The first gathering of the book of mormon, including this preface, was likely printed by mid. Or was the book really derived from solomon spalding. For example, publishing the title page in two paragraphs and adding the word moroni in some editions undoubtedly influenced virtually all early students of the book of mormon to conclude. Evidence suggests that mormon and moroni both contributed to the text. Recent research demonstrates that its diversity of styles is unusually high, even greater than the combined. Mormon claims and the inability to supply sufficent evidence to. Who really wrote the book of mormon is a great book which gives undeniable evidence to the origin of the book of mormon. Criticism of mormonismbookswho really wrote the book of. Rigdon, sidneys son, asks his dad if he wrote the book of mormon or if josephs story about golden plates is true. Each summary describes the setting, the purpose, an outline of the sermons content, and my takeaways from. Williams, journal of book of mormon studies 10, no. The earliest writers in opposition to the church accepted joseph smith as the author of the book.
The book of mormon claims that moroni, a prophet, originally wrote the book and that it was translated by joseph smith. Jan 16, 2018 previous studies have shown that the book of mormon contains multiple distinct writing styles and that those styles are consistent with the authors designated in the text itself. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. It is confirming evidence of the birth, life, and crucifixion of jesus and of his work as the messiah and the redeemer. An american, james adair, wrote a book a history of the american indians in 1775. Book of mormon study notes insights from my daily study. The spalding enigma, our authors set out to accomplish a monumental task. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. The first author was the prophet nephi, who left jerusalem with his family in about 600 bc and sailed to the americas. Readers will become aware of a fascinating body of evidence that has continued to accumulate over the years and, despite efforts by pro mormon scholars to deny or dismiss it, has grown to such proportions that it now poses a significant challenge to history itself. Jan 21, 2019 in the history of the church, joseph smith made an important clarification about the title page of the book of mormon i wish also to mention here, that the title page of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, which contained the record which has been translated. The american scripture that launched a new world religion new york.
Book of mormonauthorship theoriesautomatic writing. Most of our readers, we presume, have heard of this pretended revelation. In the 1950s, elder legrand richardss book a marvelous work and a wonder provided the template for missionary discussions, despite the fact that it was a collection of biblical proof. The premise of the authors research is that the book of mormon was lifted from a historical novel by solomon spaulding. Most all of the current text of the book of mormon was dictated to a scribe over a period of somewhere between a total of 60 and 90 days, interspersed with other daily activities that. Oct 31, 2012 some mormon scholars, like grant hardy, who wrote understanding the book of mormon. The explanationdefying book of mormon somebody wrote it shortly after the book of mormon was first published, this was typical of the reaction it evoked. May 19, 2019 the bom is not a translation joseph smith claimed that he translated the text of the book of mormon from gold plates through the urim and thummin by the power of the holy spirit. Having read tens of thousands of pages of material, pro and con, here in a nutshell is my current \best guess\, included with a preface that i don\t care what anyone has to \refute\ my.
It was a book he wrote to try to sell, to make money for his family. And youll notice that he never quoted from it in his speeches. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of. They saw, understood, and spoke to us in the last days. Some mormon scholars, like grant hardy, who wrote understanding the book of mormon. So, if youre wanting a book about sidney rigdon, dont waste your money. Rigdon, sidneys son, asks his dad if he wrote the book of mormon or if josephs story. Howard davis and arthur vanick, recently published by concordia, the highly.
Latterday saints believe that the book of mormon contains. Each summary describes the setting, the purpose, an outline of the sermons content, and my takeaways from the sermon. Some have wondered, though, if the book of mormons different styles are in any way unique or impressive. May 30, 2012 the spalding enigma did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith mormon bible, as he claimed. Later, the prophet joseph smith, by the gift and power of god. Rigdon, the son of sydney rigdon visited utah and spent the winter among the mormons. Now, some critics also claim that smith gained most of his theories from a manuscript of a novel written by solomon spaulding. Criticism of mormonismbookswho really wrote the book of mormon.
The book of mormon is actually a collection of histories passed down from one writer to another. Later, the prophet joseph smith, by the gift and power of god, translated an abridgment of those original plates. In the history of the church, joseph smith made an important clarification about the title page of the book of mormon i wish also to mention here, that the title page of the. But perhaps the most glaring problem with this book is that the title claims i wrote the book of mormon, and calls it a confession of sidney rigdonand there is no confession from rigdon at allnot in any way, shape, or formpresented in this book. Book of mormon study notes insights from my daily study of. The book of mormon is a musical comedy with music, lyrics and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone first staged in 2011, the play is a satirical examination of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints beliefs and practices that ultimately endorses the positive power of love and service. Lest anyone be misled, this is a scholarly undertaking, not a religious work. Unfortunately, mormon s abridgment of the record of lehi was the material translated in the 116 manuscript pages that were lost, and consequently it is not available in the present book of mormon. Mormon claims and the inability to supply sufficent evidence to back up those claims is easily understood after reading this book. Parker and stone were best known for creating the animated comedy south park. It seems after reading these posts that the only possible answer is that the book of mormon happened just like joseph and others. The book of mormon testifies of jesuss ministry in the americas following his resurrection. Oxford university press, 2003, 4142, emphasis added. The mormon church teaches that the book of mormon was written by a series of ancient people, the first of whom was nephi, and that it was finally redacted and compiled by mormon.
