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2010-04-06T06:19:52Z

GregSmith:

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Usuario:InProgress

2010-03-08T03:15:01Z

GregSmith:

For articles not yet ready for "prime time."

Create article links here first; when they are ready, the entire article and subarticles can be moved to the wiki with one command.

*[[/New article one|New article #1]]
*[[/New article two|New article #2]]
*[[/New article two|New article #3]]

Etc.

Usuario:InProgress

2010-03-08T03:14:43Z

GregSmith: Página creada con 'For articles not yet ready for "prime time." Create article links here first; when they are ready, the entire article and subarticles can be moved to the wiki with one command.…'

For articles not yet ready for "prime time."

Create article links here first; when they are ready, the entire article and subarticles can be moved to the wiki with one command.

*[/New article one|New article #1]]
*[/New article two|New article #2]]
*[/New article two|New article #3]]

Etc.

Página Principal

2008-06-28T16:02:13Z

GregSmith:

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Plantilla:Libro de Mormón Anacronismos

2007-08-10T05:24:50Z

GregSmith:

{{editme|url=Template:Libro de Mormón Anacronismos|before=|after='''''Libro de Mormón "Anacronismos"'''''}}
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos |Anacronismos (pagina general) ]]
*[[ Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:"Adieu"|"Adieu"]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Animales|Animales]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Cemento | Cemento]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Monedas | Monedas]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Brújula | Brújula]]
*[[Libro de Mormón:ADN problemas |ADN problemas (resumen)]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Ladrones de Gadianton como Masones?| Ladrones de Gadianton como Masones?]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Planchas de “oro”| Planchas de “oro”?]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Espíritu Santo| Espíritu Santo]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Jerusalen como sitio del nacumiento de Jesus| Jerusalen como sitio del nacumiento de Jesus]]
*[[Codigos y concepto legales en el Libro de Mormón| Codigos y concepto legales]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Metales| Metales]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Planchas de metal| Planchas de metal]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:Mulek|Mulek]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Nombres| Nombres]]
*[[Cultura de olivos en el Libro de Mormón| Cultura de olivos]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Plantas | Plantas]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Mar Rojo vs Mar de Caña| Mar Rojo vs Mar de Caña]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Egipcio reformado|Egipcio reformado]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Sátiro | Sátiro]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Serpientes y sequía | Serpientes y sequía]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Shiz lucha a respirar | Shiz lucha a respirar]]
*[[Sudor y poros del piel]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:Nieve | Nieve]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Templo en el Mundo Nuevo|Templo en el Mundo Nuevo]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Tres dias de oscuridad | Tres dias de oscuridad]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Translation Errores de traducción de la version KJV | Translation Errores de traducción de la version KJV]]
*[[Libro de Mormón:Arte de guerra | Arte de guerra]]
**[[Libro de Mormón:Arte de guerra Espadas | Espadas]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:Ventanas| Ventanas]]

Usuario:GregSmith

2007-08-10T05:04:42Z

GregSmith:

Test

{{scripture||Jacob|2|5}}

Usuario:GregSmith

2007-08-10T05:04:24Z

GregSmith:

Test

{{s||Jacob|2|5}}

Plantilla:Scripture

2007-08-10T05:03:59Z

GregSmith:

[http://scriptures.lds.org/es/search?type=references&search={{{1}}}+{{{2}}}+{{{3}}}%3A{{{4}}}&do=Search {{{1}}} {{{2}}} {{{3}}}:{{{4}}}]

Plantilla:S

2007-08-10T05:02:53Z

GregSmith: Redirigiendo a Plantilla:Scripture

#REDIRECT [[Plantilla:Scripture]]

El Libro de Mormón/Ventanas

2007-08-10T05:00:28Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Fenster}}
{{question}}

==Question==
The mention of windows that could be "dashed in pieces" in {{s||Ether|2|23}} seems to be anachronistic, since glass windows were not invented until the late Middle Ages?

==Answer==

The term window originally referred to an opening through which the wind could enter. It is found 42 times in the Bible, where it does not refer to glass windows as we know them. In one passage ({{s|2|Kings|13|17}}), we read that a window in the palace was opened. So windows sometimes had doors or shutters. The same is true of the window that Noah built into the ark ({{s||Genesis|6|16}}; {{s||Genesis|8|6}}).

It seems likely that {{s||Ether|2|23}} means that the barges themselves would break if they had windows or openings built into them. In the next verse, the Lord explains that this is because they would go through extremely turbulent conditions at sea, sometimes being buried beneath the waves. Windows would mean weakening the wooden structure, by creating openings, making it more fragile and thus liable to be "dashed in pieces." If we read only the sentence containing the word "windows" and read it out of context, then the antecedent of "they" would, indeed, be "windows." But it is probable that the antecedent is "vessels," the last word in the preceding sentence.{{ref|farms1}}

==Endnotes==

# {{note|farms1}} FARMS "Question of the Week," ''farms.byu.edu''{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/questionday.php?id=16}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

{{Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms}}

El Libro de Mormón/Arte de guerra/Espadas

2007-08-10T05:00:04Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==

Critics claim that Book of Mormon swords are anachronistic. They claim that no New World swords answering to the Book of Mormon's description have been found, and argue that this counts against the Book of Mormon's historicity.

===Source(s) of criticism===
* Deanne G. Matheny, "Does the Shoe Fit? A Critique of the Limited Tehuantepec Geography," in ''New Approaches to the Book of Mormon: Explorations in Critical Methodology'', ed. Brent Lee Metcalfe (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1993), 292–97.
* Brent Lee Metcalfe, "Apologetic and Critical Assumptions about Book of Mormon Historicity," ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' 26/3 (Fall 1993): 161 n. 27.
*{{SearchForTheTruthDVD}}

==Should we expect to find swords?==
[[Image:Macahuitl-Burton.png|frane|right|Macuhitl sword from Richard F. Burton, ''Book of the Sword '' (London: Chatto & Windus, 1884). Public domain image (copyright expired.) Originally obtained from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Macahuitl.png. Caption from original work reads: "Mexican sword of the fifteenth century, of Iron Wood, with Ten Blades of Black Obsidian Fixed Into the Wood (This weapon is twenty-five inches long.)"]]

For an archaeologist to find swords or other weapons in the Old World (the ancient Near East) is very unusual.

As a matter of fact although hundreds of times as much archaeological digging has been done in the Near East as in Mesoamerica, finds of Near Eastern weapons of any type are rarely made. The obvious reason for that is that the kinds of places archaeologists excavate (e.g., temples, elite houses, public buildings) are not where weapons were kept or left anciently.

As a matter of fact, there was little or no reason to intentionally leave a perfectly good weapon anywhere. It would be passed on to another person/warrior, or if left unintentionally it would be salvaged by the first person to find it.

The same would be true in Mesoamerica (where metals were even more rare than in the ancient Near East), or anywhere else.

How we learn the most about weapons in antiquity is from art—''if'' the artist happened to depict a battle scene or armed warriors.

At present, no archaeological evidence for swords of steel (or any other metal) exists in America from Pre-Columbian times. There is now evidence for steel swords in the ancient Near East (something that critics long denied).{{ref|fn1}} So, even in the ancient Near East—where the conditions are more suited to preserving artifacts, and much more archaeologic work has been done—the identification of steel weapons is recent.

==Are all swords made of metal?==

The Book of Mormon does indicate that at least some swords were made of metal, specifically, "steel." Some Jaredites are described with steel weapons (see {{s||Ether|7|9}}), and {{s||Mosiah|8|11}} mentions Limhi's explorers finding the remains of Jaredite battles with blades that have rusted, suggesting that they were metallic.

Nephi<sup>1</sup> also acquired an Old World steel sword from Laban ({{s|1|Nephi|4|9}}).

Critics make the unwarranted assumption that because ''some'' weapons—generally used by elite leaders—are described as being made of metal, we must therefore conclude that ''all'' Book of Mormon swords were made of metal.

In fact, what the Book of Mormon suggests is that some of the elite among the Jaredites and the Nephites had metal swords at certain times, but most swords and armor were not made of metal. Steel swords were exceptional and rare (and, because they were unusual, such weapons were mentioned specifically by the Book of Mormon authors).

==Jaredite metallic swords==
The earliest reference to steel swords in the Book of Mormon is in a passage recounting the notable deeds of Prince Shule. Shule is described as "mighty in judgment" ({{s||Ether|7|8}}). We are told, "Wherefore, he came to the hill Ephraim, and he did molten out of the hill, and made swords out of steel for those whom he had drawn away with him; and after he had armed them with swords he returned to the city Nehor, and gave battle unto his brother Corihor, by which means he obtained the kingdom" ({{s||Ether|7|9}}). Note here that Shule appears to be the one with the knowledge and skill to do this. "He did molten," he "made swords out of steel," "he . . . armed them." Did he pass this remarkable skill on to others? The passage does not say. It is interesting, however, that the next generation is nearly wiped out ({{s||Ether|9|12}}) and that there is no further mention of steel in the Book of Ether following this episode. Is this an indication that steel technology among the Jaredites was subsequently lost? In periods of social anarchy, valuable possessions tend to be stolen and lost or destroyed. They couldn't keep them ({{s||Ether|14|1}}; {{s||Helaman|13|34}}).

The other passage bearing on the question of Jaredite swords is the one describing King Limhi's search party. Although, they did not find the land of Zarahemla, the search party found ruins of buildings and bones of the Jaredites along with the 24 gold plates of Ether. "And also they have brought breastplates, which are large and they are of brass and of copper, and are perfectly sound. And again they have brought swords, the hilts thereof have perished, and the blades thereof were cankered with rust" ({{s||Mosiah|8|10-11}}). We are not told if the blades were of steel or some other metal which can rust. The search party brought back the plates and the breastplates and the rusted sword blades "for a testimony that the things that they had said are true" ({{s||Mosiah|8|9}}). The fact that they brought the breastplates and rusted sword blades back to Limhi suggests that metal blades and breastplates of copper were rare or unusual.

==Nephite metallic swords==

===After the manner of the sword of Laban...===
After separating from the Lamanites, Nephi states, "And I, Nephi, did take the sword of Laban, and after the manner of it did make many swords, lest by any means the people who were now called Lamanites should come upon us and destroy us" ({{s|2|Nephi|5|15}}). Nephi also indicates that he taught his people various skills which included, among other things, working in various metals and some form of steel working ({{s|2|Nephi|5|15}}). One way to read this is that Nephi made other steel swords.

It should be remembered, however, that steel working is a difficult and multifaceted process. Nephi's knowledge of steel may have meant he was skilled enough to make long steel sword blades, or it could simply refer to steel ornamentation. It is interesting to note that Nephi, writing decades after these events, still considered Laban's steel blade to be "most precious" ({{s|1|Nephi|4|9}}). What made Laban's blade "most precious" decades after Nephi made swords for his people? Is this an indication that Nephi's skills with steel, whatever they consisted of fell short of making long steel blades?

Another way to read this is that Nephi made swords after the general pattern of Laban's sword—that is, as a straight shaft with sharp blades along both edges, rather than a one-sided sickle sword which was also common in the ancient near East.{{ref|fn2}}

As William J. Hamblin observed:

:The minimalist and tightest reading of this evidence is that Nephi had a steel weapon from the Near East. He attempted to imitate this weapon-whether in function, form, or material is unclear. His descendants apparently abandoned this technology by no later than 400 B.C. Based on a careful reading of the text of the Book of Mormon, there are no grounds for claiming-as anti-Mormons repeatedly do-that the Book of Mormon describes a massive steel industry with thousands of soldiers carrying steel swords in the New World.{{ref|hamblin1}}

===Did metal swords persist?===

If we suppose that Nephi made other steel swords, need we assume that all subsequent Nephite swords had blades of steel or other metal? To how many Nephites did Nephi pass on the knowledge of working in steel? Did all Nephites know how to work steel or just some? The last reference to steel among the Nephite is during the time of Jarom ({{s||Jarom|1|8}}). After that, steel is never again mentioned among the Nephites. When the Zeniffites return to the land of Nephi a few generations later, they work with iron and other metals, but not steel. This, perhaps not coincidentally, is the last reference to Nephite "iron" ({{s||Mosiah|11|3,8}}).

One has to wonder if some of these early skills were lost. It was apparently an exceptional thing for Nephi or Benjamin to wield the sword of Laban in the defense of their people ({{s||Jacob|1|10}}; {{s||W+of+M|1|13}}). Why would this be necessary for a king if steel technology was commonplace and well-known? This again, suggests that steel swords were the exception not the norm.

One should remember, too, that the "steel" of Joseph Smith's day was not modern steel, and KJV "steel" referred to bronze, not steeled iron. (''See FAIR wiki article on [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Metals|metals]], especially [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Metals#Steel|steel]]''.)

===Historical parallels===

By way of historical analogy, in many rural villages in places such as Asia or Africa, one family of artisans might supply the metallurgical needs of thousands, yet the ferrous skills possessed by those few could easily be lost in just one raid. It seems reasonable to suggest that a similar situation occurred among the early Jaredites and Nephites in ancient Mesoamerica.

In a recent study of North American copper pan pipes, one scholar attempted to explain why certain copper technologies, if once available in North American Middle Woodland cultures, were not passed down to subsequent groups. She reasoned, "The technological information must have been restricted to a limited number of individuals and artisans. Following the disruption of the interaction sphere, this information in the hands of so few artificers and entrepreneurs was not passed on and was consequently lost. There was no retention of that knowledge and when, half a millennium later new societies developed, it was with new copper techniques and new artifact styles."{{ref|goodman1}}

In the absence of archaeological evidence for metal weapons in early Mesoamerican times, it is worth remembering that there is linguistic evidence, noted by John Sorenson, for metals in Mesoamerican antiquity dating back to Olmec times.{{ref|sorenson1}} When this is coupled with the interpretation of the rarity of metals swords mentioned above, the issue is much less problematic when additional perspective is added.

==Were there swords in Pre-Columbian America?==

[[Image:Obs_sword_florentine_codex2.jpg|frame|left|Macuhitl swords from the 15th Century ''Florentine Codex'']]
Some critics have charged that no Pre-Columbian swords existed at all. This is clearly false; evidence from Pre-Columbian art supports the idea that there were swords as early as the Pre-classic.{{ref|roper1}} Non-LDS authors have often used the term "sword" for such weapons.{{ref|fn3}}

Scott Brian, a graduate student of Archaeology at BYU, has made several reconstructions of a ''macahuitl,'' the ancient Mesoamerican weapon often termed a "sword"—the term the Spaniards used when they faced this fearsome weapon that could cut better than metal swords.

''See photos of the modern reconstruction:''
<small>[http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6395/424/1600/macahuitl-3.jpg Photo 1] [http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6395/424/1600/macahuitl-2.jpg Photo 2] [http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6395/424/1600/macahuitl-1.jpg Photo 3]</small>

[[Image:Obs_sword_florentine_codex1.jpg|frame|right|Macuhitl swords from the 15th Century ''Florentine Codex'']]

One chronicle described the ''macuhuitl'''s ability to decapitate a horse:

:While we were at grips with this great army and their ''dreadful broadswords'', many of the most powerful among the enemy seem to have decided to capture a horse. They began with a furious attack, and laid hands on a good mare well trained both for sport and battle. Her rider, Pedro de Moron, was a fine horseman; and as he charged with three other horsemen into enemy ranks—they had been instructed to charge together for mutual support—some of them seized his lance so that he could not use it, and others slashed at him with their ''broadswords'', wounding him severely, Then they slashed at his mare, cutting her head at the neck so that it only hung by the skin. The mare fell dead, and if his mounted comrades had not come to Moron's rescue, he would probably have been killed also.{{ia}}{{ref|roper2}}

===Book of Mormon examples===

Some Book of Mormon passages make less sense if the reference to "sword" is read as a European-style, metallic sword.

For example, the Anti-Nephi-Lehi group described how the atonement of Christ had miraculous made their swords "bright" again, after being stained with the blood of murder:
[[Image:6irx-obsidianSmall.JPG|right|frame|Obsidian gleaming in the light. From R.Weller/Cochise College, free for non-commercial educational use. Original [http://skywalker.cochise.edu/wellerr/rocks/igrx/obsidian4.htm here].]]
:And now behold, my brethren, since it has been all that we could do, (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain—Now, my best beloved brethren, since God hath taken away our stains, and our swords have become bright, then let us stain our swords no more with the blood of our brethren. Behold, I say unto you, Nay, let us retain our swords that they be not stained with the blood of our brethren; for perhaps, if we should stain our swords again they can no more be washed bright through the blood of the Son of our great God, which shall be shed for the atonement of our sins.({{s||Alma|24|11-13}})

Wiping blood from a metal blade is simple—cleaning such a weapon is no miracle. However, the wooden-hafted ''macuhuitl'' would absorb the blood, making it almost impossible to clean. The "brightness" of the sword blades matches well with obsidian fragments. Obsidian was polished into mirrors, and gleamed brightly. The Spaniard Torquemada described obsidian as

:a stone which might be called precious, more beautiful and brilliant than alabaster or jasper, so much so that of it are made tablets and mirrors...{{ref|torq1}}

For other photos of how shiny obsidian can be here: <small>{{ObsidianImage1}}, {{ObsidianImage2}}, {{ObsidianImage3}}</small>

==Conclusion==

# Metal swords are rare in the Book of Mormon, and so likely to be rare in the archaeologic record.
# Few weapons of any kind have been found in archaelogic digs from the Old World; lack of investigation and a more challenging environment make it unsurprising that metallic weapons have yet to be found in Mesoamerica. The critics' argument is merely from silence in this case.
# Swords clearly existed in Mesoamerica, and they were so labeled by Spanish conquistadors.
# Some descriptions of Nephite/Lamanite swords make more sense if a non-metallic sword such as a ''macahuitl'' is indicated by the text.

In short, critics have not taken the time to understand the Book of Mormon text and the Pre-Columbian context from which it springs. They read the text in the most naive fashion possible, and so dismiss it unfairly.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|fn1}} {{JBMS-14-2-11}}
#{{note|fn2}} Yigael Yadin, ''The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands'' 1:10—11.
#{{note|hamblin1}} William J. Hamblin, "Steel in the Book of Mormon," {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom18.html}}
#{{note|goodman1}} Claire G. Goodman, ''Copper Artifacts in Late Eastern Woodlands Prehistory'', edited by Anne-Marie Cantwell, (Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Center for American Archaeology, 1984), 73.
#{{note|sorenson1}} {{Aas|start=279|end=280}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=263781}}
#{{note|roper1}}{{JBMS-8-1-6}}
#{{note|fn3}} Diego Durán, ''The History of the Indies of New Spain'', trans. Doris Heyden (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994), 66, 76, 109, 135, 139, 150, 152–53, 171, 198, 279, 294, 323, 375, 378, 412, 428, 437, 441, 451, 519, 552–53; Diego Durán, ''Book of the Gods and Rites and the Ancient Calendar'', trans. Doris Heyden and Fernando Horcasitas (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1971), 124, 178–80, 234, 236; The macuahuitl "was equivalent to the sword of the Old Continent"; Francesco S. Clavijero, ''The History of Mexico'', trans. Charles Cullen, 3 vols. (Philadelphia: Budd and Bartram, 1804), 2:165. Cited in {{JBMS-5-1-7}} See footnotes 4-5.
#{{note|roper2}} Over a dozen examples are cited in {{JBMS-5-1-7}} This example comes from Bernal Diaz, ''The Conquest of New Spain'', trans. J. M. Cohen (New York: Penguin Books, 1963), 145.
#{{note|torq1}} P. Marcou, "Procédé des Aztèques pour la taille par éclatement des couteaux ou rasoirs d'obsidienne," trans. by Edward B. Tylor, ''Journal de la Société des Americanistas de Paris'' 13 (1921): 19; cited in {{FR-9-1-15}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai160.html|topic=Weapons and Warefare in Book of Mormon}}

===External links===

*{{JBMS-2-2-12}}
*{{JBMS-8-1-7}}
*{{JBMS-14-2-11}}
*{{FR-6-1-14}} (see pages 481-483).
*{{JBMS-2-1-4}}
*{{JBMS-2-1-5}}
*{{JBMS-5-1-7}}
*{{FR-9-1-15}}
*{{JBMS-8-1-6}}
*{{FR-6-1-10}} (see pages 324-331).

