ZARAHEMLA t@REGORD i I ; ii I

Allresearch is conductedwith a biasor "viewpoint."This is trueno matter L'how "objective"the researchermay be, The biasor viewpointheld by ZarahemlaResearch Foundation is thatthe Bookof Mormonwas written by ancientHebrews on metalplates, divinely preserved and delivered to .While this is primarily a conviction based on faith, there is a risingtide of evidenceto supportthis viewpoint. Thepast two issues of theRecord have explored some of themost convin- cingtestimony ever that this assertion is true.The presence of qualityHebrew poetryin suchabundance within the Bookof Mormonmust be accounted for outsideof JosephSmith or anyoneelse in the 1830's, Whenthe truesignificance of thepoetry dawns upon us, we thenrealize theimportance of eachword of thetext. Therefore, we nowturn to a studyof thewords of the originaland printer's manuscripts. This issue and the next issuewill be devotedto themanuscripts and editions of theBook of Mormon. We believethis research will provide a betterunderstanding of, andgreater appreciationfor, this miraculous book.

I ,^. by Lucy Mack Smithto her sister- ^^- in-law.The lettercontained the informationthat Sariahwas the

rn#l I I I ;;;;'il. llopaseswhichwourd \ havebeen the onlypart of the - ir tl--LaIt I Bookof Mormontranslated by the i iit!''ot thetetter. Ashworth atso purchasedfrom Hofmann a letter supposedlywritten by MartinHar- HISTORICALDOCUMENTS ris reaffirminghis testimonyof the PROBABLEFORGERIES Bookn^^l- of ^t Mormon tt--,-^--^ (lbid. ,lL!i pp, 96-97),AA Atr

o',:-"::' o-'. WilliamHofmann "discovereo' Ine - ,- -":'l': v"t," 's' n".l,r":' ;;ili;;riii'non transcript o.i*..n arrangement93131:I^1Pf?',?1s.?jll9in Utahwhere he*^ has,^^^ the pagesof a 1668;'::;'x^.j;:':,' Camb , BibleEtihr^ purportedn,.rarrra:r tor^ rrar,^have been^^^^-o- been indicted for murder, Mark

lishedan articlebased on tr found the tools and "new" Anthontranscript in'iie equipmentI':.:,l"u" necessary to create Zirdneiia Aecord#11vv^'i^ ' documentsin Hof' ;;r inenreprinted in ntr'ii' -i{hentic"

, ment9, li^":,!i"{-' pp.- 51'53'v!';;;;;i;;; ' vY' ffi}:S,ilT?;AX?Ti,,T'tLiJ13|,v''r"v "rv' rr the;;'rv'vr'' forging process, will be The Joseph Smith blessing availableshortly, l^^---^^-^L ^r a A/ rL-----L 9fyfglt99cyT91t ofor 1e811981 came throught[.orgl Becauseso manyauthorities in lrrt.t.HofmanntllllLDS Church tnethe various fields have been and then to the RLDSChurch in deceivedby thesedocuments, a exchangefor an 1833 Bookof

r..--rrv vtttvvrvrrJ vr, r .- 1,.-o--. In 1982, BrentAshworth, a discussand explore the problems

Provoa rvvv rsrrlawyer, purchased vrrsvvY fromrrY Hof. of authenticatinghistorical manna lettersupposedly written documents

2 PARTl: MAilUSGRIPTS0F THEB00K 0F M0RM01{ fiold Platos, Fool$0ru rlnter's

In this first of two articles, the history and descriptionof the manuscnpts utill be presented,Part II - Edifi'onsof the Book of Ink lvlormon- will be an oueruiewof the 1830, 1837, 1840, 1874 and 1908 editionswith examples by thlrley R. Heater comparingthe textswith the manuscripts.We hope that this reuiewof the manusuipts and editions of the Book of Mormon will giue the reader THE116 LOST PAGES (Book of Lehl) a greater understandingof the present-dag editions of the Book of Mormon, Table 1 illustrates the T f," goldenplates were delivered to JosephSmith, sequence and relationships of the different I Jr., by the angelMoroni on September22, 1827. manuscripts and editions. They consistedof Mormon'sabridgment of the large platesof Nephi,along with Moroni'swritings, the unabridgedsmall platesof Nephi,and a sealedpor' tion. Josephbegan his work of translationfrom Mormon'sabridgment which beganwith the Book of Lehi. Usingdivinely prepared interpreters, Joseph read from the plates(2 Nephi 11 2142; lsaiah 29:221.V.), dictatingto a scribewho wrote as he spoke.Joseph's wife, Emma, and her brother,Reuben Hale, were P scribesduring this earlyperiod of translation.Martin PRINTER'S Harrisbecame the primaryscribe after he joined the work. At least 116 pageswere completed by mid- MAllUSCRlpr June, 1828.After much persistence,Martin obtained Joseph'spermission to borrowthe manuscript.In additionto showingthe manuscriptto his wife, father and mother,brother and sister-in-law,Martin also showedit to others;the manuscriptdisappeared and was never recovered. After the loss of the manuscript,Joseph lost his gift to translateand had to surrenderthe platesand interpretersto the angelMoroni. They were returned to Joseph three months later on September22, 7828.

