FAIR - User contributions [en]

Book of Mormon/Basics

2006-08-16T21:33:26Z

HerbHaley: /* Book of Mormon Location */

==The Book of Mormon==

The Book of Mormon is one of four books considered to be scripture by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the other three being the Holy Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. These four books are referred to as the “standard works” by Latter-day Saints, who consider them to be God’s word and equal in authority.

The Book of Mormon is an ancient text that was written in the western hemisphere in the late 4th and early 5th centuries A.D. It is an account of a specific group of people whose ancestors came from Jerusalem in the early 6th century B.C. Although the Book of Mormon is sometimes referred to as a history of that society, it is really a religious text with historical events used to teach and explain religious principles. The Book of Mormon was engraved on gold plates and buried in a stone box around the year 421 A.D. In 1827, Joseph Smith, a young man living in the state of New York in the United States, uncovered these plates and translated them into English.

The Book of Mormon is a little less than half the size of the Old Testament and is larger than the New Testament. The English editions of the Book of Mormon published today generally result in a book of over 500 pages. The Book of Mormon has been translated from English into over 105 languages. Approximately 130 million copies of the Book of Mormon have been printed since 1830.

===Book of Mormon Synopsis===

Lehi, a wealthy and faithful Israelite of the tribe of Manasseh, lives in Jerusalem in the late 7th century B.C. Having heard the preaching of Jeremiah and other prophets, he prays to God and receives a vision. Lehi is told by God that Jerusalem will be destroyed and the Lehi should take his family and flee into the wilderness and that they will be led to a promised land.

Lehi, his wife Sariah, and their children leave Jerusalem and travel southward. Lehi’s four oldest sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephite, are sent back to Jerusalem to obtain the Hebrew scriptures and other writings, as well as to bring Ishmael and his family to join Lehi’s group. Lehi’s group travels south through what is now Saudi Arabia and then east to the Arabian shore of the Indian Ocean. There they build boats and travel to the western hemisphere.

After arriving in the Americas, Lehi dies and the family group splits into two factions: the Lamanites (those following the eldest son Laman) and the Nephites (those following the righteous, younger son Nephi).

The Lamanites quickly fall into idolatry and reject their religious heritage and culture. The Nephites, however, generally follow the religious traditions of Abraham and Moses, though they often fall into idolatry, materialism, and other sins. A series of prophets are sent to the Nephites to keep them faithful to the god of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to the teachings of Moses. These prophets also teach that the Messiah will be sent to the Israelites in Jerusalem, and that after He is crucified at Jerusalem He will appear to the Nephites and bring peace.

These two groups remain in a state of near constant warfare, with the Lamanites being significantly more numerous than the Nephites. The Nephites migrate north several times, and during the 3rd century B.C. they come into contact with a civilization descended from a group of Jews that had fled Jerusalem at the time of its destruction (the Mulekites). The Mulekites and Nephites combine and are thereafter referred to as Nephites.

The climax of the Book of Mormon is a cataclysmic destruction of much of the Nephite and Lamanite civilizations at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus in Jerusalem. Shortly after this destruction the resurrected Jesus Christ appears to the surviving righteous people. Christ establishes a church among the people and delivers to them many of the teachings that appear in the New Testament gospel.

There follows a period of about 200 years of peace and harmony, after which the people begin again to break apart into factions. By the mid 4th century A.D., the people are again divided into Lamanites and Nephites, but both having rejected Christ and His teachings. There is a major battle around the year A.D. 385 which destroys nearly all of the Nephites. The book ends with the writings of Mormon and his son Moroni, the two last Nephite prophets. They create the Book of Mormon by abridging the records of their civilization and writing the text on gold plates. The final entry in the Book of Mormon is written around A.D. 421 by Moroni and indicates that God instructed him to bury the plates and that they will be found and translated in the future.

There is one additional civilization that is discussed in the Book of Mormon. The Jaredites were a group that left the Old World around the time of the Tower of Babel and were led by God to the Americas. This culture lasted from approximately 2200 B.C. until the 4th or 5th century B.C. The Mulekites had met a survivor of the Jaredites, and the Nephites found a written history of that people as recorded by a Jaredite prophet named Ether. Moroni’s abridgement of, and commentary on, this record appears within the Book of Mormon as the Book of Ether.

===Book of Mormon Authors===

The Book of Mormon was primarily written and assembled by Mormon, a Nephite who lived in the Americas during the 4th century A.D. Mormon created the Book of Mormon by abridging the records of his people as they had been kept from approximately 600 B.C. until his day. The books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, Third Nephi, Fourth Nephi, and the first seven chapters of Mormon were all written by Mormon and are his selection and abridgement of the historical records kept by the “kings” of his people. These books cover a period from about 130 B.C. to about A.D. 385. The first part of Mormon’s abridgement, which covered the period from 600 B.C. to 130 B.C., was lost by Joseph Smith and Martin Harris during the translation process in 1827, which is why Mormon’s existing abridgement in our Book of Mormon only covers the records beginning in about 130 B.C.

The books of First Nephi, Second Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, and Omni are the writings of various Nephite religious leaders from about 600 B.C. to about 200 B.C. Each of these books is named after the author, except that Jarom and Omni include brief writings by people in addition to Jarom and Omni. All of these books were written on what was called the “small plates of Nephi.” Mormon had attached these plates (apparently without editing) to the end of his own writings, which made it possible for the modern translation of the Book of Mormon to contain some of the earlier history and prophecies. After the first part of the record had been lost, Joseph Smith was instructed to translate the “small plates” from the end of the record and to place that translation where the earlier part of Mormon’s record had been.

The Words of Mormon is a short book by Mormon that was written to connect the narrative of the small plates, which end with the book of Omni, to the rest of the book, beginning with Mosiah. The Words of Mormon were written by Mormon in around A.D. 385 but deal with the events between Omni and Mosiah during the 2nd century B.C.

After Mormon died, his son Moroni completed the Book of Mormon as we have it today by adding four pieces. First, Moroni finished his father’s record (the Book of Mormon section within the overall Book of Mormon) by adding what are now chapters 8 and 9. Second, Moroni added the Book of Ether, his condensed summary of, and his commentary on, an ancient record from an earlier civilization, called the Jaredites, that existed from approximately 2200 B.C. to around the 4th or 5th century B.C. Third, Moroni added his own book to the end of the compilation of his father. And finally, Moroni added to the end of the record what is now the title page of the Book of Mormon.

The last recorded date in Moroni’s writings corresponds roughly to A.D. 421.

It should be noted that in the period between the 2nd century B.C. and the 1st century A.D. there were six generations of men who contributed to the books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, 3rd Nephi, and 4th Nephi. They were Alma, Alma the Younger (son of Alma), Helaman (son of Alma the Younger), Helaman (son of Helaman), Nephi (son of the second Helaman), and Nephi (son of Nephi). The first Alma’s story is included in the second half of the Book of Mosiah. The Book of Alma is named for Alma the Younger and contains both his record and the record of his son Helaman. The Book of Helaman is a record of Helaman, son of Helaman. The books of 3rd and 4th Nephi refer to the ministries of the two Nephis respectively, though the Book of 4th Nephi covers a period long beyond the mortal ministry of Nephi son of Nephi.

===Book of Mormon Textual Divisions===

The Book of Mormon is divided into books, chapters, and verses, similar to how the Bible is now published, but only the division into books is from the original text. The title page and the individual book introductions are part of the original Book of Mormon text. The Book of Mormon introduction, chapter headings, footnotes, modern year correspondences, supplementary materials, and the division into chapters and verses were added in the second half of the 19th century and in the 20th century, and those portions are not considered part of the revealed text of the Book of Mormon.

Listed below are the 15 books within the Book of Mormon. The years and number of pages are approximates.

*The Book of First Nephi
**Author: Nephi
**Years covered: 600 B.C. –580 B.C.
**Year written: mid 6th century B.C.
**Number of pages: 52
*The Book of Second Nephi
**Author: Nephi
**Years covered: 580 B.C. –544 B.C.
**Year written: 544 B.C.
**Number of pages: 64
*The Book of Jacob
**Author: Jacob (brother of Nephi)
**Years covered: 544 B.C. – 530 B.C.
**Year written: 530 B.C.
**Number of pages: 19
*The Book of Enos
**Author: Enos (son of Jacob)
**Years covered: 530 B.C.
**Year written: early 5th century B.C.
**Number of pages: 2
*The Book of Jarom
**Author: Jarom (son of Enos) and others
**Years covered: 420 B.C.
**Year written:
**Number of pages: 2
*The Book of Omni
**Author: Omni (descendant of Jarom) and others
**Years covered: 323 B.C.
**Year written: late 4th century and 3rd century B.C.
**Number of pages: 3
*Words of Mormon
**Author: Mormon
**Years covered: mid 4th century A.D. and 2nd century B.C.
**Year written: 4th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 2
*The Book of Mosiah
**Author: Mormon (using records of Mosiah)
**Years covered: 130 B.C. – 91 B.C.
**Year written: 4th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 62
*The Book of Alma
**Author: Mormon (using records of Alma and Helaman)
**Years covered: 91 B.C. – 52 B.C.
**Year written: 4th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 161
*The Book of Helaman
**Author: Mormon (using records of Helaman and Nephi)
**Years covered: 52 B.C. – 1 B.C.
**Year written: 4th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 38
*The Book of Third Nephi
**Author: Mormon (using records of Nephi)
**Years covered: A.D. 1 – A.D. 36
**Year written: 4th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 59
*The Book of Fourth Nephi
**Author: Mormon (using records of Nephi and others)
**Years covered: A.D. 36 – A.D. 322
**Year written: 4th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 4
*The Book of Mormon
**Author: Mormon and Moroni (son of Mormon)
**Years covered: A.D. 322 – A.D. 385
**Year written: A.D. 385
**Number of pages: 18
*The Book of Ether
**Author: Moroni (using records of Ether)
**Years covered: 2200 B.C. – 400 B.C.
**Year written: late 4th or early 5th century A.D.
**Number of pages: 31
*The Book of Moroni
**Author: Moroni (son of Mormon)
**Years covered: late 4th and early 5th century A.D.
**Year written: A.D. 421
**Number of pages: 14

===Book of Mormon Location===

The Book of Mormon begins in Jerusalem, and the route of the group to the shore of the Arabian shore of the Indian Ocean has been identified and is generally accepted by Book of Mormon scholars. However, the site of their landing in the western hemisphere is not known. Based on a variety of internal evidences, most Book of Mormon scholars today believe that the Book of Mormon narrative takes place near Guatemala and the Yucatan peninsula.

The Jaredite culture existed somewhere to the north of the Lehite cultures, but close enough so that the Nephites found some of the ruins of the Jaredite civilization within a few days or weeks of traveling by foot from the Nephite lands.

Historically, most Book of Mormon readers, including most LDS leaders, assumed that the Book of Mormon civilizations extended far into both North and South America. The primary textual support for this view has been the Book of Mormon statements regarding a “land northward” and a “land southward” separated by a “narrow neck of land.” LDS Church leaders have also frequently used Book of Mormon statements about a promised land to include the United States specifically. This view of the Book of Mormon is called the “hemispheric geographic model” (HGM).

An alternate opinion of where the Book of Mormon lands are located is that the entire narrative takes place within a relatively small area, probably little more than a few hundred miles between the furthest points. This view, called the “limited geography model” (LGM) was first proposed during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, but remained a minority opinion until the second half of the 20th century. Today, nearly all Book of Mormon scholars believe the textual evidence for the LGM is overwhelming.

Although many Book of Mormon scholars see references to non-Lehite cultures and peoples within the text of the Book of Mormon, the Book of Mormon does not overtly reference non-Lehite civilizations or peoples. This fact, combined with the paucity of written material from New World antiquity and the discontinuities of New World civilizations, languages, and occupations, makes it difficult to identify existing ancient ruins and artifacts as being of Lehite origin or to confidently place Lehite culture within a specific ancient American context. A commonly held view of many Book of Mormon scholars is that the Jaredites were associated with the Olmec culture and the Nephites and Lamanites were associated with the Mayan culture.

===Book of Mormon Translation===

Joseph Smith, who was born in 1805 in the state of Vermont in the United States, was visited by an angel several times one night in 1823. The angel identified himself as the ancient Nephi prophet Moroni, and he told Joseph about the existence of an ancient record of his people. Moroni told Joseph that the record was written on gold plates and that in time Joseph would be allowed to retrieve the plates and translate them. The following day Joseph went to a nearby hill as directed by the angel, and there under a large rock he saw a stone box and the ancient plates within it.

Joseph was not permitted to remove the plates until 1827. Almost immediately after Joseph Smith retrieved the plates, enemies became aware of them and tried to steal them. Joseph and his wife Emma were forced to move as persecution increased.

Joseph Smith, who had very little education, said that he had been able to translate the Book of Mormon through the power of God. His translation process involved his receiving direct revelation from God, often through the medium of the Urim and Thummim or through a seerstone. Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon while a scribe wrote down what was said. The entire translation process took approximately 60 days and involved at least three scribes: Emma Smith, Martin Harris, and Oliver Cowdery.

At one point during the translation process, Martin Harris pressured Joseph into letting Martin take the transcript to show to his wife, who had been upset with Martin over his involvement with the Book of Mormon translation. These pages, which covered over 300 years of Nephite history and religious discourse, were lost and never recovered. This event had been foreseen by God, and when the plates had been originally assembled, Mormon had been inspired to include a separate set of plates that covered some of the time period as covered by the lost manuscript.

The gold plates were taken by the angel after the translation, but a number of witnesses were allowed to see and feel them. Martin Harris, David Whitmer, and Oliver Cowdery (the “Three Witnesses”) were visited by an angel, who showed them the plates, and these witnesses heard the voice of God declaring the translation to be correct (note that many critics of the Church unjustifiably assume this means the original manuscript was perfect and thus no changes of any kind should have been needed or made in the published Book of Mormon). Another eight men were allowed to see, handle, and lift the plates, though there was no spiritual or supernatural event associated with it. The written testimonies of the three and eight witnesses appears at the front of the printed editions of the Book of Mormon.

In addition to the testimony of the twelve official witnesses (Joseph Smith, the Three Witnesses, and the Eight Witnesses), a number of other people also were witnesses to the existence of the plates. Most of these experiences occurred under natural circumstances, such as Emma moving them and hearing the metallic sound of their rustling under their covering while she was doing housecleaning. Others had miraculous experiences, such as Mary Whitmer being shown the plates by Moroni after she had sacrificed so much to support Joseph while he translated the plates in her home.

The original manuscript of the Book of Mormon consisted of a stream of words without punctuation and with inconsistent spelling. The manuscript was recopied for use by the printer, and this manuscript is called the printer’s manuscript. About one third of the original manuscript and all of the printer’s manuscript are still extant. The printer had to add all of the punctuation, and he did so based on his own reading of the text.

The Book of Mormon was first published in 1829. Over the years, Joseph Smith occasionally corrected errors that had appeared in the first printing, and he also made a few changes to the Book of Mormon text that he felt better expressed what had been on the plates. Nearly every edition of the Book of Mormon since then has involved some minor changes as scholars analyze the various manuscripts to try to determine the original translation of the Book of Mormon plates.

===Book of Mormon Resources===

* [http://www.mormon.org/freeoffers/1,17785,2071-1-1,00.html?src=tv Click here] for free copy of the Book of Mormon, with no obligation
* [http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1090-1,00.html# Click here] to listen to or download Book of Mormon in audio format
* [http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents Book of Mormon] - on-line searchable Book of Mormon
* [[Online_textual_sources_and_materials#Scripture_study | FAIRWiki scripture study links]]

==Teachings of the Book of Mormon==
* [[Plain_and_Precious_Book_of_Mormon_doctrines | Plain and precious Book of Mormon doctrines]]

==Further Reading==

===Bibliography===
The ''FARMS Review'' often produces a yearly bibliography on the Book of Mormon:

*{{FR-1-1-19}}
*{{FR-2-1-31}}
*{{FR-3-1-23}}
*{{FR-4-1-32}}
*{{FR-5-1-21}}
*{{FR-6-2-17}}
*{{FR-7-2-12}}
*{{FR-8-2-17}}
*{{FR-9-2-7}}
*{{FR-9-2-18}}
*{{FR-10-2-16}}
*{{FR-11-2-9}}
*{{FR-12-2-21}}
*{{FR-13-2-18}}
*{{FR-15-2-21}}

Plain and Precious Book of Mormon doctrines

2006-08-13T23:03:41Z

HerbHaley: /* Response */

== Plain and Precious Book of Mormon Doctrines ==

=== Criticism ===
Critics claim that the Book of Mormon is nothing more than a "bad copy of the Bible"; that anyone could have churned out such pedestrian, warmed-over ideas by borrowing liberally from the Bible and his own personal experiences.

=== Response ===
The Book of Mormon has many marvelous and unique doctrines that expand on the Biblical text. The sincere reader knows that all scripture is inspiring. The prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon makes the bold claim that it would contain "many plain and precious" doctrines that originally existed in the Bible, but were subsequently removed, either deliberately or by error ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/13/26-40#26 1 Nephi 13:26–40]). The following is a partial list of some of these "many plain and precious" doctrines that are found in the Book of Mormon, but are either not found in the Bible, or are not spelled out clearly enough to prevent great debate and disagreement among Christians seeking to know the will of God.

