The Book of Mormon is the sacred text of the Latter-day Saint movement, believed to be believers containing the writings of ancient prophets living in the Americas from around 2200 BC to 421 M. It was first published in March. 1830 by Joseph Smith as the Book of Mormon: An Account Written by Mormon Hands on the Plates Taken From the Plate of Nephi .
According to Smith's account and the book's narrative, the Book of Mormon was originally written in an unknown character called "reformed Egypt" carved on gold plates. Smith says that the last prophet who contributed to the book, a man named Moroni, buried him on the Mount Kumor in New York today, then returned to Earth in 1827 as an angel, exposing the location of the slab to Smith, and instructing him to translate it into English to be used in the restoration of the true church of Christ in the last days. Critics claim that it was made by Smith, drawing on the material and ideas of a contemporary 19th century work rather than translating ancient records.
The Book of Mormon has a number of original and distinctive doctrinal discussions on such things as the fall of Adam and Eve, the nature of the Atonement, the eschatology, the redemption of physical and spiritual death, and the organization of the latter church. The important event of this book is the appearance of Jesus Christ in America shortly after his resurrection.
The Book of Mormon is the earliest of the unique writings of the Latter-day Saint movement, the denominations that usually regard text primarily as scripture, and the second as a historical account of God's relationship with the ancient inhabitants of America. The Book of Mormon is divided into smaller books, entitled after the so-called main authors and, in most versions, divided into chapters and verses. It is written in English very similar to the Early Modern English linguistic style of the King James Version of the Bible, and has since been fully or partially translated into 108 languages. As of 2011, more than 150 million copies of the Book of Mormon have been published.
Video Book of Mormon
Origin
According to Joseph Smith, he was seventeen when an angel of God called Moroni met him and said that the collection of ancient writings was buried on a nearby hill in Wayne County, New York, engraved on a golden plate by an ancient prophet. The writings are said to describe the people God had led from Jerusalem to the western part of 600 years before Jesus' birth. According to the account, Moroni is the last prophet among these people and has buried the records, which God has promised to perform in the latter days. Smith stated that this vision occurred on the night of 21 September 1823 and that the next day, through divine guidance, he found the location of the slab cemetery on this hill; instructed by Moroni to meet him on the same hill on September 22 of the following year to receive further instructions; and that, within four years from this date, the time will come to "bring them", that is, translate it. Smith's explanation of these events tells us that he was permitted to take the plates on September 22, 1827, exactly four years from that date, and directed to translate them into English.
Stories vary from the way Smith dictated the Book of Mormon. Smith himself implied that he read the plates directly using the glasses prepared for translation purposes. Different accounts state that he uses one or more sealing stones placed in the cap. These two special glasses and seers are sometimes referred to as "Urim and Thummim". During the translation process itself, Smith sometimes broke away from his scribe with a blanket between them. In addition, the plates are not always present during the translation process, and when they are present they are always covered up.
Smith's first published description of the plate says that the plate "has a golden appearance". They are described by Martin Harris, one of Smith's earliest scribes, as "tied together in book form with wire." Smith mentioned the inscription on the "updated Egyptian" plates. Some of the text on the plates is also "sealed" according to the story, so that the contents are not included in the Book of Mormon.
In addition to Smith's account of the lemping, the other eleven stated that they saw the gold plate and, in some cases, handled it. Their written testimony is known as the Testimony of Three Witnesses and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses. These statements have been published in most of the Book of Mormon editions.
Smith enrolled his neighbor, Martin Harris, as a scribe during his initial work on the text. (Harris then pawned his field to bear the printing of the Book of Mormon.) In 1828, Harris, encouraged by his wife Lucy Harris, repeatedly requested that Smith lend pages that have been translated. Smith was reluctant to approve Harris's request. Lucy Harris is thought to have stolen the first 116 pages. After the loss, Smith noted that he had lost the ability to translate, and that Moroni had taken back the plates to be returned only after Smith repented. Smith later stated that God allowed him to continue translations, but directed that he begin to translate other parts of the plates (in what is now called the Book of Mosiah). In 1829, work was resumed in the Book of Mormon, with the help of Oliver Cowdery, and completed in a short time (April-June 1829). Smith said that he then returned the plates to Moroni after the publication of the book. The Book of Mormon went on sale at the bookshop E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York on March 26, 1830. Today, the building where the Book of Mormon was first published and sold is known as the Book of Mormon Historic Publishing Site.