OHIGINAIMANU$CRIPT

I t was some time beforethe work of translating I beganagain as evidencedby Joseph'sstatement: "l did not howevergo immediatelyto translating,but went to laboringwith my handsupon a srnallfarm which I had purchasedof my wife'sfather, in order to '- PART.rt,:If,AIIUSGRIPTS OF TllE BOOK OF il|ORt|Oil providefor my family" (fES 3:817).Joseph resumed iranslatingduring the winter of 1828-1829with Emma t3 -l Smith and SamuelSmith assistingas scribes.Only a small portion had beentranslated when the work was interruptedagain. This is evidencedby a revelation \ '1.829, o given in March, (Dt'C 5:6a)which states:"When \ thou hast translateda few more pagesthou shalt stop S € for a season. . ." Translationbegan full-time after (o Oliver Cowderyanrived in Harmony,Pennsylvania in I \ April and becameJoseph's scribe.Martin I 6 Harrisalso wrote again for Joseph at some point. I b. Then,in the first four daysof June, 1,829,Joseph, J with Whitmerto Flg. 1. Two sizes of "foolscap" paperwere used in the Emma and Oliver moved David the Originalmanuscript. The drawingabove illustrateshow they home of his father,Peter Whitmer, in Fayette,New were folded to create two differentpage Eizes.a. The longer York. Translatingresumed on June 5th with members pagesresulted when 13-114" x 16-1/2" sheetswere folded of the Whitmer family also assistingin recording. and sewn the.longdirection, thus creatingo Fogggize of ,, 6-5/8" x 16-1/2". Firstand of the surviving Applicationwas made for a copyrighton June 11, Originalmanuscript pages are thie size. See figure 2. b. The 7829,and it is believedthat the work of translating shorter page$were oreatedfiom 13" x, l6",sheetg,,which the Book of Mormon was completedby July 7, 7829. wer.efolded and sewn the short length, resulting,in q page size of 8" x 13". This'isthe size of the existingiiages from the' It is estimatedthat the actualtime spenttranslating Bookof Alma. was 65 to 75 days.This was a miraculousfeat-a manuscriptof over 288,000words, written one time, particulars forth straightthrough, in spite of severalinterruptions- the world all the of the:coming of,the . it was not:,expedient when comparedwith "scholarly"translations of the Book of Mormon;and also. . it took thirteenyears for Martin .,. . to relate thesethings," A revelationreceived , . For example, iiafter,hav', Luthei to translatethe Bible, fifteen yearsfor 32 sevendays after the confer€rc€ stateslhat scholarsto translatethe RevisedStandard Version, ing receivedthe recordof the Nephiles,Vgar even my power and fourteenyears for 82 translatorsto preparethe servantJoseph Smith, Jr., might have to power EnglishRevised. The King JamesVersion was trans- translate,through the mercy of God, by the of (D€'C lated in two yearsand nine monthsby 54,scholars. Cod, the Book of Mormon" 1:5d;see also 165 3:707\.The Book of Mormon text itself corroborates that this recordwould come forth "by the gift and hen Joseph'sgift to translatewas restoredto Powerofthe.Lamb',(1Nephi..3:185).:....:' page him, he was instructednot to redo what he had Concerningthe translationof the title of the perqonal previouslytranslated. Instead, he was to translatethe Book of Mormon, Joseph said in his history: unabridgedsmall platesof Nephi(which covered the I wish also to mention.here, that the title pageof the Book sameperiod of time as the 116 lost-pagestranslated of Mormon is a literaltranslation, taken from the very last from the largeplates) and then continuewhere he had leaf,on the left hand side of the cqllectionor book of ,,1 plates,which containedthe recordwhich has been left,offin translatingthe abridgment.' translated;the languageof the whole,running,th€;6-Brne?s However,we know that some pagesfrom the initial all Hebrewwriting in general;and that, saidtitle,page isrnot translatingeffort (beyond the 116 lost pages)re- by any meansa modern composition,eitherof mine or of. mainedin Joseph'spossession. In D€'C3:9b, Joseph any other man'swho has livedor does live in this genera- was tion. Therefore,ih order to correctan e'rrorwhiih geneially told: part page existsconeerning it, I give belowthat of the title ', . . .therefore, you shall translatethe engravings which are of the Englishversion of the Book of Morrnon,which is a on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the genuine ind llterattranslation of the title page of the reign of King Benjamin, or until you come to that which OriginalBook of Mormon,as recordedon the plates.(Em- you have translated, which gou haue retained;(Emphasis added) Followingthis statement,Joseph includes the title, ,Josephshared very little about the actualprocess sub-heading,and the two paragraphsfrom the title, of t:ranslating.He was told by the Lord'that people pageof the 1830 Book of Mormon."The remaindeiof "would not believeyou, my servantJoseph, if it were the title page is of course,modern," Joseph states possibleyou could show them all thesethings. . . I (I6s 3:943). havereserved those things which I haveentrusted un- It is apparentthat what Josephdid was not "or- to you, my servantJoseph, and it shall be made dinary" translating.Normally, a translatormust know known unto future generations"(Dt'C 5:2c,3a). both languages.We are told by the authorsof the Josephwas askedby his brother,Hyrum, to relate Book of Mormoh that they wrote in reformed Egyp- "the,informationof the coming forth of the Book of tian, usingthe Hebrewpattern, and that because Mormon" at a churchconference which was held "non'bother people knowetho-ur,language, therefore October25, 7831,at Orange,Ohio. Thb minutesre- he [the Lord] hath preparedmeans for the interpreta- cord his response-that "it was not intendedto tell tion thereof"(Mormon 4:100). Oescrfptfonof the OriginalManuscrfpt

T f,u paperused for the Original I manuscriptwas called"fools- cap." Foolscaprefers to a water- mark of a jester'scap on writing paper.This specialwriting paper was unruledand generallymeas- ured 12" to 1,3-1,12"wide by 15" to 17" long. The survivingOriginal manuscriptpages are of two sizes. They were folded and then hand- sewnwith bindingthread along the fold. However,it is not known when the sewingof the folded sheetsactually occurred.The originalpaper sizes and fold lines are shownin the drawingsin figure 1. Two manuscriptpages with the fold and bindingthreads visible are shownin the photo in figure 2. When the LDS church preparedthe sheetsfor laminating,the threads were removedand the pagescut along the fold.