===Printed material===

*{{warfarebom|author=William J. Hamblin and A. Brent Merrill|article=Swords in the Book of Mormon|start=329|end=351}}
*{{Aas|start=262|end=263}}

El Libro de Mormón/Arte de guerra

2007-08-10T04:59:48Z

GregSmith:

{{draft}}
==Armor==

Book of Mormon armor does not match the type of armor that Joseph Smith would have been familiar with, nor does it reflect European styles of armor:

<blockquote>19 And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people with [[#Breastplates | breastplates]] and with [[#Arm_shields|arm–shields]], yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with [[#Quilted_armor|thick clothing]]—[http://scriptures.lds.org/alma/43/19#19 Alma 43:19]</blockquote>

===Quilted armor===
This description matches Mesoamerican quilted armor:
[[Image:Quilted_armor_Metropolitan.jpg|frame|none|"The garment worn by this figure is believed to represent the quilted armor worn by warriors, but the elaboration of the costume and its accoutrements suggest a figure of high rank and noble status." Costumed Figure, 7th–8th century -- Mexico; Maya Ceramic, pigment; H. 11 17/32 in. (29.3 cm) (1979.206.953) – [http://www.metmuseum.org Metropolitan Museum of Art] Note the pectoral ("breast plate"). ''Note that this figure post-dates the Nephite period.'']]

[[Image:Quilted_armor_WiBoM01.jpg|frame|none|From William J. Hamblin, “Armor in the Book of Mormon", p. 413; in ''Warfare in the Book of Mormon'', edited by Stephen D. Ricks & William J. Hamblin, (Provo, Utah: Deseret Book Co. and FARMS, 1990). Note the arm shields and pectoral. ''Note that this figure post-dates the Nephite period.'']]

===Arm shields===
[[Image:Arm_shield_WiBoM01.jpg|frame|none|"Mayan “arm shield”, from Stela 17, Dos Pilas, Tetexbatun, Guatemala, Around A.D. 733"; from William J. Hamblin, “Armor in the Book of Mormon", p. 415; in ''Warfare in the Book of Mormon'', edited by Stephen D. Ricks & William J. Hamblin, (Provo, Utah: Deseret Book Co. and FARMS, 1990). ''Note that this image post-dates the Nephite period.'']]

===Breastplates===
[[Image:Pectoral_WiBoM01.jpg|frame|none|"Mayan headdress and “pectoral” [chest or breastplate] hung or attached around the neck. Stela 16, Dos Pilas, Tetexbatun, Guatemala, Around A.D. 733. William J. Hamblin, “Armor in the Book of Mormon", p. 414; in ''Warfare in the Book of Mormon'', edited by Stephen D. Ricks & William J. Hamblin, (Provo, Utah: Deseret Book Co. and FARMS, 1990).''Note that this image post-dates the Nephite period.'']]

==Fortifications==

:4 But behold, how great was their disappointment; for behold, the Nephites had dug up a ridge of earth round about them, which was so high that the Lamanites could not cast their stones and their arrows at them that they might take effect, neither could they come upon them save it was by their place of entrance. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/alma/49/4#4 Alma 49:4]).<BR><BR>

:3 And it came to pass that after the Lamanites had finished burying their dead and also the dead of the Nephites, they were marched back into the land Bountiful; and Teancum, by the orders of Moroni, caused that they should commence laboring in digging a ditch round about the land, or the city, Bountiful. 4 And he caused that they should build a breastwork of timbers upon the inner bank of the ditch; and they cast up dirt out of the ditch against the breastwork of timbers; and thus they did cause the Lamanites to labor until they had encircled the city of Bountiful round about with a strong wall of timbers and earth, to an exceeding height. 5 And this city became an exceeding stronghold ever after; and in this city they did guard the prisoners of the Lamanites; yea, even within a wall which they had caused them to build with their own hands. Now Moroni was compelled to cause the Lamanites to labor, because it was easy to guard them while at their labor; and he desired all his forces when he should make an attack upon the Lamanites.([http://scriptures.lds.org/alma/53/3#5 Alma 53:3-5]).<BR><BR>

The Book of Mormon's description of fortifications matches those in use in Mesoamerica. Multiple sites have been found; the city of Becan is well-known:

[[Image:Becan_1.jpg|frame|thumb|100px|none|The moat at Bécan in the Yucatan is 16 meters wide, and covers a distance of 2 kilometers. The enclosed city covers 25 hectares (almost 62 acres). Reconstruction, on-line at http://mayaruins.com/becan.html]]

[[Image:Becan_2.jpg|frame|thumb|100px|none|Artist’s rendering of Bécan fortifications [AD 100-250]; From John L. Sorenson, ''Images of Ancient America: Visualizing Book of Mormon Life'' (Provo, Utah: Research Press, 1998), 133 (Andrea Darais, artist).]]

[[Image:Becan_3.jpg|frame|thumb|100px|none|“Bécan” earthworks, fortifications from Early Classic period (250-400 AD)
David L. Webster, ''Defensive Earthworks at Bécan, Campeche, Mexico: Implications for Mayan Warfare'' (New Orleans: Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, Publication 41, 1976), 3.]]

[[Image:Becan_4.jpg|frame|thumb|100px|none|Note the modern '''highway''' in the upper left corner! [Gives a sense of the scale.]
David L. Webster, ''Defensive Earthworks at Bécan, Campeche, Mexico: Implications for Mayan Warfare'' (New Orleans: Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, Publication 41, 1976), 3.
]]

It should be noted too that the rise of Mesoamerican fortification in the archaelogic record matches the introduction of this form of warfare among the Nephites by Captain Moroni in about 72 B.C. (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/alma/49/8#8 Alma 49:8]).The first number indicates "''Definitive''" sites; the second is "''Possible''" sites:

[[Image:Fort_Sites_Mesoamerica.jpg|frame|thumb|100px|none|John L. Sorenson, "Fortifications in the Book of Mormon Account Compared with Mesoamerican Fortifications" (Table 2, p. 429) in Stephen D. Ricks & William J. Hamblin, (eds), ''Warfare in the Book of Mormon'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1990), 425-444. The first number indicates "Definitive" sites; the second is "possible" sites.]]

==Ritual warfare==

===Apostate cities===
*{{reexploring|start=176|end=178|article=The Destruction of Ammonihah and the Law of Apostate Cities|author=John W. Welch}}
*{{warfarebom|author=John W. Welch|article=Law and War in the Book of Mormon|start=62|end=86}}

===Oaths taken by warriors===

*{{warfarebom|author=Terrence L. Szink|article=An Oath of Allegiance in the Book of Mormon|start=35|end=45}}
*{{JBMS-2-1-9}} 
*{{reexploring|start=189|end=192|article=Exemption from Military Duty|author=John W. Welch}}
*{{reexploring|start=202|end=204|article='Holy War' in the Book of Mormon and the Ancient Near East|author=Stephen D. Ricks}}
*{{warfarebom|author=Stephen D. Ricks|article='Holy War': The Sacral Ideology of War in the Book of Mormon and in the Ancient Near East|start=103|end=117}}
*{{reexploring|start=206|end=208|article=Symbolic Action as Prophetic Curse|author=Donald W. Parry}}

==Seasonality of Warfare==

A fascinating issue on climate is the seasons of war described in the Book of Mormon, mostly between [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/9 Alma 9] and [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/47 Alma 47]. Several examples provide specific months and days of the battle (e.g., [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/16/1#1 Alma 16:1]). Many others indicate the general time of year (e.g., [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/44/22-24#22 Alma 44:22–24]). In over 30 places, war action is described as taking place near the end or beginning of the year. Sorenson has compiled information from the text about the month of the year various military skirmishes are mentioned. Almost all occur between the 11th and 3rd months, with a small number reported in the 4th, 5th, and 10th months, and none mentioned in the 6th through 9th months.{{NeedCite}} Why this pattern?

Interestingly, the text also makes reference to cultivation of food a number of times in the 4th through 9th months. The problem of getting food to the troops is mentioned as a concern mainly in the twelfth through second months. Thus it seems that the harvest may have been in months 10 through 12. The Nephite "agricultural year" seems, then, to procede like this:

* Cultivation of fields: months 4-9
* Main harvest: months 10-12
* Time of warfare: mainly months 11-3).

===Warfare Insights from the Text===
This leads to several insights:

* since the armies were largely made of ordinary citizens (like reservists) who were largely farmers, they were not available for warfare except after the harvest (see [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/53/7#7 Alma 53:7]);
* since an army moves on its stomach, fighting is most easily carried out when food supplies are most available, which would be after the harvest;
* the Book of Mormon shows remarkable accuracy (and internal consistency) in dealing with the ancient relationship between agriculture and warfare.

But how do Nephite months correspond to ours? In Mesoamerica, May though September is the best time for growing crops (heat and moisture are most available). October through April is fairly dry. We also know that before Columbus, military campaigns in Central America occurred mainly between late October and February (again, farmers were then free of agricultural duties and food could be gathered—or seized as plunder). Likewise, soggy land from heavy rains would be drier and more passable (and made living in tents easier). These considerations lead Sorenson and others to conclude that the Nephite year may have begun in late December, perhaps with the winter solstice (Dec. 21/22), as did many other ancient peoples.{{NeedCite}}

===Different from Joseph Smith's World===

The Book of Mormon's consistent representation of the seasonality of Mesoamerican warfare bodes poorly for the theory that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. A significant battle scene (one in which the long-term survival of the Nephite nation might have been at stake) is described in {{s||Alma|51||}} at the end of the year—around December. After heavy fighting and major marches, both sides were very tired because of their "labors and heat of the day." This takes place on the east coast, "in the borders on the beach by the seashore" ({{s||Alma|51|32}}).

In Mesoamerica, at this season, the rain-swollen rivers have subsided, but the east region (which would correspond to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec area under the [[Book_of_Mormon_geography:New_World#Limited_geography_theory|limited geography model]]) is still rather wet, low, and hot. The hottest weather was still months away, but down on the coast it was hot and muggy enough to contribute to the fatigue of the rapidly traveling troops.

{{s||Alma|51||}} shows that the land of the Book of Mormon peoples was not a cold, snow-covered place in winter, as upstate New York was for young Joseph Smith. If Joseph created the book based on what he knew, he would have had fighting occur in the summer, not during winter. The internal consistency of many passages dealing with war during the proper season of war for Mesoamerica is also remarkable—and has not been noted or recognized until the late twentieth century. Though it is a minor point in the text, the geographical and climatic information provided fits and makes sense. It must be considered as one of the many "mundane" but powerful evidences for authenticity.

==Secret Combinations==
==Tactics==
==Weapons==
===Swords===

''See main "Sword" article [[Book of Mormon and warfare:Swords|here]].''

===Cimeters / Scimiters ===

===Bows and Arrows===

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai160.html|topic=Weapons and Warefare in Book of Mormon}}

===External links===
:'''General articles'''
*{{FR-3-1-12}}
*{{FR-9-1-15}}

:'''Swords'''
*{{FR-9-1-15}}
*{{JBMS-2-1-4}}
*{{JBMS-2-1-5}}
*{{JBMS-2-2-12}}
*{{JBMS-5-1-7}}
*{{JBMS-8-1-6}}
*{{JBMS-8-1-7}}
*{{JBMS-14-2-11}}

:'''Other weapons'''
*{{JBMS-8-1-7}}

:'''Tactics and style of warfare'''
*{{JBMS-9-2-7}}

===Printed material===
*{{rediscovering|author=William J. Hamblin|article=Warfare in the Book of Mormon|start=241|end=248}}
*{{revisited1|author=William J. Hamblin|article=The Importance of Warfare in Book of Mormon Studies|start=Chapter 16}}
*{{warfarebom1|author=Multiple|article=All|start=1}}
*{{ImagesAA1|start=1}}
*{{rediscovering|author=John L. Sorenson|article=Seasons of War, Seasons of Peace in the Book of Mormon|start=249|end=255}}
*David L. Webster, ''Defensive Earthworks at Bécan, Campeche, Mexico: Implications for Mayan Warfare'' (New Orleans: Middle American Research Institute, Tulane University, Publication 41, 1976).

El Libro de Mormón/Tres días de oscuridad

2007-08-10T04:56:30Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==

Critics argue that the "three days of darkness" in the New World following Christ's death is implausible.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
* {{nl}}

==Response==
[[Image:Tectonic_plates_Caribbean1.png|frame|right|The [[Book_of_Mormon_geography:New_World:LGT|LGT]] model for the Book of Mormon situates Book of Mormon lands in the Caribbean tectonic plate, and intersection of multiple tectonic plates and consequently of much volcanism and seismic activity.]]

The three days of darkness is consistent with a period of intense volcanism. This explanation of the darkness has been particularly popular among those who advocate a [[Book_of_Mormon_geography:New_World:LGT|limited geographical]] model of the Book of Mormon. Most LGT models place Book of Mormon lands in central America; this area is well-known for active seismic activity.

One author suggested:

* The basic cause of the destruction was a tremendous seismic upheaval.
* Numerous destructive mechanisms were involved, but rain was not one of them.
* The accompanying period of darkness was caused by an immense local cloud of volcanic ash.
* The unprecedented lightning was due to electrical discharges within the ash cloud.
* The intense thunder was due both to the lightning and to the rumbling of the earth due to seismic movements.
* The vapor of darkness (1 Nephi 12:5; 19:11) and the mist of darkness ({{s|3|Nephi|8|20}}) were volcanic ash and dust stirred up by the quaking of the ground.{{ref|ball1}}

[[Image:Cocos-Caribbean1.jpg|frame|left|The intersection of the Cocos and Caribbean plates results in multiple volcanoes (shown in red dots on this USGS map) through central America.]]

Also:

:The inability to ignite the exceedingly dry wood is interesting in view of the fact that a few people are also described as dying from suffocation during the period of destruction which preceded the period of darkness (3 Nephi 10:13). This suggests that in some regions the concentration of dense volcanic gases (carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide) at ground level was sufficient to prevent igniting of the kindling and to cause suffocation. The uncle of Pliny died of suffocation as a consequence of a volcanic eruption.

:James Baer notes that volcanic eruptions could have accompanied the violent earthquake described in 3 Nephi. He notes that these would have made the atmosphere dark with dust and cinders and would have released carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sulfurous gases, which would have been suffocating and could have made fire kindling impossible.

:Another mechanism, however, seems an equally likely explanation of the inability to ignite the dry tinder. If one assumes that sparks from flint were the common method of starting fires, then the heavy ash fall could have been effective in preventing ignition. This heavy ash fall also offers a likely explanation for the terms ''mist of darkness'' and ''vapor of darkness'' used in 1 Nephi 12:4–5.{{ref|ball2}}

===Dating evidence===

Furthermore, ice core data is consistent with a major volcanic event at the time of Christ's death, within the margin of error provided by the dating measurements, though it is not at present possible to determine the ''location'' of these eruptions.{{ref|icecore1}}

==Conclusion==
{{s|3|Nephi|8|5-25}} provides a detailed description of a massive volcanic and seismic eruption. Such details are precise for both ancient and modern accounts, though they would have been unknown to Joseph Smith.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|ball1}}{{JBMS-2-1-8}}
#{{note|ball2}}{{JBMS-2-1-8}} (italics in original); citing {{Dialogue1|author=James Baer|article=The Third Nephi Disaster: A Geological View|vol=19|num=1|date=Spring 1986|start=129|end=132}}{{link|url=http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=16763&CISOSHOW=16705&REC=1}}
#{{note|icecore1}} {{JBMS-12-1-8}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}

===External links===

*{{JBMS-10-2-9}}
*{{JBMS-2-1-8}}
*{{Dialogue|author=James Baer|article=The Third Nephi Disaster: A Geological View|vol=19|num=1|date=Spring 1986|start=129|end=132}}{{link|url=http://content.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/dialogue&CISOPTR=16763&CISOSHOW=16705&REC=1}}
*{{JBMS-6-2-12}}
*{{JBMS-12-1-8}}
*{{BYUS|author=Bart J. Kowallis|article= In the Thirty and Fourth Year: A Geologist's View of the Great Destruction in 3 Nephi|vol=37|num=3|date=1997|start=137|end=190}}{{pdflink|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Products/MoreInfoPage/MoreInfo.aspx?Type=7&ProdID=1154}}
*{{JBMS-3-1-11}}

===Printed material===
*{{exploringbom1|start=230}}
*{{Nibley7_1|start=223}}

El Libro de Mormón/Templo en el Nuevo Mundo

2007-08-10T04:56:12Z

GregSmith:

{{draft}}
==Criticism==
Critics attack the presence of an Israelite temple built by the Nephites. They do so on one or more of the following grounds:
* they claim that Israelites considered the Jerusalem temple the sole legitimate site of worship, and so would not have reproduced it.
* they claim that the Nephite population would have been too small to match the work required to built a temple "like unto Solomon's temple" ({{s|2|Nephi|5|16}}).
* they claim that the sacrifices and rituals as presented are not consistent with Jewish ritual

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
''No temple besides Jerusalem:''
*{{nw}}
''Not enough people:''
*John Ankerberg and John Weldon, ''Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism'' (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 322.
*Latayne Colvett Scott, ''The Mormon mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church'' (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979), 83.
''Ritual problems''
*{{nw}}

==Response==
===Only one temple?===

''info''

===Not enough people?===

===Jewish ritual===

==Conclusion==

A summary of the argument against the criticism.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*FAIR Topical Guide:

===External links===
* "Sacrifices and Burnt Offerings in the Book of Mormon," (Provo, Utah: FARMS). {{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=131}}
*{{JBMS-6-0-1}}
*{{FR-18-1-3}}

===Printed material===
*Daniel C. Peterson, "Is the Book of Mormon True? Notes on the Debate," in ''Book of Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins'' (chapter 6), edited by Noel B. Reynolds, (Provo: FARMS, 1997). {{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc%5fid=264962}}
*{{reexploring|author=John L. Sorenson|article=Kingship and Temple in 2 Nephi 5–10|start=66|end=68}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296810}}

El Libro de Mormón/Nieve

2007-08-10T04:55:46Z

GregSmith:

{{question}}
==Question==
In 1 Nephi 11:8, Nephi says Lehi describes the Tree of Life by saying "the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow."

Since Nephi and Lehi were desert folk from Jerusalem, and then likely lived in tropical Central America, why would they have used "snow" as a description?

==Answer==

Contrary to popular belief, snow is not unheard of in Israel and Jerusalem.

[[Image:Dome_of_rock_snow_01.jpg|frame|thumb|200px|none|Dome of the Rock with snowfall.{{link|url=http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer0591.htm}}]]

It is perhaps significant that only Old World inhabitants (Lehi and Nephi) use "snow" as a description in the Book of Mormon; perhaps other writers were not familiar enough with it for it to be an effective metaphor for them or their audiences.