Since its first publication and distribution, the Book of Mormon critics have claimed that it was made by Smith and that he draws material and ideas from various sources rather than translating ancient records. The works that have been suggested as sources include the King James Bible, The Wonders of Nature, Hebrew View, and an unpublished manuscript written by Solomon Spalding. FairMormon states that all of these theories have been disputed and discredited, on the grounds that neither Mormon nor non-Mormon historians have found serious flaws in their research. The position of most Latter-day Saint followers and the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is that this book is an accurate historical record.
Maps Book of Mormon
Content
Title
Smith states that the title page, and perhaps the actual title of the 1830 edition, is derived from the translation of the "last leaf" of the gold plates, and is written by the prophet-historian Moroni. The title page states that the purpose of the Book of Mormon is "to [show] to the remnant of the sons of Israel what great things God has done for their fathers;... and also to convince the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, eternal, manifests itself to all nations. "
Organization
The Book of Mormon is compiled as a compilation of smaller books, each named after the main narrator named or a prominent leader, beginning with the First Book of Nephi (1 Nephi) and ending with the Book of Moroni.
The order of this book is mainly chronologically based on the narrative content of this book. Exceptions include the Words of Mormon and the Book of Ether. The Mormon words contain editorial comments by Mormon. The book of Ether is presented as a narrative of a group of previous people who had come to America before immigration described in 1 Nephi. The First Nephi through Omni is written in the first person narration, as are Mormons and Moroni. The rest of the Book of Mormon is written in a third-person narrative narrative, said to be compiled and summarized by Mormon (with Moroni summarizing the Book of Ether).
Most of the modern editions of this book have been divided into chapters and verses. Most of the editions of this book also contain additional material, including "The Testimony of Three Witnesses" and "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses".
Chronology
Books from First Nephi to Omni are described as from "little plates of Nephi". This account began in ancient Jerusalem around 600 BC. It tells the story of a man named Lehi, his family, and others when they were led by God from Jerusalem shortly before the city's fall to Babylon in 586 BC. This book describes their journey across the Arabian peninsula, and then to the promised land, America, by ship. These books tell the group's transactions from about 600 BC to about 130 BC, during which time the community grew and divided into two main groups, called the Nephites and Lamanites, who often fought each other.
Following this passage are the Mormon Words. This booklet, said to be written in AD 385 by Mormon, is a brief introduction to the books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, the Third Nephi, and the Fourth Nephi. These books are described as a summary of a large number of existing records called "the great tablet of Nephi" detailing the history of the people from Omni's life to Mormon himself. The third book of Nephi is very important in the Book of Mormon because it contains the story of a visit by Jesus from heaven to America shortly after his resurrection and ascension. The text says that during this American visit, he repeated many of the same doctrines and instructions given in the Bible Gospels and he established an enlightened and peaceful society that survived for generations, but eventually broke out into more warring factions.
The greater part of the Book of Mormon called the Book of Mormon is the story of events during the life of Mormon. Mormon is said to have accepted the responsibility to take care of the records that have been hidden, after he was mature enough. This book contains the story of war, the leader of Mormon part of the Nephite army, and he took and took care of the record. Mormon was eventually killed after handing the note to his son, Moroni.
According to the text, Moroni then makes a summary (called the Book of Ether) a record of the earlier men called the people of Jared. The story depicts a group of families led from Tower of Babel to America, led by a man named Jared and his brother. The Jaredite civilization is presented as it existed in the American continent beginning around 2500 BC, - long before the Lehi family arrived shortly after 600 BC - and became much larger and more developed.
The Book of Moroni then details the final destruction of the Nephites and the idolatry of the remaining peoples. It also includes important doctrinal teachings and concludes with Moroni's testimony and an invitation to pray to God to confirm the truth of the story.