==== Doctrines relating to the Savior and his mission ====
*Christ offereth himself unto all who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/7#7 2 Nephi 2:7])
*Christ shall redeem men from their sins, not in their sins ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/11/34-37#34 Alma 11:34–37])
*Why Christ, being perfect, still needed to be baptized ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/4-10#4 2 Nephi 31:4–10])
*The perfect plan of mercy and justice ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/42/11-15,22-30#13 Alma 42:11-15,22-30], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/10-16#10 Alma 34:10-16])
*In addition to our sins, the Savior took upon him our pains, afflictions and temptations, that he might know how to comfort and strengthen us ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/7/11-12#11 Alma 7:11–12])
*The infinite nature of the atonement ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/9/7#7 2 Nephi 9:7], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/10-12#10 Alma 34:10-12])
*Without the resurrection, all men would become angels to the devil, subject to the devil, and be miserable forever. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/9/8-10#8 2 Nephi 9:8–10])
*All things given of God are a type of Christ and testify of Him ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/11/4#4 2 Nephi 11:4], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/30/44#44 Alma 30:44])
*How the Law of Moses was the schoolmaster to Israel ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/13/27-31#27 Mosiah 13:27-31], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/13-14#13 Alma 34:13-14])
*How Christ is both the Father and the Son ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/15/1-9#1 Mosiah 15:1-9])
*Who are Christ's seed? ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/15/10-14#10 Mosiah 15:10-14])
*The Plan of Redemption was prepared from the foundation of the world, ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/12/25#25 Alma 12:25]), Jesus Christ is central to that plan ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/3/14#14 Ether 3:14])
*Christ's redemption is retroactive in saving the faithful who preceded it ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/39/15-19#15 Alma 39:15-19])
*"It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/5/12#12 Helaman 5:12])
*The premortal spirit body of Jesus Christ looked just like his mortal body ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/3/16-16#6 Ether 3:6-16]) (see also [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/gen/1/26-27#26 Genesis 1:26-27])

==== What the devil doesn't want us to know ====
*Murmuring quenches the Spirit ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/3/5-6#5 1 Nephi 3:5–6])
*How Satan will be bound during the millenium ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/22/26#26 1 Nephi 22:26])
*Satan is the father of all lies ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/18#18 2 Nephi 2:18])
*Satan's techniques for ensnaring men ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/28/19-30#19 2 Nephi 28:19-30])
*The evil spirit teaches that a man must not pray ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/32/8#8 2 Nephi 32:8])
*Satan whispers to people that there is no hell nor devil ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/28/22#22 2 Nephi 28:22])
*What motivates Satan - retribution for his misery ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/18#18 2 Nephi 2:18], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/27#27 2 Nephi 2:27])
*What is meant by 'the chains of hell' ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/12/9-11#9 Alma 12:9-11])
*Laboring diligently in the vineyard protects us from sin and the cunning snares of the devil ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/28/14#14 Alma 28:14])
*Anti-Christ defined ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/30/6-60#6 Alma 30:6-60])
*The devil hates all men, including those that follow him ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/30/60#60 Alma 30:60])
*"Wickedness never was happiness" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/41/10#10 Alma 41:10])
*Pride is Satan's most effective tool for our destruction ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/6/10-16#10 3 Nephi 6:10-16])
*Satan is the father of all contention ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/11/29#29 3 Nephi 11:29])

==== The purpose of life ====
*"Adam fell that men might be, and men are, that they might have joy" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/25#25 2 Nephi 2:25])
*The fall of Adam and Eve was part of God's plan – had he not fallen, they would have remained in the garden forever, knowing no joy or misery, doing no good nor evil, having no children. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/22–25#22 2 Nephi 2:22–25])
*"For it must needs be that there is an opposition in all things" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/11#11 2 Nephi 2:11])
*In mortality, men are given all choices, and "they are free to choose liberty and eternal life through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/2/27#27 2 Nephi 2:27], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/14/30-31#30 Helaman:14:30-31])
*This life is a probationary state, a time to prepare to meet God. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/42/1-10,13#4 Alma 42:1-10,13], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/12/20-24#24 Alma 12:24 (20-24)], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/32#32 Alma 34:32])
*Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/32-34#32 Alma 34:32-34], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/13/38#38 Helaman 13:38])
*True wisdom, foolishnes defined ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/9/28–29,42#28 2 Nephi 9:28–29,42])
*"To be carnally–minded is death, and to be spiritually–minded is life eternal" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/9/39#39 2 Nephi 9:39])
*The blessings of obedience to God's commandments ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/2/41#41 Mosiah 2:41])
*The natural man is an enemy to God. What we must do to become saints ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/3/19#19 Mosiah 3:19])
*The Lord tries the patience and faith of his people ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/23/21#21 Mosiah 23:21])
*"O, remember my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in they youth to keep the commandments of God." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37/35#35 Alma 37:35])
*Because men's hearts are false, unsteady and quickly lifted up in pride, God must chasten them with many afflictions, lest they completely forget Him. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/12/1-6#1 Helaman 12:1-6])
*We have a fulness of joy when we labor to bring souls unto Christ ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/28/9-10#9 3 Nephi 28:9-10])

==== Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and Enduring to the End ====
*No unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of heaven ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/10/21#21 1 Nephi 10:21],[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/15/34#34 1 Nephi 15:34], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/15/34#34 Alma 7:21], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/40/26#26 Alma 40:26], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/45/16#16 Alma 45:16])
*The still, small voice of the Spirit is felt ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17/45#45 1 Nephi 17:45])
*At the resurrection, those who do not repent shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, uncleanness and nakedness, while the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment and their righteousness, being clothed in purity. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/9/14#14 2 Nephi 9:14])
*"We are saved by grace, after all we can do." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/25/23#23 2 Nephi 25:23])
*It isn't enough to have faith once, repent once, and be baptized. We must press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/19-20#19 2 Nephi 31:19-20])
*Baptism existed before John the Baptist ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/4-6,8,11-12#4 2 Nephi 31:4–6,8,11–12] [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/18/10,13,15-17#10 Mosiah 18:10,13,15–17])
*The fruits of pride ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/6/10–16#10 3 Nephi 6:10–16])
*The only source of inequality of men is due to sin and transgression ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/28/13#13 Alma 28:13])
*How to retain a remission of your sins ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/4:11-26#11 Mosiah 4:11-26])
*How to endure to the end ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/4/29-30#29 Mosiah 4:29-30])
*To gain salvation, men must repent, keep the commandments, be born again, cleanse their garments through the blood of Christ, be humble and strip themselves of all pride and envy, and do the works of righteousness ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/5/14-35#14 Alma 5:14-35])
*Our sins hold us back and bind us down to destruction ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/7/14-16#14 Alma 7:14-16])
*How to nourish and grow our faith in Jesus Christ ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/32/6-43#6 Alma 32:6-43])
*We are to have "faith unto repentance" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/15-17#15 Alma 34:15-17])
*The gospel is defined ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/27/13-21#13 3 Nephi 27:13-21], (also referred to as "the doctrine of Christ") [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/11/31-41#31 3 Nephi 11:31-41], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/10-21#10 2 Nephi 31:10-21])
*We receive no witness until after the trial of our faith ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/12/6#6 Ether 12:6])
*"If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/12/27#27 Ether 12:27])
*You cannot have faith and hope without being meek and lowly of heart ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/43-44#43 Moroni 7:43-44])
*"And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth remission of sins." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/8/25#25 Moroni 8:25])
*The remission of sins brings meekness and lowliness of heart, which in turn bring the visitation of the Holy Ghost ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/8/26#26 Moroni 8:26])

==== Qualifications for baptism ====
*We must be willing to follow the Savior with full purpose of heart and with real intent. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/3#3 2 Nephi 31:3], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/10-13#10 2 Nephi 31:10-13])
*We must repent of our sins, thereby witnessing unto the Father that we are willing to take upon us the name of Christ. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/3#3 2 Nephi 31:3], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/6/2–3#2 Moroni 6:2–3])
*We must be willing to come into the fold of God, and to be called His people (([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/18/8#8 Mosiah 18:8])
*We must be willing to bear one another's burdens, willing to mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that stand in need of comfort. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/18/9#9 Mosiah 18:9])
*We must be willing to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all places, even until death. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/18/10#10 Mosiah 18:10])
*We must be willing to serve God, keep His commandments, and desire to have His Spirit poured out more abundantly upon us. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/18/10#10 Mosiah 18:10], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/21/35#35 Mosiah 21:35])
*Notwithstanding the Savior being holy, he was baptized to witness to the Father that he was willing to keep his commandments. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/31/7#7 2 Nephi 31:7])
*We must repent, be baptized and become as a little child or we can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/11/37-38#37 3 Nephi 11:37–38])
*We must have a broken heart and a contrite spirit. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/6/2–3#2 Moroni 6:2-3])
*Baptism not for infants ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/8/4-23#4 Moroni 8:4-23])
*Baptism and repentance are for those that are accountable and capable of committing sin ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/8/10#10 Moroni 8:10])

==== Prayer ====
*Preparation precedes revelation ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/16/23-29#23 1 Nephi 16:23,24,28,29])
*We are not to perform anything without first praying, that God will consecrate the performance for the welfare of our souls. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/32/9#9 2 Nephi 32:9])
*How to understand the things of God ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/15/2-4#2 1 Nephi 15:2–4])
*Trust not in the arm of flesh ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/4/34#34 2 Nephi 4:34],[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/28/31#31 2 Nephi 28:31])
*"Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/jacob/4/10#10 Jacob 4:10])
*The answer to the question 'Does it do any good to pray for others?' ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/27/14#14 Mosiah 27:14])
*Where, When and What we are to pray for ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/17-27#17 Alma 34:17-27])
*If we do not care for the poor and the needy, the Lord will not answer our prayers ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/28-29#28 Alma 34:28-29])
*We are to live in thanksgiving daily ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/34/38#38 Alma 34:38])
*The Savior's sermon on prayer in the Americas: we are to hold up His light by following His example of praying always ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/18/15-25#15 3 Nephi 18:15-25]) (see also 3 Nephi 11 - 18 for examples of the Savior praying among the Nephites)
*If a man offers a gift, or prays grudgingly to the Lord, it is the same as if he gave nothing - except he shall do it with real intent, it profits him nothing ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/6-8#6 Moroni 7:6-8])
*Charity is the pure love of Christ. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/47#47 Moroni 7:47]) We are to pray with all the energy of our hearts to be filled with this love ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/48#48 Moroni 7:48], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/8/26#26 Moroni 8:26])
*We are to pray with real intent, having faith in Christ ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/3-5#3 Moroni 10:3-5]) (see also [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/james/1/5-6#5 James 1:5-6])
*We are to ponder before asking God the truth of any thing (such as the Book of Mormon), then pray with real intent (i.e. be willing to do what the Lord tells you). A testimony of the truth then comes by the power of the Holy Ghost ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/3-5#3 Moroni 10:3-5])

==== The power of the Scriptures ====
*To profit and learn from the scriptures, we are to 'liken' them unto ourselves ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/19/23#23 1 Nephi 19:23])
*Why we need the Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/29/1-14#1 2 Nephi 29:1-14], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/ttlpg#2 Title Page (see end of last paragraph)])
*The scriptures "enlarge the memory" of the people ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37/8#8 Alma 37:8])
*"Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the aright hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/3/29-30#29 Helaman 3:29-30])

==== For our day ====
*The answer to the age-old question 'How can God be a god of love, yet have commanded the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites?' ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17/32-45#32 1 Nephi 17:32–45])
*When nations ripen in iniquity, the Lord destroys them. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17/37-38#37 1 Nephi 17:37-38], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/1/7#7 2 Nephi 1:7], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/45/16#16 Alma 45:16], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/2/8-12#8 Ether 2:8-12])
**Before destroying them, he sends prophets to warn them ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/25/9#9 2 Nephi 25:9])
**People are ripe for descruction when they cast out the righteous from among them ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/hel/13/12-14#12 Helaman 13:12-14]) (see also [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/gen/18/23-33#23 Genesis 18:23-33])
*Priestcraft defined and condemned ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/26/29-31#29 2 Nephi 26:29-31])
*God is a God of miracles, the same yesterday, today, and forever, but works among the children of men according to their faith ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/27/23#23 2 Nephi 27:23], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/12/7-22#12 Ether 12:12 (7-22)], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/morm/9/7-11,15-21#7 Mormon 9:7-11,15-21], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/27,35-38#27 Moroni 7:27,37 (35-38)])
*Under what circumstances we are justified in going to war ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/43/45-47#45 Alma 43:45-47], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/48/14-16#14 Alma 48:14-16],[http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/43/29-30#29 Alma 43:29-30])
*The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a sign that the Lord has commenced to gather Israsel and fulfill his covenants ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/3_ne/29/1-9#1 3 Nephi 29:1-9])
*"Touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/30#30 Moroni 10:30])

==== Other plain and precious things ====
*"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass, and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37/6#6 Alma 37:6], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/16/9#9 1 Nephi 16:9])
*The Lord will not give a commandment without preparing a way for us to obey it. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/3/7#7 1 Nephi 3:7], [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/17/3#3 1 Nephi 17:3])
*The guilty take the truth to be hard ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/16/2#2 1 Nephi 16:2])
*Joseph of Egypt's vision of what would befall his posterity to the last days ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/3/5-16#5 2 Nephi 3:5–16])
*The best sermon on gratitude and humility ever given ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/mosiah/2/19-25#19 Mosiah 2:19-25])

*The difference between physical death and spiritual death ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/12/16#16 Alma 12:16])
*How to teach with power and authority ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/17/1-3#1 Alma 17:1-3])
*The preaching of the word of God has a more powerful effect to lead people to do that which is just than anything else, even more powerful than the sword. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/31/5#5 Alma 31:5])
*When we are slothful and forget to exercise faith and diligence, then the Lord's marvelous works cease in our life, and we do not progress in our journey ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37/38-46#38 Alma 37:38-46])

*"Bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/38/12#12 Alma 38:12])
*The Spirit of Christ is given to every man to know good from evil ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/16-17#16 Moroni 7:16-17])
*Everything which invites men to do good, and to believe in Christ is sent from God. Everything which persuades men to do evil, believe not in Christ, and deny Christ is of the devil ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/16-17#16 Moroni 7:16-17])
*The role and ministry of angels ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/7/25,29-32#25 Moroni 7:25,29-32])
*By the power of the Holy Ghost, men may know the truth of all things ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/moro/10/5#5 Moroni 10:5])

=== Conclusion ===
It would have been truly amazing if Joseph Smith had come up with any one of these doctrines on his own. Taken together, they are convincing evidence that the Book of Mormon is scripture, and that it indeed contains "many plain and precious things" that were removed from the Bible, or not taught clearly enough by Biblical authors to prevent confusion and disagreement among sincere Christians. That Joseph or anyone else had made up the Book of Mormon from 'whole cloth' would be far more miraculous than the divine account of its origin, as given by Joseph Smith.

==Further Reading==
* '''[http://www.mormon.org/freeoffers/1,17785,2071-1-1,00.html?src=tv Click here]''' for free copy of the Book of Mormon, with no obligation.

===FAIR Wiki articles===
* [[Book_of_Mormon_basics|Book of Mormon basics]]
* [[Online_textual_sources_and_materials#Scripture_study | FAIRWiki scripture study links]]

===External Links===
* [http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents Book of Mormon] - on-line searchable Book of Mormon
* [http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1090-1,00.html# Audio format]: MP3 download or streaming of the Book of Mormon

Moroni's visit/Nephi or Moroni

2006-07-23T03:56:45Z

HerbHaley: /* Sources which mention Nephi */

==Criticism==
The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Critics claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.'


==Response==
Critics cite a variety of sources that repeat the Nephi claim. The key point to understand is that there is really only ''one source'' that claims Nephi; the other sources which mention Nephi are merely citing this one source, thus perpetuating the error.

These facts have not been hidden; they are readily available in the ''History of the Church'':

:In the original publication of the history in the Times and Seasons at Nauvoo, this name appears as "Nephi," and the Millennial Star perpetuated the error in its republication of the History. That it is an error is evident, and it is so noted in the manuscripts to which access has been had in the preparation of this work.{{ref|HoC1}}

===Sources which mention Nephi===
The claim that the messenger was "Nephi" derives from only one source: the ''Manuscript History of the Church''

*This document was then reprinted in the ''Times and Seasons'':

:He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''. That God has a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and er that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. [italics added]{{ref|TaS1}}

It should be noted that Joseph had turned the editorial duties of the ''Times and Seasons'' over to John Taylor because of other demands on his time. It is therefore unlikely that Joseph saw this published version prior to its publication.

*In England, the Church's ''Millenial Star'' printed the same article, perpetuating the error:

:He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''. [italics added]{{ref|MS1}}
*This idea was repeated further in the same volume:

:Again, when we read the history of our beloved brother, Joseph Smith, and of the glorious ministry and message of the angel ''Nephi'', which has finally opened a new dispensation to man, and commenced a revolution in the moral, civil, and religious government of the world...[italics added]{{ref|MS2}}

*The ''Millenial Star'' and ''Times and Seasons'' accounts then served as the source for Lucy Mack Smith's book:

:He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''...[citing] Times and Seasons, vol. iii., p. 729. Supp. to Mil. Star, vol. xiv., p. 4.[italics added]{{ref|lms1}}

*And, the Pearl of Great Price, published in England and not yet canonized, drew on the ''Millenial Star'''s versions, citing "Times & Seasons, Vol. iii, p. 726, &c." (p. 36).

:He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''.[italics added]{{ref|pogp1}}

*Finally, Thomas Bullock's journal refers to the ''Times and Seasons'' as his source for the story.

:INSERT TEXT HERE[italics added]{{ref|bullock1}}

Thus, a single error in the ''Manuscript History'' had a ripple effect through several published accounts of the vision. These accounts are not independent 'proof' that Joseph was changing the story; they all depend on a single error.

===Sources which mention Moroni===

[[Image:Nephi or Moroni.png|thumbnail|Timeline showing use of "Moroni" in Joseph Smith's accounts of the visitation of the angel]]In contrast to the single source's error above, there are multiple independent sources, edited by Joseph Smith and others (some hostile), which demonstrate that the story about Moroni was well-known to members of the Church and enemies:

* D&C 27:5 - 1830–1835
:Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel [modern edition [http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/27/5#5 D&C 27:5]]{{ref|dc1}}

* ''Mormonism Unvailed'' - 1834, reprinted as ''History of Mormonism'' in 1840 [anti-Mormon work]

:After he had finished translating the Book of Mormon, he again buried up the plates in the side of a mountain, by command of the Lord; some time after this, he was going through a piece of woods, on a by-path, when he discovered an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel...The Lord told him that the man he saw was MORONI, with the plates, and if he had given him the five coppers, he might have got his plates again. (emphasis in original){{ref|unvailed1}}

* ''Messenger and Advocate'' - 1835

:I have now given you a rehearsal of what was communicated to our brother, when he was directed to go and obtain the record of the Nephites…and I believe that the angel ''Moroni'', whose words I have been rehearsing, who communicated the knowledge of the record of the Nephites, in this age, saw also, before he hid up the same unto the Lord, great and marvelous things, which were to transpire when the same should come forth{{ref|ma1}}

* ''Elder's Journal'' - July 1838

:For those holy men are angels now. And these are they, who make the fulness of times complete with us. And they who sin against this authority given to him...sins not against him only, but against ''Moroni'', who holds the keys of the stick of Ephraim. (italics added){{ref|ej1}}

* ''Elder's Journal'' - July 1838

:How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon?...Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me and told me where they were and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates and thus came the book of Mormon.{{ref|ej2}}

* D&C 128 (labelled 104 in 1844 edition) - 1844

:And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! ''Moroni'', an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/128/20#20 D&C 128:20]).

==Conclusion==

This is not an example of Joseph changing his story, but a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than Joseph, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph—and his enemies, who would have seized on any inconsistency had they known of it—shows that Moroni was the named messenger.

