Ludlow notes that virtually all other scholars and students of the book of mormon who had written commentary up until his 1986 presentation had reached exactly the same two conclusions. More light on who wrote the title page, by clyde j. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth, joseph smith stated, and the keystone of our religion. The first title page differs from the title page of the current 1981 edition, the most obvious difference being that joseph smith is listed as the author. A typewritten copy of the title page of the book of mormon as it appears in the printers manuscript. In this one and only post, moroni would describe the content and purpose of the entire book of mormon. Joseph smith explained, the titlepage 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 history of the church, 1. Title page of book of mormon, circa early june 1829, page 1. Was it translated the way that many have assumed, or was there more to the miracle that brought forth another testament of jesus christ. According to the prophet joseph smith, the titlepage 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 language of the whole running the same as all hebrew writing in general. 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. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ.
This oct 1981 ensign article published about the new edition to the book of mormon says. The title page of the book of mormon was most likely written by moroni, but in recent years scholars have suggested that mormon, moronis father, may have written the first six lines of the title page, with moroni writing the rest. It would be counterintuitive in the 19th century to place the title page at the end of the book, yet this was an authentic ancient practice joseph smith wrote 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. Solomon spaulding and the book of mormon fairmormon. I was particularly interested in the way each name was used, both in the book of mormon and in the bible.
A blog post by the prophet moroni was all that remained. A comprehensive commentary of the title page of the book of mormon, by paul nolan hyde. It is useful to compare the purposes of the book of mormon as stated on the title page with the purposes for writing given in the text by nephi, jacob, mormon, and moroni who between them wrote 98. The second paragraph clearly follows his decision to abridge the book of ether. Readers will become aware of a fascinating body of evidence that has continued to accumulate over the years and, despite efforts by promormon scholars to deny or dismiss it, has grown to such proportions that it now poses a significant challenge to history itself. More light on who wrote the title page byu scholarsarchive. 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. According to the title page, what are the purposes of the book of mormon. Mormon, has been the recognized author of the title page of the book.
Williams, journal of book of mormon studies 10, no. Joseph smith declared, the titlepage 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. Who wrote the 1981 introduction to the book of mormon. When he did make his additions, he also wrote the title page of the book of mormon, but in two stages, each stage necessitating a return to the hill cumorah. The book of mormon, the actual title given from moroni an account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Nyman, professor of ancient scripture, brigham young university, provo, utah. Introductory pages of the book of mormon book of mormon. The title page of the book of mormon published today contains the wo. Feb 11, 2007 he also wrote the title page to the book of mormon on the very last leaf of the plates. The title page states, the book of mormon, an account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. The title page, however, is typically categorized as part of jss translation, rather than as a revelation. Joseph smith, 2011, 5768 the title page of the book of mormon was written by moroni, the concluding author of the book. It would be counterintuitive in the 19th century to place the title page at the end of the book, yet this was an authentic ancient practice joseph smith wrote 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. This blog says that bruce r mcconkie wrote it, but there is no source to back that up.
That we, through the grace of god the father, and our lord jesus christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. Each summary describes the setting, the purpose, an outline of the sermons content, and my takeaways from the sermon. Ludlow discusses the possibility that mormon started that page, and moroni finished it, which seems reasonable to me. 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. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. This short study advances evidence that moroni wrote the entire title page of the book of mormon, based on the idea the redundancies were a way to further illuminate the divine destiny of this important record. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. 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. The honest seeker after truth can gain the testimony that jesus is the christ as he prayerfully ponders the inspired words of the book of mormon.
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. I have done some seraching on the internet and the best answer i have found, is church leaders, but i am looking more specifically which church leaders if it was in fact church leaders, which i do tend to believe. Who really wrote the book of mormon part 2 youtube. Joseph smith explained, 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 history of the church, 1. In fact, there is no proof presented in this book that rigdon wrote the book of mormon. According to the narrative in the book of mormon, the prophet mormon abridged the large plates, including the book of lehi the translation of which martin harris lost in july 1828 and the books of mosiah, alma, helaman, nephi the third and fourth books under the name of nephi, and mormon. Introductory pages of the book of mormon book of mormon central. What is now the title page was originally on the last of the gold plates, so it is reasonable to assume that moroni wrote it. David hocking managing editor, annotated edition of the book of mormon. The spelling, capitalization, and punctuation are as shown.
Preface to book of mormon, circa august 1829, page iii. To emphasize this point, in the 1840 edition of the book of mormon, moronis name was appended to the title page. He also wrote the words of mormon, and his son, moroni, later copied two of his. I wish 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 language of the whole running the same as all hebrew writing in general. Aug 31, 2006 i am curious as to who wrote the introduction the page after the title page in the book of mormon. The brief fourword title the book of mormon is the same title that has appeared on the cover and title page of all editions and appears first on the title page of the current edition.