Doctrinal and philosophical doctrine
The Book of Mormon contains doctrinal and philosophical teachings on various topics, from the basic themes of Christianity and Judaism to political and ideological teachings. Jesus is mentioned every 1.7 verses and is referred to by a hundred different names.
Jesus
Stated in the title page, the main purpose of the Book of Mormon is to "convince the Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself to all nations."
This book illustrates Jesus, before his birth, as a "without flesh and blood" spirit, even with the "body" of the spirit that looks similar to how Jesus would appear during his physical life. Jesus is described as "Father and Son". He said: "God himself will descend among the children of men, and will redeem his people... [b] the Father and the Son - the Father, because he is conceived by the power of God, and the Son, because of the flesh, thus becoming the Father and the Son - and they are one God, yea, Father of heaven and eternal earth. "Another part of this book describes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as" one ". As a result, the belief among the churches of the Latter-day Saint movement includes nonnorthritarianism (in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) to trinitarianism (especially among the Community of Christ). See the Godhead (Latter-day Saints).
As a continuation of the theme to reconcile the Jews and Gentiles to Jesus, this book describes the various visions or visits to some early inhabitants in America involving Jesus. The most prominent of these is the visit of Jesus depicted to a group of early inhabitants shortly after his resurrection. Many of the book's contributors depict the other vision of Jesus, including one by the Jared Brother who, according to the book, lived before Jesus, and saw the "body" of Jesus' spirit thousands of years before his birth. According to the book, a narrator named Nephi depicts the vision of Jesus 'birth, ministry, and death, including the prophecy of the name of Jesus, said to have occurred nearly 600 years before Jesus' birth.
In his narration, during the time of King Benjamin (circa 130 BC), the Nephite believers were called "sons of Christ". Elsewhere, faithful members of Captain Moroni's time (73 BC) are called "Christians" by their enemies, for their belief in Jesus Christ. The book also states that for nearly 200 years after the appearance of Jesus in the temple in America, the land was filled with peace and prosperity because of the obedience of people to his commandments. Later, the prophet Mormon works to convince the unfaithful of his time (AD 360) about Christ. Many other prophets in this book write about the reality of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
In the Bible, Jesus speaks to the Jews in Jerusalem about "other sheep" who will hear his voice. The Book of Mormon says this means that the Nephites and the remnant of the lost tribes of Israel throughout the world will be visited by Jesus after his resurrection.
Teachings on political theology
This book explores political theology in a Christian or Jewish context. Among these themes are American exceptionalism. According to the book, America is described as "land of agreement", the world's most remarkable land at the time. The book states that every true society that owns the land will be protected, whereas if they become wicked they will be destroyed and replaced with a more civilized civilization.
Regarding the issue of war and violence, the book teaches that war is justified for people to "defend themselves against their enemies". However, they never "attack," or "raise their swords... except to defend their lives." The book praised the faith of a group of former combatants who took the oath of complete pacifism, refusing to take up arms even to defend themselves and their people. However, 2,000 of their descendants, who did not take their oath of their parents not to take up arms against their enemies, chose to go to war against the Lamanites, and declared that in their battle 2,000 persons were protected by God through their faith and, although many were injured, no one died.
This book recommends monarchy as an ideal form of government, but only when the king is right. The book warns of the evil that occurs when the king is evil, and therefore shows that it is generally not good to have a king. This book further records the decision of the people to be governed no longer by kings, instead choosing a form of democracy led by elected judges. When citizens are referred to as "kings" seeking to overthrow democratically elected governments and establishing false kings, the book praises military commanders who execute pro-monarchists who have sworn to destroy God's church and refuse to defend them. state of the enemy's invading forces. The book also speaks well of the specific example of what appears to be a peaceful, Christ-centered theocracy, which lasted about 194 years before the dispute began.
This book supports the notion of economic justice, achieved through the voluntary contribution of "substance, everyone according to what he has, for the poor." In one case, all citizens had equal ownership. When people in society begin to underestimate and ignore the poor, to "wear expensive clothes," and if they do not engage in crime for personal gain, such a society is repeatedly portrayed in this book as ready to be destroyed.