It is not surprising that Joseph's associates made the error, since Joseph also had contact with Nephi during the restoration:

:Who was it that administered to Joseph Smith? Moroni and Nephi, men who had lived upon this continent.{{ref|jd1}}

:Afterwards the Angel Moroni came to him and revealed to him the Book of Mormon, with the history of which you are generally familiar, and also with the statements that I am now making pertaining to these things. And then came Nephi, one of the ancient prophets, that had lived upon this continent, who had an interest in the welfare of the people that he had lived amongst in those days.{{ref|jd2}}

:If you will read the history of the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John the Baptist came to him. Moroni, who held the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from Nephi and it may be from Alma and others.{{ref|jd3}}

==Endnotes==
#{{note|HoC1}}{{HoC|vol=1|start=11|end=12, footnote 2}}
#{{note|TaS1}}"History of Joseph Smith (continued)," ''Times and Seasons'' 3:12 (15 April 1842): 753.
#{{note|MS1}} "History of Joseph Smith From the 'Times and Seasons'," ''Millenial Star'' 3:4 (August 1842): 53.
#{{note|MS2}} "The Millennial Star. August 1, 1842," ''Millenial Star'' 3:4 (August 1842): 71.
#{{note|lms1}} Lucy [Mack] Smith, ''Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his Progenitors for Many Generations,'' (London: Latter-Day Saints' Book Depot, 1853), 78–80.
#{{note|pogp1}} Franklin D. Richards (publisher), ''The Pearl of Great Price,'' 1st edition, (Liverpool: R. James, South Castle Street, 1851), 40-41.
#{{note|bullock1}} ''Primary source for this needed''
#{{note|dc1}} Doctrine and Covenants 50:2 (1835 edition); received August 1830, written September 1830 (See ''History of the Church,'' 1:106, foonote 3.)
#{{note|unvailed1}} Eber Dudley Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press, 1834), 277.
#{{note|ma1}} Oliver Cowdery, ''Messenger and Advocate'' 1:7 (April 1835): 112.
#{{note|ej1}} David W. Patten, ''Elder's Journal'' 1:3 (July 1838) :42 (see also ''Millenial Star'' 1:126).
#{{note|ej2}} Joseph Smith, Jr., ''Elder's Journal'' 1:3 (July 1838) :42-43.
#{{note|jd1}}{{JoD19|author=John Taylor|vol=19|start=82|end=82}}
#{{note|jd2}}{{JoD21|author=John Taylor|vol=21|start=161|end=161}}
#{{note|jd3}}{{JoD13|author=George A. Smith|title=Discourse...|date=5 December 1869|vol=13|start=47|end=47}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR web site===
*Matthew B. Brown, "[http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2004_Anti-Mormons_and_Documentary_Sources.html Historical or Hysterical—Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources]," presentation at the 2004 FAIR Conference.

===External links===
*Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, [http://www.mormonfortress.com/nemor2.html "The Nephi/Moroni Problem"], ''mormonfortress.com''.

Moroni's visit/Nephi or Moroni

2006-07-23T03:55:26Z

HerbHaley: /* Sources which mention Nephi */

==Criticism==
The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Critics claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.'


==Response==
Critics cite a variety of sources that repeat the Nephi claim. The key point to understand is that there is really only ''one source'' that claims Nephi; the other sources which mention Nephi are merely citing this one source, thus perpetuating the error.

These facts have not been hidden; they are readily available in the ''History of the Church'':

:In the original publication of the history in the Times and Seasons at Nauvoo, this name appears as "Nephi," and the Millennial Star perpetuated the error in its republication of the History. That it is an error is evident, and it is so noted in the manuscripts to which access has been had in the preparation of this work.{{ref|HoC1}}

===Sources which mention Nephi===
The claim that the messenger was "Nephi" derives, in fact, from only one source: the ''Manuscript History of the Church''

*This document was then reprinted in the ''Times and Seasons'':

:He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''. That God has a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and er that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. [italics added]{{ref|TaS1}}

It should be noted that Joseph had turned the editorial duties of the ''Times and Seasons'' over to John Taylor because of other demands on his time. It is therefore unlikely that Joseph saw this published version prior to its publication.

*In England, the Church's ''Millenial Star'' printed the same article, perpetuating the error:

:He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''. [italics added]{{ref|MS1}}
*This idea was repeated further in the same volume:

:Again, when we read the history of our beloved brother, Joseph Smith, and of the glorious ministry and message of the angel ''Nephi'', which has finally opened a new dispensation to man, and commenced a revolution in the moral, civil, and religious government of the world...[italics added]{{ref|MS2}}

*The ''Millenial Star'' and ''Times and Seasons'' accounts then served as the source for Lucy Mack Smith's book:

:He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''...[citing] Times and Seasons, vol. iii., p. 729. Supp. to Mil. Star, vol. xiv., p. 4.[italics added]{{ref|lms1}}

*And, the Pearl of Great Price, published in England and not yet canonized, drew on the ''Millenial Star'''s versions, citing "Times & Seasons, Vol. iii, p. 726, &c." (p. 36).

:He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''.[italics added]{{ref|pogp1}}

*Finally, Thomas Bullock's journal refers to the ''Times and Seasons'' as his source for the story.

:INSERT TEXT HERE[italics added]{{ref|bullock1}}

Thus, a single error in the ''Manuscript History'' had a ripple effect through several published accounts of the vision. These accounts are not independent 'proof' that Joseph was changing the story; they all depend on a single error.

===Sources which mention Moroni===

[[Image:Nephi or Moroni.png|thumbnail|Timeline showing use of "Moroni" in Joseph Smith's accounts of the visitation of the angel]]In contrast to the single source's error above, there are multiple independent sources, edited by Joseph Smith and others (some hostile), which demonstrate that the story about Moroni was well-known to members of the Church and enemies:

* D&C 27:5 - 1830–1835
:Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel [modern edition [http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/27/5#5 D&C 27:5]]{{ref|dc1}}

* ''Mormonism Unvailed'' - 1834, reprinted as ''History of Mormonism'' in 1840 [anti-Mormon work]

:After he had finished translating the Book of Mormon, he again buried up the plates in the side of a mountain, by command of the Lord; some time after this, he was going through a piece of woods, on a by-path, when he discovered an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel...The Lord told him that the man he saw was MORONI, with the plates, and if he had given him the five coppers, he might have got his plates again. (emphasis in original){{ref|unvailed1}}

* ''Messenger and Advocate'' - 1835

:I have now given you a rehearsal of what was communicated to our brother, when he was directed to go and obtain the record of the Nephites…and I believe that the angel ''Moroni'', whose words I have been rehearsing, who communicated the knowledge of the record of the Nephites, in this age, saw also, before he hid up the same unto the Lord, great and marvelous things, which were to transpire when the same should come forth{{ref|ma1}}

* ''Elder's Journal'' - July 1838

:For those holy men are angels now. And these are they, who make the fulness of times complete with us. And they who sin against this authority given to him...sins not against him only, but against ''Moroni'', who holds the keys of the stick of Ephraim. (italics added){{ref|ej1}}

* ''Elder's Journal'' - July 1838

:How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon?...Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me and told me where they were and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates and thus came the book of Mormon.{{ref|ej2}}

* D&C 128 (labelled 104 in 1844 edition) - 1844

:And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! ''Moroni'', an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/128/20#20 D&C 128:20]).

==Conclusion==

This is not an example of Joseph changing his story, but a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than Joseph, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph—and his enemies, who would have seized on any inconsistency had they known of it—shows that Moroni was the named messenger.

It is not surprising that Joseph's associates made the error, since Joseph also had contact with Nephi during the restoration:

:Who was it that administered to Joseph Smith? Moroni and Nephi, men who had lived upon this continent.{{ref|jd1}}

:Afterwards the Angel Moroni came to him and revealed to him the Book of Mormon, with the history of which you are generally familiar, and also with the statements that I am now making pertaining to these things. And then came Nephi, one of the ancient prophets, that had lived upon this continent, who had an interest in the welfare of the people that he had lived amongst in those days.{{ref|jd2}}

:If you will read the history of the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John the Baptist came to him. Moroni, who held the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from Nephi and it may be from Alma and others.{{ref|jd3}}

==Endnotes==
#{{note|HoC1}}{{HoC|vol=1|start=11|end=12, footnote 2}}
#{{note|TaS1}}"History of Joseph Smith (continued)," ''Times and Seasons'' 3:12 (15 April 1842): 753.
#{{note|MS1}} "History of Joseph Smith From the 'Times and Seasons'," ''Millenial Star'' 3:4 (August 1842): 53.
#{{note|MS2}} "The Millennial Star. August 1, 1842," ''Millenial Star'' 3:4 (August 1842): 71.
#{{note|lms1}} Lucy [Mack] Smith, ''Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his Progenitors for Many Generations,'' (London: Latter-Day Saints' Book Depot, 1853), 78–80.
#{{note|pogp1}} Franklin D. Richards (publisher), ''The Pearl of Great Price,'' 1st edition, (Liverpool: R. James, South Castle Street, 1851), 40-41.
#{{note|bullock1}} ''Primary source for this needed''
#{{note|dc1}} Doctrine and Covenants 50:2 (1835 edition); received August 1830, written September 1830 (See ''History of the Church,'' 1:106, foonote 3.)
#{{note|unvailed1}} Eber Dudley Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press, 1834), 277.
#{{note|ma1}} Oliver Cowdery, ''Messenger and Advocate'' 1:7 (April 1835): 112.
#{{note|ej1}} David W. Patten, ''Elder's Journal'' 1:3 (July 1838) :42 (see also ''Millenial Star'' 1:126).
#{{note|ej2}} Joseph Smith, Jr., ''Elder's Journal'' 1:3 (July 1838) :42-43.
#{{note|jd1}}{{JoD19|author=John Taylor|vol=19|start=82|end=82}}
#{{note|jd2}}{{JoD21|author=John Taylor|vol=21|start=161|end=161}}
#{{note|jd3}}{{JoD13|author=George A. Smith|title=Discourse...|date=5 December 1869|vol=13|start=47|end=47}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR web site===
*Matthew B. Brown, "[http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2004_Anti-Mormons_and_Documentary_Sources.html Historical or Hysterical—Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources]," presentation at the 2004 FAIR Conference.

===External links===
*Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, [http://www.mormonfortress.com/nemor2.html "The Nephi/Moroni Problem"], ''mormonfortress.com''.

Moroni's visit/Nephi or Moroni

2006-07-23T03:49:11Z

HerbHaley: /* Conclusion */

==Criticism==
The Church teaches that Moroni was the heavenly messenger which appeared to Joseph Smith and directed him to the gold plates. Yet, some Church sources give the identity of this messenger as Nephi. Critics claim that this shows that Joseph was 'making it up as he went along.'


==Response==
Critics cite a variety of sources that repeat the Nephi claim. The key point to understand is that there is really only ''one source'' that claims Nephi; the other sources which mention Nephi are merely citing this one source, thus perpetuating the error.

These facts have not been hidden; they are readily available in the ''History of the Church'':

:In the original publication of the history in the Times and Seasons at Nauvoo, this name appears as "Nephi," and the Millennial Star perpetuated the error in its republication of the History. That it is an error is evident, and it is so noted in the manuscripts to which access has been had in the preparation of this work.{{ref|HoC1}}

===Sources which mention Nephi===
Thus, the claim that the messenger was "Nephi" derives, in fact, from only one source: the ''Manuscript History of the Church''

*This document was then reprinted in the ''Times and Seasons'':

:He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''. That God has a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and er that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people. He said there was a book deposited written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. [italics added]{{ref|TaS1}}

It should be noted that Joseph had turned the editorial duties of the ''Times and Seasons'' over to John Taylor because of other demands on his time. It is therefore unlikely that Joseph saw this published version prior to its publication.

*In England, the Church's ''Millenial Star'' printed the same article, perpetuating the error:

:He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''. [italics added]{{ref|MS1}}
*This idea was repeated further in the same volume:

:Again, when we read the history of our beloved brother, Joseph Smith, and of the glorious ministry and message of the angel ''Nephi'', which has finally opened a new dispensation to man, and commenced a revolution in the moral, civil, and religious government of the world...[italics added]{{ref|MS2}}

*The ''Millenial Star'' and ''Times and Seasons'' accounts then served as the source for Lucy Mack Smith's book:

:He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''...[citing] Times and Seasons, vol. iii., p. 729. Supp. to Mil. Star, vol. xiv., p. 4.[italics added]{{ref|lms1}}

*And, the Pearl of Great Price, published in England and not yet canonized, drew on the ''Millenial Star'''s versions, citing "Times & Seasons, Vol. iii, p. 726, &c." (p. 36).

:He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was ''Nephi''.[italics added]{{ref|pogp1}}

*Finally, Thomas Bullock's journal refers to the ''Times and Seasons'' as his source for the story.

:INSERT TEXT HERE[italics added]{{ref|bullock1}}

Thus, a single error in the ''Manuscript History'' had a ripple effect through several published accounts of the vision. But, these accounts are not independent 'proof' that Joseph was changing the story; they all depend on a single error.

===Sources which mention Moroni===

[[Image:Nephi or Moroni.png|thumbnail|Timeline showing use of "Moroni" in Joseph Smith's accounts of the visitation of the angel]]In contrast to the single source's error above, there are multiple independent sources, edited by Joseph Smith and others (some hostile), which demonstrate that the story about Moroni was well-known to members of the Church and enemies:

* D&C 27:5 - 1830–1835
:Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel [modern edition [http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/27/5#5 D&C 27:5]]{{ref|dc1}}

* ''Mormonism Unvailed'' - 1834, reprinted as ''History of Mormonism'' in 1840 [anti-Mormon work]

:After he had finished translating the Book of Mormon, he again buried up the plates in the side of a mountain, by command of the Lord; some time after this, he was going through a piece of woods, on a by-path, when he discovered an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel...The Lord told him that the man he saw was MORONI, with the plates, and if he had given him the five coppers, he might have got his plates again. (emphasis in original){{ref|unvailed1}}

* ''Messenger and Advocate'' - 1835

:I have now given you a rehearsal of what was communicated to our brother, when he was directed to go and obtain the record of the Nephites…and I believe that the angel ''Moroni'', whose words I have been rehearsing, who communicated the knowledge of the record of the Nephites, in this age, saw also, before he hid up the same unto the Lord, great and marvelous things, which were to transpire when the same should come forth{{ref|ma1}}

* ''Elder's Journal'' - July 1838

:For those holy men are angels now. And these are they, who make the fulness of times complete with us. And they who sin against this authority given to him...sins not against him only, but against ''Moroni'', who holds the keys of the stick of Ephraim. (italics added){{ref|ej1}}

* ''Elder's Journal'' - July 1838

:How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon?...Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me and told me where they were and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates and thus came the book of Mormon.{{ref|ej2}}

* D&C 128 (labelled 104 in 1844 edition) - 1844

:And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! ''Moroni'', an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/128/20#20 D&C 128:20]).

==Conclusion==

This is not an example of Joseph changing his story, but a detail being improperly recorded by someone other than Joseph, and then reprinted uncritically. Clear contemporary evidence from Joseph—and his enemies, who would have seized on any inconsistency had they known of it—shows that Moroni was the named messenger.

It is not surprising that Joseph's associates made the error, since Joseph also had contact with Nephi during the restoration:

:Who was it that administered to Joseph Smith? Moroni and Nephi, men who had lived upon this continent.{{ref|jd1}}

:Afterwards the Angel Moroni came to him and revealed to him the Book of Mormon, with the history of which you are generally familiar, and also with the statements that I am now making pertaining to these things. And then came Nephi, one of the ancient prophets, that had lived upon this continent, who had an interest in the welfare of the people that he had lived amongst in those days.{{ref|jd2}}

:If you will read the history of the Church from the beginning, you will find that Joseph was visited by various angelic beings, but not one of them professed to give him the keys until John the Baptist came to him. Moroni, who held the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim, visited Joseph; he had doubtless, also, visits from Nephi and it may be from Alma and others.{{ref|jd3}}

==Endnotes==
#{{note|HoC1}}{{HoC|vol=1|start=11|end=12, footnote 2}}
#{{note|TaS1}}"History of Joseph Smith (continued)," ''Times and Seasons'' 3:12 (15 April 1842): 753.
#{{note|MS1}} "History of Joseph Smith From the 'Times and Seasons'," ''Millenial Star'' 3:4 (August 1842): 53.
#{{note|MS2}} "The Millennial Star. August 1, 1842," ''Millenial Star'' 3:4 (August 1842): 71.
#{{note|lms1}} Lucy [Mack] Smith, ''Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and his Progenitors for Many Generations,'' (London: Latter-Day Saints' Book Depot, 1853), 78–80.
#{{note|pogp1}} Franklin D. Richards (publisher), ''The Pearl of Great Price,'' 1st edition, (Liverpool: R. James, South Castle Street, 1851), 40-41.
#{{note|bullock1}} ''Primary source for this needed''
#{{note|dc1}} Doctrine and Covenants 50:2 (1835 edition); received August 1830, written September 1830 (See ''History of the Church,'' 1:106, foonote 3.)
#{{note|unvailed1}} Eber Dudley Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press, 1834), 277.
#{{note|ma1}} Oliver Cowdery, ''Messenger and Advocate'' 1:7 (April 1835): 112.
#{{note|ej1}} David W. Patten, ''Elder's Journal'' 1:3 (July 1838) :42 (see also ''Millenial Star'' 1:126).
#{{note|ej2}} Joseph Smith, Jr., ''Elder's Journal'' 1:3 (July 1838) :42-43.
#{{note|jd1}}{{JoD19|author=John Taylor|vol=19|start=82|end=82}}
#{{note|jd2}}{{JoD21|author=John Taylor|vol=21|start=161|end=161}}
#{{note|jd3}}{{JoD13|author=George A. Smith|title=Discourse...|date=5 December 1869|vol=13|start=47|end=47}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR web site===
*Matthew B. Brown, "[http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Conferences/2004_Anti-Mormons_and_Documentary_Sources.html Historical or Hysterical—Anti-Mormons and Documentary Sources]," presentation at the 2004 FAIR Conference.

===External links===
*Elden Watson and D. Charles Pyle, [http://www.mormonfortress.com/nemor2.html "The Nephi/Moroni Problem"], ''mormonfortress.com''.

Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon

2006-07-17T22:31:27Z

HerbHaley: /* Coincidence? */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that the presence of chiasmus in the Book of Mormon is either coincidental, an artifact of the observer, or not impressive since examples of chiastic patterns have been found in the Doctrine and Covenants or other 19th century writing.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*

==Response==

===What is chiasmus?===

Chiasmus is a poetical or rhetorical form used by many languages, including Sumero-Akkadian [Sumeria, Assyria, Babylon], Ugaritic [Syrian area circa. 2000 B.C.] , Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, the Talmud, the New Testament, Greek, and Latin.{{ref|welch1}}

Chiasmus is a form of ''parallelism,'' in which related or contrasting ideas are placed in juxtaposition for emphasis. Chiasmus uses "inverted parallelism," and takes its name from the Greek letter ''chi'' (χ) which looks like an English "X". This name was chosen to reflect the pattern of chiasmus:

{| border="2" cellpadding="1"
|+'''Chiasmus pattern'''
|-
|Idea A
:Idea B
::Idea C
::: Central idea D (the 'turning point' or 'cross' of the chi)
::: Idea D repeated (optional)
::Idea C repeated
: Idea B repeated
Idea A repeated
|}
Because chiasmus relies, to an extent, on relationships between ideas or concepts, as well as on words (e.g. on rhymes or meter) it can survive translation remarkably intact, even if the translator is unaware of its presence. John W. Welch was the first to notice chiastic structures in the Book of Mormon.{{ref|welch2}}

Chiasmus itself can be understood in two distinct ways. It can be seen simply as a structural element (which describes the parallels in inverted order). It can also be seen as a rhetorical figure which employs this structure. While the second definition requires a degree of intentionality on the part of the author, the first does not. The difficulty lies in assessing whether or not a proposed example of chiasmus is really chiasmus or not - that is, is it an intentional figure or an accidental occurence.