Parker and stone were best known for creating the animated comedy south park. It was written to show what great things the lord does for his children, to explain his covenants, and to. The title page of the book of mormon was actually written by moroni, an ancient israelite prophet who also wrote the closing chapter literally of the history of his people called the nephites. 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. Book of mormon study notes insights from my daily study. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. The lord established the basic foundation for temple work in the book of mormon and left the specific teachings about exaltation within the celestial kingdom to the doctrine and covenants. And as joseph smith is a very ignorant man and is called the author on the title page, i cannot doubt for a single moment that he is the sole author and proprietor of it. Seven years later, in 1830, this scriptural canon of the latterday saints was published for the world.
Come follow me 2020 podcasts with rod meldrum book of. Feb 15, 2020 what is now the title page was originally on the last of the gold plates, so it is reasonable to assume that moroni wrote it. I am curious as to who wrote the introduction the page after the title page in the book of mormon. 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. It was included in the very leftmost end of the book, which for us, would look like the beginning, but the book was formatted in the hebrew style, which is read from right to left. The precise purposes of the book of mormon religious. The title page of the book of mormon was most likely written by moroni, but in recent years scholars have suggested that mormon, moronis father, may have written. He also wrote the title page to the book of mormon on the very last leaf of the plates. Williams journal of book of mormon studies 102 2001. Come, follow me latest posts names and titles of jesus christ in march, 2019, i studied 20 different names or titles of jesus christ which appear in the book of mormon. Ludlow, however, has postulated that mormon wrote the first part of the title page when he abridged the records. Title page step by step through the book of mormon. Book of mormon study notes insights from my daily study of. Variations of this theory only include that the text is a divinely inspired narrative, regardless of its.
The coming forth of the book of mormon, foretold by ancient prophets, began with an angelic visitation in 1823 to 17yearold joseph smith. There are differing views on the origin of the book of mormon. The scriptures are called the words of life, and nowhere is that more true than it is of the book of. Book of mormon evidence come follow me supplementary study podcasts.
The title page was first published on 26 june 1829 in the wayne sentinel, representing the first portion of the book of mormon to be published. 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. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. In the history of the church, joseph smith made an important clarification about the title page of the book of mormon. Dec 27, 2019 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 language of the whole running the same as all hebrew writing in general. This oct 1981 ensign article published about the new edition to the book of mormon says as always, inspired direction came from the scriptures publication committee of the quorum of the twelve. Did moroni write the title page to the book of mormon. The original manuscript of the translation was completed in 1829, the printers manuscript was completed during 182930, and the first 5,000 copies of the book. Because the text was found on the very last page of the plates, it seems likely that the final author, moroni, wrote it.
Over onehalf of all the verses in the book of mormon refer to our lord. This photocopy of the title page of the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon gives modern readers an idea of how the book first appeared when it was published in palmyra, new york. In 2018, i wrote summaries of many of the sermons in the book of mormon. The book of mormon title page the doctrine of exaltation. Joseph smith once wrote, i wish to mention here that the titlepage 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. As always, inspired direction came from the scriptures publication committee of the quorum of the twelve. I could swear that this book was written by one man. Jan 03, 2020 the title page of the book of mormon was actually written by moroni, an ancient israelite prophet who also wrote the closing chapter literally of the history of his people called the nephites. The book of mormon is a musical comedy with music, lyrics and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone. The title page states, the book of mormon, an account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of. Bookprinted material title page for the book of mormon.
On the translation of the book of mormon, see joseph smith documents dating through june 1831. What did the 3 witnesses testify about the book of mormon. In reading the first paragraph, let us change our mindset and assume that mormon wrote it rather than moroni. The first title page differs from the title page of the current 1981 edition, the most obvious difference being that joseph smith is listed as the author and proprietor of the book of mormon. The book of mormon describes moroni, the son of mormon, as the last prophet to write in the book of mormon and the person who eventually hid up the plates. I wish to mention here that the titlepage 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 language of the whole running the same as all hebrew writing in general. 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 title page states that the purpose of the book of mormon is to. Miner, from step by step through the book of mormon. Show me the great things the lord has done for me, that i may know the covenants of the lord, that i am not cast off forever 3.
However, a more indepth analysis of the text on that page and the specific language that is used provides evidence supporting the notion that the title page was. 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. Let us consider some of the attributes of our lord, as found in the book of mormon, that show that jesus is the christ. Moroni shares a name with captain moroni, a much earlier book of mormon figure, of whom mormon wrote highly the book of mormon tells that moroni served under his father, the commander in chief of 23 groups of about 10,000 nephites each, who battled against the lamanites. Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamaniteswritten to the lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of.
More light on who wrote the title page book of mormon. More light on who wrote the title page book of mormon central. According to the book of mormon, moroni was the son of mormon, the prophet for whom the book of mormon is named. Introductory pages of the book of mormon another testament. The major mission of the book of mormon, as recorded on its title page, is to the convincing of the jew and gentile that jesus is the christ, the eternal god, manifesting himself unto all nations. Grant hardy wrote, the book of mormon began as 588 densely printed pages in 1830, and the current official edition reformatted with substantial grammatical editing still runs to 531 pages.
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