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol6/iss1/12 This Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title A More Perfect Priority? Author(s) Matthew Roper Reference Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 6/1 (1994): 362–78. ISSN 1050-7930 (print), 2168-3719 (online) Abstract Review of “The Priority of Mosiah: A Prelude to Book of Mormon Exegesis” (1993), by Brent Lee Metcalfe. Brent Lee Metcalfe, "The Priority of Mosiah: A Prelude to Book of Mormon Exegesis." Pp. 395-444. A More Perfect Priority? Reviewed by Mauhew Roper In his recent essay, "The Priority of Mosiah: A Prelude to Book of Mormon Exegesis," Brent Lee Metcalfe examines his· torical and textual evidence relating to the dictation sequence of the Book of Mormon and its bearing upon its authorship. However, Metcalfe's chief interest is not so much to establish the priority of the book of Mosiah in the translation sequence of the Book of Mormon, a theory which few writers doubt today, but to show that the Book of Mormon narrative displays certain anomalies which can best be explained by viewing Joseph Smith not as translator of an ancient scriptural text, but as a modern author of a fictional nineteenth·century narrative.
  • Textual Similarities in the Words of Abinadi and Alma's Counsel to Corianton

    Textual Similarities in the Words of Abinadi and Alma's Counsel to Corianton

    Textual Similarities in the Words of Abinadi and Alma’s Counsel to Corianton John Hilton III he text of the Book of Mormon makes it clear that individuals who lived Tin later time periods had access to the teachings of earlier prophets. King Benjamin “caused that the words which he spake should be written and sent forth among those that were not under the sound of his voice, that they might also receive his words” (Mosiah 2:8). This instance was not the only sending forth of the written prophetic word. In Alma 63:12, Mormon tells us, “All those engravings which were in the possession of Helaman [these likely included the words of Alma, Amulek, Abinadi, Benjamin, and others] were written and sent forth among the children of men throughout all the land.” When preaching to the people of Ammonihah, Alma alludes to King Benjamin’s words, suggesting that, although apostate, the people of Ammo- nihah may have had access to the prophetic word of a previous generation (see Alma 13:28, compare Mosiah 3:19). In his address to the poor Zoramites, Alma clearly alludes to Zenos, Zenock, and Moses, leading the reader to believe that even these individuals with lower socioeconomic status were familiar with teachings from the brass plates (see Alma 33:3–20). Helaman’s counsel to his sons Nephi and Lehi indicates that they had access to the works of previous prophets.1 Later textual evidence suggests that words 1. He told them, “O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Ben- jamin spake unto his people.
  • Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique

    Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique

    Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 Volume 22 Number 2 Article 8 2010 Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique Kevin Christensen Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Christensen, Kevin (2010) "Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique," Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011: Vol. 22 : No. 2 , Article 8. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/msr/vol22/iss2/8 This Response to Criticisms is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Review of Books on the Book of Mormon 1989–2011 by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Title Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique Author(s) Kevin Christensen Reference FARMS Review 22/2 (2010): 155–94. ISSN 1550-3194 (print), 2156-8049 (online) Abstract Review of “A Further Inquiry into the Historicity of the Book of Mormon” (1982), by William D. Russell. Hindsight on a Book of Mormon Historicity Critique Kevin Christensen Review of William D. Russell. “A Further Inquiry into the Historicity of the Book of Mormon.” Sunstone, September–October 1982, 20–27. Every problem that normal science sees as a puzzle can be seen, from another viewpoint, as a counterinstance and thus as a source of crisis.1 ook of Mormon historicity remains a hot topic in Latter-day Saint Bcircles, as it should, given the implications one way or the other.
  • History Through Seer Stones: Mormon Historical Thought 1890-2010