It should be noted too that many Old Testament scriptures which pre-date the Lehi colony's departure also use the term "snow," (the Hebrew word ''shegel'' appears 20 times in our Old Testament). This means it is not surprising that Lehi and Nephi (who knew Israelite scripture well) would use the term. (See: [http://scriptures.lds.org/ex/4/6#6 Exodus 4:6], [http://scriptures.lds.org/num/12/10#10 Numbers 12:10], [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_sam/23/20#20 2 Samuel 23:20], [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_kgs/5/27#27 2 Kings 5:27], [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_chr/11/22#22 1 Chronicles 11:22], [http://scriptures.lds.org/job/6/16#16 Job 6:16], [http://scriptures.lds.org/job/9/30#30 Job 9:30], [http://scriptures.lds.org/job/24/19#19 Job 24:19], [http://scriptures.lds.org/job/37/6#6 Job 37;6], [http://scriptures.lds.org/job/38/22#22 Job 38:22], [http://scriptures.lds.org/ps/51/7#7 Psalms 51:7], [http://scriptures.lds.org/ps/68/14#14 Psalms 68:14], [http://scriptures.lds.org/ps/147/16#16 Psalms 147:16], [http://scriptures.lds.org/ps/148/8#8 Psalms 148:8], [http://scriptures.lds.org/prov/25/13#13 Proverbs 25:13], [http://scriptures.lds.org/prov/26/1#1 Proverbs 26:1], [http://scriptures.lds.org/prov/31/21#21 Proverbs 31:21], [http://scriptures.lds.org/isa/1/18#18 Isaiah 1:18], [http://scriptures.lds.org/isa/55/10#10 Isaiah 55:10], [http://scriptures.lds.org/jer/18/14#14 Jeremiah 18:14]. (Note: this should not be interpreted to mean that ''all'' of these scriptural texts were available in the brass plates, but they demonstrate that the use of 'snow' as a description of 'white' was not unknown in Israel.)

==Further reading==
===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===External links===
* Pictures of Jerusalem with snow [http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer049.htm Link 1], [http://www.geocities.com/jelbaum/JlmSnow.html Link 2]
* Western Wall with snow [http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer0629.htm AP], [http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer0630.htm AP 2], [http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer0631.htm Lis], [http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer0628.htm Reuters 1],[http://www.jr.co.il/pictures/israel/jerusalem/jer0632.htm Reuters 2]

El Libro de Mormón/Sudor y poros del piel

2007-08-10T04:55:17Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==

The Book of Mormon contains a reference to the intense agony endured by Jesus Christ as he atoned for the sins of all humanity:

:And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, ''blood cometh from every pore'', so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/3/7#7 Mosiah 3:7], emphasis added.)

Critics claim that the reference to blood coming from a pore is anachronistic, since Nephite authors would not have known about skin pores. Joseph Smith, it is claimed, ''would'' have known about pores, and so the Book of Mormon's addition of the word "pore" to the Bible's account in [http://scriptures.lds.org/luke/22/44#44 Luke 22:44] of Christ's suffering reflects Joseph Smith's 19th century worldview, and not an ancient author's.

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

''Walter Martin''?

==Response==

===When were skin pores discovered?===

Contrary to the critics' assertion, the medicine of antiquity had long speculated and written about "pores."

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empedocles Empedocles], a Greek philosopher who lived from about 490–430 B.C., belived that air and vapour could pass into or out of the body via pores.{{ref|note1}}
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen Galen], the Greek physician of the Roman era (A.D. 129–c. 210) likewise believed that "innnumerable skin pores" drew air into the body, and also expelled wastes.{{ref|note2}} Galen was of multiple opinions on sweat (Gk ιδρο&sigmaf;=hidros), but he sometimes claimed that it leaked out from skin pores in droplet form.{{ref|note3}}
* A variety of other classical physicians (such as Ascelepiades, Petronas, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soranus Soranus], Themison) believed that tightening of the pores was a potential cause of disease, and a variety of regimens were recommended to overcome this (e.g. purging, hot baths and drinks, heavy bedclothes to cause sweats, induced vomiting).{{ref|note4}}
* John of Gaddesdon (c.1280–1349?1361) was physician to the Royal Household in England during the 14th century, and the first English author of a published medical book.{{ref|note5}} He wrote of a disease that:

:The cause of it is in the grossness of the matter of the body or the blocking up of the pores from an external cause ... the heat of the sun or a fire, or from cold water; briefly anything that closes the pores and prevents the escape of vapours.{{ref|note6}}

* French physician [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambroise_Pare Ambroise Paré] (1510–1590) wrote in 1554 that the skin "is penetrated by many pores or breathing places, as we may see by the flowing out of sweat."{{ref|note7}}

Despite at least two millenia of theory and discussion in the medicine of antiquity, the skin's pores had not been seen! English anatomist [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Cumberland_Cruikshank William Cumberland Cruikshank ] (1745-1800) indicated that "after some pains, and assisted with a pretty good microscope, I have not been able
to discover perforations in the cuticle or rete mucosum [i.e. pores in the skin].... I believe, nevertheless, that they certainly exist."{{ref|note8}}

===What did Joseph Smith's day believe about sweat and pores?===

American medicine at the time of Joseph Smith was still exceedingly primitive. Medical practitioners still drew heavily on the theories and works of antiquity for medical theory, diagnosis, and treatment.

As discussed above, the concept of "pores" in the skin for sweat and other substances is an ancient one in western medicine. Despite this, the pores had never been definitively demonstrated throughout the skin.

A popular medical textbook of the time, ''Buchan's Domestic Medicine Modernized, etc.'' (1807) blamed the following diseases on blocked perspiration: most fevers, gout, rheumatism, scurvy, asthma, epilepsy, hypochondria, and inflammation of lung, kidney, bowel, and brain.{{ref|note9}}

Thus, contrary to the critics' claims, Joseph Smith or his contemporaries were no better suited to know the facts about skin pores or sweat than classical writers of 2500 years earlier. Theory and knowledge on the subject had not advanced much, and a rural farmboy such as Joseph would hardly have been aware of any of the learned discussions taking place on the topic, which were not terribly advanced anyway.

Sweat glands and associated structures were finally demonstrated to exist in 1835, six years after the translation of the Book of Mormon.{{ref|note10}} The modern understanding of sweat and the role of the skin in fluid homeostasis was fixed around the turn of the century.{{ref|note11}}

Joseph Smith had as much chance at being right about the relationship between sweat and pores as an ancient author writing thousands of years earlier.

===Can skin pores produce blood?===

Critics of Christianity generally have sometimes questioned Luke's account of Christ sweating "drops of blood."

But, the phenomenon of "hemohidrosis" or "hematidrosis" (blood in the sweat), while rare, is certainly known from both historical and modern accounts.

An epidemic disease (called the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweating_sickness sweating sickness]) in England between 1485 and 1581 caused "[http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Bloody_sweat bloody sweat]." Suggested causes have included hantavirus,{{ref|hanta1}}, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relapsing_fever relapsing fever] (a tick-borne disease), or anthrax.{{ref|anthrax1}} Influenza has also been considered, but recent reviewers remain unconvinced.{{ref|influenza1}}

A Chinese study reported a case of bloody sweat which described a patient in which "episodes of skin bleeding occurred on any site of the body spontaneously and promptly." The blood was identical to blood drawn from the patient's circulatory system, and the sweat glands were normal. It was hypothesized that this case was the result of a vasculitis (inflammation of blood vessels) which allowed the leak of blood. {{ref|chinesestudy1}}

Another review of the literature found that the causes of modern cases of "bloody sweat" have included:
* other systemic disease
* excessive exertion
* psychologic distress
* unknown{{ref|review1}}

Thus, it seems clear that severe mental and/or physical anguish can cause this condition, just as reported by the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Luke.

==Conclusion==

The concept of having pores in the skin through which sweats, fluids, or gases could pass is of great antiquity. Pores and the associated sweat gland apparatus were not demonstrated microscopically until 6 years after the publication of the Book of Mormon.

Latter-day Saints regard the Atonement of Christ, during which he suffered incomprehensible and unbearable agonies, as the most important event in human history. While the technical details of that experience are of minor importance, the Book of Mormon's account is consistent with ancient medical and anatomical concepts, and well-documented case reports from the modern era.

However, rather than focus on microscopy or physiology, members of the Church hope to spend far more time obeying Jesus' command to repent, which he gave in a description of the atonement as revealed to Joseph Smith:

:15 Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not.
:16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
:17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;
:18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—
:19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.
:20 Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these punishments of which I have spoken, of which in the smallest, yea, even in the least degree you have tasted at the time I withdrew my Spirit. ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/19/15-20#15 D&C 19:15–20].)

==Endnotes==
#{{note|note1}} E.T. Renbourn, "The Natural History of Insensible Transpiration: A Forgotten Doctrine of Health and Disease," ''Medical History'' 4/2 (April 1960): 135.{{link|url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1034547&pageindex=1}}
#{{note|note2}} Renbourn, 135–136.
#{{note|note3}} Renbourn, 136.
#{{note|note4}} Renbourn, 136–137.
#{{note|note5}} "John of Gaddesden's ''Rosa Anglica''," King's College London {{link|url=http://kcl.ac.uk/depsta/iss/library/speccoll/medtre/ra.html}}
#{{note|note6}} John of Gaddesden, ''Rosa Anglica practica medicine a capita ad pedes'' (Pavia: Joanes-Antonius Birreta, 1492); translation and cited by Renbourn, 137.
#{{note|note7}} Ambrose Paré, ''Works'' (1554); Trans. from Latine by J. Johnston, 1664; cited by Renbourn, 137.
#{{note|note8}}W.C. Cruikshank, ''Experiments on the Insensible Perspiration of Huamn Bodies, etc.'' (1785); cited by Renbourn, 146.
#{{note|note9}} Renbourn, 147–148.
#{{note|note10}} Renbourn, 149.
#{{note|note11}} Renbourn, 150.
#{{note|hanta1}} Eric Bridson, "The English 'sweate' (''Sudor Anglicus'') and Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome," ''British Journal of Biomedical Science'' 58/1 (1 January 2001): 1–6; first published in ''Medical Sciences History'' 14 (1998): 20–32.{{link|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3874/is_200101/ai_n8939673}}
#{{note|anthrax1}} E McSweegan, "Anthrax and the etiology of the English sweating sickness," ''Medical Hypotheses'' 62/1 (1 Jan 2004): 155–7.{{link|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14729023&query_hl=10&itool=pubmed_docsum}}
#{{note|influenza1}} Burke A. Cunha, "Influenza: historical aspects of epidemics and pandemics," ''Infectious Disease Clinics of North America'' 18/1 (March 2004): 141–155.{{link|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15081510&query_hl=14&itool=pubmed_DocSum}}
#{{note|chinesestudy1}} FK Zhang, Zhonghua Xue Ye Xue Za Zhi ("Clinical and laboratory study of a case of hematidrosis") in ''Chung-Hua Hsueh Yeh Hsueh Tsa Chih ¦ (Chinese Journal of Hematology)'' 25(3) (01 March 2004): 147–50. {{link|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15182582&query_hl=3&itool=pubmed_docsum}}
#{{note|review1}} JE Holoubek, "Blood Sweat and Fear: A classification of hematidrosis," ''Journal of Medicine'' 27/3–4 (1 Jan 2006): 115–133.{{link|url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=8982961&query_hl=8&itool=pubmed_docsum}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}


===External links===

*E.T. Renbourn, "The Natural History of Insensible Transpiration: A Forgotten Doctrine of Health and Disease," ''Medical History'' 4/2 (April 1960): 135–152.{{link|url=http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1034547&pageindex=1}}
*Sidney B. Sperry, "Did Jesus Bleed From Every Pore?" ''Answers to Book of Mormon Questions'' (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967), 137–145.{{pdflink|url=http://www.shields-research.org/Books/Sperry/AChap16.PDF}}

El Libro de Mormón/Shiz lucha por respirar

2007-08-10T04:54:52Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==
[[Image:Brain_1.gif|frame|right|The human brain. The midbrain is located at the level marked 'cerebral peduncle'. From: Henry Gray, ''Anatomy of the Human Body'', 1918, Fig 677. {{link|url=http://www.bartleby.com/107/illus677.html}}.]]

In [http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/15/31#31 Ether 15:31], a final showdown occurs between two warriors, Shiz and Coriantumr. Coriantumr "smote off the head of Shiz...[and] after he had smitten off the head...Shiz raised up on his hands and fell; and after that he had struggled for breath, he died."

Critics insist that this would not, or could not, happen.

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

*John R. Farkas and David A. Reed, ''Mormonism: Changes, Contradictions, and Errors'' (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Baker Books, 1995), 152.
*Ed Decker, ''Decker's Complete Handbook on Mormonism'' (Eugene: Harvest House, 1995), 114.
*Latayne Colvett Scott, ''The Mormon Mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church'' (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979), 90.

[[Image:mesencephalon_1.gif|frame|right|Closeup of mid- and hind-brain; the mid-brain is the area above the pons. From: Henry Gray, ''Anatomy of the Human Body'', 1918, Fig 681. {{link|url=http://www.bartleby.com/107/illus681.html}}.]]

==Response==

Contrary to the critics' assumptions,

:''Shiz's death struggle illustrates the classic reflex posture that occurs in both humans and animals when the upper brain stem (midbrain/mesencephalon) is disconnected from the brain. The extensor muscles of the arms and legs contract, and this reflex action could cause Shiz to raise up on his hands'' {{ref|hadfield1}}

Cutting the brainstem in this location causes the muscles which ''extend'' (straighten) the arms and legs to contract. This makes the arms and legs rigid, which would raise a corpse up until lack of oxygen and blood loss caused eventual muscle failure.

[[Image:decerbrate_posturing_1.JPG|frame|right|'''Decerebrate posturing''' - Notice how the arms and legs are rigidly extended.''This information was provided by Clinical Tools, Inc., and is copyrighted by Clinical Tools, Inc. Non-commericial use is permitted.'' {{link|url=http://images2.clinicaltools.com/images/trauma/posturing.jpg}}.]]

People in this "decerebrate" reflex posture can also display "opisthotonos," a position "characterized by rigidity and severe arching of the back, with the head thrown backwards. This is such that if a person were laid on his or her back, only the back of the head and the heels would touch the supporting surface." {{ref|decerebrate1}} If the person — as in Shiz's case — were face down, the body would appear to rise up, with the neck bent backward and the face upraised. This dramatic positioning would make it appear as if the person was 'struggling for breath,' even though such behavior is a mere reflex, and not intentional.

==Conclusion==
With the death scene of Shiz, Joseph Smith provides the reader with a vivid example of a catastrophic mid-brain injury which is consistent with a weary, sloppy cut made by the exhausted Coriantumr. Being a seasoned warrior, Moroni likely knew that such behavior would be relatively rare on the battlefield, even if he did not understand the rather precise neuroanatomy needed to cause it.

Shiz's death throes are a realistic touch, and represent a phenomenon that went unrecognized in the medical literature of the modern era until 1898. It is one more mark of the Book of Mormon's status as genuine history.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|hadfield1}} {{BYUS1|author=M. Gary Hadfield|article=Neuropathology and the Scriptures|vol=33|num=2|date=1993|start=324}} {{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=283097}}
#{{note|decerebrate1}} See {{link|url=http://health.allrefer.com/health/opisthotonos-info.html}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}



===External links===
*John W. Welch, in "The 'Decapitation' of Shiz," ''Insights'' (November 1994): 2. {{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=insights&id=33}}

===Printed material===
*{{BYUS|author=M. Gary Hadfield|article=Neuropathology and the Scriptures|vol=33|num=2|date=1993|start=313|end=28}} {{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=283097}}

El Libro de Mormón/Serpientes y sequía

2007-08-10T04:54:36Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==

In the Book of Mormon, the Book of Ether contains an account of a drought accompanied by a sudden increase in 'poisonous serpents':

:30 And it came to pass that there began to be a great dearth upon the land, and the inhabitants began to be destroyed exceedingly fast because of the dearth, for there was no rain upon the face of the earth.
:31 And there came forth poisonous serpents also upon the face of the land, and did poison many people. And it came to pass that their flocks began to flee before the poisonous serpents, towards the land southward, which was called by the Nephites Zarahemla.
:32 And it came to pass that there were many of them which did perish by the way; nevertheless, there were some which fled into the land southward.
:33 And it came to pass that the Lord did cause the serpents that they should pursue them no more, but that they should hedge up the way that the people could not pass, that whoso should attempt to pass might fall by the poisonous serpents.([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/9/30-33#30 Ether 9:30–33]).

Critics claim that this is biologically implausible.

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

==Response==
All snakes are predators.

Snakes often feed upon mice, rats, and other rodents. They prey, in turn, tends to feed on plant material, such as grain. In the event of a famine, rodents will seek out food elsewhere. Human farms or settlements will contain large amounts of stored grain in a small area, which will naturally attract rodents. Snakes will inevitably follow. (This has been noted in real-life Israel following the abandonment of many farms following the 1967 war. Rodents, and the serpents that preyed on them, migrated to the few remaining farms, greatly increasing the number of snake-human contacts.{{ref|tvdtnes1}}

Some snakes also require drinking water (rather than obtaining all hydration through predation), and modern biologists have noted that during a drought (when snakes' usual watering places have tried up) they will tend to seek new sources, which are often in human-settled areas. Dan Tredinnick, press secretary to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, noted an increase in human-snake contacts during Pennsylvania's dry summer, and said:

:The combination of heat and little rainfall is probably the cause...If people are seeing snakes and other reptiles that (lack of water) is very likely the reason...Just like us, they need water...Areas where they might traditionally slake their thirst may have dried up, he said, leaving the snakes no other choice but to go looking for new watering holes...They will go and seek other areas and the type of habitat they need...{{ref|penn1}}

Furthermore, as prey animals became scarce due to drought, snakes would become more hungry and potentially more aggressive, which would also increase the number of human-snake encounters.

The disappearance of the snakes reported in [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ether/10/33#33 Ether 10:33] may have been due solely to divine intervention, but an end of drought conditions would also result in snakes dispersing more widely as their prey was able to do so, thus decreasing the risk to the human population.

==Conclusion==
A subtle point, the behavior of snakes in drought, is plausibly reproduced in the Book of Mormon.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|tvdtnes1}} See {{JBMS-6-1-7}}
#{{note|penn1}} See Eric Mayes, "Heat and drought bringing snakes out of their dens," ''The Daily Item'' (18 August 2005), accessed 9 September 2006. {{link|url=http://archive.dailyitem.com/archive/2005/0818/local/stories/11local.htm}} See also Don Ayotte, "More snakes slithering into Lake Havasu City area," ''Havasu News-Herald'' (31 August 2006), accessed 9 September 2006. {{link|url=http://www.havasunews.com/articles/2006/09/01/news/news03.txt}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}


===External links===

*{{JBMS-6-1-7}}

El Libro de Mormón/Lenguaje/Egipcio reformado

2007-08-10T04:53:55Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Reformiertes_%C3%84gyptisch}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that
* Jews or Israelites (like the Nephites) would not have used the language of their slave period — Egyptian — to write sacred records.
* there is no evidence in Egyptology of something called "Reformed Egyptian," and that the Book of Mormon's claim to have been written in this language is therefore suspect.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*John Ankerberg and John Weldon, ''Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism'' (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 294-5.
*Francis J. Beckwith, Carl Mosser, et al., ''The New Mormon Challenge: Responding to the Latest Defenses of a Fast-Growing Movement'' (Grand Rapids, Mich. : Zondervan, 2002). ISBN 0310231949.
*Marvin W. Cowan, ''Mormon Claims Answered'', (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1997), chapter 4.
*Latayne Colvett Scott, ''The Mormon Mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church'' (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979),63-4.
*Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''The Changing World of Mormonism'' (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 141-5.
*Kurt Van Gorden, ''Mormonism'' (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 8, footnote 7.