Fig.2. The Originalmanuscript page to the right(1 Nephi2:28-50) shows the foldline and stitchingbefore the bindingthreads were removedand the sheetscut apartfor deacid. ificationand lamination.A portionof the other sideof the samepage (1 Nephi2:50-75) i6 shownbelow with the fold lineand threads from-thereverse side visible.

" i*i'$;1$ gi-;.l;ri) rdu $fi;$i$i #l ' ;ffiiJr .{"1g*@4,,+tfr-U ug{*l 4{,"#.# {y* {Off#T& H f; ffi f ..,$ { ao{il/ l Flg..3. This pagefrom theOriginal manusoriPt (1 Nephi2:32-411 showsthat the writlng is continuouswlthout Punc' tuationor paragraphdivl' sions.Final letters aresometimes dropped andwords are divided improperly,such as "bec-aus"at theend of line2 andbeginning of line3, Sometimesdi' videdwords were hy' phenated(see beginning of lines3, 10 and16) butusually they were not. Somewords are mis' spelledor archaicspell' ingsare used, such as "ware"for "were"on line2. Somewords are un' 4,/+ffi necessarilycapitalized ("Away,"line 2; "Came," line12; "And," line 13), whileother proper nouns arenot capitalized (e.9., ffitu "i," "god,"repeated severaltirnes; "ishmagl," line13).

The Original manuscript is handwritten on both 4 on which appear the handwritings of two scribes. sides of the paper. Many early sources indicated that The heading is in the same handwriting as that on the the pages were numbered. Numbers are visible on last portion of the page. only a few pages today due to fading or frayed and missing corners. Writing is continuous with no paragraph division, no punctuation, only some PRINTER'SMANUSCRIPT capitalization of proper names, and random capitaliza- tion of other words. A few words are divided at the ends of lines with no regard for syllabification. On the ccording to his mother, Lucy, Joseph received a Original manuscript page in figure 3, some misspell- commandment from the Lord following the ing of words can also be seen, although some are completionof the Originalmanuscript by July 1, archaic spellings. 7829,that Oliver Cowderywas to preparea copy of Only a small number of scribal corrections are the entire manuscriptfor securitypurposes. A guard evident on the Original manuscript. Corrections made was to be constantlyon watch at the housewhere at the time of dictation are obvious because incorrect Oliverwas working in order to provideprotection for words are crossed out and the correct word or phrase the manuscripts.Oliver begancopying the manuscript follows immediately afterward. Other corrections immediatelyand printingbegan a shorttime later, inserted above the line could have been done then or after a contractwas securedwith E. B. Grandinon at a later time. It should also be noted that misspell- August 77, 7829.It was the copy made by Oliver-the "Printer's ings and capitalizations vary with scribes. copy"-which was carriedto the printer's A "subject caption" or heading appears at the top office,a few pagesat a time, also with a guard in at- of each manuscript page. These headings were added tendance.According to John H. Gilbert,typesetter after the completion of each page. This conclusion is and pressmanfor the printer of the 1830 Book of drawn from examples such as the page seen in figure Mormon,the first installmentdelivered to the printer was24 pageslong and was picked up and returnedat monthsafter the work was begun.In the letter,dated the end of the day'.swork. This ritual was repeated November6, 1829,Oliver states,"l havejust got to daily, exceptfor the few times when Gilberttook Alma [sic]commandment to his Son [sic]in coppying portionshome to readand punctuatein preparation [sic]the manuscrip[sic] . . . " This passageis just past for printing. the half-waypoint (Alma 17) in the Book of Mormon. Oliver continuedto work on the copy while the We knowthat the printingand bindingwas completed typesettingand printingwas in process.(Others must by March 26, 1,830,when the first copiesof the haveassisted him due to the appearanceof other 1830edition (5,000 total) of the Book of Mormon handwritingson the Printer'smanuscript.) lt took wereoffered for saleto the public.This indicatesthat some time for the task of copyingto be completed,as Oliverwas just keepingahead of the printerin prepar- noted in a letterfrom Oliver to Josephalmost four ing the manuscriptcopy.