The meaning of religion
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith marked the Book of Mormon as the "keystone" of Mormonism, and claimed it was "the most correct of any book on earth". Smith produced a written revelation in 1832 condemning the "whole church" for treating the Book of Mormon lightly.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Book of Mormon is one of the four sacred texts or standard works of the LDS Church. Church leaders often reiterate Smith's claim on the meaning of the book for faith. Church members believe that the Book of Mormon is more true than the Bible because the Bible is the result of a multi-generational translation process and the Book of Mormon does not.
For much of the history of the LDS Church, the Book of Mormon has not been used as many other scriptures as the New Testament and the Doctrine and Covenants. This changed in 1980 when efforts were made to re-emphasize the Book of Mormon. As part of this effort, the new edition is printed with an additional subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ".
The significance of the Book of Mormon is the focus of Ezra Taft Benson, the president of the thirteen churches. Benson states that the church is still under condemnation for treating the Book of Mormon lightly. In a August 2005 message, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley challenged every church member to reread the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. The importance of this book is generally emphasized at general conference twice a year, at special services by public authorities, and in the publication of church teaching. Since the late 1980s, church members have been encouraged to read from the Book of Mormon every day.
The LDS Church encourages the discovery of the truth of the book by following the advice in its last chapter to study, ponder and pray to God about its truth. This section is sometimes referred to as the "Moroni Promise". Until April 2011, the LDS Church has published more than 150 million copies of the Book of Mormon.
Christ Community
The Community of Christ, formerly known as the Restated Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, views the Book of Mormon as an additional witness of Jesus Christ and publishes two versions of this book through its official publishing arm, Herald House: The Official Edition, which is based on original printer manuscripts, and 1837 Second Edition (or "Kirtland Edition") from the Book of Mormon. It is similar to the Book of Mormon published by the LDS Church, but its versions are different. The community of Christ also published the 1966 "Revised Authorized Edition", which attempts to modernize several languages.
In 2001, the Community of Christ President W. Grant McMurray contemplated the growing question of the Book of Mormon: "The proper use of the Book of Mormon as scripture has been under extensive discussion in the 1970s onward, partly because of the long-standing question of authenticity its history and partly because of perceived theological incapacity, including race and ethnicity. "
At the 2007 World Community of Christ Conference, President Stephen M. Veazey decided to set aside the resolution to "reaffirm the Book of Mormon as a divinely inspired record." He states that "while the Church affirms the Book of Mormon as a holy book, and makes it available for study and use in many languages, we are not seeking to mandate the level of belief or usage This position corresponds to our old tradition of belief in the Book of Mormon should not be used as a fellowship exams or church membership. "
Greater Latter-day Saint Movement
There are other churches that are part of the Latter-day Saint movement. Most of these churches were created as a result of various problems ranging from different doctrinal interpretations and the acceptance of scripture movements, including the Book of Mormon, to the dispute over who was the divinely chosen successor to Joseph Smith. All these groups have the same reception of the Book of Mormon as a holy book. It is this acceptance that distinguishes churches from the Latter-day Saint movement from other Christian denominations. Separate editions of the Book of Mormon have been published by a number of churches in the Latter-day Saint movement, along with private individuals and foundations not supported by certain denominations.
Historical authenticity
Archaeological, historical, and scientific communities are generally skeptical of the claims that the Book of Mormon is an ancient record of actual historical events. This skepticism tends to focus on four key areas:
- Lack of correlation between the locations described in the Book of Mormon and the familiar and intact American archaeological site.
- The reference to animals, plants, metals and technology in the Book of Mormon that archaeological or scientific research finds no evidence in the post-Pleistocene, pre-Columbian America, often referred to as anachronism. Commonly included items include cattle, horses, donkeys, oxen, sheep, pigs, goats, elephants, wheat, steel, brass, chains, iron, crescent, and chariots.
- Lack of widely accepted linguistic connections between Native American and Near Eastern languages.
- Lack of DNA evidence linking every Native American group to the ancient Near East.