==Response==
===Would an Israelite use Egyptian?===
The claim that Israelites would not use Egyptian is clearly false. By the ninth to sixth centuries before Christ, Israelites used Egyptian numerals mingled with Hebrew text. The ''Papyrus Amherst'' 63 contains a text of Psalms 20:2-6 written in Aramaic (the language of Jesus) using Egyptian characters. This text was originally dated to the second century B.C., but this has since been extended to the 4th century B.C.{{ref|GeeTved1}}

:More significant, however, was an ostracon uncovered at Arad in 1967. Dating "toward the end of the seventh century B.C.," it reflects usage from shortly before 600 B.C., the time of Lehi. The text on the ostracon is written in a combination of Egyptian hieratic and Hebrew characters, but can be read entirely as Egyptian. Of the seventeen words in the text, ten are written in [Egyptian] hieratic and seven in Hebrew. However, all the words written in Hebrew can be read as Egyptian words, while one of them, which occurs twice, has the same meaning in both Egyptian and Hebrew.19 Of the ten words written in hieratic script, four are numerals (one occurring in each line).20 One symbol, denoting a measure of capacity, occurs four times (once in each of the four lines), and the remaining Egyptian word occurs twice. Thus, while seventeen words appear on the ostracon, if one discounts the recurrence of words, only six words are written in hieratic (of which four are numerals), and six in Hebrew.{{ref|TvedRicks1}}

Anti-Mormon authors Ankerberg and Weldon claim:

:Mormonism has never explained how godly Jews [sic] of A.D. 400 allegedly knew Egyptian, nor why they would have written their sacred records entirely in the language of their pagan, idolatrous enemies" (p. 284). "How likely is it that the allegedly Jewish [sic] Nephites would have used the Egyptian language to write their sacred scriptures? Their strong antipathy to the Egyptians and their culture makes this difficult to accept. When modern Jews copy their scripture, they use Hebrew. They do not use Egyptian or Arabic, the language of their historic enemies" (pp. 294-95). "[N]o such language [as reformed Egyptian] exists and Egyptologists declare this unequivocally.{{ref|ankerberg1}}

They are, however, spectacularly wrong, and "Mormonism" has explained why repeatedly:

:The statement "When modern Jews copy their scripture, they use Hebrew. They do not use Egyptian or Arabic, the language of their historic enemies" is quite an astonishing display of ignorance. Since the Egyptian language has been dead for centuries, it is hardly remarkable that modern Jews do not read the Bible in Egyptian. On the other hand, "the first and most important rendering [of the Old Testament] from Hebrew [into Arabic] was made by Sa'adya the Ga'on, a learned Jew who was head of the rabbinic school at Sura in Babylon (died 942)" (George A. Buttrick, ed., ''The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible'' [hereafter ''IDB''], 4 vols. and supplement [Nashville: Abingdon, 1962–1976], 4:758b). Thus, Jews have indeed translated the Bible into "Arabic, the language of their historic enemies." They also have translated it into the language of their "historic enemies" the Greeks (''IDB'' 4:750b on the Septuagint) and Aramaeans (''IDB'' 1:185-93; 4:749-50, on the Aramaic Targums).{{ref|peterson1}}

===What is "Reformed Egyptian"?===
Moroni makes it clear that "reformed Egyptian" is the name which ''the Nephites'' have given to a script based upon Egyptian characters, and modified over the course of a thousand years (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/morm/9/32#32 Mormon 9:32]). So, it is no surprise that Egyptians or Jews have no script called "reformed Egyptian," as this was a Nephite term.

There are, however, several variant Egyptian scrips which are "reformed" or altered from their earlier form. Hugh Nibley and others have pointed out that the change from Egyptian hieroglyphics, to hieratic, to demotic is a good description of Egyptian being "reformed." By 600 BC, hieratic was used primarily for religious texts, while demotic was used for daily use.{{link|url=http://www.ancientscripts.com/egyptian.html}}

[[Image:180px-Egyptian_hieroglyphs_Black_Schist_sarcophagus_Ankhnesneferibre.jpg|frame|left|'''Hieroglyphics''': Hieroglyphs from the Black Schist sarcophagus of Ankhnesneferibre. Twenty-Sixth Dynasty, about 530 BC, Thebes.{{link|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_language}}]]

[[Image:180px-Prisse_papyrus.jpg|frame|left|'''Hieratic''': A section of the Prisse papyrus from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, containing the ''Precepts of Kakemna'' and the ''Precepts of Ptahhotep'' in hieratic. [http://www.fairwiki.org/wiki/index.php/Image:800px-Prisse_papyrus.jpg Enlarge] ''Source'': Plate IV. ''The S.S. Teacher's Edition: The Holy Bible'', (New York: Henry Frowde, Publisher to the University of Oxford, 1896).{{link|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieratic}}]]

[[Image:180px-DemoticScriptsRosettaStoneReplica.jpg|frame|left|'''Demotic''': Inscription from the Rosetta Stone in demotic.{{link|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_language}}]]
<br style="clear:both;"> 

One can see how hieroglphics developed into the more stylized hieratic, and this process continued with the demotic:

[[Image:Hieratic Script.png|center|frame|Development of hieratic script from hieroglyphs; after Jean-François Champollion.{{link|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hieratic}}]]

What could be a better term for this than an Egyptian script that has been "reformed"?

==Conclusion==

There was a clear evolution of Egyptian script in the Old World, and these modified scripts were in use in Lehi's day. People of Lehi's time and place did use both Hebrew and Egyptian, just as Nephi claimed (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_ne/1/2#2 1 Nephi 1:2]).

Given that Moroni says the Nephites then modified the scripts further, "reformed Egyptian" is an elegant description of both the Old World phenomenon, and what Moroni says happened among the Nephites.

==Endnotes==
# {{note|GeeTved1}} John Gee and John A. Tvedtnes, "Ancient Manuscripts Fit Book of Mormon Pattern," ''Insights'' 19:2 (February 1999): 4–5.{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=insights&id=58}}
# {{note|TvedRicks1}} {{JBMS-5-2-7}}
# {{note|ankerberg1}} Ankerberg and Weldon, 294.
# {{note|peterson1}} {{FR-5-1-2}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai091.html|topic=Reformed Egyptian}}

===External links===
*Ariel Crowley, "The Anthon Transcript," ''Improvement Era'', 45:1 (January 1942) and 45:2 (February 1942), 45:3 (March 1942). [http://www.shields-research.org/Scriptures/BoM/Anthon_Transcript-Crowley/Anthon_Transcript-Crowley.htm *]
*John Gee and John A. Tvedtnes, "Ancient Manuscripts Fit Book of Mormon Pattern," ''Insights'' 19:2 (February 1999): 4–5.{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=insights&id=58}}
*William J. Hamblin, "Reformed Egyptian," FARMS Featured Papers, 1995. {{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?id=36&table=transcripts}}
*{{Ensign1|author=John L. Sorenson|article=Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 2|date=October 1984|start=17}}{{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1984.htm/ensign%20october%201984%20.htm/digging%20into%20the%20book%20of%20mormon%20our%20changing%20understanding%20of%20ancient%20america%20and%20its%20scripture%20part%202%20.htm}}
* {{JBMS-5-2-7}}
* {{FR-15-1-11}}
===Printed material===
*Carl H. Jones, "The 'Anthon Transcript' and Two Mesoamerican Cylinder Seals," ''Newsletter and Proceedings of the Society for Early Historical Archaeology'' 122 (September 1970): 1–8.
*{{Nibley7_1|start=149}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=274530}}

El Libro de Mormón/Mar Rojo vs Mar de Caña

2007-08-10T04:53:38Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Rotes_Meer_Schilfmeer}}
==Criticism==
'''KJV Bible''': Critics cast doubt on Moses' miraculous parting of the Red Sea by asserting that this belief arose due to a mistranslation of the Hebrew phrase ''yam sûp''. The critics argue that the phrase should read "the Reed Sea," and that the Israelites actually just crossed a marshy inlet while the Egyptians' chariots got stuck in the mud.

'''Book of Mormon''': Having "proved" that the popular understanding of the KJV is inaccurate, the critics then conclude that the Book of Mormon's use of "Red Sea" is evidence that Joseph was not producing an inspired translation, but simply copying from the (mistaken) King James text.

==Response==
'''Book of Mormon''': Even if the King James translation of "Red Sea" were in error, one would be unable to draw conclusions about the correctness of the Book of Mormon translation. Just as the Apostle Paul's New Testament writings used the language of the Septuagint (Greek New Testament), despite the existence of earlier, more accurate manuscripts known today, Joseph Smith used the language of the King James Bible. In both cases, a prophet used the language of the most commonly used version of scripture for the time.

'''KJV Bible:''' Ironically, despite its irrelevence for the issue of Book of Mormon accuracy, the "Reed Sea" claim is, itself, the product of a modern error in understanding.

According to an article in ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', the popular idea that the Hebrew phrase ''yam sûp'' actually means "Sea of Reeds" is erroneous and unsupported by linguistic evidence. Other passages use the same term, and clearly refer to the body of water which modern readers call the "Red Sea," such as [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_kgs/9/26#25 1 Kgs. 9:26]:
:And king Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red sea, in the land of Edom.
The ''BAR'' article's author, Bernard F. Batto, agrees that ''yam sûp'' does not literally mean "Red Sea" (that would be ''yam adam''). Rather, he believes that it is related to the Hebrew root ''sûp'', meaning "to cease to exist," or the word ''sôp'', meaning simply "end."
Thus, a literal translation of the Hebrew name for this body of water would be "the Sea at the End of the World." This name is appropriate, since the ancients considered the "Red Sea" to be at the frontier or edge of known geography, or their "world."
This usage is confirmed in extra-biblical Jewish literature, where the phrase ''yam sûp'' is used to refer to the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean; i.e., "all those connecting oceans to the south."{{ref|BAR1}} Thus, the title "Sea at the End of the World" is fitting, since it was on the edge of the known world.

Regardless of the Hebrew intricacies, since the body of water being described is known to the modern reader as the Red Sea, it is appropriate to translate ''yam sûp'' as such. The goal of the Book of Mormon's translation is surely to communicate ''meaning'', not the fine points of Hebrew idiom. Clearly, the Book of Mormon's use of "Red Sea" accords with modern usage and the intent of its ancient authors.

==Conclusion==
There is no reason to rewrite the text of Exodus. Latter-day Saints generally consider Exodus' account of the parting of the Red Sea to be a literal, miraculous event. And, even if modern readers have doubts, the Book of Mormon prophets clearly accepted Exodus as literal. Thus, the translation of the Book of Mormon reflects ''their'' intent, not the preoccupations of modern linguists.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|BAR1}}Bernard F. Batto, "Red Sea or Reed Sea?: How the Mistake Was Made and What ''Yam Sûp'' Really Means," ''Biblical Archaeology Review'' 10:4 (July/August 1984): 56–63.

==Further Reading==
===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

El Libro de Mormón/Plantas

2007-08-10T04:53:14Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Pflanzen}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that plants mentioned in the Book of Mormon are not found in the New World, and are thus evidence that Joseph fabricated the text based upon his own cultural background.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*William Edward Biederwolf, ''Mormonism Under the Searchlight'' (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1947).
*Rick Branch, "Nephite Nickels," ''The Utah Evangel'' 29:10 (October 1982): 1.
*Gordon Fraser, ''Is Mormonism Christian?'' (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977), 141.
*Gordon Fraser, ''What Does the Book of Mormon Teach? An Examination of the Historical and Scientific Statements of the Book of Mormon'' (Chicago: Moody Press, 1964), 90.
*M.T. Lamb, ''The Golden Bible, or, The Book of Mormon: Is It From God?'' (New York: Ward & Drummond, 1887), 304.
*Walter Martin, ''Kingdom of the Cults'' (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1997),
*Latayne Colvett Scott, ''The Mormon Mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church'' (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979), 82–84.
*Charles A. Shook, ''Cumorah Revisited...'' (Cincinnati: The Standard Publishing Company, 1910), 382-383.
*James White, ''Letters to a Mormon Elder'' (Southbridge, MA: Crowne, 1990), 139.

==Response==

===Barley===

Barley in the New World was long a source of anti-Mormon amusement, with one author insisting, "barley never grew in the New World before the white man brought it here!" [Scott, 82.]

Unfortunately for Ms. Scott, this is simply false. New World barley has been known since 1983.{{ref|sorensmith}}

===Linen===
''(i.e. flax)''

:[The Spaniards] encountered and referred to what they considered "linen" or linenlike cloth made from plants other than flax.{{ref|soren1}}

*Bernal Diaz, who served with Cortez in the initial wave of conquest, described native Mexican garments made of "henequen which is like linen." The fiber of the maguey plant, from which henequen was manufactured, closely resembles the flax fiber used to make European linen
*yucca plant fibres makes linen-like cloth
* ixtle (agave) plant fibre makes linen-like cloth
* fig tree bark can be stripped, soaked, and pounded for a cloth with "some of the characteristics of linen."{{ref|soren2}} {{ref|soren3}}

===Neas===
This crop is mentioned but once (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/9/9#9 Mosiah 9:9]). We do not know to what it applied, but this does not count ''against'' the Book of Mormon's claims.

===Sheum===
One must credit Joseph Smith with a bullseye on this issue:

:The name rather obviously derives from Akkadian (Babylonian) "she'um," barley (Old Assyrian, wheat), "the most popular ancient Mesopotamian cereal name."{{ref|soren4}}

We do not know to which crop this name was applied, but it is certainly not out of place in an ancient context (See [http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/9/9#9 Mosiah 9:9]). Critics must explain how Joseph Smith chose this word, since Akkadian was not translated until 27 years after the publication of the Book of Mormon.{{ref|roper1}}

===Silk===
''(i.e. mulberry leaves and silkworms)''

The production of Old World "silk" requires both silkworms and the mulberry trees upon whose leaves they feed, which critics have charged is impossible.

However, there are several examples of silk or silk-like fabric in pre-Columbian America:

* wild silkworms do exist, and some commentators insisted that the Amerindians spun and wove it from their coccoons
* hair from rabbit bellies was also spun into a cloth dubbed "silk" by the Spanish conquerors
* floss from the ceiba (silk-cotton) tree was made into a "soft delicate cloth," ''kapok''.
* fibres from the wild pineable were also prized for their ability to be woven into a fine, durable fabric
* cotton cloth in Mexico from A.D. 400 is "even, very fine, and gossamer-thin."{{ref|soren5}}{{ref|soren6}}

===Wine (i.e. grapes)===
:[The Spaniards] spoke of "vineyards," not planted in grapevines but in maguey plants, from which pulque, which they termed "wine," was manufactured. Half a dozen different types of "wine" made from fruits other than grapes were identified by the Spanish explorers...[another researcher also] reports the Opata of northern Mexico used a drink made from native grapes.{{ref|soren7}}

So, there ''were'' grapes locally, as well as several other plant species which produced alcoholic drinks which the Spanish were quite happy to consider 'wine.'

==Conclusion==

None of the Book of Mormon's plant species causes a problem — Spanish conquerors described pre-Columbian products in exactly the terms used by the Book of Mormon. Barley, silkworms, and grapes were known. One of the terms unknown to Joseph's day (the Akkadian ''sheum'') is impressive evidence for the Book of Mormon's antiquity.

==Endnotes==
# {{note|sorensmith}} {{reexploring|author=John L. Sorenson and Robert F. Smith|article=Barley in Ancient America|start=130|end=132}}
# {{note|soren1}} John L. Sorenson, "Plants and Animals," in {{FR-6-1-10}}
# {{note|soren2}} {{Aas1|start=232}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=263779}}
# {{note|soren3}} {{Ensign1|author=John L. Sorenson|article=Silk and Linen in the Book of Mormon - Book of Mormon Update|date=April 1992|start=62}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1992.htm/ensign%20april%201992%20.htm/research%20and%20perspectives%20book%20of%20mormon%20update.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0}}
# {{note|soren4}} Sorenson, "Zaputo," 338; citing Robert F. Smith, "Some 'Neologisms' from the Mormon Canon," Conference on the Language of the Mormons 1973, Brigham Young University Language Research Center, 1973, 66.]{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=review&id=142}}
# {{note|roper1}} Matt Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon," FAIR Presentation, 2001. {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}
#{{note|soren5}} {{Aas1|start=232}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=263779}}
# {{note|soren6}} Sorenson, ''Ensign'' (April 1992): 62.{{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1992.htm/ensign%20april%201992%20.htm/research%20and%20perspectives%20book%20of%20mormon%20update.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0}}
#{{note|soren7}} Sorenson, "Zaputo," 335-336.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===

*{{GermanWiki|http://de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Pflanzen}}
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|topic=Plants|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai158.html}}
* Matthew Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}

===External links===
*{{Ensign1|author=John L. Sorenson|article=Silk and Linen in the Book of Mormon - Book of Mormon Update|date=April 1992|start=62}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1992.htm/ensign%20april%201992%20.htm/research%20and%20perspectives%20book%20of%20mormon%20update.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0}}

===Printed material===
* John L. Sorenson, "Plants and Animals," in {{FR-6-1-10}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=288327}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=288327}}
*{{reexploring|author=John L. Sorenson and Robert F. Smith|article=Barley in Ancient America|start=130|end=132}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296829}}
*{{reexploring|author=John W. Welch|article=Possible 'Silk' and 'Linen' in the Book of Mormon|start=162|end=164}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296838}}

El Libro de Mormón/Olivicultura

2007-08-10T04:52:57Z

GregSmith:

{{question}}
==Question==
Does the Book of Mormon's account of olive culture in [http://scriptures.lds.org/jacob/5/1#1 Jacob 5] match what we know about this subject?

==Answer==
The Book of Mormon provides a remarkably accurate portrait of olive horticulture.{{ref|olive1}} There are two points at which the allegory/parable deviates from the known principles of growing olives; in both cases, the allegory's characters draw the reader's attention to these deviations with some amazement. Thus, these 'mistakes' play a dramatic role in demonstrating the allegory/parable's meaning.{{ref|olive2}}

===Accurate olive culture information===
<small>Information from{{ref|olive3}} unless otherwise specified.</small>
{| border="1" cellpadding="2"
|'''Element'''||'''Horticulture principle'''
|-
|Wild vs. tame olives||
There are many species [at least 35-40] of olive trees, but only one, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olea_europaea Olea europaea], is domestic. Domestic olives have larger fruits and a higher oil content, having been bred for these desired characteristics. Wild olives often have thorns, which make handling them less pleasant.
|-
|Interbreeding wild and tame olive||''Olea europaea L.'' is interfertile with some wild olive species.
|-
|Wild olive reproduction||The olive is the seed of the tree. One could plant the olive seed, but this has a disadvantage: seeds are produced sexually (through the union of male and female genetic material). Thus, they may not have all of the desired characteristics of a given parent tree, since one cannot always control which other tree fertilizes a given seed.
|-
|All wild olive trees reproduce only by seeds.||Thus, even trees with desired characteristics will tend to produce offspring that "revert" to wild, since genes get mixed and combined with seed reproduction.
|-
|Growing new olive trees||Fortunately for olive growers, tame olive trees (i.e. domestics) can reproduce asexually [i.e. without sexual reproduction, or the mixture of genetic material — somewhat like a bacteria which splits in half, making a perfect copy of itself), and this is also faster than growing from seeds.<BR><BR>This asexual reproduction involves a tree sending out shoots or runners, which can be trimmed off and simply "planted" into the ground, where they will grow as a genetically identical tree — a clone, in genetic terms, an exact copy of the parent (with all its good characteristics).<BR><BR>This may suggest what the gospel is to make the reader — a clone of Christ, as it were, in behavior and character.
|-
|Using wild olives as "rootstock"||The wild relative of the domestic olive, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olea Olea oleaster] can be used as part of the reproduction by "runner" described above. A shoot can be grafted into a non-domestic (“wild”) tree for nutrition, yet will continue to produce olives according to its own genetics. (This is the pattern that is broken when the wild branches begin to produce tame fruit — see [[#Unusual olive culture information | below]].)<BR><BR>This is often done to get the benefits of a certain rootstock (resistance to disease, ability to get by with less water, etc.) with a certain desired kind of domestic branch’s crop characteristic.
|-
|Olive trees are valuable||They live for hundreds of years. Starting a new olive grove was a major investment anciently, since no production could be hoped for before 40 years. It's no wonder olive trees were a common feature of civilization: one needed a stable, settled society to even think about growing them. [In fact, olives were considered by the Greeks to be a gift from the goddess Athena. This was common thinking in the ancient world — olive oil was good for light, medicinal purposes, cleaning or adorning the body, and for food. Olives were the key lipid (fat) source in early Eurasian agriculture, and a major economic driving force for the Greeks and the Roman empire (among others).]
|-
|Pruning is important||Fruit size varies with environmental conditions; sometimes excess fruit must be trimmed away so that the remaining fruit will grow larger, increasing the yield of oil.<BR><BR>Fruit only grows on two-year-old branches of trees, so older branches must be pruned away as needed so as to concentrate the tree’s "efforts" on the productive branches. [One can't cut too many off at once, as the allegory says, or this won't leave enough leaves for photosynthesis, etc.]
|-
|Why is the Lord always threatening to burn the vineyard?||Olive trees will usually grow back after being burned, producing suckers from the old roots. This is often more time-effective than trying to start a completely new crop of trees from scratch.
|-
|Why are branches cut off and then burned?||This destroys any disease or parasite that may have caused the bad fruit, and prevents it from infecting the rest of the vineyard. Olive wood on the ground would also get in the way of the dunging, plowing, etc. needed to take care of the valuable trees.