Flg. 4 This pageof the Originalmanuscript (1 Nephi1:57.80) was writ. ten by two different scribes. OliverCowdery wrote the first portion.An unidentifiedscribe (previouslythought to be )wrote the secondhalf of the page (see arrow midwaydown the page).The unidentified handwritingmatches that of the headin! at the top of the page,indicating that the headings(which occur at the top of each page) were added after the page had beenwritten. The headingon this page reads,"Nephi goeth up to jerusalemto bringhis father/therecords of the jew," T;.ffi**::*i.,.-:

ffisiffi;::.:$*''"w** N"' .k*-

.:'.i.;l ;; l',* ,Sw '* '.W* sffios*aswsig @

JLd"{."s s*{"d "aa"s"*d$$.sf lyrf **.ffif fuxq"d

w*."Wa @-W-ge tosh$skWS-"gM

: j Fig. 5, This is the first page of the text from the Printer'smanusciiPt (,Chapter 1,). lt in' cludesNephi's synopsis '::andlver*es 1' thf$.irgh7' lt was copied trom tne OriginalmanuscriPt using tfre same form (no Punc- ,,ituatlsh:oiparagi h civi" . ,slont, , : : t: : I I : I The following26 words aie'missingfrom verse 7 at the bqttom o{ the page: "the, . .'carriedaway in a vision even that he saw ii,,.,the,,hB.#VsrtB op€fi 'and he. thought he saw God sitting ubon his thronesur- .' 'rounded with numberless.. . " :';*"U*,*_j Descriptionof tfie Printer'sManuscrtpt (the1840 edition, which was based on the 1837).On bctober2, 1841,Joseph Smith placed the Original T f,u Printer'smanuscript is comprised of 464 manuscript,along with other items, in the cornerstone I numberedpages with two unnumberedpages of of the Nauvoo House. Joseph specified that it was the prefacemateriai lthe CopyrightCertificate and Preface Original manuscript in a statement dated December written by JosephSmith, Jr., both of which were 29, 1841. : . printed in ttre t'AfOedition of the Book of Mormon). ln September,1882, after fmma Smith'sdeath,,her The manuscriptis completeand legibleexcept for the secondhusband, Major LewisBidamon, opened the bottom of the first sheetof text (seefigure 5). The cornerstoneof the NauvooHouse during a remodeling bottom of this first sheetis worn away,losing the last project.He removedthe Originalmanuscript only to two linesof writing;26 wordsare missingfrom the find that its conditionhad deteriorateddue to damage front side and 30 wordsare missingfrom the back from waterseepage. lt was believedthat Bidamon side of the sheet.An occasionalword or partialword equallydivided the survivingPages between the LDS is missingalong the edgeof a pageor a cornerwhich and RLDSchurches (CH 6:62; also Burgess1'934:137). riur riuv"i. The"pag,=,,iuuru re'7l5l}" by 12-77176" However,the LDS churchdid not receiveportions of with hand-rulingadcled, possibly by the individual the Originalmanuscript directly from Bidamon.In' scribes.The numberof linesof writingvaries from 32 stead,the pageswere given to individualswho visited to 38.- Nauvooand then laterturned them over to the A; on the Originalmanuscript, the writingis one church. According to DeanJessee, of the LDS Church long paragraPhwithout punctuation.Every line is Historian'sOffice, that churchnow holdsa total of filled. Also as on thr: Original,some wordsare sePa' 744 pages(-two leaves), plus numerouspartial ratedat the endsof lines.RLDS Church Historian pagesand fragments,or about one'thirdof the total RichardHoward notes that "only sporadicpunctuation manuscript(1970:276; see also F.A.R.M.S. 1984a). and printer'smarks aPPearon a small numberof. Thesepages and fragmentsare from First and Second pages"and that the'y"aPpear to havebeen added Nephi,Alma and .However, many of the iater,some with penciland some with instrumentand survivingpages are damaged,with holesor missing inil aiff"rent from those usedin writing the manu' corners.lt is not likely that much survivedbeyond script" (1969:37).Fiirst-hand testimony of John C.ilbert Third Nephi,since the bottom sheetsof the manu' coniirmsthat therewas no punctuationand that he scriptwould havereceived the most severedamage' was responsiblefor pencilmarks on the manuscript: whiie in the cornerstone.Additional manuscript por' "For two or three ni:ghtsI took it home with me and tionsremain in privateand publicholdings. lt is also readit, and punctuertedit with a leadpencil. This will conceivablethat other leavesor fragmentsstill exist pr.lnctuationmarks in pencil" (Wood in the future. 6 showsfrag- u..ount for ihe and may turn,up .Figure 1958). mentsof the OriginalmanuscriPt. In the processof copying,the scribecorrected When JosephSmith lll was residingin Lamoni,Iowa, some *oidt which \ileremisspelled on the Original Bidamonsenf him pagesfrom the . manuscript.However, additional misspellings and BrotherSmith statedat the 1908General Conference archaicspellings are noted on the Printer'smanuscript that he had received"half a dozenPages" (CCttI which did not occut on the Original.In some in' 1908:1129).Within two to threemonths after obtain' stances,proper nanleswhich had not been capitalized ing the pages,the writing had fadedand the Pages on the Oiiginal were not capitalizedon the Printer's. eventuallvdeteriorated and crumbled.In 1951,ln an addressai a Book of Mormon Institute,Israel fi. Smith statedthat "an examinationof photostatsof HAPPENEDTO pageswe receivedfrom Bidamoncauses us to believe WHAT theywere in Cowdery'shandwriting" (Srnith 1951: THEMANUSCRIPTS? 255).No other mention of these photostatshas been found,and theirwhereabouts is unknown. fter the first erditionof the Book of Mormon was n printed in 18i10,Joseph Smith kept-theOriginal manuicript in his possession,and Oliver Cowderyre' tainedthe copy he had prepared-the Printer's manuscript.In additionto the Printer'smanuscript be- inq usedio print the 1830edition of the Book of M6rmon, it was alsrtused to preparethe 1837edition. When Oliver left th,echurch in 1838,he took the Printer'smanuscript with him. Oliver died in 1850 and the Printer'smanuscript went to his brother'in-law, ,who kept the manuscriptunder his bed tied in old newspapers.