    History Through Seer Stones: Mormon Historical Thought 1890-2010

    History Through Seer Stones: Mormon Historical Thought 1890-2010 by Stuart A. C. Parker A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto © Copyright by Stuart A. C. Parker 2011 History Through Seer Stones : Mormon Historical Thought 1890-2010 Stuart A. C. Parker Doctor of Philosophy Department of History University of Toronto 2011 Abstract Since Mark Leone’s landmark 1979 study Roots of Modern Mormonism , a scholarly consensus has emerged that a key element of Mormon distinctiveness stems from one’s subscription to an alternate narrative or experience of history. In the past generation, scholarship on Mormon historical thought has addressed important issues arising from these insights from anthropological and sociological perspectives. These perspectives have joined a rich and venerable controversial literature seeking to “debunk” Mormon narratives, apologetic scholarship asserting their epistemic harmony or superiority, as well as fault-finding scholarship that constructs differences in Mormon historical thinking as a problem that must be solved. The lacuna that this project begins to fill is the lack of scholarship specifically in the field of intellectual history describing the various alternate narratives of the past that have been and are being developed by Mormons, their contents, the methodologies by which they are produced and the theories of historical causation that they entail. This dissertation examines nine chronica (historical narratives
  • C. a Chronological List of Pertinent Writings on Bible Quotations and Language Uses That Are Part of the Book of Mormon

    C. a Chronological List of Pertinent Writings on Bible Quotations and Language Uses That Are Part of the Book of Mormon

    C. A Chronological List of Pertinent Writings on Bible Quotations and Language Uses That Are Part of the Book of Mormon In his well-researched book, Mormons and the Bible, Harvard-trained Philip L. Barlow, a noted scholar on American religious history, writes the following: The Bible’s broad influence in America from the time of the initial English settlements seems intuitively obvious . the scriptures were prominent from the first (see Hath and Noll, eds., The Bible in America). .l . In 1816, a national organization had formed in order to—as its constitution put it— “claim our place in the age of Bibles.” In less than four years the American Bible Society had distributed nearly one hundred thousand copies of the Holy Book. (see Whitney R. Cross, The Burned- Over District: The Social and Intellectual History of Enthusiastic Religion in Western New York, 1800-1850, p. 127) After some further discussion Barlow writes: All their lives the Smiths were a Bible-believing family in a Bible-believing culture. Into such a family, at the turn of the nineteenth century, Joseph Smith Jr., the future Mormon prophet, was born. He produced more scripture—scripture that at once challenged yet reinforced biblical authority, and that echoed biblical themes, interpreted biblical passages, shared biblical content, corrected biblical errors, filled biblical gaps, was built with biblical language, and restored biblical methods, namely the prophetic process itself. (Source: Philip L. Barlow, Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991, p. 3-5, 10-12.) In view of such conditions, it was not surprising that from the very beginning, questions arose as to the biblical content of the Book of Mormon.
  • Nibley's Commentary on the Book of Mormon

    Nibley's Commentary on the Book of Mormon

    Nibley’s Commentary On The Book of Mormon Sharman Bookwalter Hummel, Editor Selections from all Four Volumes Teachings of the Book of Mormon by Hugh W. Nibley Volume 1 (Edited from Semester 1, 2) Nibley’s Commentary on The Book of Mormon is based on transcriptions from classes taught by Hugh Nibley, and is published with the permission of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship and Nibley LLC. It is not sponsored or endorsed by either the Maxwell Institute or Brigham Young University, and represents only the opinions and/or editorial decisions of Hugh Nibley and Sharman B. Hummel.” See http://www.nibleys-commentary.com/ Our thanks to Jimmy Sevilleno [email protected] for e-book conversion Dedication To the Ancient Prophet Moroni, the last Editor of The Book of Mormon, who knew through prophecy the problems of our day, and who as an Angel was assigned to restore the Gospel at the hands of a Modern Prophet Joseph Smith. Contents Preface . 7 About Hugh Nibley . 9 Lecture 1 Introduction . 11 Lecture 2 Introduction . 23 Lecture 3 Introduction . 31 Lecture 4 Introduction . 36 Lecture 5 (Jeremiah) . 43 Lecture 6 Omitted By Editor . 46 Lecture 7 1 Nephi 1; Jeremiah . 47 Lecture 8 1 Nephi . 55 Lecture 9 1 Nephi 1-3, 15 . 58 Lecture 10 (Dead Sea Scrolls). 66 Lecture 11 1 Nephi 4-7 . 70 Lecture 12 1 Nephi 8-11 . 90 Lecture 13 1 Nephi 12-14 . 105 Lecture 14 1 Nephi 15-16 . 125 Lecture 15 1 Nephi 17-19, 22. 139 Lecture 16 2 Nephi 1-4 .