In his book studies of the book of mormon, roberts concluded that joseph smith had sufficient imagination and was capable of producing the book of mormon even though he had little formal education. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. He was, however, prone to make silly mistakes, such as. Explorations in critical methodology, edited by brent lee metcalf. The work in question is who really wrote the book of mormon. Now, some critics also claim that smith gained most of.
However, the book of mosiah contributes significantly to the overarching purposes of the. In 2018, i wrote summaries of many of the sermons in the book of mormon. Sidney rigdons confession to his son about the book of mormon. Bunyan wrote upwards of 60 books, tracts, and pamphlets, including grace abounding, a few sighs from hell, holy war and the life and death. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an appreciation for the book s. Welch, chiasmus in the book of mormon, in book of mormon authorship. Introductory pages of the book of mormon another testament.
It was prepared by the hand of the lord over a period of more than a thousand years by seers who were writing and speaking to future. The greatest event recorded in the book is the account of jesus. Averaging these scores places the book of mormon reading level around the eleventh grade high school junior but with a range from the sixth to postgraduate an additional measure of complexity is the flesch reading ease scale, where the book of mormon. Virtually all other scholars and students of the book of mormon who have written commentary about the title page have reached exactly the same two conclusions. This book attempted to revive the moribund spalding manuscript theory for the book of mormon. It was prepared by the hand of the lord over a period of more than a thousand years by seers who were writing and speaking to future readers.
Since the book of mormon s publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. Since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. Ancient prophets, historians, and leaders engraved their testimonies and history on golden. The book of mormon is a compilation of several books written by ancient prophets. It attempted to prove that natives had descended from the ancient israelites. The greatest event recorded in the book is the account of jesus christs visit to the americas after his death and resurrection. The book of mormon was written anciently for our day. Howard davis and arthur vanick, recently published by concordia, the highly respected publishing arm of the lutheran church missouri synod. A journal of latterday saint faith and scholarship 24 2017. Who really wrote the book of mormon part 2 youtube.
Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. Lots of answers here with an incredible amount of evidence. This book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19thcentury mormon history concluding that the book of mormon is an adaptation of an obscure historical novel written by revolutionary war veteran solomon spalding during the war of 1812. Joseph smith as the sole author, without intentional assistance, possibly reflecting smiths own life events. Dec 12, 2017 since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an. Book of mormon, the lyrics song lyrics for musical. Nephi passed the record to his younger brother jacob, who gave it to his son enos. The first author was the prophet nephi, who left jerusalem with.
More light on who wrote the title page, by clyde j. To date, the combined data from several valid stylometric studies on the book of mormon have. From the day the book of mormon rolled off the press in 1830, those who gave it credence asserted that it obviously read like a hebrew text. This book critically examines key historical documents, personal testimonies, and records of 19thcentury mormon history concluding that the book of mormon is. The spalding enigma part 2 did an angel of god in the late 1820s really give 18yearold con artist joseph smith the mormon bible, as he claimed.
Others, however, have assumed that joseph smith or one of his associates wrote it. Response to claims made in who really wrote the book of mormon. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an appreciation for the books. Theories that the book of mormon essentially wrote itself with no help from joseph smith grant palmers golden pot theory related to the story of moronis visit critical theories that sidney rigdon was a book of mormon. The spalding enigma by wayne cowdery, howard davis, and donald scales summary. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. Ancient prophets, historians, and leaders engraved their testimonies and history on golden plates. Having read tens of thousands of pages of material, pro and con, here in a nutshell is my current \best guess\, included with a preface that i don\t care what anyone has to \refute\ my position. Most all of the current text of the book of mormon was dictated to a scribe over a period of somewhere between a total of 60 and 90 days, interspersed with other daily activities that sometimes would take joseph smith and oliver cowdery away from. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. Some critics of the book of mormon have claimed that joseph smith wrote the book while under the influence of an epileptic fit, thus perpetuating a fraud without knowing it. To date, the combined data from several valid stylometric studies on the book of mormon have demonstrated that it has multiple, distinct writing styles and that those styles are consistent with the authors designated within the text itself.
The text has been lightly edited since the 1830 book of mormon publication. Jul 30, 2019 the book of mormon claims that moroni, a prophet, originally wrote the book and that it was translated by joseph smith. Behold, i speak unto you as if ye were present, mormon wrote mormon 8. 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. In fact, there is no proof presented in this book that rigdon wrote the book of mormon. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 3352. Preface to book of mormon, circa august 1829, page iii. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. I\ve read both sides many times over, and i can argue the pro mormon side just as easily as the no mormon side, with the prime diference being. Mormon did not address the book of mosiah to a particular audience or state why he wrote this book. However, the book of mosiah contributes significantly to the overarching purposes of the book of mormon. Mormons believe that the book of mormon contains the fulness of jesus christs gospel see joseph smithhistory 1.
The book of mormon contains records written by ancient prophets. Those who believe that joseph smith translated it by the gift and power of god naturally have accepted that its source texts were written by multiple ancient prophets. Book of mormon central, how is the use of deuteronomy in the book of mormon evidence for its authenticity. There was such a plethora of names, dates, and so forth that it was a little hard to follow sometimes, though because of frequent repetition throughout, i did in the end still get a good grasp of. Sidney rigdons final confession about joseph smith and the origin of the book of mormon. Previous studies have shown that the book of mormon contains multiple distinct writing styles and that those styles are consistent with the authors designated in the text itself. Note that even this accusation doesnt state rigdon wrote the book of mormon, but that it was by solomon spaulding.
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