OriginalManusrcriPt ' give W il['B:;f;:li**::$:ir,:T:,;'*:t:::ff Flg. 6. Many fragmentsfrom the Originalmanuscript e,videnc.e9f then available)lvas the source for a small number of the manuscript'sfragile condition-a resultof the dampconditions in the changes in the next edition of the tsook of Mormon NauvooHouse cornerstone. tu*#fu,m"gi *.q.n ffi **** *s fuJ** r,n*s. ffi #*#llffift-ffi- o-*y***-***'fru""* fo

/ Lq E*' E^fr' L-'*64^#ed-.**f, er Ad aL;r."* fih-

Flg.7. Two handwrltingsamples are shown here from the Printer'smanuscript (upper photo - Alma 6:38-42; lower photo - Alma 12:57.60). Hand-rulingby the scribe caused irregularline spacingwhich is seen in the lower photo. Also note th€ added punctuationmarks.

Printer'sManuscript

eanwhile, in June, 1884, less than two years ||||- icrofilmsof the Originaland the Printer's I I after the Original manuscript was taken out of manuscriptsare availablefor individualstudy at the Nauvoo House cornerstone,William Kelley and both the RLDSand LDS church headquarters.A Heman C. Smith from the RLDS church met with photocopyof the Printer'smanuscript is also available David Whitmer and examined the Printer'smanu- in the RLDSLibrary-Archives. Those portions of the script. The following month, a committee from the Originalmanuscript which are in privateand public RLDS church gathered at Whitmer's home for the pur- holdings are not included on the above-mentioned pose of comparing the Printer's manuscript with the microfilms. 1830, 1840, and the first RLDS 1874 editions.Their report was published in the Saints Herald (Kelley, et Which manuscriptis which? al. 1884:545-548; see also Anderson 1936: 1 13). When David Whitmer died in January of 1888, A s noted above, during the time that David custody of the manuscript passed to his grandson, I I Whitmer was custodian of the Printer'smanu- George Schweich. Schweich sold the Printer's manu- script, severalindividuals examined and compared the script to the RLDS church for $2,450 in April 1903 manuscript with the printed editions.They correctly (CH 6:62). This manuscript-the Printer's manu. determined that the manuscript in Whitmer's posses- script- was the basis for the 1908 Authorized sion was the one used by the printer, based on the Edition. appearanceof printer's rnarkingson portions of the The printer's manuscript is presentlystored in a manuscript. However,they incorrectly called this bank vault in KansasCity. lt was on public display manuscript the Original, thereby causing confusion during the 1980 RLDS World Conferencein obser- about the identity of the manuscripts for the next vance of the sesquicentennial(150th anniversary)of eighty or more years. the first edition of the Book of Mormon and the After the RLDS church obtained the Printer'smanu- founding of the church. script from Whitmer's heir, the 1906 General

r0 Conferenceappointed a committeeto make a comPar' complete manuscript. ison of the recently-acquiredmanuscript with the ln the summer of 1968,handwriting specimens 1837and 1874editions and to producea corrected were comparedwith the Printer'smanuscript, but no Book of Mormon.The 1908Authorized Edition, on its certain identificationcould be made even though title pageas well as in its Preface,refers to the earlier statementsidentified several handwritings as Printer'smanuscript as the Originalmanuscript, noted above(Howard 1,969:27).To this date, no addi' therebycontributing to the confusion. tional handwritingsamples of adequatesize have been One of the reasonsfor their erroneousconclusion found to allow a firm identificationof scribeson the wasthe identificationof multiplehandwritings on the Printer'smanuscript. Printer'smanuscript (refer to figure 7). lt was known The following comparisonof the word content of that OliverCowdery, as principalscribe during the the manuscriptsshould help to explainthe consensus originaldictation, was assisted by others,but it was in both the LDS and RLDSchurches-that the wronglysupposed that Oliver had solelyprepared the Original manuscriptis the one which was Placedin Printer'scopy; therefore,the assumptionwas made the Nauvoo Housecornerstone (just as Joseph Smith' that the Printer'smanuscript, with its multiplehand' Jr., said it was)and the Printer'smanuscript is the one writings,was the Original(Kelley, et al. 1884;CH retainedby Oliver Cowderyand presentlyowned by 4:451,459). the RLDSchurch. However,they wereforgetting the manuscriptfrom the NauvooHouse cornerstone. It, too, containsthe handwritingsof othersin additionto OliverCowdery COMPARINGTHE MANUSCRIPTS (referto figure4). Rememberthat JosephSmith, Jr., himself,said that it wasthe Originalmanuscript which s the scribeshand-copied line after line from the was placedin the cornerstone.Because both manu' {l Original manuscript,there occurredcopying scriptscontain the handwritingof othersbesides errors such as writing the wrong word, adding or drop' Oliver,this criteriacannot be usedto determinewhich ping s's or other final letters,and omitting a word or manuscriptis the Originaland whichis the Printer's phrise. In addition,spelling and capitalizationon the coPy. Printer'smanuscript differed in some placesfrom the At the 1908 GeneralConference, in resPonseto the Original.Some errors occurred which were immedi' question "as to whetherwe have the original manu' ately corrected.Other correctionsaPPear to have been script of the Book of Mormon," statementswere made made during a proofing step and prior to printing of by severalindividuals who had examinedthe Printer's the 1830 edition. Therefore,the resultingtext of the manuscript.The generalconsensus was that this-the Printer'smanuscript differs from that of the Original only intact manuscript'-was one of the two made manuscript.See all of these elementsin figures 3 and prior to the printing of the 1830edition of the Book 5. Additional changesmade directly on the Printer's of Mormon, and that the manuscriptin possessionof manuscriptshow that it was also the manuscriptused the RLDSchurch containedprinter's marks in some to produce the 1837 edition; specificexamples of this places.But again,the of multiple hand- Presence will be presentedin the secondarticle. writingsmade them assumeit was the Originalmanu- script (GCM 1908:1128-1 130). HemanC. Smith later noted: Omfssions There has been some controversyas to which was the original.lt mattersnot which waswritten first.The manu- script from which the book was printed is the one now f n the processof copying the Original manuscript, preserved,for it I'rasthe printer's marks upon it in many I omissionsof words or phrasesoccurred, most of printed there is no places.So when we speakof the volume the meaning.Most words or question but this is the originalfrom which if was produced. which do not change (Emphasisadded) (Smith 19121'70 see also CH 6:279) phrasesthat were omitted have never appearedin any edition.An exampleis found in 1 Nephi2:39: Clear identification of the Printer's manuscript was further confusedwhen RLDSChurch Historian,S. A. "And they did offer sacrifice and offer burnt Burgess,declared that the manuscriptactually "con' offeringsunto him." sistedof two-thirdsof the original which was pre' The word in italics, "offer," was written on the servedand one-thirdof the manuscriptwhich was sent Original manuscriptbut was not copied by the scribe to the printer"(1930:396). His conclusionwas Pro' onto the Printer'smanuscript. It can be seen in figure bably basedon the aPpearanceof punctuationon 3, lines 15 and 16. Becausethe word is dividedat the about one-thirdof the manuscriptwhich we now know end of the line (of - fer) and is also a repeatedword, it was done by Gilbert. However,because the Printer's is easyto see how it could have been unintentionally manuscriptis consistentin page numbering, Page omitted during the processof copying. size,and continuityof writing, it is obviouslyone Fig. 8. Whenthe Printer'smanuscript was beingprepared from the Originalmanuscript, the copyistwould occasionally omit a word or a phrase.In FirstNephi 3:1 1 1-'l12, on the Originalmanuscript (above), the words "the," "not':and "he" (see arrows)are clearly visible. On the TABLE2 Printer'smanuscript (below), all threeof thesewords were omitteddur- I t ing copying;the positionsof the missingwords are indicatedby dots. i . , r..' -. PRINTER'SMANU$CRIPT OMISSIONS