The old wood is also knotted, twisted, and brittle: it is "good for nothing", one might say, except for burning.
|-
|Dung is an important fertilizer||5-10 tons per hectare every 1-2 years is needed in dry climates; half as frequently in wet areas.
|-
|Why the digging about the trees?||This aerates the soil, and lets minerals like potash and phosphates reach the feeder roots (since upper soil layers often bind these nutrients). Deep plowing is generally called for, and this needs to be done twice a year.
|-
|Olive trees do not need constant care||These trees have been called the "Cinderella" of agriculture, since one can leave them for a while and come back during the "off season" when there is no other crop work to do. This fits with the allegory, where the Lord and servant will leave for a while, and then come back and see how things are going.
|-
|Is "loftiness" a bad thing?||Yes. Olives can easily reach 15-20 meters in height. This makes it
*harder to pick the fruit and,
* wastes the tree's energy by supporting wood that is not productive of fruit.

This is likely why the Lord of the vineyard "plucks off" [as opposed to "pruning"] the trees — every few years one must cut off all the undesired growth, to keep the trees smaller and more productive/manageable.
|-
|How are laborers typically paid?||It was typical to provide the hired help with money wages. The offer to share the crop and its profits "should probably be understood as being very generous".{{ref|olive4}}
|-
|Why does the Lord always go "down" to the vineyard?||A few Roman manuals on olive culture (prepared for Roman citizens who were newly made "farmers" on lands which had been seized by the empire — sort of a Latin ''Olive Farming for Dummies'') are extant.

These manuals always recommended that the villa (farmhouse) be placed uphill from the crop areas and animals: and, not surprisingly, upwind from the manure pile!

|}
----

===Unusual olive culture information===
{|border="1" cellpadding="2"
|'''"Deviation" from Biology'''||'''Relevance for Interpretation'''
|-
|1. Grafted branches do not "take on" the genetic and fruit-bearing characteristics of the trunk to which they are grafted, despite the claim in Jacob 5. ||This does not happen with "real" olive trees, but Christ and His Gospel can transform one's very nature when a believer becomes "grafted in.” The parable author knows that he's stretching the truth here — the servant (who knows something about olive growing) is amazed, and calls the Lord: "Behold, look here; behold the tree." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/jacob/5/16#16 verse 16]). This is astonishing, and it is meant to be — it is a miracle, just as every transformation of sinner to saint is a miracle that cannot be explained, yet cannot be denied when one "tastes the fruits."

Likewise, tame fruit does not "become wild" in a genetic sense, though it may well take on the "wild" fruit aspects of being smaller, more bitter, and having less oil content because of poor farming, disease, nutritional or environmental problems, etc.
|-
|2. Trees grown in poor ground will not, as claimed, do as well as trees in good ground if given the same care and attention.||The servant, once again, clearly knows his olive culture. He asks the Lord just what he's thinking of: "How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard." ([http://scriptures.lds.org/jacob/5/21#21 verse 21]) The Lord's reply is "Counsel me not" — ''I know what I'm doing here''. He's the Lord of the vineyard, and producing fruit (purified souls) is His business. Mankind's trials, sufferings, disadvantages, and tribulations are key in that process — see [http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/12/1#1 Ether 12], [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_cor/12/1#1 2 Corinthians 12]. The believer ought not to seek to "counsel" the Lord on these issues: He knows them already. The believer ought, rather, to trust His skill in the vineyard of souls.
|}

==Conclusion==
Jacob 5 is a virtuoso performance by Joseph Smith in his role as translator. He presents an intricate, accurate account of olive culture, and uses variances from the "proper" technique as a teaching tool. It should be noted that there was (and is) no olive culture done in New England. Furthermore, the original manuscript exists for part of this chapter — Jacob 5:46-48, 57-61, 69-70, and 77. Only one word is altered after dictation: "diged" in "digged about" of verse 47.{{ref|olive5}} Thus, Joseph produced this material by dictation, with no revision.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|olive1}} See the exhaustive {{olivetree1|start=1|author=Multiple Authors|article=All}}
#{{note|olive2}}{{BoMRC|start=618|end=621}}
#{{note|olive3}} {{olivetree|start=484|end=562|author=WM Hess, DJ Fairbanks , JW Welch, JK Driggs|article=Botanical Aspects of Olive Culture Relevant to Jacob 5}} (unless otherwise indicated).
#{{note|olive4}} Hess ''et al.'', 529.
#{{note|olive5}} {{CTBoM1|start=200|end=203}}

==Further reading==
===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Joseph Smith BoM against expectations}}



===Printed material===
*{{olivetree1|start=1|author=Multiple Authors|article=All}}

El Libro de Mormón/Nombres

2007-08-10T04:52:40Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Namen}}
{{draft}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim some Book of Mormon names are used improperly or in an inappropriate context.
Examples include:
*using "Alma" as a man's name, rather than a woman's name
*using names of Greek origin, such as "Timothy"

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*"That Man Alma," ''Utah Evangel'' 33:3 (April 1986): 2.
*Walter Martin, ''The Maze of Mormonism'' (Santa Ana, California: Vision House, 1978), 327.
*Robert McKay, "A Mormon Name," ''Utah Evangel'' 31:8 (August 1984): 4.
*John L. Smith, editorial comment on Robert McKay, "A Mormon Name," ''Utah Evangel'' 31:8 (August 1984): 4.

===Key===
Hugh Nibley did considerable work on Book of Mormon names. References to his work will be marked as follows to avoid multiple, repetitive footnotes:

* {{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}} {{Nibley5|start=23|end=32}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=271998}} Nibley marks Old World names as (OW) and Book of Mormon names as (BM).

==Response==

===General treatments on Book of Mormon names===
*{{FR-8-2-5}}
*{{JBMS-3-1-2}}
*{{JBMS-6-2-15}}
*{{JBMS-7-1-11}}

===Aha===
:"Aha (OW), a name of the first Pharaoh; it means "warrior" and is a common word." {{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}
*{{JBMS-8-2-11}}

===Alma===
Despite claims into the 1980s by anti-Mormon critics, the name "Alma" has been known since the 1960s as a male Hebrew name. It occurs in contexts from 2200 B.C. to the second century B.C.{{ref|roper1}}

* Matthew Roper, ''Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon''2001 FAIR Conference.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}
*{{JBMS-8-1-14}}
*{{JBMS-9-1-10}}

===Ammon===
:"Ammon (Amon, Amun) (OW), the commonest name in the Egyptian Empire: the great universal God of the Empire."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Ammonihah===

:"Ammoni-hah (BM), name of a country and city. [compare with]
:Ammuni-ra (OW), prince of Beyrut under Egyptian rule. The above might stand the same relationship to this name as Khamuni-ra (OW), Amarna personal name, perhaps equivalent of Ammuni-ra."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Corihor===

''See:''[[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Names#Korihor|Korihor]]

===Cumorah===
* {{JBMS-6-2-15}}

===Helaman===
:"Helaman (BM), great Nephite prophet. [compare with]
:Her-amon (OW), "in the presence of Amon," as in the Egyptian proper name Heri-i-her-imn. Semitic "l" is always written "r" in Egyptian, which has no "l." Conversely, the Egyptian "r" is often written "l" in Semitic languages.{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Hem===

:"Hem (BM), brother of the earlier Ammon."
:"Hem (OW), means "servant," specifically of Ammon, as in the title Hem tp n 'Imn, "chief servant of Ammon" held by the high priest of Thebes."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Himni===
:"Himni (BM), a son of King Mosiah.
:Hmn (OW), a name of the Egyptian hawk-god, symbol of the emperor."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Jaredite Names===
''See'': [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Names#Less well supported examples|below]].

===Jershon===
* Matthew Roper, ''Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon''2001 FAIR Conference.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}
* {{JBMS-6-2-15}}

===Korihor===

:"Korihor (BM), a political agitator who was seized by the people of Ammon.
:Kherihor (also written Khurhor, etc.) (OW), great high priest of Ammon who seized the throne of Egypt at Thebes, cir. 1085 B.C."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

:The twenty-first [Egyptian] dynasty was founded by a person called Korihor whose son was Piankhi. That's a very funny name; you don't invent a thing like that. It wasn't discovered until the 1870s that Piankhi is a name that we have in the Book of Mormon. Korihor was a priest of Amon who usurped the power of the state. His son Piankhi became king.{{ref|korihor1}}
''Compare'': [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Names#Paanchi|Paanchi]]

===Lachoneus===

Wrote Hugh Nibley of this Old World name:

:The occurrence of the names Timothy and Lachoneus in the Book of Mormon is strictly in order, however odd it may seem at first glance. Since the fourteenth century B.C. at latest, Syria and Palestine had been in constant contact with the Aegean world, and since the middle of the seventh century Greek mercenaries and merchants, closely bound to Egyptian interests (the best Egyptian mercenaries were Greeks), swarmed throughout the Near East. Lehi's people...could not have avoided considerable contact with these people in Egypt and especially in Sidon, which Greek poets even in that day were celebrating as the great world center of trade. It is interesting to note in passing that Timothy is an Ionian name, since the Greeks in Palestine were Ionians (hence the Hebrew name for Greeks: "Sons of Javanim"), and—since "Lachoneus" means "a Laconian"—that the oldest Greek traders were Laconians, who had colonies in Cyprus (BM Akish) and of course traded with Palestine.{{ref|lach1}}

Lehi or Mulek's group would have then known—or even contained—people named "Lachoneus," a proper Greek name of the proper sort in the proper timeframe.

''Compare'': [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Names#Timothy|Timothy]]

===Lehi and Sariah===
*{{JBMS-9-1-4}}
*{{JBMS-2-2-13}}
*{{JBMS-9-1-6}}
*{{JBMS-1-1-12}}
*{{JBMS-9-1-5}}
*{{JBMS-9-1-9}}
*{{JBMS-9-1-7}}
*{{JBMS-9-1-8}}

===Manti===
:"Manti (BM), the name of a Nephite soldier, a land, a city, and a hill.
:Manti (OW), Semitic form of an Egyptian proper name, e.g., Manti-mankhi, a prince in Upper Egypt cir. 650 B.C. It is a late form of Month, god of Hermonthis."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Mosiah===

*John Sawyer, "What Was a Mosiaʿ?" ''Vetus Testamentum'' 15 (1965): 475–486 [FARMS Reprint in 1989]; cited and applied by {{reexploring|author=John W. Welch|article=What Was A 'Mosiah'?|start=105|end=107}}

===Mulek===

*{{reexploring|author=Anonymous|article=New Information About Mulek, Son of the King|start=142|end=144}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?book_doc_id=296833}}
*{{JBMS-12-2-9}}
*{{BYUS|author=John L. Sorenson|article=The Mulekites|vol=30|num=?|date=Summer 1990|start=6|end-22}} {{nl}}

===Nahom===
* Matthew Roper, ''Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon''2001 FAIR Conference.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}
* See also [[Book_of_Mormon_geography:Old_World#Nahom| Nahom]] in geography section.

===Nephi===
:"Nephi (BM), founder of the Nephite nation.
:Nehi, Nehri (OW), famous Egyptian noblemen. Nfy was the name of an Egyptian captain. Since BM insists on "ph," Nephi is closer to Nihpi, original name of the god Pa-nepi, which may even have been Nephi."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

*{{JBMS-1-1-12}}
*{{JBMS-9-2-10}}

===Paanchi===
:"Paanchi (BM), son of Pahoran, Sr., and pretender to the chief-judgeship.
:Paanchi (OW), son of Kherihor, a) chief high priest of Amon, b) ruler of the south who conquered all of Egypt and was high priest of Amon at Thebes."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

''Compare'': [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Names#Korihor|Korihor]]

===Pahoran===
:Pahoran (BM), a) great chief judge, b) son of the same.
:Pa-her-an (OW), ambassador of Egypt in Palestine, where his name has the "reformed" reading Pahura; in Egyptian as Pa-her-y it means "the Syrian" or Asiatic."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Pacumeni===
:"Pacumeni (BM), son of Pahoran.
:Pakamen (OW), Egyptian proper name meaning "blind man"; also Pamenches (Gk. Pachomios), commander of the south and high priest of Horus."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Pachus===
:"Pachus (BM), revolutionary leader and usurper of the throne.
:Pa-ks and Pach-qs (OW), Egyptian proper name. Compare Pa-ches-i, "he is praised.""{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Rameumpton===

:Rameumptom was the name given by the Zoramites to the elevated place in their synagogues whence they offered up their vain-glorious and hypocritical prayers. Alma states that the word means a holy stand. It resembles, in its roots, Hebrew and also Egyptian in a remarkable manner. Ramoth, high (as Ramoth Gilead), elevated, a place where one can see and be seen; or, in a figurative sense, sublime or exalted. Mptom has probably its roots in the Hebrew word translated threshold, as we are told that the Philistines' god, Dagon, has a threshold in Ashdod (See {{s|1|Samuel|5|4-5}}). Words with this root are quite common in the Bible. Thus we see how Rameumptom means a high place to stand upon, a holy stand.{{ref|reynolds1}}

:While many words and names found in the Book of Mormon have exact equivalents in the Hebrew Bible, certain others exhibit Semitic characteristics, though their spelling does not always match known Hebrew forms. For example, "Rabbanah" as "great king" (Al{{s||Alma|18|13}}) may have affinities with the Hebrew root /rbb/, meaning "to be great or many." "Rameumptom" ({{s||Alma|31|21}}), meaning "holy stand," contains consonantal patterns suggesting the stems /rmm/ramah/, "to be high," and /tmm/tam/tom/, "to be complete, perfect, holy.{{ref|ramy2}}

===Rabbanah===

:While many words and names found in the Book of Mormon have exact equivalents in the Hebrew Bible, certain others exhibit Semitic characteristics, though their spelling does not always match known Hebrew forms. For example, "Rabbanah" as "great king" ({{s||Alma|18|13}}) may have affinities with the Hebrew root /rbb/, meaning "to be great or many." "Rameumptom" ({{s||Alma|31|21}}), meaning "holy stand," contains consonantal patterns suggesting the stems /rmm/ramah/, "to be high," and /tmm/tam/tom/, "to be complete, perfect, holy.{{ref|rab1}}

===Sam===
:"Sam (BM), brother of Nephi.
:Sam Tawi (OW), Egyptian "uniter of the lands," title taken by the brother of Nehri upon mounting the throne."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

===Sheum===
* Matthew Roper, ''Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon''2001 FAIR Conference.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}

===Shilum===
* Matthew Roper, ''Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon''2001 FAIR Conference.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}

===Timothy===
Critics have argued that "Timothy" is an unlikely Nephite name, since it is of Greek origin.

Hugh Nibley pointed out:

:[R]emember...that in Lehi's day Palestine was swarming with Greeks, important Greeks. Remember, it was Egyptian territory [prior to being seized by Babylon] at that time and Egyptian culture. The Egyptian army, Necho's army, was almost entirely Greek mercenaries. We have inscriptions from that very time up the Nile at Aswan-inscriptions from the mercenaries of the Egyptian army, and they're all in Greek. So Greek was very common, and especially the name Timotheus.{{ref|tim1}}

''Compare:'' [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Names#Lachoneus|Lachoneus]]

It would thus not be at all surprising for Lehites or Mulekites to be familiar with the name "Timothy" (or a derivative), or even for a "Timothy" to have accompanied Mulek's party of immigrants.

===Zarahemla===
* {{JBMS-6-2-15}}

===Zenoch===
:"Zenoch (BM), according to various Nephite writers, an ancient Hebrew prophet.
:Zenekh (OW), Egyptian proper name; once a serpent-god."{{NibleyLehiDesertLabel}}

==Less well supported examples==

Linguistics is a complex subject, and it is all too common for zealous but mistaken defenders of the Church to use parallels in names or language which cannot be sustained. Since most Church members have no training in ancient American languages, evaluating such claims can be difficult.

Mesoamerican scholars consulted by FAIR have recommended that the following sources, while superficially persuasive, should be used with caution (if at all):

* Bruce W. Warren, "Surviving Jaredite Names in Mesoamerica," ''Meridian Magazine'' (26 May 2005){{link|url=http://www.ldsmag.com/ancients/050526mesoamerica.html}}; citing {{NewEvidencesOfChrist|start=17|end=22}}
* Bruce W. Warren, "'Kish'—A personal Name" ''Meridian Magazine'' (17 February 2005){{link|url=http://www.meridianmagazine.com/articles/050217kish.html}}; citing {{NewEvidencesOfChrist|start=19|end=22}}

These comments are not intended to disparage the individuals involved, but to encourage rigor and restraint in claims made. As Elder Dallin H. Oaks cautioned, "When attacked by error, truth is better served by silence than by a bad argument."{{ref|oaks1}}

==Conclusion==

Many Book of Mormon names are not found in the Bible, and were unknown to Joseph Smith. Yet, these names have meaning in ancient languages and/or have been found as actual names from ancient history. These "hits" provide additional evidence that the Book of Mormon is indeed an ancient record.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|roper1}} Matthew Roper, ''Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon''2001 FAIR Conference.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}
#{{note|korihor1}} Hugh Nibley, ''Ancient Documents and the Pearl of Great Price'', edited by Robert Smith and Robert Smythe (n.p., n.d.), 11.
#{{note|lach1}} {{Nibley5_1|start=31}}
#{{note|tim1}} {{NibleyTeachingsBoM1_1||article=Lecture 27: Omni; Words of Mormon; Mosiah 1: The End of the Small Plates and The Coronation of Mosiah|start=430}}
#{{note|reynolds1}} {{CommentaryBoM1|vol=4|start=80}}
#{{note|ramy2}} {{EoM1|vol=1|start=181|author=Brian D. Stubbs|article=Book of Mormon Language}}
#{{note|rab1}} {{EoM1|vol=1|start=181|author=Brian D. Stubbs|article=Book of Mormon Language}}
#{{note|oaks1}} {{Ensign1|author=Dallin H. Oaks|article=Alternative Voices|date=May 1989|start=27}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1989.htm/ensign%20may%201989.htm/alternate%20voices%20.htm?fn=document-frame.htm$f=templates$3.0}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Planchas de metal

2007-08-10T04:51:48Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==
Critics claim that Joseph's report of finding a record on metal plates is not plausible.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
* John Hyde, Jr., ''Mormonism: Its Leaders and Designs'' (New York: Fetridge, 1857), 217–218.
* M.T. Lamb, ''The Golden Bible'' (New York: Ward and Drummond, 1887), 11.
* Stuart Martin, ''The Mystery of Mormonism'' (London: Odhams Press, 1920), 27.