Chiasmus as a structure can be found nearly everywhere in prose. However, without considering the rhetorical value of the text, we can only be relatively certain of the intentionality of chiasmus when its structure is offset from the surrounding text in a way that draws our attention to it. This usually only occurs within poetic material where the text around the proposed chiasmus also follows relatively rigid (and intentional) textual patternings. Semitic poetry, for example, frequently uses paired parallel phrases. A passage might go something like this:

A:A' B:B' C:C'

And so on. If on the other hand, in the middle of a series of these parallelisms, we encounter something like this:

A:A' B:B' C:D:E:E':D':C' F:F' G:G'

Then we would have a chiastic structure interrupting the more typical paired parallelisms, and the use of chiasmus would be viewed strongly as being an intentional departure from the parallels that surround it - and thus a real example of chiasmus. This kind of proof does not work in general prose - where we normally do not expect to see structured text. Arguments for the occurence in prose (and in poetics) are usually centered around the rhetorical value of the text. This can appear in several ways. A classic example of the rhetorical value of a chiasmus is seen in the Hebrew Psalm 82. There, the text uses a word which is ambiguous in Hebrew - meaning either "to rule" or "to judge" (in verses 1,2,3 and 8). The intial instances, when read in Hebrew are ambiguous until, through the chiastic structure, they are explained, and the first half of the poem can be re-read and the ambiguity resolved. Thankfully, when translated, most translators resolve the ambiguity for us. Scholars have developed a series of rules and criteria that can be used to help identify when a proposed chiasmus is an intentional one. Accidental chiastic structures are of little value in textual interpretation, since viewing one as intentional (when it wasn't) may lead to misinterpretation of the text. While the center of a chiasmus is usually the main point of the structure, this is not always the case, further complicating the issue.

While Chiasmus as a term was not known to Joseph Smith (the term "chiasmus" was not coined as a reference to this structure until 1871), its use in English, and its description as a rhetorical figure preceded the creation of the Book of Mormon significantly. Two early descriptions of the figure can be found in George Puttenham (1589) who decribed it as: "Ye haue a figure which takes a couple of words to play with in a verse, and by making them to chaunge and shift one into others place they do very pretily exchange and shift the sence." A few years earlier (1577), Henry Peachem, in his book of rhetorical tropes ''The Garden of Eloquence'' wrote: "The use serueth properlie to praise, dispraise, to distinguish, but most commonly to confute by the inuersion of the sentence."

===Coincidence?===
Critics have proposed what might be called the "hickory dickory dock" theory of chiasmus. They point out that the children's nursery rhyme ''Hickory Dickory Dock'' is chiastic:

{| border="2" cellpadding="1"
|+'''''Hickory Dickory Dock'' as Chiasmus'''
|-
|A - Hickory dickory dock
:B - The mouse ran up the clock
::C (central) - The clock struck one
:B' - The mouse ran down
A' - Hickory dickory dock
|}

To be sure, this is a trivial example. If this was the only sort of chiasmus to be found in the Book of Mormon, then it would be weak evidence, at best, of any sort of ancient origin for the text. Such simple examples of chiasmus are well known in English speech. This particular example becomes a bit more complicated, of course, because this poem can also be rewritten in a different format:

{| border="2" cellpadding="1"
|+'''''Hickory Dickory Dock'' as Limerick'''
|-
|Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock
:The clock struck one
:The mouse ran down
Hickory dickory dock
|}

Which structural label better describes the poem? Was it intended to be read chiastically? Or was it intended to be a limerick? Or does neither description best suit the likely intent of the author?

{| border="2" cellpadding="1"
|+'''From the Bible'''
|-
|A - The last
:B - shall be first
:B' - and the first
A' - shall be last.
:''From: [http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/9/30#30 Matthew 9:30], [http://scriptures.lds.org/matt/20/16#16 Matthew 20:16]''
|}

{| border="2" cellpadding="1"
|+'''From Shakespeare'''
|-
|A - Fair is
:B - foul
:B' - and foul
A' - is fair.
:''From: Macbeth, Act I, scene 1, lines 11–12.''
|}

The "hickory dickory dock" theory would seem to be a [[Logical fallacies#Straw_man| strawman]]. Such simple examples do exist in the Book of Mormon, (''examples'') but they are not the most impressive ones. Critics try to pretend that the simple, trivial parallelisms represent ''all'' such chiastic samples in the Book of Mormon. If Joseph Smith was writing the Book of Mormon himself, he might well compose simple parallelisms intentionally, or even accidentally.

But, the complex examples within the Book of Mormon show much greater sophistication than a child's nursery rhyme.

* [[Chiasmus:Mosiah 3 18-19|Mosiah 3:18–19]]
* [[Chiasmus:Mosiah 5 10-12|Mosiah 5:10–12]]
* [[Chiasmus:Alma 36| Alma 36]]
* [[Chiasmus:Alma_41_12-15|Alma 41:12–15]]

One might honestly debate the merit of the less clear examples of "chiasmus" in the Book of Mormon, in which believers may have been over-enthusiastic. And it is debated whether or not examples of macro-chiasmus (chiasms which span many chapters of text) should be properly identified as chiastic. But the examples given above are not as arbitrary. They are detailed, enhance the meaning of the text when appreciated, and require no 'special pleading' for anyone to notice them. They exist within well defined textual boundaries, and often display secondary features, making an argument for coincidence far less appealing. It is true that there are differences of opinions on some of the more widely recognized chiasmus in the Book of Mormon in terms of how they should be phrase, but this doesn't detract from the validity of the expression. To provide an example, here is one possible reading of Mosiah 5:10-12 as a chiasmus (slightly different from the version linked to above):

{| border="2" cellpadding="1"
|+'''Mosiah 5:10-12 as Chiasmus'''
|-
|A - whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ (man)
:B - must be called by some other name (divine)
::C - therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God (man)
:::D - And I would that ye should remember also, that this is the name that I said I should give unto you (divine)
::::E - that never should be blotted out, except it be through transgression (divine)
::::E' - therefore, take heed that ye do not transgree, that the name be not blotted out of your hearts (man)
:::D' - I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts (man)
::C' - that ye are not found on the left hand of God, (divine)
:B' - but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye shall be called, (man)
A' - and also, the name by which he shall call you (divine)
|}

This chiasmus is interesting because it alternates the roles of man and God throughout the structure - except at the center, where those roles are reversed.

===Knowledge of chiasmus in Joseph Smith's era===

Some work had been published on Hebrew poetry previous to the publication of the Book of Mormon. If critics of the Book of Mormon are to make their case for 19th century authorship, they need to demonstrate that Joseph Smith had access to and relied on contemporary research into Hebrew parallelism. John Welch recently summarized the issue:

:...I...assert a ''very low probability'' that Joseph Smith knew anything about chiasmus in 1829, being careful not to imply, claim, or suggest complete ignorance of this literary form in America at that time.
:{{Parabreak}}
:Although further information may yet come forth to change this view (and I welcome any other information that may come to light), I do not believe that Joseph Smith knew anything about chiasmus from [contemporary] publications, even though it is remotely possible that he could have. While one cannot be sure on such matters, and more work probably remains to be done on this topic, I know of no evidence that [such works] reached America, let alone Palmyra or Harmony, in the 1820s; and no copy of [the major work of the period] was found on the book lists of the Manchester library, which contained very few religious books of any kind (only 8 of its 421 titles were religious).
:{{parabreak}}
:And finally, even assuming that Joseph Smith had known of chiasmus, the following observation, which I made in 1981, still stands: "There would still have remained the formidable task of composing the well-balanced, meaningful chiastic structures...which are found in precisely those portions of the Book of Mormon in which one would logically and historically expect to find them." To me the complexity of [http://scriptures.lds.org/alma/36 Alma 36] seems evidence enough of this point. Imagine the young prophet, without notes, dictating "extensive texts in this style that was unnatural to his world, while at the same time keeping numerous other strands, threads, and concepts flowing without confusion in his dictation."{{ref|welch3}}

===Chiasmus in the Doctrine and Covenants?===

===Chiasmus in Joseph Smith's writings?===

==Conclusion==

Small, "trivial" chiastic structures containing only a few elements might well arise through chance or English rhetoric. However, critics ignore numerous complex, subtle, and meaningful chiamus when they pretend that ''all'' of the Book of Mormon's inverted parallel structures are so simple. On the other hand, more work needs to be done to evaluate the hundreds of proposed chiastic readings of the Book of Mormon. Some of them will inevitably end up as less likely than others. And for LDS members, the value of these readings is less about demonstrating historicity in the text, and more about interpreting the text with the intentions of the authors in mind, as viewed through their use of rhetorical figures.

''continue''

==Endnotes==
#{{note|welch1}}John W. Welch, ''Chiasmus In Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis'' (Provo, Utah: FARMS, Research Press, 1981 [1989]), 5. ISBN 3806707979 ISBN 0934893330. {{fairlink|url=http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p0934893330.html}}
#{{note|welch2}}{{BYUS|author=John W. Welch|article=Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon|vol=10|num=1|date=1969|start=69|end=84}} {{link|url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21928}}
#{{note|welch3}}{{FR-15-1-6}} (pages 75,76,80)

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
*Links to related articles in the wiki

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai119.html Chiasmus]

===External links===
*{{BYUS|author=John W. Welch|article=Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon|vol=10|num=1|date=1969|start=69|end=84}} {{link|url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21928}}
*{{newera1|author=John W. Welch|article=Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon|date=February 1976|start=6}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/NewEra/1972.htm/new%20era%20february%201972.htm/chiasmus%20in%20the%20book%20of%20mormon.htm}}
*{{FR-15-1-6}}
*{{BYUS|author=Noel B. Reynolds|article=Nephi's Outline|vol=20|num=2|date=1980|start=131|end=49}}{{link|url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=25591&CISOSHOW=23454}}
*{{FR-5-1-12}}
*{{JBMS-4-2-1}}
*{{JBMS-6-2-5}}
*{{JBMS-10-2-8}}

===Printed material===
====LDS====
*Noel B. Reynolds, "Nephi's Outline," in Noel B. Reynolds and Charles D. Tate (eds.), ''Book of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins'' (Provo, Utah : Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University ; Salt Lake City, Utah : Distributed by Bookcraft, 1996 [1982]), 53–74.ISBN 0934893187. ISBN 0884944697.
* {{rediscovering|author=John W. Welch|article=A Masterpiece: Alma 36|start=114|end=131}} {{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296778}}
*{{revisited|author=John W. Welch|article=Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon|start=33|end=52}}
*John W. Welch, "Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon," in ''Chiasmus In Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis'' (Provo, Utah: FARMS, Research Press, 1981 [1989]), 5. ISBN 3806707979 ISBN 0934893330. {{fairlink|url=http://store.fairlds.org/prod/p0934893330.html}}
*John W. Welch, "Chiasmus in Hel. 6:7–13" (Provo: FARMS, 1987).

====Non–LDS====
*J. R. Lundbom, ''Jeremiah: A Study in Ancient Hebrew Rhetoric'' (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1997).
*P. Trible, ''Rhetorical Criticism: Context, Method, and the Book of Jonah'' (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1994).
*O. S. F. S. Ceresco, "A Rhetorical Analysis of David's `Boast' (1 Sam. 17:34–37): Some Reflections on Method," ''Catholic Biblical Quarterly'' 47 (1985): 58–74.
*I. M. Kikawada, "The Shape of Genesis 11:1–9," in ''Rhetorical Criticism: Essays in Honor of James Muilenburg'', ed. J. J. Jackson and M. Kessler (Pittsburgh: Pickwick, 1974), 18–32.
*G. Ridoud, "The Rape of Tamar: A Rhetorical Analysis of 1 Sam. 31:1–22," in ''Rhetorical Criticism'', 75–84.
*M. Butterworth, ''Structure and the Book of Zachariah'', Journal for the Study of the Old Testament sup 130 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1992).
*Y. Zakovitch, ''"Every High Official Has a Higher One Set over Him": A Literary Analysis of 2 Kings 5'' (Hebrew) (Tel Aviv: Am Oved, 1985), 86.
*N. Klaus, ''Pivot Patterns in the Former Prophets'', JSOT sup 247 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 253–56.
*F. I. Andersen, ''The Sentence in Biblical Hebrew'' (The Hague, 1974), 119–40, 140 n. 1
*A. R. Ceresko, "The A:B::B:A: A Word Pattern in Hebrew and Northwest Semitic, with Special Reference to the Book of Job," ''Ugarit–Forschungen'' 7 (1975): 73–88, "The Chiastic Word Pattern in Hebrew," ''Catholic Biblical Quarterly 38'' (1976): 303–11, and "The Function of Chiasmus in Hebrew Poetry," ''Catholic Biblical Quarterly'' 40 (1978): 1–10
*G. E. Watson, ''Traditional Techniques in Classical Hebrew Verse'', Journal for the Study of the Old Testament sup 170 (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1994), 311–91.

Book of Mormon/Translation/Anthon transcript

2006-07-17T21:29:15Z

HerbHaley: /* Joseph Smith's era */

{{question}}
==Question==
What do we know about the Anthon transcript and the translation of the Book of Mormon?
==Answer==
[[Image:anthon_transcript_1.jpg |frame|right|A copy of what may be the Anthon Transcript—not to be confused with a [[Mark Hofmann | Hofmann]] forgery which was later produced. Original in Library Archives, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, The Auditorium, Independence, Missouri.]]

More than one copy of the "Anthon transcript" exist. The oldest known copy (pictured here) is in the possession of the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints). The paper seems to be of the same age and type as that used by Joseph Smith for the Book of Mormon translation.{{ref|coc1}}

===Joseph Smith's era===
Joseph describes how between December 1827 and February 1828,

:I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife's father, in the month of December, and the February following. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/js_h/1/62#62 Joseph Smith History 1:62]).

Joseph then described how Martin Harris carried the transcripts to experts in the east.

:Where Martin Harris went, whom he saw, and what happened are clouded in contradictory reports. He stopped at Albany, probably to see Luther Brandish, a New York state assemblyman with a reputation for knowledge of the Middle East. Someone referred Harris to the illustrious philomath Samuel Latham Mitchill, then vice president of Rutgers Medical College in New York City and famed as a "living encyclopedia," a "chaos of knowledge." Accounts vary as to whether he saw Mitchill or Charles Anthon, another scholar, first, or if he saw Mitchill before and after Anthon, but the Mitchell episode was of slight importance. According to Harris, Mitchill encouraged him and referred him to Anthon, where a more important exchange took place.{{ref|rsr1}}

Martin Harris' account of the visit to Charles Anthon was included in Joseph Smith's 1838 history:

:64 I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct. I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him. 65 He then said to me, 'Let me see that certificate.' I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied, 'I cannot read a sealed book.' I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation.([http://scriptures.lds.org/js_h/1/64#65 Joseph Smith History 1:64–65]).

Anthon denied that he had ever validated either the characters or Joseph's translation, though his two written accounts contradict each other on key points.{{ref|rsr2}}

A clue as to what Anthon said may be found in Martin Harris' reaction. Martin was a shrewd farmer and businessman, and a man of some property. He often warred between belief and doubt. For example, Martin put Joseph to the test during the translation of the 116 pages with the seer stone:

:Once Martin found a rock closely resembling the seerstone Joseph sometimes used in place of the interpreters and substituted it without the Prophet’s knowledge. When the translation resumed, Joseph paused for a long time and then exclaimed, “Martin, what is the matter, all is as dark as Egypt.” Martin then confessed that he wished to “stop the mouths of fools” who told him that the Prophet memorized sentences and merely repeated them.{{ref|godfrey1}}

If Charles Anthon really did tell Martin that the characters and translation were bogus, it would therefore be very strange for Martin Harris to immediately return home, help Joseph translate the Book of Mormon, provide funds, and eventually mortgage his farm to help print it.

On the other hand, Anthon clearly had no desire to have his name associated with "Mormonism," and so he has clear motives to alter the story after the fact.

===Modern era===

Mark Hofmann also forged a document based on the Anthon transcript, which he presented to the Church on 22 April 1980. Prior to the forgery being revealed, it was thought that this was the earliest extant Joseph Smith holograph.{{ref|victims1}}

Characters in the authentic Anthon transcript(s) have been reported on two "Mexican seals made of baked clay" dating from no later than 400 B.C. Non-LDS archaelogists have remarked on this "hitherto unknown writing system" which "closely resemble various oriental scripts ranging from Burma and China to the rim of the Mediterranean," which if authentic "would almost surely be...an instance of transpacific contact during the Preclassic [pre-A.D. 400]." Other examples of the same script may also have been found between 1921 and 1932.{{ref|newlight1}} This is currently an area requiring more research.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|coc1}} {{JBMS-5-2-3}}
#{{note|rsr1}} {{RSR1|start=65}}
#{{note|rsr2}} {{RSR|start=65|end=66}}
#{{note|newlight1}} {{JBMS-8-1-13}} ; citing David H. Kelley, “Cylinder Seal from Tlatilco,” ''American Antiquity'' 31 (July 1966): 744–746 and John A. Graham’s comments on Hanns J. Premm, “Calendrics and Writing,” in ''Observations on the Emergence of Civilization in Mesoamerica'', ed. Robert F. Heizer and John A. Graham (Berkeley: University of California Archaeological Research Facility, 1971), 133.
# {{note|victims1}} Richard E. Turley, Jr., ''Victims: The LDS Church and the Mark Hofmann Case'' (Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1992), 24–39.
#{{note|godfrey1}} ''Millennial Star'' 44:87; quotation from {{Ensign1|author=Kenneth W. Godfrey|article=A New Prophet and a New Scripture: The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon|date=January 1988|start=6}}{{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1988.htm/ensign%20january%201988.htm/a%20new%20prophet%20and%20a%20new%20scripture%20the%20coming%20forth%20of%20the%20book%20of%20mormon.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0}}

==Further reading==
===FAIR wiki articles===
*[[Book of Mormon translation chronology]]
* [[Book of Mormon translation method]]

===FAIR web site===
* FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai273.html Anthon transcript]

===External links===
* {{JBMS-8-1-13}}
* {{JBMS-5-2-3}}

===Printed material===
*{{reexploring|author=John W. Welch|article=What did Charles Anthon Really Say?|start=47|end=49}} {{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296812}}

Jesus Christ/Worship

2006-07-03T14:29:16Z

HerbHaley: /* Conclusion */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that despite the Saints' witness of Christ, they worship "a different Jesus" and so are not entitled to consider themselves "Christians."

===Source(s) of the criticism===
* J. Edward Decker, ''To Moroni With Love'', 2nd edition, (Seattle: Life Messengers, n.d.), 4.