Italicized Words Which Appear on nit" most omissionsdo not changethe the Original ,f Manuscript But printer's J meaningwhen restoredto the text, the next Were Omitted on the examplefrom 1 Nephi3:111-112 is one whichob- : viouslydoes. Following is a side-by-sidecomparison of the text which is shown in the photographsof both Chapter the Original and Printer'smanuscripts in figure 8: & Verse Reference

l:3!7 Origina{'i ,, .r : i'.. ' : :,. Printgrt,s,' , 1:12tr And after he had srnote off his o,rli hlad , of darkness that it past from of ness passed that it from off l,:1.42 Yea, , the fase of the*/ earth the face of the earth and he also ifiadeian:oath,untous 6 behold i saw lhe multitudes 6 beholdI saw[] multitu/des 2:39 did offer sacrifice and offer burnt offerings which had not / fallen which had I fallen 2:61 th;v;vould not come unto m9 u"a pui,iie of ttrrc becaus of the great and becauseof the great S fruit terble judgments / of terrible Judgmentsof 3:28 Aid h- way is preparedl the lord the / Lord for attrnen frorn the E i saw the hevens open €' I saw the Heaven$open foundation €, the lam of go*rd desending t' the L?Tb of Cod decending 3:45 and after that ye sha//have witnessedhim out of heven out of He/aven 3:47 the tree which is rnostprecious above all 6 he came down €, he s-hew*/d e' he came down E I shewed 3:104 And I saw the earth that it rent himself unto them E I himselfunto them 6 also saw I also saw& bear 3:11 1 I saw the multitudeswhich had nof fallen 3:112 he came down andhe shewedfri-r"if unto tf,"- N-ote:The "/" indicatesthe end of a line on the manuscripts. *Edge 3:77'l many plain and rnostprecious things of page is frayed and words or letters are missing. [JWordsomitted 3:179 becauseof the mostpjui; u; ;;;;r".ious parts when making Printer'smanuscript. 3:183 becauseof the most plain and most preciousparts 5:59 and provide uragsand means words,l'the, "not,':and "he," are found on "Three 5:60 he did providewaAs and means the Originalmanuscript but wereomitted by the 5:204 near to be cast with sorrourinto a watery- ---r grave copyist,and havenot appearedin any edition until the s--'- 5:227 engravenupon thosefrrsf plates 1981 LDS,which includesthe word "not" for the first "he" 5:226 And noro this I have done and havestill not appeared in any they shall be scourgedrby people lil,i;"lhe" ?t??! ail 5:252 And becausethey haueturned their hearts The essenceof this passagefrom Nephi'svision as aside 7:23 lands of their first inheritance recordedon the Original manuscriptis that the Lamb of Cod came down and showedhimself to them, i.€.,