===Response===

''See also:'' article on [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Gold plates|"Gold" plates]]

In the past critics of the Book of Mormon have attacked the alleged absurdity of the Book of Mormon having been written on golden plates and its claim of the existence of an early sixth century B.C. version of the Hebrew Bible written on brass plates. Today, however, critics almost universally admit that there are numerous examples of ancient writing on metal plates. Ironically, some critics now claim instead that knowledge of such plates was readily available in Joseph Smith's day. Hugh Nibley's 1952 observation seems quite prescient: "it will not be long before men forget that in Joseph Smith's day the prophet was mocked and derided for his description of the plates more than anything else." {{ref|fn2}}

Recent reevaluation of the evidence now points to the fact that the Book of Mormon's description of sacred records written on bronze plates fits quite nicely in the cultural milieu of the ancient eastern Mediterranean.

One of the earliest known surviving examples of writing on "copper plates" are the Byblos Syllabic inscriptions (eighteenth century B.C.), from the city of Byblos on the Phoenician coast. The script is described as a "syllabary [which] is clearly inspired by the Egyptian hieroglyphic system, and in fact is the most important link known between the hieroglyphs and the Canaanite alphabet."{{ref|fn3}}

It would not be unreasonable to describe the Byblos Syllabic texts as eighteenth century B.C. Semitic "bronze plates" written in "reformed Egyptian characters."{{ref|fn4}}

Walter Burkert, in his study of the cultural dependence of Greek civilization on the ancient Near East, refers to the transmission of the practice of writing on bronze plates (Semitic root dlt) from the Phoenicians to the Greeks. "The reference to 'bronze deltoi [plates, from dlt ]' as a term [among the Greeks] for ancient sacral laws would point back to the seventh or sixth century [B.C.]" as the period in which the terminology and the practice of writing on bronze plates was transmitted from the Phoenicians to the Greeks.{{ref|fn5}}

Students of the Book of Mormon will note that this is precisely the time and place in which the Book of Mormon claims that there existed similar bronze plates which contained the "ancient sacred laws" of the Hebrews, the close cultural cousins of the Phoenicians.

Burkert also maintains that "the practice of the ''subscriptio'' in particular connects the layout of later Greek books with cuneiform practice, the indication of the name of the writer/author and the title of the book right at the end, after the last line of the text; this is a detailed and exclusive correspondence which proves that Greek literary practice is ultimately dependent upon Mesopotamia. It is necessary to postulate that Aramaic leather scrolls formed the connecting link."{{ref|fn6}}

Joseph Smith wrote that "the title page of the Book of Mormon is a literal translation, ''taken from the very last leaf'', on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, which contained the record which has been translated."{{ref|fn7}}

This idea would have been counterintuitive in the early nineteenth century when "Title Pages" appeared at the beginning, not the end, of books.

Why, then, did Joseph claim the Book of Mormon practiced ''subscriptio''—writing the name of the author and title at the end of the book? If the existence of the practice of ''subscriptio'' among the Greeks represents "a detailed and exclusive correspondence which proves that Greek literary practice is ultimately dependent upon Mesopotamia [via Syria]," as Burkert claims, cannot the same thing be said of the Book of Mormon—that the practice of subscriptio represents "a detailed and exclusive correspondence" which offers proof that the Book of Mormon is "ultimately dependent" on the ancient Near East?

==Endnotes==

# {{note|fn2}}{{Nibley5_1|start=107}}
# {{note|fn3}}See {{ABD|vol=4|start=178|end=180}} Byblos is only about 170 miles north of Jerusalem.
# {{note|fn4}}{{Nibley5|start=105|end=6}} Nibley mentions these plates, which were not deciphered until 1985.
# {{note|fn5}}Walter Burkert, translated by Walter Burkert and Margaret E. Pinder, ''The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age'' (Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1992), 30. ISBN 0674643631.
# {{note|fn6}}Walter Burkert, ''The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age'', 32.
# {{note|fn7}}{{HoC1|vol=1|start=71}} (Emphasis added)

==Further Reading==
===FAIR wiki articles===

{{PlatesWiki}}
'''Book of Mormon "Anachronisms"'''
{{Book_of_Mormon_Anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
{{PlatesFAIR}}

===External links===
{{PlatesLinks}}

===Printed material===
{{PlatesPrint}}

El Libro de Mormón/Metales

2007-08-10T04:51:32Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==
Critics attack the Book of Mormon's mention of metal and metalworking in the Americas:
* they claim no metal use occurred in the Americas prior to A.D. 900.
* they claim certain metals mentioned in the Book of Mormon were not available in the Americas.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Stuart Martin, ''The Mystery of Mormonism'' (London: Odhams Press, 1920), 44.
*Walter Martin, ''Kingdom of the Cults'' (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1997).
*Latayne Colvett Scott, ''The Mormon Mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church'' (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979), 83.

==Response==
It is important first of all to realize that the Book of Mormon tends to use metals as sources of wealth and for ornamentation, and relatively rarely for 'prestige' weapons (e.g. sword of Laban) or items (e.g. metal plates for sacred records). It does not appear that Nephite society had as extensive a use of metal as the Middle East of the same time period. Attempting to insist otherwise misrepresents the Book of Mormon.

===Presence of metal prior to A.D. 900===

The 'conventional wisdom' that metal was not used prior to A.D. 900 cannot now be sustained. Copper sheathing on an altar in the Valley of Mexico dates to the first century B.C. {{ref|sorenson1}} Furthermore, in 1998, a discovery in Peru pushed the earliest date of hammered metal back to as early as 1400 B.C.:

:"Much to the surprise of archaeologists, one of the earliest civilizations in the Americas already knew how to hammer metals by 1000 B.C., centuries earlier than had been thought.
:"Based on the dating of carbon atoms attached to the foils, they appear to have been created between 1410 and 1090 B.C., roughly the period when Moses led the Jews from Egypt and the era of such pharaohs as Amenhotep III, Tutankhamen and Ramses. 'It shows once again how little we know about the past and how there are surprises under every rock,' comments Jeffrey Quilter, director of Pre-Columbian Studies at Dumbarton Oaks, a Harvard University research institute in Washington, D.C."{{ref|peru1}}

Sorenson also adduces evidence for metals and metalwork through linguistic evidence. Many Mesoamerican languages have words for metals at very early dates; it would be very strange to have a word for something that one did not have or know existed! Some examples:{{ref|sorenson2}}

<table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0">
<tr valign="top">
<td width="50%">'''Language'''</td>
<td width="50%">'''Date of term for metal'''</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
*Proto-Tzeltal-Tzotzil </td>
<td>
*A.D. 500</td></tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
*Proto-Mixtecan</td>
<td>
*1000 B.C.</td>
</tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
*Proto-Mixe-Zoquean </td>
<td>
*1500 B.C.</td></tr>
<tr valign="top">
<td>
*Huastecan</td>
<td>
*1500 B.C. (conservatively; it is perhaps even earlier to a limit of about 2200 B.C.)</td></tr>

</table>

===Metallurgy===

As one non-LDS author wrote:

:Current information clearly indicates that by 1000 B.C. the most advanced metallurgy was being practiced in the Cauca Valley of Columbia.{{ref|archaelogy1}}

Metallurgy is known in Peru from 1900 B.C., and in Ecuador via trade by 1000 B.C. Since Mesoamerica is known to have had trade relations with parts of the continent that produced metals, and because metal artifacts dating prior to A.D. 900 have been found in Mesoamerica, it seems reasonable to assume that at least some Mesoamericans knew something about metallurgy.

===Brass===

"Brass" is an alloy of zinc and tin. It is a term used frequently in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Some occurances in the Bible have been determined by Biblical scholars to actually reflect the use of bronze (an alloy of copper and tin), rather than brass.

On the other hand, actual brass has been found in the Old World which dates to Lehi's era, and so the idea of "brass" plates is not the anachronism which was once thought. Either "brass plates" or "bronze plates" would fit.{{ref|sorenson3}}

An interesting point concerning alloys is found in [http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/10/23#23 Ether 10:23] in which the Jaredites "did make...brass," (an alloy), but "did dig...to get ore of gold, and of silver, and of iron, and of copper." The Book of Mormon author has a clear understanding of those metals which are found in a raw state, and those which must be made as an alloy.

===Copper===

This is well-known in a pre-Columbian context.

===Gold===

This is well-known in a pre-Columbian context.

===Iron===

Iron is documented among the pre-Columbian peoples. Even if they did not practice smelting (extracting iron from ore), they used exposed iron sources or meteorite iron. Production of iron artifacts from such sources is documented in San Jose Mogote by 1200 B.C.{{ref|sorensoniron}} Several tons of Olmec-era iron artifacts are known.{{ref|diehl1}}

===Silver===

This is well-known in a pre-Columbian context.

===Steel===

The steel of the Book of Mormon is surely not modern steel, since such a metal did not exist even in Joseph Smith's day (the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessemer_process Bessemer process] upon which modern steel depended until 1968 was not patented until 1855).

Steel is formed from iron in one of two ways:
* quenching (hot, non-molten iron is immersed in water to harden it)
* folding (molten iron is folded and hammered to bind carbon atoms to it)

Any Mesoamerican production likely depended upon the first method, which requires lower temperatures and less sophistication. Laban's "steel sword" is not anachronistic; Middle Eastern smiths were making steel by the tenth century B.C.{{ref|fair1}}

"Steel" in Joseph Smith's day also referred to simply "making hard," and not necessarily to the specific metal with which we now associate the term. This is consistent with ancient usage and conflations of metals (e.g. copper and iron among the Egyptians) modern readers now consider to be separate entities.{{ref|hamblin1}} Consider the entry from Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary of American English:
:STEEL, n. [G.]

:1. Iron combined with a small portion of carbon; iron refined and hardened, used in making instruments, and particularly useful as the material of edged tools. It is called in chemistry, carburet of iron; but this is more usually the denomination of plumbago.
:2. Figuratively, weapons; particularly, offensive weapons, swords, spears and the like...
:4. Extreme hardness; as heads or hearts of steel.{{link|url=http://65.66.134.201/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?search_for_texts_web1828=steel}}

===Ziff===

"Ziff" is a metal of uncertain identity. "Ziff" as a Hebrew word suggests two meanings, either "shining" or "to be plated." Sorenson suggests that this could be 'tumbaga' (a mixture of gold and copper which was both cheaper and lighter than gold), tin, or mercury.{{ref|tumbaga1}}

==Conclusion==

Metal and metallury was more common and of earlier date in Mesoamerica than has been assumed. Critics also sometimes read the text anachronisticly, inserting 21st century ideas about metals (such as steel) into Joseph Smith's 19th century context, and the Book of Mormon's pre-Christian context. Not every issue concerning metals can at present be correlated with archeological data, but the case has been strengthened considerably even in the last 50 years. Given the linguistic evidence for metal at an early date, it is premature to suppose that no physical evidence of metal will turn up for those periods still in question.

Rejecting the Book of Mormon on these grounds commits a fallacy in which the absence of evidence is turned into evidence of absence.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|sorenson1}} {{Aas1|start=278}}
#{{note|peru1}} Available on [http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/science/dailynews/andeans981105.html ABCnews.com]; original story from Richard L. Burger and Robert B. Gordon, "Early Central Andean Metalworking from Mina Perdida, Peru," ''Science'' 282:5391 (6 November 1998) :1108–1111. Cited by ''jefflindsay.com''{{link|url=http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/FQ_metals.shtml}}
#{{note|sorenson2}} Adapted from data in {{Aas|start=278|end=280}}
#{{note|archaelogy1}} Source: ''Archaelogy'' (Nov/Dec 1985): 81.{{pdflink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/brochures/anach4.pdf}}
#{{note|sorenson3}} {{Aas1|start=283}}
#{{note|sorensoniron}} {{Aas1|start=285}}
#{{note|diehl1}}:Richard A. Diehl, ''The Olmecs: America's First Civilization'' (Thames & Hudson, 2004), 93–94.{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom18.html}}
#{{note|fair1}} Matthew Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon"{{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}
#{{note|hamblin1}} William J. Hamblin, "Steel in the Book of Mormon," {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom18.html}}
#{{note|tumbaga1}}{{Ensign1|author=Roy W. Doxey|article=I Have A Question: What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated?|date=December 1986|start=64}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1986.htm/ensign%20december%201986%20.htm/i%20have%20a%20question.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai267.html|topic=Metal and metal plates}}
* Michael R. Ash, "Metals and Metallurgy" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai267.html}}
* William J. Hamblin, "Steel in the Book of Mormon" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom18.html}}
* Matthew Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}

===External links===
*{{Ensign1|author=Roy W. Doxey|article=I Have A Question: What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated?|date=December 1986|start=64}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1986.htm/ensign%20december%201986%20.htm/i%20have%20a%20question.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0}}

===Printed material===
*{{Aas|start=278|end=288}}{{GL|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?book_doc_id=263781}}
* {{reexploring|author=John L. Sorenson|article=The 'Golden' Plates|start=275|end=277}}
* John L. Sorenson, "Indications of Early Metal in Mesoamerica," ''University Archaeological Society Bulletin'' 5 (Provo, Utah, 1954): 1–15.
* John L. Sorenson, "Metals and Metallurgy relating to the Book of Mormon Text" (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1992).
* John L. Sorenson, "Preclassic Metal?" ''American Antiquity'' 20 (1954): 64.
* John L. Sorenson, "A Reconsideration of Early Metal in Mesoamerica," ''Katunob'' 9 (March 1976): 1-18.
* {{reexploring|author=John W. Welch|article=Lost Arts|start=101|end=103}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296820}}

El Libro de Mormón/Bíblico/El Espíritu Santo

2007-08-10T04:50:46Z

GregSmith:

{{question}}

==Question==
Why is the Holy Ghost mentioned so many times in the Book of Mormon prior to the time of Christ (e.g., [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_ne/10/17#17 1 Nephi 10:17]) and yet in the Old Testament there is hardly any mention of the Holy Ghost, especially with regard to his mission of bearing wittness of the truth?

==Answer==
It is interesting to note that the same question arises about Satan in the Old Testament. There is very little information about Satan outside of the first two chapters of [http://scriptures.lds.org/job/1 Job]. Students of the Bible have observed that Satan is much more prevalent and "real" in the New Testament. The typical answer Biblical students give for this is the evolving understanding of doctrine from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Some who are more skeptical say that the New Testament period was perhaps more influenced by spiritual beliefs in devils and spirits than the earlier period.

But for Latter-day Saints there is a different perspective. We know that the knowledge of both Satan and the Holy Ghost has been part of gospel teaching from the time of Adam down. The fact that both are poorly represented in the Old Testament reinforces our belief that many plain and precious things were not adequately handed down to us from ancient times (see [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_ne/13/26-40#26 1 Nephi 13:26–40]). This was one of the great necessities for the Restoration—to restore the "fulness" of the doctrines and principles of the gospel, because they were not adequately transmitted into our time. The Book of Mormon in its plainness and simplicity, and uncorrupted nature, shows us a clearer picture of what was understood and believed about both Satan and the Holy Ghost by inspired prophets.

Even with these textual losses, the concept of Spirit of the Lord as an independent entity does appear in a handful of passages, including [http://scriptures.lds.org/gen/1/2#2 Genesis 1:2]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/2_sam/23/2#2 2 Samuel 23:2]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/isa/40/13#13 Isaiah 40:13]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/isa/48/16#16 48:16]; and [http://scriptures.lds.org/isa/59/19#19 59:19].

Similar criticisms are leveled at the Book of Mormon and the Church, because the Book of Mormon reveals the name of Jesus Christ prior to his birth. Again, the answer is, inspired prophets knew a great deal, unfortunately it wasn't adequately transmitted to us before the recovery of the Book of Mormon.


==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{HolyGhostWiki}}
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
{{HolyGhostFAIR}}

===External links===
{{HolyGhostLinks}}

===Printed material===
{{HolyGhostPrint}}

El Libro de Mormón/Planchas de oro

2007-08-10T04:50:30Z

GregSmith:

{{BoMWitnessPortal}}
{{draft}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that Joseph manufactured some metal plates (out of tin) to trick witnesses into thinking he had gold plates.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
{{BoMWitnessesCritics}}

==Response==

''See also:'' article on [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Metal plates|Metal plates]]

===Controlling biases===

It is important to note at the outset that Dan Vogel (a prominent advocate of this attempt to redefine the witnesses' testimonies) describes his approach as beginning

:"with the assumption that the Book of Mormon is not real history. Thus to the extent that one believes the evidence points to a non-historical Book of Mormon, it also points to something other than real gold plates under the cloth. The two are inseparably connected."{{ref|vogel1}}

Thus, Vogel must come up with a counter-explanation for the Book of Mormon. Having decided that the Book of Mormon cannot be true history, Vogel must ignore evidence which disproves his thesis, and manufacture evidence through speculation, rather than considering ''all'' the evidence and then drawing conclusions therefrom about both the reality of the Book of Mormon's history ''and'' the existence of the plates. As he notes, the two are connected. One cannot dismiss the eyewitness reports (some of whom reported that they saw more than just plates 'under the cloth,' as Vogel attempts to distort the historical record) as irrelevant to the question of the Book of Mormon's historicity and origins.

Vogel does not seem to realize it, but the difficulty which he has in coming up with plausible explanations for the physical plates and the testimonies of the eight witnesses is evidence ''for'' the reality of the Book of Mormon. But, that conclusion is unacceptable to him, so he must disregard the evidence for the physical plates.

===Only a "spiritual vision"?===

Vogel and others attempt to argue that the witnesses only 'saw' the plates in a spiritual state, and then were allowed to heft a covered box. This flatly contradicts their own reports, and those of others. Lucy Mack Smith wrote:

:In a few days we were follow by Joseph and Oliver and the whitmers who came to make us a visit and also to make some arrangements about getting the book printed soon after they came They all that is the male part of the company repaired to a little grove where it was customary for the family to offer up their secret prayers. as Joseph had been instructed that the plates would be carried there by one of the ancient Nephites. Here it was that those 8 witnesses recorded in the Book of Mormon looked upon the plates and handled them of which they bear witness in the [title page of the Book of Mormon]. . . . After the witnesses returned to the house the Angel again made his appearance to Joseph and received the plates from his hands. We commenced holding meetings that night in the which we declared those facts that we knew to be true.{{ref|lms1}}

''For further information see:'' [[Book_of_Mormon_witnesses:Spiritual_or_literal|Literal experience]], [[Book_of_Mormon_witnesses:Eight_witnesses|Eight witnesses]], [[Book_of_Mormon_witnesses:Other Book of Mormon witnesses|Other witnesses]]

===Descriptions of the plates===

A variety of persons who handled and/or saw the plates left descriptions:{{ref|descript1}}

====Material====
*"the appearance of gold"{{ref|fn1}} — Joseph Smith Jr., Eight Witnesses
*"golden plates"{{ref|fn2}} — David Whitmer
*"a mixture of gold and copper"{{ref|fn3}} - William Smith

====Weight====

*"weighing altogether from forty to sixty lbs."{{ref|fn4}} —Martin Harris
*"I was permitted to lift them. . . . They weighed about sixty pounds according to the best of my judgement."{{ref|fn5}} —William Smith
*"I . . . judged them to have weighed about sixty pounds."{{ref|fn6}}—William Smith
*"They were much heavier than a stone, and very much heavier than wood. . . . As near as I could tell, about sixty pounds."{{ref|fn7}} —William Smith
*"I hefted the plates, and I knew from the heft that they were lead or gold."{{ref|fn8}} —Martin Harris
*"My daughter said, they were about as much as she could lift. They were now in the glass-box, and my wife said they were very heavy. They both lifted them."{{ref|fn9}} —Martin Harris
*"I moved them from place to place on the table, as it was necessary in doing my work."{{ref|fn10}} —Emma Smith
*Joseph's sister Catherine, while she was dusting in the room where he had been translating, "hefted those plates [which were covered with a cloth] and found them very heavy."{{ref|fn11}} —H. S. Salisbury, paraphrasing Catherine Smith Salisbury

====Size of each plate====

* "six inches wide by eight inches long"{{ref|fn12}} —Joseph Smith Jr.
* "seven inches wide by eight inches in length"{{ref|fn13}} —Martin Harris
* "seven by eight inches"{{ref|fn14}} —Martin Harris
* "about eight inches long, seven inches wide"{{ref|fn15}} —David Whitmer

====Thickness of each plate====

*"of the thickness of plates of tin"{{ref|fn17}} —Martin Harris
*"thin leaves of gold"{{ref|fn18}} —Martin Harris
*"about as thick as parchment"{{ref|fn19}} —David Whitmer
*"[We] could raise the leaves this way (raising a few leaves of the Bible before him)."{{ref|fn21}} —William Smith
*"They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metalic [sic] sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book."{{ref|fn22}} —Emma Smith

====Thickness of whole volume====
*"[W]hen piled one above the other, they were altogether about four inches thick."{{ref|fn24}} —Martin Harris
* JS - 6 inches? {{NeedCite}}

====Sealed vs. unsealed====

*"A large portion of the leaves were so securely bound together that it was impossible to separate them."{{ref|fn25}} —David Whitmer
*"What there was sealed appeared as solid to my view as wood. About the half of the book was sealed."{{ref|fn26}} —David Whitmer

====Rings====

*"[T]hey were fastened with rings thus [a sketch shows a ring in the shape of a capital D with six lines drawn through the straight side of the letter to represent the leaves of the record]."{{ref|fn29}} —David Whitmer
*"bound together like the leaves of a book by massive rings passing through the back edges"{{ref|fn30}} —David Whitmer
*"They were bound together in the shape of a book by three gold rings."{{ref|fn31}} —David Whitmer
*"put together on the back by three silver rings, so that they would open like a book"{{ref|fn32}} —Martin Harris
* "The plates were . . . connected with rings in the shape of the letter D, which facilitated the opening and shutting of the book."{{ref|fn32a}} - William E. McLellin quoting Hyrum Smith
* "I could tell they were plates of some kind and that they were fastened together by rings running through the back."{{ref|fn32b}} - William Smith
It should be noted that the "D" shape here described is the most efficient way to pack pages with rings. It is a common design in modern three-ring binders, but was not invented until recently (the two-ring binder did not exist prior to 1854 and were first advertised in 1899. The critics would apparently have us believe that Joseph Smith and/or the witnesses just happened upon the most efficient binding design more than a century before anyone else! Such a pattern also matches a collection of gold plates found in Bavaria dating from 600 B.C.{{ref|binder1}}

====Engravings====
* "[The plates] were filled with . . . Egyptian characters. . . . The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction and much skill in the art of engraving."{{ref|fn36}} —Joseph Smith Jr.
* "There were fine engravings on both sides."{{ref|fn37}} —John Whitmer
* "We also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship."{{ref|fn38}} —Eight Witnesses
* "[T]he characters . . . were cut into the plates with some sharp instrument."{{ref|fn39}} —William Smith

===Tin?===

{{nw}}

==Endnotes==

#{{note|vogel1}}Dan Vogel, "Bushman's ''Rough Stone Rolling'': Comments" ''John Whitmer Historical Association Journal'' 26 (September 2006): 322—325.