==Response==
Latter-day Saints believe the following:

* Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah
* Jesus of Nazareth is the Only Begotten Son of the Father
* Jesus was born of a virgin birth to Mary
* Jesus is perfect, without sin
* Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father, but by Him
* Jesus performed miracles. He:
** healed the sick
** opened eyes of the blind
** opened ears of the deaf
** forgave sins
** cast out demons and evil spirits
** changed water into wine
** multiplied loaves and fishes
** raised the dead
* Jesus was foreshadowed by, and fulfilled, the law of Moses
* Jesus suffered and died for the sins of all humanity
* Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died, was buried, and rose again
* Jesus appeared in resurrected form to Mary, Thomas, the apostles, five hundred brethren at once
* Jesus ascended to the Father to sit down on the right hand of His power
* Jesus converted Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascas
* Jesus will come again to reign in glory with all the faithful

To be sure, there are doctrinal differences between some Christians and the Latter-day Saints. But, this is true of virtually all Christians:

:Christians have argued, often passionately, over every conceivable point of Christian doctrine from the filioque to the immaculate conception. There is scarcely an issue of worship, theology, ethics, and politics over which some Christians have not disagreed among themselves.{{ref|steinmetz1}}

Latter-day Saints have no quarrel with the idea that some of their beliefs about Jesus may differ from those of other Christians. If there were no differences in belief at all, it would make little sense to have the hundreds of Christian denominations which exist.

But, it is insulting and unfair to insist that the LDS do not worship the "same" Jesus as other Christians. By analogy, a Protestant might consider Martin Luther an inspired instrument in the hands of God to reform the wayward Christian Church. A Catholic might rather consider Luther to be a wayward priest who was gravely mistaken. Clearly, the opinions about Luther may differ, but it would be absurd to insist that Catholics and Luterans are each talking about a ''different'' Luther.

==Conclusion==
Rather than illuminating LDS Christians' or non-LDS Christians' beliefs about Jesus, this accusation is simply an attempt to spread discord and confusion.

LDS Christians and other Christians agree on the vast majority of points on Jesus' nature, mission, and indispensible role in salvation.

The LDS differ from other Christians only in that they tend to belive ''additional'' things about Jesus, since they have other scriptures (such as the [[Book_of_Mormon_basics |Book of Mormon]]) which provide them with further information. This information complements the Biblical beliefs which they share with the whole Christian world.

==Endnotes==
# {{note|steinmetz1}} David Steinmetz, "Christian Unity: A Sermon by David Steinmetz," ''News and Notes'' 5/6 (April 1990); cited by {{aremormonschristians}} See pages 36-37.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
*Logical fallacies
** [[Logical_fallacies#Ad_hominem | Ad hominem]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_authority | Appeal to authority]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_belief | Appeal to belief]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_the_majority | Appeal to the majority]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_tradition | Appeal to tradition]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Argument_from_repetition | Argument from repetition]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Argumentum_ad_numerum | Argument ad numerum]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Bandwagon_fallacy | Bandwagon fallacy]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Begging_the_question | Begging the question]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#False_analogy | False analogy]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#False_premise | False premise]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Ideology_over_reality | Ideology over reality]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#No_true_Scotsman | No true Scotsman]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Poisoning_the_well | Poisoning the well]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Straw_man | Straw man]]
*[[Bible basics]]
*[[Book of Mormon basics]]
*[[Latter-day Saints aren't Christians]]
*[[LDS Church is a cult]]
*[[Jesus Christ is the brother of Satan | Satan: relationship to Jesus]]

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai223.html LDS Worship 'Different Jesus'?]
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai037.html Jesus Christ]
* Mormonism 201: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/morm201/m20102.html Jesus]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
*Printed resources whose text is not available online (bulleted)

Jesus Christ/Worship

2006-07-03T14:27:04Z

HerbHaley: /* Response */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that despite the Saints' witness of Christ, they worship "a different Jesus" and so are not entitled to consider themselves "Christians."

===Source(s) of the criticism===
* J. Edward Decker, ''To Moroni With Love'', 2nd edition, (Seattle: Life Messengers, n.d.), 4.

==Response==
Latter-day Saints believe the following:

* Jesus is the Christ, the promised Messiah
* Jesus of Nazareth is the Only Begotten Son of the Father
* Jesus was born of a virgin birth to Mary
* Jesus is perfect, without sin
* Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father, but by Him
* Jesus performed miracles. He:
** healed the sick
** opened eyes of the blind
** opened ears of the deaf
** forgave sins
** cast out demons and evil spirits
** changed water into wine
** multiplied loaves and fishes
** raised the dead
* Jesus was foreshadowed by, and fulfilled, the law of Moses
* Jesus suffered and died for the sins of all humanity
* Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, died, was buried, and rose again
* Jesus appeared in resurrected form to Mary, Thomas, the apostles, five hundred brethren at once
* Jesus ascended to the Father to sit down on the right hand of His power
* Jesus converted Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascas
* Jesus will come again to reign in glory with all the faithful

To be sure, there are doctrinal differences between some Christians and the Latter-day Saints. But, this is true of virtually all Christians:

:Christians have argued, often passionately, over every conceivable point of Christian doctrine from the filioque to the immaculate conception. There is scarcely an issue of worship, theology, ethics, and politics over which some Christians have not disagreed among themselves.{{ref|steinmetz1}}

Latter-day Saints have no quarrel with the idea that some of their beliefs about Jesus may differ from those of other Christians. If there were no differences in belief at all, it would make little sense to have the hundreds of Christian denominations which exist.

But, it is insulting and unfair to insist that the LDS do not worship the "same" Jesus as other Christians. By analogy, a Protestant might consider Martin Luther an inspired instrument in the hands of God to reform the wayward Christian Church. A Catholic might rather consider Luther to be a wayward priest who was gravely mistaken. Clearly, the opinions about Luther may differ, but it would be absurd to insist that Catholics and Luterans are each talking about a ''different'' Luther.

==Conclusion==
Rather than illuminating LDS Christians' or non-LDS Christians' beliefs about Jesus, this accusation is simply an attempt to spread discord and confusion.

LDS Christians and other Chrisians agree on the vast majority of points on Jesus' nature, mission, and indispensible role in salvation.

The LDS differ from other Christians only in that they tend to belive ''additional'' things about Jesus, since they have other scriptures (such as the [[Book_of_Mormon_basics |Book of Mormon]]) which provide them with further information. This information complements the Biblical beliefs which they share with the whole Christian world.

==Endnotes==
# {{note|steinmetz1}} David Steinmetz, "Christian Unity: A Sermon by David Steinmetz," ''News and Notes'' 5/6 (April 1990); cited by {{aremormonschristians}} See pages 36-37.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
*Logical fallacies
** [[Logical_fallacies#Ad_hominem | Ad hominem]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_authority | Appeal to authority]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_belief | Appeal to belief]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_the_majority | Appeal to the majority]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_tradition | Appeal to tradition]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Argument_from_repetition | Argument from repetition]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Argumentum_ad_numerum | Argument ad numerum]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Bandwagon_fallacy | Bandwagon fallacy]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Begging_the_question | Begging the question]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#False_analogy | False analogy]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#False_premise | False premise]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Ideology_over_reality | Ideology over reality]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#No_true_Scotsman | No true Scotsman]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Poisoning_the_well | Poisoning the well]]
** [[Logical_fallacies#Straw_man | Straw man]]
*[[Bible basics]]
*[[Book of Mormon basics]]
*[[Latter-day Saints aren't Christians]]
*[[LDS Church is a cult]]
*[[Jesus Christ is the brother of Satan | Satan: relationship to Jesus]]

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai223.html LDS Worship 'Different Jesus'?]
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai037.html Jesus Christ]
* Mormonism 201: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/morm201/m20102.html Jesus]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
*Printed resources whose text is not available online (bulleted)

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:38:20Z

HerbHaley: /* Criticism */ rough entry for criticism

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

Critics contend that Emma Hale Smith either did not approve of the Prophet Joseph Smith having plural wives or know of the revelation concerning Celestial marriage(s).

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Linda King Newell, Valeen Tippetts Avery. ''Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe.'' (Garden City, New York. Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1984)

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:26:20Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Linda King Newell, Valeen Tippetts Avery. ''Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe.'' (Garden City, New York. Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1984)

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:25:55Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Linda King Newell, Valeen Tippett Avery. ''Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe.'' (Garden City, New York. Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1984)

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:25:35Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Linda King Newell, Valeen Tippett Avery. ''Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe.'' (Garden City, New York. Doubleday & Company, Inc.: 1984)

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:24:51Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Linda King Newell, Valeen Tippett Avery. ''Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe.'' (Doubleday & Company, Inc.:Garden City, New York. 1984)

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:24:27Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Linda King Newell, Valeen Tippett Avery. ''Mormon Enigma: Emaa Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe.'' (Doubleday & Company, Inc.:Garden City, New York. 1984)

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Emma Smith

2006-06-28T00:20:51Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
A brief explanation of the criticism.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*
Newell, Linda King, Valeen Tippett Avery. Mormon Enigma: Emaa Hale Smith, Prophet's Wife, "Elect Lady," Polygamy's Foe. Doubleday & Company, Inc.:Garden City, New York. 1984

==Response==

''Need more; these are here so we don't lose them!''
Critics often neglect to provide citations from eye-witnesses who reported Emma's attitude toward plural marriage at other times:

:Allen J. Stout, who served as a bodyguard for Joseph, recounted a conversation he overheard in the Mansion House between Joseph and his tormented wife. A summary of his account states that “from moments of passionate denunciation [Emma] would subside into tearful repentance and acknowledge that her violent opposition to that principle was instigated by the power of darkness; that Satan was doing his utmost to destroy her, etc. And solemnly came the Prophet’s inspired warning: ‘Yes, and he will accomplish your overthrow, if you do not heed my counsel.’”{{ref|stout1}}

Emma's inner conflict was also dramatized in another report:

:Maria Jane Johnston, who lived with Emma as a servant girl, recalled the Prophet’s wife looking very downcast one day and telling her that the principle of plural marriage was right and came from Heavenly Father. “What I said I have got [to] repent of,” lamented Emma. “The principle is right but I am jealous hearted. Now never tell anybody that you heard me find fault with that[principle[;] we have got to humble ourselves and repent of it.” {{ref|johnston1}}

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|stout1}}Allen J. Stout, “Allen J. Stout’s Testimony,” ''Historical Record'' 6 (May 1887): 230–31; cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.
#{{note|johnston1}} Emma Smith to Maria Jane Johnston, cited in Wendy C. Top "'A Deep Sorrow in Her Heart' – Emma Hale Smith," in ''Heroines of the Restoration'', edited by Barbara B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997), 17–34.; quoting Newell and Avery, ''Mormon Enigma'', 161.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Polygamy_links}}

===FAIR web site===
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai228.html Polyandry]
*[http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai049.html Polygamy]

===External links===
*Links to external web pages

===Printed material===
{{Polygamy_printed}}

The Joseph Smith Papyri

2006-06-15T18:55:33Z

HerbHaley:

<table style="border: thin solid red; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">
<tr><td style="background-color: #ffcccc; text-align: center; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px">
This is a shortened summary of a longer article on the Joseph Smith Papyri.<br>To read the longer version, click '''[[Book of Abraham papyri (long)|here]]'''.
</td></tr>
</table>

In July 1835, Joseph Smith purchased a collection of papyri and mummies that had been discovered in Egypt and brought to the United States. Believing that one of the rolls contained, "the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt," and "purportedly written by his own hand, upon papyrus,"{{ref|hc1}} Joseph commenced a translation of the papyri.

The original papyri were thought to have been completely destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. Fragments, however, including Facsimile number 1, were discovered in 1967 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, and given to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

==Criticism==

Critics have three major points of contention with the Book of Abraham:
*The Joseph Smith papyri date to about the 2nd century, <small>B.C.</small> Latter-day Saints, however (including, perhaps, Joseph Smith), have claimed that the papyri were written by Abraham who lived about 2,000 years earlier.

*The surviving Egyptian papyri appear to be the source for the Book of Abraham, but Egyptologists agree that these papyri are part of a collection of Egyptian funerary documents known as the ''Book of Breathings'' and do not deal with Abraham.

*Parts of the vignettes on the papyri (from where we get the "facsimiles" in the Pearl of Great Price) have been destroyed. It appears that Joseph "restored" these missing parts, but non-LDS Egyptologists do not recognize these restorations as accurate.

===Source(s) of the criticism=== 

*Edward H. Ashment, ''The Use of Egyptian Magical Papyri to Authenticate the Book of Abraham: A Critical Review,'' Salt Lake City: Resource Communications, 1993.
*Charles M. Larson, ''By His Own Hand upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Institute for Religious Research, 1992.
*Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Solving the Mystery of the Joseph Smith Papyri," ''Salt Lake City Messenger'' 82 (September 1992): 1–12.

==Responses==

===The date of the Book of Abraham vs. the date of the papyrus===

It seems reasonable to conclude that Joseph believed that Abraham himself, with pen in hand, wrote the very words that he was translating. Most modern scholars (including LDS scholars), however, date the papyri to a few centuries before Christ.

This issue is very similar to that of Book of Mormon geography. It is very likely that Joseph Smith believed in a hemispheric Book of Mormon geography—it made sense to his understanding of the world around him. Like anyone else, Joseph tried to understand new information by integrating it with his current knowledge. So, likewise, with the Abrahamic papyri: Joseph, by way of revelation, saw that the papyri contained scriptural teachings of Abraham. It would be natural, therefore, to assume that Abraham wrote the papyri.

As Yale-trained Egyptologist Dr. John Gee explains, there is a major difference, "between the date of a text [the information contained on the papyri] and the date of a manuscript [the papyri itself]."{{ref|gee5}}

:The date of a text is the date when the text was written by its author. A text can be copied into various manuscripts or translated into other languages, and these manuscripts or translations will have different, later dates than the date of the original text. When we refer to the date of a text, we refer to the date of the original text. For example, the text of the Gospel of Matthew was written in the first century <small>A.D.</small>, but the earliest manuscript that we have of Matthew was copied in the third century.{{ref|gee6}}

It's possible that the original Book of Abraham "text" was written by Abraham and then "passed down through his descendants (the Jews), some of whom took a copy to Egypt where it was copied (after being translated) onto a later manuscript."{{ref|gee7}}

===The Kirtland Egyptian Papers===

''(Main article: [[Kirtland Egyptian Papers]])''

Circa 1836 (while in Kirtland Ohio) Joseph and some of his scribes were involved in a project which indicates that: (a) either Joseph attempted to translate the Egyptian characters into English, or (b) that Joseph and his scribes were attempting to match the characters on the papyri with the already translated text. Several of the verses from the first chapter of Abraham are recorded on papyri next to Egyptian characters. The Egyptian characters on some of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers (KEP) were transcribed from the characters on the papyri immediately following Facsimile 1. In the Book of Abraham we read:

:...that you may have a knowledge of this altar, I will refer you to the representation [Facsimile 1] at the commencement of this record." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/abr/1/12#12 Abraham 1:12]-- keeping in mind that the scroll would have been read from right to left to and Facsimile 1 is virtually the first item at the right end of the scroll.)

While this would seem to suggest that the Book of Breathings was the source of the Book of Abraham, Egyptologists agree that the Book of Breathings doesn’t have anything to do with Abraham, and that Joseph’s supposed “translations” of those characters are not actual Egyptological translations. While critics see this as proof that Joseph was a false prophet, Latter-day Saints generally believe that Joseph translated the Book of Abraham prior to the creation of the KEP and then he, and other early LDS brethren, tried to match the translated text to what they believed were the characters that were used to illicit the translation.{{ref|nibley3}} But the question remains: Why would it appear that Joseph thought these Egyptian characters translated into Abrahamic scripture when they clearly do not?

====A Jewish Redactor====
Dr. Hugh Nibley writes:

:We are told that papyri were in beautiful condition when Joseph Smith got them, and that one of them when unrolled on the floor extended through two rooms of the Mansion House.{{ref|nibley2}}

Nothing like this has survived today. Dr. Gee, believes that Joseph Smith originally had five papyrus scrolls.{{ref|gee1}} Of these five scrolls, only eleven fragments of two scrolls have survived. Dr. Gee estimates that the scroll containing Facsimile 1 may have been ten feet long{{ref|gee2}} and that in all, Joseph may have had eight times as much papyri as what is currently extant.{{ref|gee3}} It is very likely that the papyri from which Joseph translated the Book of Abraham, has been lost.

In some ancient examples, Egyptian papyri contained more than one document. Some LDS scholars argue that the Book of Abraham material was appended to the end of the Book of Breathings text.{{ref|gee4}}

We know of at three distinct instances wherein a Jewish redactor (editor) incorporated Egyptian symbolism into Jewish texts. LDS researcher, Kevin Barney, offers the example of an ancient Egyptian book—the Instructions of Amenemope—which may have been the source for parts of the biblical book of Proverbs.{{ref|barney1}}

Instead of focusing on how Egyptians of the 2nd century <small>B.C.</small> or 2000 <small>B.C.</small> understood the motifs, Barney convincingly argues that Abraham did not draw the facsimiles (which date nearly two thousand years after Abraham lived) but that these Egyptian vignettes "were either adopted [copied wholesale as the Egyptians drew them] or adapted [altered to more accurately reflect the Semitic perspective] by an Egyptian-Jewish redactor as illustrations of the attempt on Abraham's life and Abraham's teaching astronomy to the Egyptians."{{ref|barney3}} If we accept a Jewish redactor adapting Egyptian motifs to a Hebrew understanding, we can easily appreciate the possibility that a Jewish redactor may have attached the Book of Abraham manuscript to the Book of Breathings in order to graphically convey the doctrines portrayed in the manuscript.

When Joseph read that Abraham referred to Facsimile 1 ("the representation") at the beginning of "this record,” Joseph may have thought this indicated that the "record" of Abraham was part of the early portion of the scroll and thus they they believed that the first Egyptian characters were those that told the story of Abraham. In reality, however, "this record" probably referred to the beginning of the combined scrolls (that begins with Facsimile 1) but not the beginning of the Abrahamic text (which would have been appended to the Book of Breathings scroll).{{ref|barney7}}

It must be remembered that Joseph could not read Egyptian. He did not "translate" in the normal sense. He translated by the power of God. It is possible that Joseph, at times, translated the Book of Mormon while the plates were covered, or perhaps even while the plates were removed from the room.

===Restoring gaps in the drawings===

[[Image:BOAfacsimile1.jpg|frame|200px|right|Photograph of Facsimile 1 from the recovered Joseph Smith Papyri]]Examination of the extant papyri fragments reveals that portions of Facsimile 1 (the only facsimile that survived) are damaged. For a number of years, scholars have debated whether the facsimile was damaged before or after Joseph acquired the papyri.

Since Facsimile 1 appears to be a fairly typical scene from Egyptian funerary texts, the critics note that other similar Egyptian motifs depict the priest (an embalmer) with the head of Anubis (an Egyptian god) rather than a bald, human head. Other comparable Egyptian embalming scenes do not show the priest holding a knife, they do not show any man pleading or praying, and they generally show two hawks. The critics claim that Joseph Smith drew in the missing parts by adding (incorrectly) those things which we find in the LDS version of this Egyptian scene. What Joseph saw as fingers of Abraham's outstretched hands, for instance, were actually (according to the critics) the wing-tips of the missing second hawk.