12 "the multitudeswhich had not fallen."He obviously typesof omissionsin futureeditions of the Book of could not showhimself "to multitudeswhich had Mormon. fallen."When the scribecopied this line from the Original,"the" and "not," wereomitted, totally chang- Wordcfianges ing the meaning(compare.with 3,,N"pli 1 ,6ff). , t nothertype of copyingerror was changinga A preliminarysurvey of the words from the First word when it was copiedfrom the Originalonto ff Book of Nephi found on the Original manuscript the Printer's'manuscriptiSbme errors could'possibly but ncitcopied onto the Printer'smanuscript-a total havqbeen caused,by lnisreadinq the'original. word. of thirty-four words-is shown in table 2. Becauseof the availabilityof the microfilmsof the Originaland fullnesslplainness.This first examplein figure 9 Printer'smanuscripts, it will be easyto correct these showsthe changeof a word in Chapter3 of the First

a" , *,.w'il.nei

-'%**

Fig. 9. In preparingthe Printer'smanuscript (below), the copyist sometimeswrote 't;i *"*"t ;, 1,; a differentword thanthe one which appearedon the **."":"$'- dd- - t,*Sd Originalmanuscript (above). _d In FirstNephi 3:165 on the n*# **.*'F' Origlnalmanuscript segment, line 2, the word "fulness" [slc] has been recorded, In the correspondingreference on the Printer'smanuscriPt, line 4, the word'"Planeness" lsicl was written insteadof "fullness". W*{ g*rr,{# ' e" t {f' '167 Verse on line 11 of the OriginalmanuscriPt Portion reads"formation,'i while on '''l; the Printer's line9 of n*{#ir$- d*'yl*"u,u' nr#t n* 1,ffi a':'{{"" 4:t dt" e'4 ti''tpn'' {'';'" *ud* manuscript,"foundation" is * { A: written. al-'dix.d #,w, #oa* & *y# r" L*-.,'ffia ",q.M #* /**dt u*ded.& r"r { r, ft-r .&",r 6f#*. !"{'n{".a Me"r/,#{w f,r"/**/4 "., .*{nk'd,a rffi t,,'ury{a.J# * r*#e&-fu.e*W rkey&ffi-ffi:W''#r & fr,*M, i "r.r,f-nr' Y {",$ry/ir/*w*ry*:y*"ff frn:r:' {{* r . .*u ln:{ j,

*f ;::,;,,1i.,,_ri ,8* / . _ _ .t rr*8,e##]{.er"*#.&p"&^a'a*:r,:'|f;*"'ztt,.ip4)#:,r{*.,ror;u*,.i,& ,'"d.ui,i

1i Bookof Nephi,verse 165, (which compares this mediatelybut couldpossibly have been made at a passageon both manuscripts).The Original latertime, perhaps while proofing. However, the cor. manuscriptreads: rectword in eachexample does appear in the 1830 edition.See figure 10 for an exampleof this typeof . . . thou hast Beheld that the Book procededforth from the mouth of the Jew & when it proceededforth from the correction. mouth of a Jew it contained the fulnessof the Gospelof the Lord of whom the twelve Apostles Bore record 6 they Bore record according to the truth which is in the lamb of God. . . (Emphasisadded) When thesewords were coPiedfrom the Original Conclusion manuscript, the word "fulness" [sic] was changed to hisarticle has briefly summarized the histories "planeness"[sic]. The original word "fullness" in this passageindicates that the Bible originally contained anddescriptions of the Originaland the Printer's the fullnessof the gospel before many of the plain manuscriptsof the Book of Mormon,as well as the and preciousparts were taken away (vv. 168'183).It should also be noted that the phrase"fullness of the (or "my") gospel" occurs sevenother times in the TABLE3 Book of Mormon. It is significantthat the phrase, "plainnessof the gospel," does not occur anywhere else in the Book of Mormon, PRINTER'SMANUSCRIPT CORRECTIONS TheFlrst Book of Nephl formationlfoundatlon.Another exampleshows a word which was changedin three placesduring the copying process.In 1 Nephi3:139, 140 and 167,the word "for' Chapter & Verse CorrectedWord Changes Manurcrlpts mation" appearson the Originalmanuscript. On the Printer'smanuscript, the copyistrecorded the word 7284 keepingthe commandmentsof Qod Original "foundation"in all three places.A comparisonof this keeping the commandmentsof the in figure9. Lord Printer's changein v. 167can be seen keepingthe commandmentsof God Printer'scorrected It is easyto see that "formation" is the correct word by referringto verse 179 in the same chapter. l:92 speak many hard words unto us Original This verseon both the Originaland Printer'smanu- speak many hard things unto us Printer's scripts,as well as all printededitions, reads " . . . that speak many hard words unto us Printer's corrected great and abominablechurch, whoseformation thou 3:50 as a man speakethruffh another Original hast seen." ln the three versesmentioned above, the as a man speakethunto another Printer's word "formation" on the Original manuscriptwas as a man speakethrrdth another Printer'scorrected changedto "foundation" when the Printer'scoPy was verse 179. The correct 32144 for the praiseof the world Original made, but was not changedin for the prtde of the world Printer's word, "formation,"is substantiatedin Lehi'svision of for the praiseof the world Printer'scorrected a greatand spaciousbuilding (the world)which "stood as it were in the air, high abovethe earth" and 5:33 when my fatherbeheld the things Original therefore,had no "foundation" (1 Nephi 2:72). when my father sarl the things Printer's when my father beheldthe things Printer's corrected