#{{note|lms1}} Preliminary manuscript, Family and Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; cited in {{JBMS-14-1-5}}
#{{note|descript1}} Many of these were collected in {{JBMS-10-1-3}}{{NB}}
#{{note|fn1}}{{TS1|author=Joseph Smith Jr.|article=Church History [also known as the Wentworth Letter]|date=1 March 1842|start=707}} ; "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses," Book of Mormon; and Orson Pratt, in a pamphlet titled "An Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, and of the Late Discovery of Ancient American Records" (Edinburgh, Scotland: Ballantyne and Hughes, May 1840), 12–13.
#{{note|fn2}} David Whitmer interview, ''Kansas City Journal'', 5 June 1881, in ''David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness'', ed. Lyndon W. Cook (Orem, Utah: Grandin, 1993), 60.
#{{note|fn3}} William Smith (Joseph's younger brother) interview, ''The Saints' Herald'', 4 October 1884, 644.
#{{note|fn4}} Martin Harris interview, ''Iowa State Register'', August 1870, as quoted in Milton V. Backman Jr., ''Eyewitness Accounts of the Restoration'' (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1986), 226.
#{{note|fn5}} William Smith, ''William Smith on Mormonism'' (Lamoni, Iowa: Herald Steam, 1883), 12.
#{{note|fn6}} William Smith interview with E. C. Briggs. Originally written by J. W. Peterson for ''Zions Ensign'' (Independence, Mo.); reprinted in ''Deseret Evening News'', 20 January 1894, 11.
#{{note|fn7}} William Smith interview, ''The Saints' Herald'', 4 October 1884, 644.
#{{note|fn8}} "Interview with Martin Harris," ''Tiffany's Monthly'', May 1859, 169.
#{{note|fn9}} ''Ibid.'', 168.
#{{note|fn10}} Emma Smith interview, published as "Last Testimony of Sister Emma," ''The Saints' Herald'', 1 October 1879.
#{{note|fn11}} I. B. Bell interview with H. S. Salisbury (grandson of Catherine Smith Salisbury), Historical Department Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
#{{note|fn12}} {{TS1|author=Joseph Smith Jr.|article=Church History [also known as the Wentworth Letter]|date=1 March 1842|start=707}}
#{{note|fn13}} Martin Harris interview, ''Tiffany's Monthly'', May 1859, 165.
#{{note|fn14}} Martin Harris interview, ''Iowa State Register'', August 1870, as quoted in Backman, ''Eyewitness Accounts'', 226.
#{{note|fn15}} David Whitmer interview, ''Chicago Tribune'', 24 January 1888, in ''David Whitmer Interviews'', ed. Cook, 221.
#{{note|fn17}} Martin Harris interview, ''Tiffany's Monthly'', May 1859, 165.
#{{note|fn18}} Martin Harris interview, ''Iowa State Register'', August 1870, as quoted in Backman, ''Eyewitness Accounts'', 226.
#{{note|fn19}} David Whitmer interview, ''Kansas City Journal'', 5 June 1881, in ''David Whitmer Interviews'', ed. Cook, 64.
#{{note|fn21}} William Smith, ''The Saints' Herald'', 4 October 1884, 644.
#{{note|fn22}} Emma Smith interview, ''The Saints' Herald'', 1 October 1879.
#{{note|fn24}} Martin Harris interview, ''Tiffany's Monthly'', May 1859, 165.
#{{note|fn25}} David Whitmer interview, ''Chicago Tribune'', 24 January 1888, in ''David Whitmer Interviews'', ed. Cook, 221.
#{{note|fn26}} David Whitmer interview, ''Deseret Evening News'', 16 August 1878, in ''David Whitmer Interviews'', ed. Cook, 20–21.
#{{note|fn29}} David Whitmer interview, Edward Stevenson diary, 22–23 December 1877, Historical Department Archives, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Original capitalization and punctuation have been modernized. In Stevenson's interview, Whitmer recounted his mother's description of the rings.
#{{note|fn30}} David Whitmer interview, ''Kansas City Journal'', 5 June 1881, 1.
#{{note|fn31}} David Whitmer interview, ''Chicago Tribune'', 24 January 1888, in ''David Whitmer Interviews'', ed. Cook, 221.
#{{note|fn32}} Martin Harris interview, ''Tiffany's Monthly'', May 1859, 165.
#{{note|fn32a}} Reported in the ''Huron Reflector'' (Norwalk, OH), 31 October 1831; cited in Ashton, below.
#{{note|fn32b}} Interview of William Smith with E. C. Briggs and J. W. Peterson, ''Zion's Ensign'', 13 January 1894, 6.
#{{note|binder1}} {{Insights1|author=Warren P. Ashton|article=The Rings That Bound the Gold Plates Together|date=2006|vol=26|num=3|start=N/A}}
#{{note|fn36}} Joseph Smith Jr., "Church History" (Wentworth Letter)
#{{note|fn37}} John Whitmer to Theodore Turley, "in the presence of his anti-Mormon friends." As reported in {{InvestigatingWitnesses1|start=131}}
#{{note|fn38}} "Testimony of the Eight Witnesses."
#{{note|fn39}} William Smith interview, ''The Saints' Herald'', 4 October 1884, 644.



==Further Reading==
===FAIR wiki articles===

{{PlatesWiki}}
{{BoMWitnessesWiki}}
'''Book of Mormon "Anachronisms"'''
{{Book_of_Mormon_Anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
{{PlatesFAIR}}
{{BoMWitnessesFAIR}}

===External links===
{{PlatesLinks}}
{{BoMWitnessesLinks}}

===Printed material===
{{PlatesPrint}}
{{BoMWitnessesPrint}}

El Libro de Mormón/Los ladrones de Gadiantón como Masones

2007-08-10T04:50:10Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==
Critics claim that the Gadianton robbers are thinly disguised references to the anti-Masonic panic of Joseph Smith's era.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Fawn Brodie, ''No Man Knows My History'' (New York, A. A. Knopf, 1945), 63–66.
*John L. Brooke, ''The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644–1844'' (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 168–171, 174–177, 226, 230, 233.
*Ed Decker, ''Decker's Complete Handbook on Mormonism'' (Eugene: Harvest House, 1995), 210–211, 280.
*Robert N. Hullinger, ''Mormon Answer to Skepticism: Why Joseph Smith Wrote the Book of Mormon'' (St. Louis, Mo.: Clayton, 1980), 100–119; republished as ''Joseph Smith's Response to Skepticism'' (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1992), 99–120.
*Thomas F. O'Dea, ''The Mormons'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957), 23, 35, 57.
*David Persuitte, ''Joseph Smith and the Origins of the Book of Mormon'' (Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1985), 173–180.
*Walter F. Prince, "Psychological Tests for the Authorship of the Book of Mormon," ''American Journal of Psychology'' 28 (July 1917): 373–389.
*Latayne Colvett Scott, ''The Mormon mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church'' (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979), 75.
*Dan Vogel, "Mormonism's 'Anti-Masonick Bible,'" ''John Whitmer Historical Association Journal'' 9 (1989): 17–30.
*Dan Vogel, "Echoes of Anti-Masonry: A Rejoinder to the Critics of the Anti-Masonic Thesis," in ''American Apocrypha'', ed. Dan Vogel and Brent Lee Metcalfe (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002), 275–320.

==Response==
Many have speculated that the use of anti-masonic language in the Book of Mormon is 'proof' of 19th century authorship. The authors of these speculations fail to take into account four critical issues which discredit the association between the Gadiantion robbers of the Book of Mormon and the anti-Masonry of the opening decades of the 19th century [1826 through 1845].

1. Joseph Smith grew up with and was surrouned by Freemasons in his home. Both his father, Joseph Smith, Sr., and his elder brother Hyrum Smith were Masons in New York. It would seem unlikely that Joseph would be using anti-masonic language and terms, given his family's close connection and association with the institution of Freemasonry.

2. In 1842, Joseph Smith, Jr., became a Mason. Had Joseph intended to tie the Gadianton robbers to the Freemasons, it seems most unlikely that only 12 years later he would then join the very group which the critics' theories require that he oppose so vehemently in the Book of Mormon.

To credit the critics' theories, wrote anti-Mormon Theodore Schroeder, we must accept that

:when the Book of Mormon was finished, Smith's 'obsession' [with anti-Masonry] suddenly and permanently disappears without any other explanation, and Joseph Smith himself became a Mason, in spite of this anti-Masonic obsession.{{ref|schroeder1}}

3. The Book of Mormon is a translation. As such its phrasing may sometimes reflect the time and place in which it was translated. Any similarity between the language of the anti-masonic movement and Joseph's translation can better be expained by Joseph using the language of his time and place rather than by a deliberate connection to anti-masonry.{{ref|mourtisen1}}

Some have claimed that the phrase "secret combination" was used exclusively in a Masonic context in Joseph Smith's day. This is simply not the case, however. In 1788, during the debates at New York's state convention to ratify the federal constitution, Alexander Hamilton stated:

:In this, the few must yield to the many; or, in other words, the particular must be sacrificed to the general interest. If the members of Congress are too dependent on the state legislatures, they will be eternally forming '''secret combinations''' from local views.{{ref|hamilton1}}

And, in 1826, Andrew Jackson complained about Henry Clay's "secrete [sic] combinations of base slander."{{ref|Jackson1}} Jackson was a prominent and well-known Mason, and his presidency was rich fodder for those who feared a Masonic conspiracy. Yet, despite the critics' claims that "secret combination" must refer only to Masons, a prominent Mason here complains about an attack on ''him'' in exactly those terms.

4. Furthermore, the Saints of the 19th century saw the Book of Mormon's prophecies of latter-day "secret combinations" fulfilled by the persecution which they received at the hands of American citizens and the U.S. government. They did not invoke the Masons, which suggests that those who knew Joseph Smith did not recognize anti-Masonic themes in the Book of Mormon.{{ref|peterson1}}

==Conclusion==
Given Joseph Smith's long family involvement with the institution of Freemasonry and the fact that he would, in 1842, become a Mason himself, it seems unlikely that anti-Masonry was the "environmental source" of the Gadianton robbers found in the Book of Mormon. The members of his day likewise had little enthusiasm for anti-Masonic sentiments.

Any similarities in language between some anti-Masonic agitators and the Book of Mormon are more plausibly explained by the fact that similar words can be—and were—used to describe a variety of different tactics and organizations.

The claim that "secret combinations" was always used to refer to Masons is clearly false.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|schroeder1}} Theodore Schroeder, "Authorship of the Book of Mormon: Psychologic Tests of W. F. Prince Critically Reviewed," ''American Journal of Psychology'' 30 (January 1919): 70.
#{{note|Mourtisen1}}{{JBMS-12-1-7}}
#{{note|hamilton1}} Jonathan Elliot, ed., ''The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution, as Recommended by the General Convention at Philadelphia in 1787, Together with the Journal of the Federal Convention, Luther Martin's Letter, Yates's Minutes, Congressional Opinions, Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of '98-99 and other Illustrations of the Constitution'', 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1861), 318, emphasis added.
#{{note|Jackson1}} Robert V. Remini, ''Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union'' (New York and London: Norton, 1991), 340; cited in {{JBMS-1-1-11}}
#{{note|peterson1}}, " Notes on 'Gadianton Masonry'" in {{warfarebom|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=Notes on 'Gadianton Masonry'|start=174|end=224}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}
{{MasonryWiki}}

===FAIR web site===
*Brant A. Gardner, "The Gadianton Robbers in Mormon's Theological History: Their Structural Role and Plausible Identification” {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2002GarB.html}}
{{MasonryFAIR}}

===External links===
{{MasonryLinks}}
*Matthew P. Roper [“Anti-Masonic Influences”], ''FARMS Review of Books'', vol. 4, 1992, 184–85.

===Printed material===
{{MasonryPrinted}}
*Matthew B. Brown, “The LDS Temple and Freemasonry,” in Matthew B. Brown, ''The Gate of Heaven: Insights on the Doctrines and Symbols of the Temple'' (American Fork, UT: Covenant, 1999), 299–318.

El Libro de Mormón/Brújula

2007-08-10T04:49:31Z

GregSmith:

==Criticism==
Critics charge that the description of the Liahona as a "compass" is anachronistic because the magnetic compass was not known in 600 B.C.

==Response==
Alma<sub>2</sub> explained why the director the Lord gave to Lehi was called the ''Liahona:''

:...I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director — or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it ([http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37/38#38 Alma 37:38]).{{ref|bofmcompass}}

Believing it was called a compass because it pointed the direction for Lehi to travel is the fault of the modern reader, not the Book of Mormon.

*As a verb, the word "compass" occurs frequently in the King James Version of the Bible{{ref|kjvcompass}}; and it generally suggests the idea of surrounding or encircling something.

*In a few cases (e.g. [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/ex/27/5#5 Exodus 27:5]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/prov/8/27#27 Proverbs 8:27]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/isa/44/13#13 Isaiah 44:13]) it is used as a noun, and suggests something which encircles another thing.

*A third common situation in the KJV is the use of the phrase "to fetch a compass" (e.g., [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/num/34/5#5 Numbers 34:5]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/josh/15/3#3 Joshua 15:3]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/acts/28/13#13 Acts 28:13]), which if not recognised as a verbal phrase could be wrongly seen as presenting "compass" as a noun.

In every case, it is clear that, at least in Jacobean England, the word was regularly treated as meaning either ''a round object,'' or ''something which moved in a curved fashion.''

Further evidence of the archaic meaning of the word comes from a study of the rather lengthy listing for the word in the ''Oxford English Dictionary.'' It includes definition 5.b.:

:"Anything circular in shape, e.g. the globe, the horizon; also, a circlet or ring."

==Conclusion==
To use the word ''compass'' as a name for a round or curved object is well attested in both the King James Version of the Bible and the OED. The Book of Mormon refers to the Liahona as "a compass" not because it anachronistically pointed the way to travel, but because it was a perfectly round object.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|bofmcompass}}The Liahona is called a ''compass'' in [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/1_ne/18/12,21#12 1 Nephi 18:12, 21]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/2_ne/5/12#12 2 Nephi 5:12]; and [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/37/38,43-44#38 Alma 37:38, 43-44].
#{{note|kjvcompass}}Biblical references to "compass" can be seen with [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/search?type=words&last=compass&help=&wo=checked&search=compass&iw=bible&tx=checked&hw=checked&bw=1 this search] of the ''lds.org'' scriptures web site.

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}



===External links===

*{{JBMS-3-2-1}}

===Printed material===

El Libro de Mormón/Monedas

2007-08-10T04:49:14Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:M%C3%BCnzen}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that Book of Mormon references to Nephite coins is an anachronism, as coins were not used either in ancient America or Israel during Lehi's day.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*Duwayne R. Anderson, ''Farewell to Eden: Coming to Terms with Mormonism and Science'' (Bloomington, IN: 1st Books Library, 2003), 240, note 125.
*John Ankerberg and John Weldon, ''Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism'' (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 285–86.
*John L. Smith, "What about those Gold Plates?" ''The Utah Evangel'' 33:6 (September 1986): 8.
* {{SearchForTheTruthDVD}}
==Response==
The text of the Book of Mormon does not mention coins. The pieces of gold and silver described in {{s||Alma|11|1-20}} are not coins, but a surprisingly sophisticated{{ref|welch1}} system of weights and measures that is consistent with ancient proto-monetary practices.

The mention of "Nephite coinage" in the chapter heading of Alma 11 in the 1981 LDS Book of Mormon is in error. The chapter headings are not part of the inspired text. Elder Bruce R. McConkie, who composed the chapter headings for the new edition of the LDS scriptures, said:

:[As for the] Joseph Smith Translation items, the chapter headings, Topical Guide, Bible Dictionary, footnotes, the Gazeteer, and the maps. None of these are perfect; they do not of themselves determine doctrine; there have been and undoubtedly now are mistakes in them. Cross-references, for instance, do not establish and never were intended to prove that parallel passages so much as pertain to the same subject. They are aids and helps only.{{ref|mcconkie1}}

==Endnotes==
# {{note|welch1}} See "The Numerical Elegance of the Nephite System": [http://farms.byu.edu/jbms/8_2_1999_chart2.html Table 1] and [http://farms.byu.edu/jbms/8_2_1999_chart1.html Table 2], ''Journal of Book of Mormon Studies'' 8/2 (1999); {{JBMS-8-2-6}}; {{JBMS-8-2-5}}
# {{note|mcconkie1}} {{DoR|start=289|end=290}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai156.html|topic=Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}
*Michael Ash, "Book of Mormon Anachronisms Part 6: Compass, Coins, and Other Miscellaneous" {{pdflink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/brochures/anach6.pdf }}

===External links===
*Michael Ash, "Coins in the Book of Mormon"] (MormonFortress.com) {{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/coins1.html }}
*Jeff Lindsay, "Why Are 'Coins' Mentioned in the Book of Mormon Before The Invention of Coins?" (LightPlanet.com) {{link|url=http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/bom_coins.htm }}
*{{FR-5-1-2}}, see especially p. 55.
*{{JBMS-8-2-6}}
*{{JBMS-8-2-5}}
*"The Numerical Elegance of the Nephite System": [http://farms.byu.edu/jbms/8_2_1999_chart2.html Table 1] and [http://farms.byu.edu/jbms/8_2_1999_chart1.html Table 2], ''Journal of Book of Mormon Studies'' 8/2 (1999).