Many LDS scholars believe that the scroll was damaged after Joseph translated the vignette and some evidence seems to support this view. One early Latter-day Saint who saw the papyri in 1841, for instance, described them as containing the scene of an altar with "'a man bound and laid thereon, and a Priest with a knife in his hand, standing at the foot, with a dove over the person bound on the Altar with several Idol gods standing around it.'"{{ref|appleby1}} Similarly, Reverend Henry Caswall, who visited Nauvoo in April 1842, had a chance to see some of the Egyptian papyri. Caswall, who was hostile to the Saints, described Facsimile 1 as having a "'man standing by him with a drawn knife.'"{{ref|caswall1}}

Some considerations: there is at least some evidence that the LDS version has precedence in ancient Egyptian drawings. Some LDS researchers, for instance, have argued that the fingers/wing-tips look significantly more like fingers (according to Egyptian drawings) than hawk wing-tips. A number of scholars have noted that the Egyptians were very specific in how they drew wings and thumbs.{{ref|shirts1}}

It's also interesting to note that although embalming priests are typically drawn with Anubis heads in Book of Breathings motifs, other Egyptian graphics show that Egyptian priests are represented as bald and that Anubis heads were worn as masks to emulate the gods.{{ref|shirts2}} When compared to other Egyptian drawings, some of the Book of Abraham restorations are plausible.

Another consideration: We don't know that Joseph was the responsible party for sketching in the missing portions of Facsimile 1. It is possible that one of Joseph's contemporaries "restored" the missing parts, or it is possible that a Jewish redactor or some other Jewish copyist "restored" the parts in order to more closely approximate the details conveyed by the Abrahamic text. It is certainly also possible that Joseph "restored" the missing parts either because they were in the original papyri—as edited by the Jewish redactor—or because Joseph felt that such restorations more accurately reflected the Book of Abraham's intended use of the graphic as pertaining to the details discussed in the text.

Joseph's amendments to later editions of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants, and even the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, are all instructive when we compare the graphical alterations in Facsimile 1. In each case, Joseph Smith—by way of revelation, inspiration, or prophetic analysis—"restored" or amended scripture to more closely approximate the additional insights he had gleaned by divine revelation.

==Conclusion==

Despite the claims of the critics, there is plenty of room for belief in Joseph’s prophetic abilities. Newer research into ancient Abrahamic lore provides intriguing support for the antiquity of the LDS Book of Abraham. Some of this evidence includes authentic ancient names, traditions, Egyptological interpretations as well as ancient cosmologies—all harmonious with what we find in the Book of Abraham, and generally out of place in Joseph’s milieu. When we critically examine the charges against the Book of Abraham in light of what we now know about ancient Jewish traditions and the adaptation of Egyptian iconography, we find that an ancient Book of Abraham is not only plausible, but believable.

==Endnotes==

#{{note|hc1}}''History of the Church'' 2:235, 236, 348–351.
#{{note|gee5}}John Gee, "A History of the Joseph Smith Papyri and the Book of Abraham" (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 15.
#{{note|gee6}}Gee, ''A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 23–24.
#{{note|gee7}}''Ibid''., 28.
#{{note|nibley3}}{{BYUS|author=Hugh W. Nibley|article=The Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers|vol=11|num=1|date=Summer 1971|start=350|end=399}}[http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=121 *]
#{{note|gee1}}{{Ensign|author=John Gee|article=Research and Perspectives: Abraham in Ancient Egyptian Texts|date=July 1992|start=60|end=?}}; {{FARMSReview|author=John Gee|article=Abracadabra, Isaac and Jacob|vol=7|num=1|date=1995|start=19|end=84}}
#{{note|nibley2}}{{Dialogue1|author=Hugh W. Nibley|article=Phase One|vol=3|num=2|date=Summer 1968|start=101}}
#{{note|gee2}}Gee, ''A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 12–13.
#{{note|gee3}}John Gee, "Facsimile 3," lecture given at the FARMS Book of Abraham Conference (16 October 1999), personal notes of conference talks by Michael Ash; see also, John Gee, "The Ancient Owners of the Joseph Smith Papyri" (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 1.
#{{note|gee4}}John Gee, "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence of the Joseph Smith Papyri," ''The Disciple As Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson,'' eds., Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo: FARMS, 2000), 192.
#{{note|barney1}}Kevin L. Barney, "The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources," ''Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant,'' 115–116.
#{{note|barney3}}Barney, "The Facsimiles," 114.
#{{note|barney7}}Barney, "The Facsimiles," 127.
#{{note|appleby1}}William I. Appleby Journal, 5 May 1841, ms. 1401 1, pp. 71–72, LDS Church Archives; as quoted in Gee, "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence," 184.
#{{note|caswall1}}Henry Caswall, ''The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842'' (London: Rivington, 1842), 23; quoted in Gee, "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence," 186.
#{{note|shirts1}}Kerry A. Shirts, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/charles.htm On Wings & Thumbs & Other Things]"; Gee, ''A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 38.
#{{note|shirts2}}Kerry A. Shirts, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/rename.htm On Anubis, Masks, and Uniqueness of Facsimile #1 in the Book of Abraham]."

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

*[[Kirtland Egyptian Papers]]

===FAIR web site===

*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://fairlds.org/apol/ai125.html Book of Abraham]

===External links=== 

*John Gee, [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=171 "Abracadabra, Isaac and Jacob"], ''FARMS Review of Books'' 7/1 (1995): 19–84
*Kerry Shirts, [http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/abraham.htm "Abraham, Father of the Faithful, Or Osiris, Pagan Egyptian God?"], ''Mormonism Researched'' (accessed 6 October 2005).

The Joseph Smith Papyri

2006-06-15T18:18:29Z

HerbHaley: /* The Kirtland Egyptian Papers */

<table style="border: thin solid red; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto">
<tr><td style="background-color: #ffcccc; text-align: center; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px">
This is a shortened summary of a longer article on the Joseph Smith Papyri.<br>To read the longer version, click '''[[Book of Abraham papyri (long)|here]]'''.
</td></tr>
</table>

In July 1835, Joseph Smith purchased a collection of papyri and mummies that had been discovered in Egypt and brought to the United States. Believing that one of the rolls contained, "the writings of Abraham while he was in Egypt," and "purportedly written by his own hand, upon papyrus,"{{ref|hc1}} Joseph commenced a translation of the papyri.

The original papyri were thought to have been completely destroyed in the Chicago fire of 1871. Fragments, however, including Facsimile number 1, were discovered in 1967 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, and given to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

==Criticism==

Critics have three major points of contention with the Book of Abraham:
*The Joseph Smith papyri date to about the 2nd century, <small>B.C.</small> Latter-day Saints, however (including, perhaps, Joseph Smith), have claimed that the papyri were written by Abraham who lived about 2,000 years earlier.

*The surviving Egyptian papyri appear to be the source for the Book of Abraham, but Egyptologists agree that these papyri are part of a collection of Egyptian funerary documents known as the ''Book of Breathings'' and do not deal with Abraham.

*Parts of the vignettes on the papyri (from where we get the "facsimiles" in the Pearl of Great Price) have been destroyed. It appears that Joseph "restored" these missing parts, but non-LDS Egyptologists do not recognize these restorations as accurate.

===Source(s) of the criticism=== 

*Edward H. Ashment, ''The Use of Egyptian Magical Papyri to Authenticate the Book of Abraham: A Critical Review,'' Salt Lake City: Resource Communications, 1993.
*Charles M. Larson, ''By His Own Hand upon Papyrus: A New Look at the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 2nd ed., Grand Rapids, MI: Institute for Religious Research, 1992.
*Jerald and Sandra Tanner, "Solving the Mystery of the Joseph Smith Papyri," ''Salt Lake City Messenger'' 82 (September 1992): 1–12.

==Responses==

===The date of the Book of Abraham vs. the date of the papyrus===

It seems reasonable to conclude that Joseph believed that Abraham himself, with pen in hand, wrote the very words that he was translating. Most modern scholars (including LDS scholars), however, date the papyri to a few centuries before Christ.

This issue is very similar to that of Book of Mormon geography. It is very likely that Joseph Smith believed in a hemispheric Book of Mormon geography—it made sense to his understanding of the world around him. Like anyone else, Joseph tried to understand new information by integrating it with his current knowledge. So, likewise, with the Abrahamic papyri: Joseph, by way of revelation, saw that the papyri contained scriptural teachings of Abraham. It would be natural, therefore, to assume that Abraham wrote the papyri.

As Dr. John Gee explains, there is a major difference, he explains, "between the date of a text [the information contained on the papyri] and the date of a manuscript [the papyri itself]."{{ref|gee5}}

:The date of a text is the date when the text was written by its author. A text can be copied into various manuscripts or translated into other languages, and these manuscripts or translations will have different, later dates than the date of the original text. When we refer to the date of a text, we refer to the date of the original text. For example, the text of the Gospel of Matthew was written in the first century <small>A.D.</small>, but the earliest manuscript that we have of Matthew was copied in the third century.{{ref|gee6}}

It's possible that the original Book of Abraham "text" was written by Abraham and then "passed down through his descendants (the Jews), some of whom took a copy to Egypt where it was copied (after being translated) onto a later manuscript."{{ref|gee7}}

===The Kirtland Egyptian Papers===

''(Main article: [[Kirtland Egyptian Papers]])''

Circa 1836 (while in Kirtland Ohio) Joseph and some of his scribes were involved in a project which indicates that: (a) either Joseph attempted to translate the Egyptian characters into English, or (b) that Joseph and his scribes were attempting to match the characters on the papyri with the already translated text. Several of the verses from the first chapter of Abraham are recorded on papyri next to Egyptian characters. The Egyptian characters on some of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers (KEP) were transcribed from the characters on the papyri immediately following Facsimile 1. In the Book of Abraham we read:

:...that you may have a knowledge of this altar, I will refer you to the representation [Facsimile 1] at the commencement of this record." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/abr/1/12#12 Abraham 1:12]-- keeping in mind that the scroll would have been read from right to left to and Facsimile 1 is virtually the first item at the right end of the scroll.)

While this would seem to suggest that the Book of Breathings was the source of the Book of Abraham, Egyptologists agree that the Book of Breathings doesn’t have anything to do with Abraham, and that Joseph’s supposed “translations” of those characters are not actual Egyptological translations. While critics see this as proof that Joseph was a false prophet, Latter-day Saints generally believe that Joseph translated the Book of Abraham prior to the creation of the KEP and then he, and other early LDS brethren, tried to match the translated text to what they believed were the characters that were used to illicit the translation.{{ref|nibley3}} But the question remains: Why would it appear that Joseph thought these Egyptian characters translated into Abrahamic scripture when they clearly do not?

====A Jewish Redactor====

Yale-trained Egyptologist, Dr. John Gee, believes that Joseph Smith originally had five papyrus scrolls.{{ref|gee1}} Of these five scrolls, only eleven fragments of two scrolls have survived. Dr. Nibley writes:

:We are told that papyri were in beautiful condition when Joseph Smith got them, and that one of them when unrolled on the floor extended through two rooms of the Mansion House.{{ref|nibley2}}

Nothing like this has survived today. Dr. Gee estimates that the scroll containing Facsimile 1 may have been ten feet long{{ref|gee2}} and that in all, Joseph may have had eight times as much papyri as what is currently extant.{{ref|gee3}} It is very likely that the papyri from which Joseph translated the Book of Abraham, has been lost.

In some ancient examples, Egyptian papyri contained more than one document. Some LDS scholars argue that the Book of Abraham material was appended to the end of the Book of Breathings text.{{ref|gee4}}

We know of at three distinct instances wherein a Jewish redactor (editor) incorporated Egyptian symbolism into Jewish texts. LDS researcher, Kevin Barney, offers the example of an ancient Egyptian book—the Instructions of Amenemope—which may have been the source for parts of the biblical book of Proverbs.{{ref|barney1}}

Instead of focusing on how Egyptians of the 2nd century <small>B.C.</small> or 2000 <small>B.C.</small> understood the motifs, Barney convincingly argues that Abraham did not draw the facsimiles (which date nearly two thousand years after Abraham lived) but that these Egyptian vignettes "were either adopted [copied wholesale as the Egyptians drew them] or adapted [altered to more accurately reflect the Semitic perspective] by an Egyptian-Jewish redactor as illustrations of the attempt on Abraham's life and Abraham's teaching astronomy to the Egyptians."{{ref|barney3}} If we accept a Jewish redactor adapting Egyptian motifs to a Hebrew understanding, we can easily appreciate the possibility that a Jewish redactor may have attached the Book of Abraham manuscript to the Book of Breathings in order to graphically convey the doctrines portrayed in the manuscript.

When Joseph read that Abraham referred to Facsimile 1 ("the representation") at the beginning of "this record,” Joseph may have thought this indicated that the "record" of Abraham was part of the early portion of the scroll and thus they they believed that the first Egyptian characters were those that told the story of Abraham. In reality, however, "this record" probably referred to the beginning of the combined scrolls (that begins with Facsimile 1) but not the beginning of the Abrahamic text (which would have been appended to the Book of Breathings scroll).{{ref|barney7}}

It must be remembered that Joseph could not read Egyptian. He did not "translate" in the normal sense. He translated by the power of God. It is possible that Joseph, at times, translated the Book of Mormon while the plates were covered, or perhaps even while the plates were removed from the room.

===Restoring gaps in the drawings===

[[Image:BOAfacsimile1.jpg|frame|200px|right|Photograph of Facsimile 1 from the recovered Joseph Smith Papyri]]Examination of the extant papyri fragments reveals that portions of Facsimile 1 (the only facsimile that survived) are damaged. For a number of years, scholars have debated whether the facsimile was damaged before or after Joseph acquired the papyri.

Since Facsimile 1 appears to be a fairly typical scene from Egyptian funerary texts, the critics note that other similar Egyptian motifs depict the priest (an embalmer) with the head of Anubis (an Egyptian god) rather than a bald, human head. Other comparable Egyptian embalming scenes do not show the priest holding a knife, they do not show any man pleading or praying, and they generally show two hawks. The critics claim that Joseph Smith drew in the missing parts by adding (incorrectly) those things which we find in the LDS version of this Egyptian scene. What Joseph saw as fingers of Abraham's outstretched hands, for instance, were actually (according to the critics) the wing-tips of the missing second hawk.

Many LDS scholars believe that the scroll was damaged after Joseph translated the vignette and some evidence seems to support this view. One early Latter-day Saint who saw the papyri in 1841, for instance, described them as containing the scene of an altar with "'a man bound and laid thereon, and a Priest with a knife in his hand, standing at the foot, with a dove over the person bound on the Altar with several Idol gods standing around it.'"{{ref|appleby1}} Similarly, Reverend Henry Caswall, who visited Nauvoo in April 1842, had a chance to see some of the Egyptian papyri. Caswall, who was hostile to the Saints, described Facsimile 1 as having a "'man standing by him with a drawn knife.'"{{ref|caswall1}}

Some considerations: there is at least some evidence that the LDS version has precedence in ancient Egyptian drawings. Some LDS researchers, for instance, have argued that the fingers/wing-tips look significantly more like fingers (according to Egyptian drawings) than hawk wing-tips. A number of scholars have noted that the Egyptians were very specific in how they drew wings and thumbs.{{ref|shirts1}}

It's also interesting to note that although embalming priests are typically drawn with Anubis heads in Book of Breathings motifs, other Egyptian graphics show that Egyptian priests are represented as bald and that Anubis heads were worn as masks to emulate the gods.{{ref|shirts2}} When compared to other Egyptian drawings, some of the Book of Abraham restorations are plausible.

Another consideration: We don't know that Joseph was the responsible party for sketching in the missing portions of Facsimile 1. It is possible that one of Joseph's contemporaries "restored" the missing parts, or it is possible that a Jewish redactor or some other Jewish copyist "restored" the parts in order to more closely approximate the details conveyed by the Abrahamic text. It is certainly also possible that Joseph "restored" the missing parts either because they were in the original papyri—as edited by the Jewish redactor—or because Joseph felt that such restorations more accurately reflected the Book of Abraham's intended use of the graphic as pertaining to the details discussed in the text.

Joseph's amendments to later editions of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine & Covenants, and even the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, are all instructive when we compare the graphical alterations in Facsimile 1. In each case, Joseph Smith—by way of revelation, inspiration, or prophetic analysis—"restored" or amended scripture to more closely approximate the additional insights he had gleaned by divine revelation.

==Conclusion==

Despite the claims of the critics, there is plenty of room for belief in Joseph’s prophetic abilities. Newer research into ancient Abrahamic lore provides intriguing support for the antiquity of the LDS Book of Abraham. Some of this evidence includes authentic ancient names, traditions, Egyptological interpretations as well as ancient cosmologies—all harmonious with what we find in the Book of Abraham, and generally out of place in Joseph’s milieu. When we critically examine the charges against the Book of Abraham in light of what we now know about ancient Jewish traditions and the adaptation of Egyptian iconography, we find that an ancient Book of Abraham is not only plausible, but believable.

==Endnotes==

#{{note|hc1}}''History of the Church'' 2:235, 236, 348–351.
#{{note|gee5}}John Gee, "A History of the Joseph Smith Papyri and the Book of Abraham" (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 15.
#{{note|gee6}}Gee, ''A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 23–24.
#{{note|gee7}}''Ibid''., 28.
#{{note|nibley3}}{{BYUS|author=Hugh W. Nibley|article=The Meaning of the Kirtland Egyptian Papers|vol=11|num=1|date=Summer 1971|start=350|end=399}}[http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=121 *]
#{{note|gee1}}{{Ensign|author=John Gee|article=Research and Perspectives: Abraham in Ancient Egyptian Texts|date=July 1992|start=60|end=?}}; {{FARMSReview|author=John Gee|article=Abracadabra, Isaac and Jacob|vol=7|num=1|date=1995|start=19|end=84}}
#{{note|nibley2}}{{Dialogue1|author=Hugh W. Nibley|article=Phase One|vol=3|num=2|date=Summer 1968|start=101}}
#{{note|gee2}}Gee, ''A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 12–13.
#{{note|gee3}}John Gee, "Facsimile 3," lecture given at the FARMS Book of Abraham Conference (16 October 1999), personal notes of conference talks by Michael Ash; see also, John Gee, "The Ancient Owners of the Joseph Smith Papyri" (Provo: FARMS, 1999), 1.
#{{note|gee4}}John Gee, "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence of the Joseph Smith Papyri," ''The Disciple As Witness: Essays on Latter-day Saint History and Doctrine in Honor of Richard Lloyd Anderson,'' eds., Stephen D. Ricks, Donald W. Parry, and Andrew H. Hedges (Provo: FARMS, 2000), 192.
#{{note|barney1}}Kevin L. Barney, "The Facsimiles and Semitic Adaptation of Existing Sources," ''Astronomy, Papyrus, and Covenant,'' 115–116.
#{{note|barney3}}Barney, "The Facsimiles," 114.
#{{note|barney7}}Barney, "The Facsimiles," 127.
#{{note|appleby1}}William I. Appleby Journal, 5 May 1841, ms. 1401 1, pp. 71–72, LDS Church Archives; as quoted in Gee, "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence," 184.
#{{note|caswall1}}Henry Caswall, ''The City of the Mormons; or, Three Days at Nauvoo, in 1842'' (London: Rivington, 1842), 23; quoted in Gee, "Eyewitness, Hearsay, and Physical Evidence," 186.
#{{note|shirts1}}Kerry A. Shirts, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/charles.htm On Wings & Thumbs & Other Things]"; Gee, ''A Guide to the Joseph Smith Papyri,'' 38.
#{{note|shirts2}}Kerry A. Shirts, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/rename.htm On Anubis, Masks, and Uniqueness of Facsimile #1 in the Book of Abraham]."