5:214 we did begin to till the earth Original Correctedword changes we did begin to till the ground Printer's we did begin to till the earfh Printer'scorrected

ome copyerrors were corrected on the Printer's 6:16 Neverthelessfor mg name sake Original manuscriptprior to the printingof the firstedi- Neverthelessfor fhg name sake Printer's tion. Table 3 lists examplesfrom the First Book of Neverthelessfor mg name sake Printer'scorrected Nephi in which errorswere correctedon the Printer's first reference,1 Nephi 1:84, the 7:39 upon the face of this earth Original manuscript.In the upon the face of this land Printer's word "God" is written on the Originalmanuscript. The upon the face of this earfh Printer's corrected copyist, however,wrote "the Lord" insteadbut cor- rected it immediatelyto "God." This is obvious on the 7247 he shall executejudgment Original manuscriptbecause "the Lord" is scratchedout and he shall executejustfce Printer's he shall executejudgmenf Printer's corrected the correction is written on the same line as the next word (this may be viewed on microfilm on page 4 of Note: In the versesabove, the first line indicatesthe correct word in the Printer'smanuscript.) italics as it is written on the Original manuscript.The second line In the remainingexamples, the incorrectword has contains the error or incorrect word (in italics) as copied onto the out and the correct word written above Printer'smanuscript, This incorrectword was scratchedout and the been scratched correctword (shownin the third line in italics)was then written on the the line. Thesecorrections most likely occurred im- Printer'smanuscript before the printing of the 1830 edition. I 14 r:" fu'u- 4,t>n-H l&I l*t*ItL @tu Wffi

F/ I a: "* ,f hu "* ,, r*vt t Flg, 10. Whllscopylng from ths Orlglnaimanuscnpr, tho oopylstwrote the word"unto" as s€snon llns3 of thlspage lrom the Prlnto/8manuscrlpt (1 Nsphi3:50). He scrstchedout th€ enoneouEword and Inssrted lhe congotword "wlti" abovothe llnosom€llme prlor iro glvlng tho manuscrlptto theprinter, dispositionof both manuscripts.We have also seen the Book of Mormon are. The more we understand that the two manuscriptsdiffer in a few places.Most about the Hebrewnature of the Book of Mormon, the of the variancesare minor and probablyonly a few are more significanteach word becomes.We appreciate meaningful.After analyzinga variety of examples,the the cooperationof both churchesin this researchef- manuscriptscan be properly identifiedbased on the fort and for their assistancein obtaining photographs sequenceof word omissions,changes and corrections. of thesemanuscripts. Another helpful resourcehas As noted above,the consensusin both the RLDSand been the Book of Mormon Critical Text: A Tool for LDS churchesis that the Originalmanuscript is the ScholarlgReference, which comParesthe manuscripts one which was placed in the Nauvoo Housecor- and editions(F.A.R.M.S. 1984b). nerstoneand the Printer'smanuscript is the one The next articlein this serieswill coverthe history retainedby Oliver Cowderyand presentlyowned by and comparisonof the 1830, 7837,1840, 1,874and the RLDSchurch. 1908 editions of the Book of Mormon and how they It is important to know what the original words of relate to the manuscripts.

References clted:

Anderson,Mary AudentiaSmith, ed. 1952 lbid., Vol. 4 (1873-1890).Independence: Herald 1936 Memoirs of PresidentJoseph Smith. Saints'Herald, Yol' PublishingHouse. 83. 1908 Aeneral ConferenceMtnutes GCM), Independence:Herald Burgess,S. A. PublishingHouse. Herald,Yol. 1934 The Book of Mormon Manuscripts.Saint's Smith, lsraelA. 81. 1951 The Origin, Purpose,and Preservationof the Book of 's 1930 The Book of Mormon.lbid: Yol.77. Mormon. Sainf Herald,Vol. 98. The Church of JesusChrist of Latter Day Saints Smith, Lucy Mack 1842 Timesand Seasons(TES). Vol. 3. Nauvoo, lllinois. 1912 Biographical Sketchesof Joseph the Prophet and His Progenitors.Lamoni, lowa, Reprinted 1969. lndepen' Foundationfor Ancient Researchand (F.A.R.M.S.) dence:Herald Publishing House. 1984a OriginalManuscript Register. (Book of Mormon Critical Text Project).Provo, Utah. Wood, Wilford 1958 Joseph Srnifh Begins His Work. Salt Lake City: Wood. 1984b Book of Mormon Critical Text: A Tool for Scholarly Reference,Three volumes. Provo, Utah. Howard,Richard P. 1969 Scriptures:A Study of Their Textual Deuelop' Credlts ment.Independence: Herald PublishingHouse. CouerLehi's vision of the tree of life from Chapter 2 of First Jessee,Dean C. Nephi. From a photo of the Original manuscript,courtesy of 1970 The Original Book of Mormon Manuscript.BYU Sfudies. the ChurchArchives, The Churchof JesusChrist of Latter SPring. Day Saints. Kelley,William, Alexander Smith, and ThomasSmith 1884 The Book of Mormon Committee Report.Saint's Herald, PhotosPhotos of the Original manuscriptin figures2,3, 4, Vol.31. 6, 8 and 9 are courtesy of the Church Archives,The Church The ReorganizedChurch of JesusChrist of LatterDay Saints of JesusChrist of Latter Day Saints,Salt Lake City, Utah. 1970 The Book of (D€'C). Independence:Herald Publishing House. Photosof the Printer'smanuscript in figures5,7,8, 9 and of the Library-Archives,Reorganized The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of 10 are courtesy LatterDag Saints(CHI Yol,6 (1903'1915). Churchof JesusChrist of Latter Day Saints,The Independence:Herald Publishing House. Auditorium, Independence,Missouri. lj

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