Most followers of the Latter-day Saint movement consider the Book of Mormon generally a historically accurate account. In the Latter-day Saint movement there are some apologetic groups who disagree with skeptics and attempt to reconcile incompatibility in various ways. Among these apologetic groups, many works have been published by the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), and the Apologetic & Research (FAIR), defending the Book of Mormon as literal history, against critical arguments against its historical authenticity, or reconciling historical and scientific evidence with texts. One of the more common recent arguments is the limited geographical model, which states that the people in the Book of Mormon only cover a limited geographical area in either Mesoamerica, South America, or the Great Lakes region. The LDS Church has published material that shows that science will support the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon.
Manuscript
The Book of Mormon was dictated by Joseph Smith to several authors over a 13-month period, which produced three manuscripts.
The 116 missing pages contain the first part of the Book of Lehi; it was gone after Smith lent the original manuscript, which was not copied to Martin Harris.
The first complete manuscript, called the original manuscript, was completed using various scribes. Part of the original script is also used for the preparation of letters. In October 1841, the entire original manuscript was placed into the foundation of the Nauvoo House, and was sealed almost forty years later when the runway was reopened. It was discovered that many of the original manuscripts had been destroyed by water and mushroom seeps. The surviving manuscript pages were distributed to various families and individuals in the 1880s.
Only 28 percent of the original manuscripts now survive, including the discovery of a remarkable fragment of 58 pages in 1991. The vast majority of the original manuscripts are now stored in the LDS Archives of Churches.
The second completed manuscript, called the printer manuscript, is a copy of the original manuscript produced by Oliver Cowdery and two other authors. It is at this point that the early copies of the Book of Mormon are completed. The observation of the original manuscript shows little evidence of correction of the text. Shortly before his death in 1850, Cowdery gave the printer's manuscript to David Whitmer, one of the other Three Witnesses. In 1903, the text was purchased from Whitmer's grandson by the Community of Christ, known at the time as The Ordered Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. On September 20, 2017, the LDS Church purchased manuscripts from the Community of Christ at a reported price of $ 35 million. The current printer's manuscript is a full copy of the living Book of Mormon, almost 100 percent still in existence. The script was imaged in 1923 and was recently available for online viewing.
The critical comparison between the surviving part of the manuscript shows an average of two to three changes per page from the original to the manuscript of the printer, with most of the changes being correction of writing errors such as misspelling or correction, or standardization, unnecessary grammar to the meaning of text. The printer script is further edited, adding paragraphing and punctuation to the first three texts.
Printer manuscripts are not used entirely in the preparation of letters in 1830 versions of the Book of Mormon; part of the original script is also used to compose letters. The original text was used by Smith to correct the errors printed in Versions 1830 and 1837 of the Book of Mormon for the 1840 printing of the book.
Historical ownership: Mormon Book Printer manuscript
At the end of the 19th century an extant part of the printer's manuscripts remained with the family of David Whitmer, who had been the main founder of Latter-day Saints and who, in the 1870s, led the Church of Christ (Whitmerite). During the 1870s, according to the Chicago Tribune , the LDS Church failed to try to buy it from Whitmer for a record price. LDS President Joseph F. Smith refuted this statement in a 1901 letter, believing such a text "has no value whatsoever." In 1895, David Whitmer's grandson, George Schweich inherited the manuscript. In 1903 Schweich had pawned the manuscript for $ 1,800, and needed to collect at least that amount, selling the collection including 72 percent of the original Book manuscript book (John Whitmer's manuscript history, portions of Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible, manuscripts of copies of several revelations, and a piece of paper containing the copied copy of the Book of Mormon) to the RLDS church (now the Christ Community) for $ 2,450, with $ 2,300 of this amount for the printer script. The LDS Church is not trying to buy the manuscript.
By 2015 the remaining portion is published by the Church History Expert in the series Joseph Smith Papers, in Volume Three of "Revelations and Translations"; and, by 2017, the LDS Church purchased a $ 35,000,000 printer manuscript.