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

*[[Kirtland Egyptian Papers]]

===FAIR web site===

*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://fairlds.org/apol/ai125.html Book of Abraham]

===External links=== 

*John Gee, [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=171 "Abracadabra, Isaac and Jacob"], ''FARMS Review of Books'' 7/1 (1995): 19–84
*Kerry Shirts, [http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/abraham.htm "Abraham, Father of the Faithful, Or Osiris, Pagan Egyptian God?"], ''Mormonism Researched'' (accessed 6 October 2005).

The Spalding Theory of Book of Mormon authorship

2006-06-15T00:43:06Z

HerbHaley: /* Response */

{{draft}}

==Criticism==

Critics claim that Joseph Smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding to write the Book of Mormon.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===

''Origins of the Spaulding manuscript theory:''
*Eber D. Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (New York: AMS Press, 1834 [1977]).
*William Alexander Linn, ''The Story of the Mormons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902).
''Claimed the existence of a '''second''' Spaulding manuscript when the first theory failed:''
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Revelation in Mormonism'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932).
*Howard A. Davis, Wayne L. Cowdrey, and Walter Martin, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?'' (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977.)
*Wayne L. Cowdery, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.'' (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005.)

==Response==

Since the Book of Mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept Joseph Smith's account of how it was produced. It's easy to dismiss Joseph's story of angels, gold plates, and a miraculous interpretation process; it's much harder to come up with an alternative explanation that accounts for the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon, as well as the historical details of its production.

Many critics, unwilling to credit the uneducated, backwater farm boy Joseph Smith as the Book of Mormon's author, have looked to possible sources from which he could have plagiarized. One of the earliest theories was that Joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the Reverend Solomon Spaulding (1761–1816).

Spaulding was a lapsed Calvinist clergyman and author of an epic tale of the ancient Native American "Mound Builders." The theory postulates that Spaulding wrote his manuscript in biblical phraseology and read it to many of his friends. He subsequently took the manuscript to Pittsburg, where it fell into the hands of a Mr. Patterson, in whose office Sidney Rigdon worked, and that through Sidney Rigdon it came into the possession of Joseph Smith and was made the basis of the Book of Mormon.

There are two major problems with this theory:

#The historical record indicates that Sidney Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon from Parley P. Pratt and his missionary companions in November 1830, and that Rigdon did not meet Joseph Smith until December of that same year. All of this was long after the Book of Mormon was translated and published. Critics can only marshal circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy in which Rigdon met Joseph much earlier, then later pretended to be converted to Mormonism.
#The purported Spaulding manuscript was not brought forward for analysis because no one knew where it was, or if it even existed. In 1884 an authentic Solomon Spalding manuscript was recovered in Honolulu, Hawaii and taken to the Oberlin College Library in Ohio. The unfinished story bore hardly any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. The text was published by the RLDS Church in 1885 under the title "Manuscript Found." The LDS Church also published the text. (See "Further Reading," below, for links to online texts).

The discovery and publishing of the manuscript put to rest the Spaulding theory for several decades. But in the early 20th century the theory surfaced again, only this time its advocates claimed there was a ''second'' Spaulding manuscript that was the ''real'' source for the Book of Mormon. However, supporters of the revised Spaulding theory have not produced this second purported manuscript.

===Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon===

Many ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon reject the Spaulding theory as unworkable:
* Davis H. Bays, ''The Doctrines and Dogmas of Mormonism Examined and Refuted,'' (St. Louis: Christian Publishing, 1897), 22, 25
::[This theory is] "erroneous, and it will lead to almost certain defeat.... The facts are all opposed to this view, and the defenders of the Mormon dogma have the facts well in hand.... The Spaulding story is a failure. Do not attempt to rely upon it — it will let you down."
* Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945).
* Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''Did Spaulding Write the Book of Mormon?'' (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1977).

==Conclusion==

Modern supporters of the Spaulding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon and that no second manuscript has been discovered.

Until the purported second manuscript appears, all these critics have is a nonexistent document which they can claim says anything they want. This is doubtlessly the attraction of the "theory" and shows the lengths to which critics will go to disprove the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to consider that the best explanation such critics can propose requires that they invent a document, then invent its contents.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{BofM authorship theories}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html Spaulding Theory]
*Matthew B. Brown, "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom09.html *]
*Daniel C. Peterson, "The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories Advocated by LDS Critics" [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001PetD.html *]
*John K. Wise, "Clouds Without Water, Zeal Without Knowledge" [http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw01010.html *]

===External links===
*[http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/rlds1885.htm Online text of "Manuscript Found"], the Spaulding document discovered in 1884 and published by the RLDS Church.
*President Joseph F. Smith, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/manuscri.htm The Manuscript Found]," ''Improvement Era'' 3/4 (February 1900).
*[http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/faq/spaulding_origins.html "Origins of the Spaulding Manuscript"], by Professor A. S. Root, Oberlin College, 12 May 1927.
*{{Dialogue|author=Lester Bush|article=The Spalding [sic] Theory Then and Now|vol=10|num=4|date=Autumn 1977|start=40|end=69}}[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=1260&CISOSHOW=1149 *]
*Orson Scott Card, "[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1977.htm/ensign%20september%201977.htm/news%20of%20the%20church.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0#LPTOC4 News of the Church: Spaulding ''Again?'']" ''Ensign'' 7 (September 1977): 94–95.
*{{FARMSReview|author=L. Ara Norwood|article=Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look|vol=1|num=1|date=1989|start=80|end=88}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=10 *]
*{{BYUS|author=Gary F. Novak|article=Naturalistic Assumptions and the Book of Mormon|vol=30|num=3|date=1990|start=23|end=40}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21980&CISOSHOW=9859 *]
*Jeff Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml "Plagiarism in the Book of Mormon: Is It Derived from Modern Writings?], ''jefflindsay.com'' (accessed 5 October 2005).
*{{FARMSReview|author=Matthew Roper|article=The Mythical "Manuscript Found"|vol=17|num=2|date=2006|start=7|end=140}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=584 *]
*{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=282981}}

===Printed material===
Over the years many Latter-day Saints have responded to the "Spaulding Theory" as well.
*B.H. Roberts, "Counter Theories of Origin," ''New Witnesses for God'', Vol. 3, Chapter XLIV, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), 347–406.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=211299}}
*B.H. Roberts, "A Brief Debate on the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 1, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 365.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205446}}
*B.H. Roberts, "The Origin of the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 95–229 {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205459}}
*Benjamin Winchester, ''The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found,'' (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilfert, 1840).
*Dean C. Jessee, 'Spalding theory' re-examined,' ''Church News,'' 20 August 1977, 3–5.

The Spalding Theory of Book of Mormon authorship

2006-06-15T00:26:48Z

HerbHaley: /* Conclusion */

{{draft}}

==Criticism==

Critics claim that Joseph Smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding to write the Book of Mormon.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===

''Origins of the Spaulding manuscript theory:''
*Eber D. Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (New York: AMS Press, 1834 [1977]).
*William Alexander Linn, ''The Story of the Mormons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902).
''Claimed the existence of a '''second''' Spaulding manuscript when the first theory failed:''
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Revelation in Mormonism'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932).
*Howard A. Davis, Wayne L. Cowdrey, and Walter Martin, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?'' (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977.)
*Wayne L. Cowdery, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.'' (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005.)

==Response==

Since the Book of Mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept Joseph Smith's account of how it was produced. It's easy to dismiss Joseph's story of angels, gold plates, and a miraculous interpretation process; it's much harder to come up with an alternative explanation that accounts for the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon, as well as the historical details of its production.

Many critics, unwilling to credit poor, uneducated, backwater farm boy Joseph Smith as its author, have looked to possible sources he could have plagiarized. One of the earliest theories was that Joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the Reverend Solomon Spaulding (1761–1816).

Spaulding was a lapsed Calvinist clergyman and purported author of an epic tale of the ancient Native American "Mound Builders." The theory postulates that Spaulding wrote his manuscript in biblical phraseology and read it to many of his friends. He subsequently took the manuscript to Pittsburg, where it fell into the hands of a Mr. Patterson, in whose office Sidney Rigdon worked, and that through Sidney Rigdon it came into the possession of Joseph Smith and was made the basis of the Book of Mormon.

There are two major problems with this theory:

#The historical record indicates that Sidney Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon from Parley P. Pratt and his missionary companions in November 1830, and that Rigdon did not meet Joseph Smith until December of that same year. All of this was long after the Book of Mormon was translated and published. Critics can only marshal circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy in which Rigdon met Joseph much earlier, then later pretended to be converted to Mormonism.
#The purported Spaulding manuscript was not brought forward for analysis because no one knew where it was, or if it even existed. In 1884 an authentic Solomon Spalding manuscript was recovered in Honolulu, Hawaii and taken to the Oberlin College Library in Ohio. The unfinished story bears hardly any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. The text was published by the RLDS Church in 1885 under the title "Manuscript Found." The LDS Church also published the text. (See "Further Reading," below, for links to online texts).

The discovery and publishing of the manuscript put to rest the Spaulding theory for several decades. But in the early 20th century the theory surfaced again, only this time its advocates claimed there was a ''second'' Spaulding manuscript that was the ''real'' source for the book of Mormon. However, supporters of the revised Spaulding theory have not produced this second purported manuscript.

===Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon===

Many ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon reject the Spaulding theory as unworkable:
* Davis H. Bays, ''The Doctrines and Dogmas of Mormonism Examined and Refuted,'' (St. Louis: Christian Publishing, 1897), 22, 25
::[This theory is] "erroneous, and it will lead to almost certain defeat.... The facts are all opposed to this view, and the defenders of the Mormon dogma have the facts well in hand.... The Spaulding story is a failure. Do not attempt to rely upon it — it will let you down."
* Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945).
* Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''Did Spaulding Write the Book of Mormon?'' (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1977).

==Conclusion==

Modern supporters of the Spaulding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon and that no second manuscript has been discovered.

Until the purported second manuscript appears, all these critics have is a nonexistent document which they can claim says anything they want. This is doubtlessly the attraction of the "theory" and shows the lengths to which critics will go to disprove the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to consider that the best explanation such critics can propose requires that they invent a document, then invent its contents.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{BofM authorship theories}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html Spaulding Theory]
*Matthew B. Brown, "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom09.html *]
*Daniel C. Peterson, "The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories Advocated by LDS Critics" [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001PetD.html *]
*John K. Wise, "Clouds Without Water, Zeal Without Knowledge" [http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw01010.html *]

===External links===
*[http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/rlds1885.htm Online text of "Manuscript Found"], the Spaulding document discovered in 1884 and published by the RLDS Church.
*President Joseph F. Smith, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/manuscri.htm The Manuscript Found]," ''Improvement Era'' 3/4 (February 1900).
*[http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/faq/spaulding_origins.html "Origins of the Spaulding Manuscript"], by Professor A. S. Root, Oberlin College, 12 May 1927.
*{{Dialogue|author=Lester Bush|article=The Spalding [sic] Theory Then and Now|vol=10|num=4|date=Autumn 1977|start=40|end=69}}[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=1260&CISOSHOW=1149 *]
*Orson Scott Card, "[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1977.htm/ensign%20september%201977.htm/news%20of%20the%20church.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0#LPTOC4 News of the Church: Spaulding ''Again?'']" ''Ensign'' 7 (September 1977): 94–95.
*{{FARMSReview|author=L. Ara Norwood|article=Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look|vol=1|num=1|date=1989|start=80|end=88}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=10 *]
*{{BYUS|author=Gary F. Novak|article=Naturalistic Assumptions and the Book of Mormon|vol=30|num=3|date=1990|start=23|end=40}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21980&CISOSHOW=9859 *]
*Jeff Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml "Plagiarism in the Book of Mormon: Is It Derived from Modern Writings?], ''jefflindsay.com'' (accessed 5 October 2005).
*{{FARMSReview|author=Matthew Roper|article=The Mythical "Manuscript Found"|vol=17|num=2|date=2006|start=7|end=140}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=584 *]
*{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=282981}}

===Printed material===
Over the years many Latter-day Saints have responded to the "Spaulding Theory" as well.
*B.H. Roberts, "Counter Theories of Origin," ''New Witnesses for God'', Vol. 3, Chapter XLIV, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), 347–406.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=211299}}
*B.H. Roberts, "A Brief Debate on the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 1, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 365.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205446}}
*B.H. Roberts, "The Origin of the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 95–229 {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205459}}
*Benjamin Winchester, ''The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found,'' (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilfert, 1840).
*Dean C. Jessee, 'Spalding theory' re-examined,' ''Church News,'' 20 August 1977, 3–5.

The Spalding Theory of Book of Mormon authorship

2006-06-15T00:05:57Z

HerbHaley: /* Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon */

{{draft}}

==Criticism==

Critics claim that Joseph Smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding to write the Book of Mormon.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===

''Origins of the Spaulding manuscript theory:''
*Eber D. Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (New York: AMS Press, 1834 [1977]).
*William Alexander Linn, ''The Story of the Mormons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902).
''Claimed the existence of a '''second''' Spaulding manuscript when the first theory failed:''
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Revelation in Mormonism'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932).
*Howard A. Davis, Wayne L. Cowdrey, and Walter Martin, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?'' (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977.)
*Wayne L. Cowdery, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.'' (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005.)

==Response==

Since the Book of Mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept Joseph Smith's account of how it was produced. It's easy to dismiss Joseph's story of angels, gold plates, and a miraculous interpretation process; it's much harder to come up with an alternative explanation that accounts for the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon, as well as the historical details of its production.

Many critics, unwilling to credit poor, uneducated, backwater farm boy Joseph Smith as its author, have looked to possible sources he could have plagiarized. One of the earliest theories was that Joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the Reverend Solomon Spaulding (1761–1816).

Spaulding was a lapsed Calvinist clergyman and purported author of an epic tale of the ancient Native American "Mound Builders." The theory postulates that Spaulding wrote his manuscript in biblical phraseology and read it to many of his friends. He subsequently took the manuscript to Pittsburg, where it fell into the hands of a Mr. Patterson, in whose office Sidney Rigdon worked, and that through Sidney Rigdon it came into the possession of Joseph Smith and was made the basis of the Book of Mormon.

There are two major problems with this theory:

#The historical record indicates that Sidney Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon from Parley P. Pratt and his missionary companions in November 1830, and that Rigdon did not meet Joseph Smith until December of that same year. All of this was long after the Book of Mormon was translated and published. Critics can only marshal circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy in which Rigdon met Joseph much earlier, then later pretended to be converted to Mormonism.
#The purported Spaulding manuscript was not brought forward for analysis because no one knew where it was, or if it even existed. In 1884 an authentic Solomon Spalding manuscript was recovered in Honolulu, Hawaii and taken to the Oberlin College Library in Ohio. The unfinished story bears hardly any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. The text was published by the RLDS Church in 1885 under the title "Manuscript Found." The LDS Church also published the text. (See "Further Reading," below, for links to online texts).

The discovery and publishing of the manuscript put to rest the Spaulding theory for several decades. But in the early 20th century the theory surfaced again, only this time its advocates claimed there was a ''second'' Spaulding manuscript that was the ''real'' source for the book of Mormon. However, supporters of the revised Spaulding theory have not produced this second purported manuscript.

===Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon===

Many ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon reject the Spaulding theory as unworkable:
* Davis H. Bays, ''The Doctrines and Dogmas of Mormonism Examined and Refuted,'' (St. Louis: Christian Publishing, 1897), 22, 25
::[This theory is] "erroneous, and it will lead to almost certain defeat.... The facts are all opposed to this view, and the defenders of the Mormon dogma have the facts well in hand.... The Spaulding story is a failure. Do not attempt to rely upon it — it will let you down."
* Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945).
* Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''Did Spaulding Write the Book of Mormon?'' (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1977).

==Conclusion==

Modern supporters of the Spaulding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon, and that no second manuscript has been discovered.

Until such time as the purported second manuscript appears, all these critics have is a nonexistent document that they can claim says anything they want. This is doubtless the attraction of the "theory," and shows the lengths to which critics will go to disprove the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to consider that the best explanation such critics can propose requires that they invent a document, and then invent its contents.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{BofM authorship theories}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html Spaulding Theory]
*Matthew B. Brown, "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom09.html *]
*Daniel C. Peterson, "The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories Advocated by LDS Critics" [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001PetD.html *]
*John K. Wise, "Clouds Without Water, Zeal Without Knowledge" [http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw01010.html *]

===External links===
*[http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/rlds1885.htm Online text of "Manuscript Found"], the Spaulding document discovered in 1884 and published by the RLDS Church.
*President Joseph F. Smith, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/manuscri.htm The Manuscript Found]," ''Improvement Era'' 3/4 (February 1900).
*[http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/faq/spaulding_origins.html "Origins of the Spaulding Manuscript"], by Professor A. S. Root, Oberlin College, 12 May 1927.
*{{Dialogue|author=Lester Bush|article=The Spalding [sic] Theory Then and Now|vol=10|num=4|date=Autumn 1977|start=40|end=69}}[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=1260&CISOSHOW=1149 *]
*Orson Scott Card, "[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1977.htm/ensign%20september%201977.htm/news%20of%20the%20church.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0#LPTOC4 News of the Church: Spaulding ''Again?'']" ''Ensign'' 7 (September 1977): 94–95.
*{{FARMSReview|author=L. Ara Norwood|article=Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look|vol=1|num=1|date=1989|start=80|end=88}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=10 *]
*{{BYUS|author=Gary F. Novak|article=Naturalistic Assumptions and the Book of Mormon|vol=30|num=3|date=1990|start=23|end=40}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21980&CISOSHOW=9859 *]
*Jeff Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml "Plagiarism in the Book of Mormon: Is It Derived from Modern Writings?], ''jefflindsay.com'' (accessed 5 October 2005).
*{{FARMSReview|author=Matthew Roper|article=The Mythical "Manuscript Found"|vol=17|num=2|date=2006|start=7|end=140}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=584 *]
*{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=282981}}

===Printed material===
Over the years many Latter-day Saints have responded to the "Spaulding Theory" as well.
*B.H. Roberts, "Counter Theories of Origin," ''New Witnesses for God'', Vol. 3, Chapter XLIV, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), 347–406.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=211299}}
*B.H. Roberts, "A Brief Debate on the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 1, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 365.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205446}}
*B.H. Roberts, "The Origin of the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 95–229 {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205459}}
*Benjamin Winchester, ''The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found,'' (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilfert, 1840).
*Dean C. Jessee, 'Spalding theory' re-examined,' ''Church News,'' 20 August 1977, 3–5.

The Spalding Theory of Book of Mormon authorship

2006-06-15T00:04:41Z

HerbHaley: /* Criticism */

{{draft}}

==Criticism==

Critics claim that Joseph Smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding to write the Book of Mormon.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===

''Origins of the Spaulding manuscript theory:''
*Eber D. Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (New York: AMS Press, 1834 [1977]).
*William Alexander Linn, ''The Story of the Mormons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902).
''Claimed the existence of a '''second''' Spaulding manuscript when the first theory failed:''
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Revelation in Mormonism'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932).
*Howard A. Davis, Wayne L. Cowdrey, and Walter Martin, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?'' (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977.)
*Wayne L. Cowdery, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick, ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.'' (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005.)

==Response==

Since the Book of Mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept Joseph Smith's account of how it was produced. It's easy to dismiss Joseph's story of angels, gold plates, and a miraculous interpretation process; it's much harder to come up with an alternative explanation that accounts for the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon, as well as the historical details of its production.

Many critics, unwilling to credit poor, uneducated, backwater farm boy Joseph Smith as its author, have looked to possible sources he could have plagiarized. One of the earliest theories was that Joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the Reverend Solomon Spaulding (1761–1816).

Spaulding was a lapsed Calvinist clergyman and purported author of an epic tale of the ancient Native American "Mound Builders." The theory postulates that Spaulding wrote his manuscript in biblical phraseology and read it to many of his friends. He subsequently took the manuscript to Pittsburg, where it fell into the hands of a Mr. Patterson, in whose office Sidney Rigdon worked, and that through Sidney Rigdon it came into the possession of Joseph Smith and was made the basis of the Book of Mormon.

There are two major problems with this theory:

#The historical record indicates that Sidney Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon from Parley P. Pratt and his missionary companions in November 1830, and that Rigdon did not meet Joseph Smith until December of that same year. All of this was long after the Book of Mormon was translated and published. Critics can only marshal circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy in which Rigdon met Joseph much earlier, then later pretended to be converted to Mormonism.
#The purported Spaulding manuscript was not brought forward for analysis because no one knew where it was, or if it even existed. In 1884 an authentic Solomon Spalding manuscript was recovered in Honolulu, Hawaii and taken to the Oberlin College Library in Ohio. The unfinished story bears hardly any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. The text was published by the RLDS Church in 1885 under the title "Manuscript Found." The LDS Church also published the text. (See "Further Reading," below, for links to online texts).

The discovery and publishing of the manuscript put to rest the Spaulding theory for several decades. But in the early 20th century the theory surfaced again, only this time its advocates claimed there was a ''second'' Spaulding manuscript that was the ''real'' source for the book of Mormon. However, supporters of the revised Spaulding theory have not produced this second purported manuscript.

===Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon===

Many ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon have rejected the Spaulding theory as unworkable:
* Davis H. Bays, ''The Doctrines and Dogmas of Mormonism Examined and Refuted,'' (St. Louis: Christian Publishing, 1897), 22, 25
::[This theory is] "erroneous, and it will lead to almost certain defeat.... The facts are all opposed to this view, and the defenders of the Mormon dogma have the facts well in hand.... The Spaulding story is a failure. Do not attempt to rely upon it — it will let you down."
* Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945).
* Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''Did Spaulding Write the Book of Mormon?'' (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1977).

==Conclusion==

Modern supporters of the Spaulding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon, and that no second manuscript has been discovered.

Until such time as the purported second manuscript appears, all these critics have is a nonexistent document that they can claim says anything they want. This is doubtless the attraction of the "theory," and shows the lengths to which critics will go to disprove the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to consider that the best explanation such critics can propose requires that they invent a document, and then invent its contents.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{BofM authorship theories}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html Spaulding Theory]
*Matthew B. Brown, "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom09.html *]
*Daniel C. Peterson, "The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories Advocated by LDS Critics" [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001PetD.html *]
*John K. Wise, "Clouds Without Water, Zeal Without Knowledge" [http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw01010.html *]

===External links===
*[http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/rlds1885.htm Online text of "Manuscript Found"], the Spaulding document discovered in 1884 and published by the RLDS Church.
*President Joseph F. Smith, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/manuscri.htm The Manuscript Found]," ''Improvement Era'' 3/4 (February 1900).
*[http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/faq/spaulding_origins.html "Origins of the Spaulding Manuscript"], by Professor A. S. Root, Oberlin College, 12 May 1927.
*{{Dialogue|author=Lester Bush|article=The Spalding [sic] Theory Then and Now|vol=10|num=4|date=Autumn 1977|start=40|end=69}}[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=1260&CISOSHOW=1149 *]
*Orson Scott Card, "[http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1977.htm/ensign%20september%201977.htm/news%20of%20the%20church.htm?fn=document-frameset.htm$f=templates$3.0#LPTOC4 News of the Church: Spaulding ''Again?'']" ''Ensign'' 7 (September 1977): 94–95.
*{{FARMSReview|author=L. Ara Norwood|article=Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look|vol=1|num=1|date=1989|start=80|end=88}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=10 *]
*{{BYUS|author=Gary F. Novak|article=Naturalistic Assumptions and the Book of Mormon|vol=30|num=3|date=1990|start=23|end=40}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21980&CISOSHOW=9859 *]
*Jeff Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml "Plagiarism in the Book of Mormon: Is It Derived from Modern Writings?], ''jefflindsay.com'' (accessed 5 October 2005).
*{{FARMSReview|author=Matthew Roper|article=The Mythical "Manuscript Found"|vol=17|num=2|date=2006|start=7|end=140}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=584 *]
*{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=282981}}

===Printed material===
Over the years many Latter-day Saints have responded to the "Spaulding Theory" as well.
*B.H. Roberts, "Counter Theories of Origin," ''New Witnesses for God'', Vol. 3, Chapter XLIV, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), 347–406.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=211299}}
*B.H. Roberts, "A Brief Debate on the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 1, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 365.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205446}}
*B.H. Roberts, "The Origin of the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 95–229 {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205459}}
*Benjamin Winchester, ''The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found,'' (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilfert, 1840).
*Dean C. Jessee, 'Spalding theory' re-examined,' ''Church News,'' 20 August 1977, 3–5.

The Spalding Theory of Book of Mormon authorship

2006-06-13T00:51:07Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}

==Criticism==

Critics have claimed that Joseph Smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding to write the Book of Mormon.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===

''Origins of the Spaulding manuscript theory:''
*Eber D. Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (New York: AMS Press, 1834 [1977]).
*William Alexander Linn, ''The Story of the Mormons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902).
''Claimed the existence of a '''second''' Spaulding manuscript when the first theory failed:''
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Revelation in Mormonism'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932).
*Wayne L. Cowdery, et.al., ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?'' (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977.)
*Wayne L. Cowdery, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick. ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.'' (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005.)

==Response==

Since the Book of Mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept Joseph Smith's account of how it was produced. It's easy to dismiss Joseph's story of angels, gold plates, and a miraculous interpretation process; it's much harder to come up with an alternative explanation that accounts for the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon, as well as the historical details of its production.

Many critics, unwilling to credit poor, uneducated, backwater farm boy Joseph Smith as its author, have looked to possible sources he could have plagiarized. One of the earliest theories was that Joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the Reverend Solomon Spaulding (1761–1816).

Spaulding was a lapsed Calvinist clergyman and purported author of an epic tale of the ancient Native American "Mound Builders." The theory postulates that Spaulding wrote his manuscript in biblical phraseology and read it to many of his friends. He subsequently took the manuscript to Pittsburg, where it fell into the hands of a Mr. Patterson, in whose office Sidney Rigdon worked, and that through Sidney Rigdon it came into the possession of Joseph Smith and was made the basis of the Book of Mormon.

There are two major problems with this theory:

#The historical record indicates that Sidney Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon from Parley P. Pratt and his missionary companions in November 1830, and that Rigdon did not meet Joseph Smith until December of that same year. All of this was long after the Book of Mormon was translated and published. Critics can only marshal circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy in which Rigdon met Joseph much earlier, then later pretended to be converted to Mormonism.
#The purported Spaulding manuscript was not brought forward for analysis because no one knew where it was, or if it even existed. In 1884 an authentic Solomon Spalding manuscript was recovered in Honolulu, Hawaii and taken to the Oberlin College Library in Ohio. The unfinished story bears hardly any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. The text was published by the RLDS Church in 1885 under the title "Manuscript Found." The LDS Church also published the text. (See "Further Reading," below, for links to online texts).

The discovery and publishing of the manuscript put to rest the Spaulding theory for several decades. But in the early 20th century the theory surfaced again, only this time its advocates claimed there was a ''second'' Spaulding manuscript that was the ''real'' source for the book of Mormon. However, supporters of the revised Spaulding theory have not produced this second purported manuscript.

===Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon===

Many ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon have rejected the Spaulding theory as unworkable:
* Davis H. Bays, ''The Doctrines and Dogmas of Mormonism Examined and Refuted,'' (St. Louis: Christian Publishing, 1897), 22, 25
::[This theory is] "erroneous, and it will lead to almost certain defeat.... The facts are all opposed to this view, and the defenders of the Mormon dogma have the facts well in hand.... The Spaulding story is a failure. Do not attempt to rely upon it — it will let you down."
* Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945).
* Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''Did Spaulding Write the Book of Mormon?'' (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1977).

==Conclusion==

Modern supporters of the Spaulding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon, and that no second manuscript has been discovered.

Until such time as the purported second manuscript appears, all these critics have is a nonexistent document that they can claim says anything they want. This is doubtless the attraction of the "theory," and shows the lengths to which critics will go to disprove the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to consider that the best explanation such critics can propose requires that they invent a document, and then invent its contents.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{BofM authorship theories}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html Spaulding Theory]
*Matthew B. Brown, "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom09.html *]
*Daniel C. Peterson, "The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories Advocated by LDS Critics" [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001PetD.html *]
*John K. Wise, "Clouds Without Water, Zeal Without Knowledge" [http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw01010.html *]

===External links===
*[http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/rlds1885.htm Online text of "Manuscript Found"], the Spaulding document discovered in 1884 and published by the RLDS Church.
*President Joseph F. Smith, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/manuscri.htm The Manuscript Found]," ''Improvement Era'' 3/4 (February 1900).
*[http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/faq/spaulding_origins.html "Origins of the Spaulding Manuscript"], by Professor A. S. Root, Oberlin College, 12 May 1927.
*{{Dialogue|author=Lester Bush|article=The Spalding [sic] Theory Then and Now|vol=10|num=4|date=Autumn 1977|start=40|end=69}}[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=1260&CISOSHOW=1149 *]
*Jeff Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml "Plagiarism in the Book of Mormon: Is It Derived from Modern Writings?], ''jefflindsay.com'' (accessed 5 October 2005).
*{{FARMSReview|author=L. Ara Norwood|article=Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look|vol=1|num=1|date=1989|start=80|end=88}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=10 *]
*{{BYUS|author=Gary F. Novak|article=Naturalistic Assumptions and the Book of Mormon|vol=30|num=3|date=1990|start=23|end=40}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21980&CISOSHOW=9859 *]
*{{FARMSReview|author=Matthew Roper|article=The Mythical "Manuscript Found"|vol=17|num=2|date=2006|start=7|end=140}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=584 *]
*{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=282981}}

===Printed material===
Over the years many Latter-day Saints have responded to the "Spaulding Theory" as well.
*B.H. Roberts, "Counter Theories of Origin," ''New Witnesses for God'', Vol. 3, Chapter XLIV, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), 347–406.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=211299}}
*B.H. Roberts, "A Brief Debate on the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 1, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 365.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205446}}
*B.H. Roberts, "The Origin of the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 95–229 {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205459}}
*Benjamin Winchester, ''The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found,'' (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilfert, 1840).
*Dean C. Jessee, 'Spalding theory' re-examined,' ''Church News,'' 20 August 1977, 3–5.
*Orson Scott Card, 'Spaulding ''Again?''' ''Ensign'' 7 (September 1977): 94–95.

The Spalding Theory of Book of Mormon authorship

2006-06-13T00:45:16Z

HerbHaley: /* Source(s) of the Criticism */

{{draft}}

==Criticism==

Critics have claimed that Joseph Smith either plagiarized or relied upon a manuscript by Solomon Spaulding to write the Book of Mormon.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===

''Origins of the Spaulding manuscript theory:''
*Eber D. Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'' (New York : AMS Press, 1834 [1977]).
*William Alexander Linn, ''The Story of the Mormons'' (New York: Macmillan, 1902).
''Claimed the existence of a '''second''' Spaulding manuscript when the first theory failed:''
*George B. Arbaugh, ''Revelation in Mormonism'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1932).
*Wayne L. Cowdery, et.al., ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?'' (Santa Ana, Ca.: Vision House Publishers, 1977.)
*Wayne L. Cowdery, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick. ''Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? The Spalding Enigma.'' (St. Louis: Concordia, 2005.)

==Response==

Since the Book of Mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept Joseph Smith's account of how it was produced. It's easy to dismiss Joseph's story of angels, gold plates, and a miraculous interpretation process; it's much harder to come up with an alternative explanation that accounts for the complexity and consistency of the Book of Mormon, as well as the historical details of its production.

Many critics, unwilling to credit poor, uneducated, backwater farm boy Joseph Smith as its author, have looked to possible sources he could have plagiarized. One of the earliest theories was that Joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the Reverend Solomon Spaulding (1761–1816).

Spaulding was a lapsed Calvinist clergyman and purported author of an epic tale of the ancient Native American "Mound Builders." The theory postulates that Spaulding wrote his manuscript in biblical phraseology and read it to many of his friends. He subsequently took the manuscript to Pittsburg, where it fell into the hands of a Mr. Patterson, in whose office Sidney Rigdon worked, and that through Sidney Rigdon it came into the possession of Joseph Smith and was made the basis of the Book of Mormon.

There are two major problems with this theory:

#The historical record indicates that Sidney Rigdon first learned of the Book of Mormon from Parley P. Pratt and his missionary companions in November 1830, and that Rigdon did not meet Joseph Smith until December of that same year. All of this was long after the Book of Mormon was translated and published. Critics can only marshal circumstantial evidence of a conspiracy in which Rigdon met Joseph much earlier, then later pretended to be converted to Mormonism.
#The purported Spaulding manuscript was not brought forward for analysis because no one knew where it was, or if it even existed. In 1884 an authentic Solomon Spalding manuscript was recovered in Honolulu, Hawaii and taken to the Oberlin College Library in Ohio. The unfinished story bears hardly any resemblance to the Book of Mormon. The text was published by the RLDS Church in 1885 under the title "Manuscript Found." The LDS Church also published the text. (See "Further Reading," below, for links to online texts).

The discovery and publishing of the manuscript put to rest the Spaulding theory for several decades. But in the early 20th century the theory surfaced again, only this time its advocates claimed there was a ''second'' Spaulding manuscript that was the ''real'' source for the book of Mormon. However, supporters of the revised Spaulding theory have not produced this second purported manuscript.

===Rejection of the Spaulding theory by critics of the Book of Mormon===

Many ''critics'' of the Book of Mormon have rejected the Spaulding theory as unworkable:
* Davis H. Bays, ''The Doctrines and Dogmas of Mormonism Examined and Refuted,'' (St. Louis: Christian Publishing, 1897), 22, 25
::[This theory is] "erroneous, and it will lead to almost certain defeat.... The facts are all opposed to this view, and the defenders of the Mormon dogma have the facts well in hand.... The Spaulding story is a failure. Do not attempt to rely upon it — it will let you down."
* Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945).
* Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''Did Spaulding Write the Book of Mormon?'' (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1977).

==Conclusion==

Modern supporters of the Spaulding authorship theory simply ignore the inconvenient fact that the manuscript recovered in the late 19th century bears no resemblance to the Book of Mormon, and that no second manuscript has been discovered.

Until such time as the purported second manuscript appears, all these critics have is a nonexistent document that they can claim says anything they want. This is doubtless the attraction of the "theory," and shows the lengths to which critics will go to disprove the Book of Mormon.

It is interesting to consider that the best explanation such critics can propose requires that they invent a document, and then invent its contents.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{BofM authorship theories}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai115.html Spaulding Theory]
*Matthew B. Brown, "Solomon Spaulding and the Book of Mormon" [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom09.html *]
*Daniel C. Peterson, "The Divine Source of the Book of Mormon in the Face of Alternative Theories Advocated by LDS Critics" [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001PetD.html *]
*John K. Wise, "Clouds Without Water, Zeal Without Knowledge" [http://www.fairlds.org/Reviews/Rvw01010.html *]

===External links===
*[http://www.solomonspalding.com/docs/rlds1885.htm Online text of "Manuscript Found"], the Spaulding document discovered in 1884 and published by the RLDS Church.
*President Joseph F. Smith, "[http://www2.ida.net/graphics/shirtail/manuscri.htm The Manuscript Found]," ''Improvement Era'' 3/4 (February 1900).
*[http://www.oberlin.edu/archive/faq/spaulding_origins.html "Origins of the Spaulding Manuscript"], by Professor A. S. Root, Oberlin College, 12 May 1927.
*{{Dialogue|author=Lester Bush|article=The Spalding [sic] Theory Then and Now|vol=10|num=4|date=Autumn 1977|start=40|end=69}}[http://content.lib.utah.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=1260&CISOSHOW=1149 *]
*Jeff Lindsay, [http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_BMProb3.shtml "Plagiarism in the Book of Mormon: Is It Derived from Modern Writings?], ''jefflindsay.com'' (accessed 5 October 2005).
*{{FARMSReview|author=L. Ara Norwood|article=Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look|vol=1|num=1|date=1989|start=80|end=88}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=10 *]
*{{BYUS|author=Gary F. Novak|article=Naturalistic Assumptions and the Book of Mormon|vol=30|num=3|date=1990|start=23|end=40}}[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/byustudies&CISOPTR=21980&CISOSHOW=9859 *]
*{{FARMSReview|author=Matthew Roper|article=The Mythical "Manuscript Found"|vol=17|num=2|date=2006|start=7|end=140}} [http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=584 *]
*{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=282981}}

===Printed material===
Over the years many Latter-day Saints have responded to the "Spaulding Theory" as well.
*B.H. Roberts, "Counter Theories of Origin," ''New Witnesses for God'', Vol. 3, Chapter XLIV, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1909), 347–406.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=211299}}
*B.H. Roberts, "A Brief Debate on the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 1, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 365.{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205446}}
*B.H. Roberts, "The Origin of the Book of Mormon," ''Defence of the Faith and the Saints'', Vol. 2, (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1907), 95–229 {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=205459}}
*Benjamin Winchester, ''The Origin of the Spaulding Story, Concerning the Manuscript Found,'' (Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilfert, 1840).
*Dean C. Jessee, 'Spalding theory' re-examined,' ''Church News,'' 20 August 1977, 3–5.
*Orson Scott Card, 'Spaulding ''Again?''' ''Ensign'' 7 (September 1977): 94–95.