Issue
Chapter and paragraph notation system
The original publication of 1830 had no verse markers, although each book was divided into relatively long chapters. Just as the current chapter system and Bible verse notation is the addition of later Bible publishers to books that were originally an integral whole-text block, chapters and verses in the Book of Mormon books are conventions, not parts of the original text.
Publishers of different factions of the Latter-day Saint movement have published different chapter notation and verse systems. The two most significant are the LDS systems, introduced in 1879, and the RLDS system, which is based on the original chapter division of 1830.
RLDS Edition 1908, RLDS 1966 edition, Church of Christ edition (Temple Lot), and edition of the Restored Covenant using the RLDS system while most current editions use the LDS system.
Current
The Book of Mormon is currently printed by the following publishers:
Historic
The following non-fluent editions mark a major development in the text or reader's help printed in the Book of Mormon.
Non-print edition
The following versions are published online:
Text critic
In 1989, scholars at Brigham Young University began working on an important text edition of the Book of Mormon. Volumes 1 and 2, published in 2001, contain the transcription of all text variants of the English edition of the Book of Mormon, from the original to the latest editions. Volume 4, published in sections, is a critical analysis of all text variants. Volume 3, unpublished, will describe the history of all the English texts from Joseph Smith to this day.
The difference between the original manuscript and the printer, the printed version of 1830, and the modern version of the Book of Mormon has led some critics to claim that evidence has been systematically deleted which could prove that Smith composed the Book of Mormon, or attempted to conceal the embarrassing aspects of the church past with Mormon apologists who see the change as superficial, is done to clarify the meaning of the text.
non-English translation
The LDS version of the Book of Mormon has been translated into 83 languages ​​and the choice has been translated into 25 additional languages. In 2001, the LDS Church reported that all or part of the Book of Mormon is available in the 99 percent original language of the Latter-day Saints and 87 percent of the world's total population.
Translations into languages ​​without writing tradition (eg, Kaqchikel, Tzotzil) are available on audio cassettes. Translations to American Sign Language are available on videocassettes and DVDs.
Typically, the translator is a member of the LDS Church employed by the church and translates the text from the original English. Each manuscript is reviewed several times before being approved and published.
In 1998, the LDS Church ceased to translate the choice from the Book of Mormon, and instead announced that any new translations it approved would be a complete edition.
Representation in media
The Book of Mormon events are the focus of several LDS Church films, including The Life of Nephi (1915), How Rare a Possession (1987) and The Testament of One Fold and One Shepherd (2000). Such films in the LDS cinema (ie, films not officially commissioned by the LDS Church) include Book of Mormon Movies, Vol. 1: The Journey (2003) and Passage to Zarahemla (2007).
Both Nephi 9: 20-27 of the Book of Mormon are quoted in a funeral in the film Alfred Hitchcock Family Plot .
In 2003, an episode of
In 2011, the old satirical music entitled Book of Mormon , by South Park creator, aired on Broadway, won 9 Tony Awards, including the best musical. London production won the Olivier Award for best musical.
Distribution
The LDS Church, which distributes free Book of Mormon, reports in 2011 that 150 million copies of the book have been printed since its original publication.
The early print of the Book of Mormon in 1830 yielded 5,000 copies. A copy of 50 million was printed in 1990, with the following 100 million in 2000 and reaching 150 million in 2011.
See also
- Copyright on religious works
- Mulekites
- Lesson about the Book of Mormon
Note
References
Further reading
External links
- Works related to the Book of Mormon (1830 Edition) on Wikisource
- Media related to the Book of Mormon on Wikimedia Commons
- Quotes related to Book of Mormon on Wikiquote
- Facsimile edition 1830
- The Gutenberg Project has full text of the Book of Mormon in various formats (LDS chapter and numbering)
- RLDS 1908 Book of Mormon (chapter and RLDS numbering)
- The Book of Mormon; Account Written By Mormon's Hand on a Plate Taken From a Nephi Plate. From Collection in Library of Congress
- The Book of Mormon (2013 edition) of the LDS Church, at LDSCDN.org, the church website
- The Book of Mormon Center - All the LDS publications about the book
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