Pregunta: ¿Es la mención del "cemento" en el Libro de Mormón un anacronismo?

2007-08-10T04:48:53Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Zement}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that the Nephites in the land northward building out of cement in [http://scriptures.lds.org/hel/3/7#11 Helaman 3:7-11] (circa 47 B.C.) is not valid. As John L. Smith put the claim, "There is zero archaeological evidence that any kind of cement existed in the Americas prior to modern times" (Smith, 8).

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*John L. Smith, "What about those Gold Plates?" ''The Utah Evangel'' 33:6 (September 1986): 8.

==Response==
Unfortunately for the critics, hanging their attacks on an 'absence of evidence' backfires. In fact, there is excellent evidence for the use of cement in Mesoamerica:

:Once thought to be anachronistic, references to "cement" in the Book of Mormon (Helaman 3:7,9,11) can be seen today as further evidence of the authenticity of the text. This is because today the presence of expert cement technology in pre-Hispanic America is a well-established archaeological fact. "American technology in the manufacture of cement, its mixing and placement two thousand years ago, paralleled that of the Greeks and the Romans during the same period" notes structural engineer, David Hyman, in a recent study devoted to the use of cement in Pre-Columbian Mexico. The earliest known sample of such cement dates to the first century A.D. and is a "fully developed product." Known samples of Mesoamerican cement work show signs of remarkable skill and sophistication. "Technology in the manufacturing of calcareous cements in Middle America [were] equal to any in the world at the advent of the Christian Era." For example, concrete floor slabs at Teotihuacan that date to about this time exceed many present-day building requirements. While the earliest known samples are from the first century A.D., scholars believe that "their degree of perfection could not have been instantaneously created, but rather would have required a considerable period of development" before then. Hyman asks, "Were these materials invented by indigenous unnamed people far preceding the occupation of Teotihuacan, or were they introduced by an exotic culture." In its references to "cement," the Book of Mormon anticipates what has now been well established.{{ref|roper1}}

==Conclusion==

Cement is not anachronistic. The Book of Mormon places it in exactly the right spot and time period for Mesoamerican use of this building material.

==Endnotes==
#{{note|roper1}} Matthew Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
* Matthew Roper, "Right on Target: Boomerang Hits and the Book of Mormon" {{fairlink|url=http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001RopM.html}}

===External links===
*"Cement in the Book of Mormon," (Provo, Utah: FARMS).{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=128}}
*{{Insights1|author=Matthew G. Wells and John W. Welch|article=Concrete Evidence for the Book of Mormon|date=May 1991|start=2}}
*{{Reexploring|author=Matthew G. Wells and John W. Welch|article=Concrete Evidence for the Book of Mormon|start=212|end=214}}{{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?book_doc_id=296854}}

===Printed material===
*David S. Hyman, ''A Study of the Calcareous Cements in Prehispanic Mesoamerican Building Construction'' (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University, 1970).

El Libro de Mormón/Animales

2007-08-10T04:48:13Z

GregSmith:

{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Tiere}}
==Criticism==
Critics claim that the Book of Mormon mentions animals which do not belong in a pre-Columbian New World. They cite this as evidence for Joseph Smith 'slipping up,' and revealing his forgery. Often attacked examples include:
* the ass (donkey)
* bees
* the cow
* the elephant
* the horse
* silkworms
* swine (pigs)

Some sport is also had at the expense of two unknown animals, which are given untranslated names:
* cureloms
* cumoms

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
* John Hyde, Jun., ''Mormonism: It’s Leaders and Designs'' (New York: W.P. Fetridge and Co.), 1857.
* Thomas D.S. Key, Sc.D., Ed.D. (Biology), Th.D., “A Biologist Examines the Book of Mormon” ''Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation'', XXX–VIII, 2, (June 1985).
* Floyd C. McElveen, ''The Mormon Illusion'' (Ventura: Reagal Books, 1977).

==Response==

In the first place, one should not reject the possibility of "loan-shifting," in which a name for a familiar species is applied for a new species. This is a well-known phenomenon — for example, Amerindians called European horses 'deer' when they first encountered them. The classic example is, of course, the ''hippopotamus'', which name the Greeks gave to an animal they called a "river (''potamus'') horse (''hippo'')." Critics who scoff should ask themselves how anyone could mistake a hippopotamus for a horse — the answer, of course, is that the Greeks knew perfectly well that the hippo was not a true horse, but the name stuck.

In addition to these considerations, some of the 'ludicrous' species may not be as strange as the critics pretend.

===Ass (Donkey)===
The only clue to the role of the "ass" in Nephite society comes from [http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/12/5#5 Mosiah 12:5] and [http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/21/3#3 Mosiah 21:3], in which those in bondage bear burdens like "a dumb ass."

Other mentions occur in [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_nephi/18/19#19 1 Nephi 18:19] and [http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/5/14#14 Mosiah 5:14], while [http://scriptures.lds.org/mosiah/13/24#24 Mosiah 13:24] is a quotation of the Ten Commandments.

"Ass" has been suggested as a loanshift for the tapir, which many have described in decidedly horse-like terms.{{ref|farms1}}{{ref|brittanica1}}

In addition, some modern tapir enthusaists indicate that tapirs are likely unsuitable for raising in herds (not being herd animals, they tend to fight), but [P]eople in the tapirs' native countries will keep individuals to fatten them up for food, though...some
are pretty tame and others can be extremely dangerous...They're big, heavy and strong, have powerful jaws and teeth, and they can move very fast."{{ref|tapir1}}

A modern government report indicates that

:The tapir is docile toward man and hence management of the animal is relatively easy. An indigenous person describes the tapir as follows: "The animal is very sociable. Taken as a pup, one can easily tame it; it knows how to behave near the house; it goes to eat in the mountain and then returns to sleep near the house."{{ref|vogel1}}

It would seem that at least a limited role for the tapir is not out of the question, either as a food source (Tapirs make up between 7-10% of the diet in rural Amazonia){{ref|tapir2}} or as a potential beast of burden on a small scale (given their strength). Charles Darwin even noted that tapirs were kept tame in the Americas, though they did not tend to breed in captivity.{{ref|darwin1}}This fact might explain the relatively infrequent mention of these animals in the Book of Mormon.

===Bees===
:Among the supposed Book of Mormon anachronisms is the mention of “bees” ([http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/2/3#3 Ether 2:3])...It should be noted firstly that the Book of Mormons use of the term "bees" occurs in an Old World (Jaredite) setting, it is never used in connection with the New World, therefore the argument could simply end here. Did the Jaredites bring bees to the New World? We may never know. Some studies suggest, however, that bees were known in the ancient New World. Bruce Warren, for instance notes that there “are many references in the Maya region to honey bees in ancient times, and these references occur in ritual contexts, i.e., are of native or pre-Spanish origin." Other New World scholars have observed that “not only was the domesticated bee in ancient America but that there were gods of bees and beekeepers . . . Honey was considered a real treat for the Indians. Equally important was black wax taken from the hives which was often traded for other commodities."{{ref|ash1}}

Further information on New World bees in a domestic context can be found in F. Padilla, F. Puerta, J. M. Flores and M. Bustos, "Bees, Apiculture and the New World," in ''Archivos de zootécnica'', 41/154 (1992-extra): 563–567. {{pdflink|url=http://www.uco.es/grupos/cyted/padilla_563_567.pdf}}

===Cow===
:The term “cattle” is used three times in the Book of Mormon ([http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/9/17#19 Ether 9:17-19]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/enos/1/21#21 Enos 1:21]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/3_ne/3/22#22 3 Nephi 3:22]), while the term “cow” is used twice ([http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/9/18#18 Ether 9:18]; [http://scriptures.lds.org/1_ne/18/25#25 1 Nephi 18:25]). The Jaredite record is unclear as to whether “cattle” and “cows” are the same, or if “cows” are a subcategory of “cattle"...

:As with many other animals in the Book of Mormon, it is likely that these Book of Mormon terms are the product of reassigning familiar labels to unfamiliar items...The Miami Indians, for example, were unfamiliar with the buffalo and simply called them “wild cows.” Likewise the “explorer DeSoto called the buffalo simply vaca, cow. The Delaware Indians named the cow after the deer, and the Miami tribe labeled sheep, when they first saw them, ‘looks-like-a-cow’” {{ref|sorenson1}}{{ref|ash2}}

===Elephant===
:The only place that elephants are mentioned in the Book of Mormon is in [http://scriptures.lds.org/ether/9/19#19 Ether 9:19] in approximately 2500 B.C. Thus any elephants existing upon the American continents need not have survived past about 2400 B.C...Besides the traditions, five elephant effigies have been found in ancient Mexico. Dr. Verrill, a well-known (non-Mormon) archaeologist describes one of these figures as “‘so strikingly and obviously elephantine that it cannot be explained away by any of the ordinary theories of being a conventionalized or exaggerated tapir, ant-eater or macaw. Not only does this figure show a trunk, but in addition it has the big leaf-like ears and the forward-bending knees peculiar to the elephants. Moreover, it shows a load or burden strapped upon its back. It is inconceivable that any man could have imagined a creature with the flapping ears and peculiar hind knees of an elephant, or that any human being could have conventionalized a tapir to this extent’”...

:The oral traditions, written records, and artwork depicting elephants lends strong support for the claim that the elephant existed in ancient America. Even more substantial support-- actual remains-- have also been discovered. Today all scholars agree that mastodons and mammoths (which are unquestionably elephants to zoologists) once lived in the Americas. The dispute today is how late they lived. According to the Book of Mormon they need not have lived later than 2400 B.C. Within recent years archaeological evidence has demonstrated that the elephant could very well have survived to such a late date. Butchered mastodon bones were recently discovered at one archaeological site which dates to shortly after the time of Christ. Another site, dating to approximately 100 B.C. has yielded the remains of a mammoth, a mastodon, as well as a horse.{{ref|sorenson2}}

:Some scholars have suggested that the elephant (mammoth or mastodon) lived later than hitherto believed. Ludwell Johnson, in an article entitled “Men and Elephants in America” published in ''Scientific Monthly'', wrote that “Discoveries of associations of human and proboscidean remains [Elephantine mammals, including, elephants, mammoths, and mastodons] are by no means uncommon. As of 1950, MacCowan listed no less than twenty-seven” including, as noted by Hugo Gross, a “partly burned mastodon skeleton and numerous potsherds at Alangasi, Ecuador...There can no longer be any doubt that man and elephant coexisted in America.... Probably it is safe to say that American Proboscidea have been extinct for a minimum of 3000 years."

:If the elephants had died off at least 3000 years ago, they would still have been well within range of the Jaredite era. And as noted above, some evidence indicates that the elephant may have survived in limited numbers for centuries later.{{ref|ash3}}

In short, the elephant presents no problem for the Book of Mormon.

===Horse===
As mentioned, one should not reject the possibility of "loan-shifting," — candidate species for "horse" under this interpretation include the tapir or deer.{{ref|farms2}}

However, the case against pre-Columbian horses may not be as 'iron-clad' as the critics assume:

:Excavations at the site of Mayapan, which dates to a few centuries before the Spaniards arrived, yielded horse bones in four spots. (Two of the lots were from the surface, however, and might represent Spanish horses.) From another site, the Cenote (water hole) Ch'en Mul, came other traces, this time from a firm archaeological context. In the bottom stratum in a sequence of levels of unconsolidated earth almost two meters in thickness, two horse teeth were found. They were partially mineralized, indicating that they were definitely ancient and could not have come from any Spanish animal. The interesting thing is that Maya pottery was also found in the stratified soil where the teeth were located.{{ref|farms3}}

Some have argued that horse remains ought to be better attested, if they did play a role in Nephite society. However, it should be remembered that horses do not play a major role in the Book of Mormon. They are mentioned in the following contexts:

''Quotations from Old World scriptures''
* 2 Nephi 12:7 - citation from Isaiah
* 2 Nephi 15:28 - citation from Isaiah

''Apocalyptic teachings in Old World style''
* 3 Nephi 21:14 - Jesus speaks of "horses and chariots" in a symbolic and apocalyptic address

''Horses in the New World''
* 1 Nephi 18:25: we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness,...the horse...
* Ether 9:19 - Jaredites had "horses"

''Used in conjunction with chariots''
* Alma 18:9 - Ammon feeds the Lamanite king's horses, which are associated with his "chariots."
* Alma 20:6 - Lamanite king uses horses and chariot for visit to neighboring kingdom
* 3 Nephi 3:22 - Nephites "had taken their horses, and their chariots" to a central fortified area for protection against robbers

(It should be noted that we are not told if these chariots served a purpose in riding, or if they were for transport of goods, or if they had a ceremonial function. One assumes some sort of practicality, since they brought chariots to the siege in 3 Nephi.)

''Role in animal husbandry''
* Enos 1:21 - the people of Nephi did...raise...flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.
* 3 Nephi 4:4 - During the robbers' seige, the Nephites "reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind, that they might subsist for the space of seven years"
* 3 Nephi 6:1 - After the seige, Nephites each take their possessions home, including "horses and cattle"

It is interesting that the horses are often grouped with cattle, and seem to have played a role in the diet (though this may have been under the exigencies of the siege of 3 Nephi.)

Conspicuously absent is any role of the horse in the many journeys recorded in the Book of Mormon. Nor do horses or chariots play any role in the many Nephite wars; this is in stark contrast to the Biblical account, in which the chariots of Egypt, Babylon, and the Philistines are feared super-weapons upon the plains of Israel.

Nor do we see a role for the horse in gallant cavalry charges that were the romantic warrior ideal in Joseph Smith's day. Nor is there any sign of the rapid war of manoeuver and skirmish favored by the cavalry of the western nations. These are not the horses of the nineteenth century's practical realities or fanciful dreams.

There are societies in which the horse was vital, such as among the Hun warriors of Asia and Eastern Europe, for whom horses were a sign of wealth and status, and for whom they were essential for food, clothing, and war. Yet, there is ''no known horse bone'' from this period in the archaeologic record.{{ref|bokonyi1}}

If the hundreds of thousands of horses owned by the Huns left little or no trace, it may not be surprising that little has been found in the Americas, given that the Book of Mormon's role for horses is minimal. Ironically, there is ''more'' evidence of horses among the Mesoamericans than among the Huns!

Besides, "everyone knows" there were no horses in the Americas before Columbus. Joseph Smith would have understood this common belief. If he was trying to perpetuate a fraud, why include an element that nearly everyone would have heard about, especially when it plays such a small role in the book?

===Silkworms===
''See [[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Plants#Silk| silk]]''

===Swine===
:“Swine” are mentioned twice in the Book of Mormon; once in 3 Nephi 14:6, where the Lord uses the term figuartively, and once in Ether 9:18 where swine are described as an animal useful for food. Some critics have ridiculed the Book of Mormon’s suggestion that swine would be used for food (due to dietary constraints of the Mosiac law), but it should be noted that history contained in Ether took place prior to the Law of Moses. Other critics have claimed that swine were unknown in the ancient New World...The early Americans did, however, have a native pig. The Aztecs called it ''pisote'', “which means basically glutton” and was often applied to the peccary or wild pig. “In regard to the peccary,” notes Sorenson, “the Nahuatl terms ''quauhcoyametl'' and ''quahpizotl'' were developed after the conquest to distinguish the native species from the introduced Castilian pig....”[Sorenson, ''An Ancient American Setting,'' 290.]{{ref|ash4}}

===Cureloms and Cumoms===

These names are untranslated Jaredite terms. A variety of potential animals have been suggested, such as llamas, alpacas, mastodons, or other Pleistocene mammals.{{ref|sorenson3}}

Without more information, one cannot count this as a strike against the Book of Mormon. Interestingly, were he fabricating the Book of Mormon, this was an opportunity for Joseph Smith to let his imagination run wild, and yet no descriptions of these strange beasts (which he goes to the trouble to name, in the forgery model of Book of Mormon production) are provided.

==Conclusion==

We can draw the following tentative conclusions:

* Ass - the horse-like tapir is a possibility
* Bees - not required in the Americas by the text, but pre-Columbian examples also exist
* Cow - bovine species (e.g. buffalo) were present in the Americas
* Elephant - only necessary in the Jaredite era, there is both traditional, inscriptional, and biologic remains as evidence for the Book of Mormon's claims
* Horse - there is some evidence, not yet deemed definitive, which suggests that the true horse may have been known in at least some parts of Mesoamerica in pre-Columbian times before Christ. There is also ample precedent for naming different animals with common names, and there are other New World candidates, such as deer and tapirs.
* Silkworms - present in the New World with other options also available for silk cloth; see ''[[Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms:Plants#Silk| silk]]''
* Swine - native swine species existed, though only Jaredite use is noted (unsurprisingly, since Nephites were under the law of Moses).

==Endnotes==
# {{note|farms1}} "Horses in the Book of Mormon" (Provo: Utah, FARMS, 2000).{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=129#N_5}}
#{{note|brittanica1}} See, for example, the ''Encyclopedia Brittanica'', 1911 edition for [http://87.1911encyclopedia.org/H/HO/HORSE.htm horse]).
#{{note|tapir1}} Sheryl Todd, "The Tapir Gallery, the Tapir Preservation Fund," Tapir Gallery archive (7 May 1997, 14:03:06 -6h00), (last accessed 22 October 2005) {{link|url=http://www.tapirback.com/tapirgal/archives/970507.htm}}
#{{note|vogel1}} Joseph Henry Vogel, "White paper: The Successful Use of Economic Instruments to Foster Sustainable Use of Biodiversity: Six Case Studies from Latin America and the Caribbean," ''Biopolicy Journal'', Vol. 2, Paper 5 (PY97005), 1997.{{link|url=http://www.puce.edu.ec/Investigacion/fatima/Whitep.htm}}
#{{note|tapir2}} ''OAS.org'' {{link|url=http://www.oas.org/osde/publications/Unit/oea37e/ch09.htm#wildlife%20exploitation:%20goods}} (last accessed 22 October 2005).
#{{note|darwin1}} Charles Darwin, ''The Variation of Plants and Animals Under Domestication'', Vol. 2, (1868), 86.{{link|url=http://charles-darwin.classic-literature.co.uk/variation-of-animals-and-plants-under-domestication-v2/ebook-page-86.asp}}
#{{note|ash1}} Mike Ash, ''mormonfortress.com''{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/bees1.html}}
#{{note|sorenson1}}{{Aas1|start=294}}
#{{note|ash2}} Mike Ash, ''mormonfortress.com''{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/cows1.html}}
#{{note|sorenson2}}{{Aas|start=297|end=298}}
#{{note|ash3}}Mike Ash, ''mormonfortress.com''{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/eleph1.html}}
# {{note|farms2}} "Horses in the Book of Mormon" (Provo: Utah, FARMS, 2000). {{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=129#N_5}}
#{{note|farms3}} {{JBMS-10-1-14}}
#{{note|bokonyi1}} S. Bokonyi, ''History of Domestic Mammals in Central and Eastern Europe'' (Budapest: Akademiai Kiado, 1974), 267.
#{{note|ash4}}Mike Ash, ''mormonfortress.com''{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/swine1.html *}}
#{{note|sorenson3}} For a discussion, see {{Aas1|start=298}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book of Mormon Anachronisms}}

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai157.html|topic=Animals in Book of Mormon}}

===External links===
*FARMS: animals and plants research {{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/publications/bookofmormonview.php?subcat=118&cat=4}}
* FARMS: horses in the Book of Mormon {{link|url=[http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=transcripts&id=129}}
*Mike Ash, "Bees," ''mormonfortress.com'' (accessed 23 Oct 2005).{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/cows1.html}}
*Mike Ash, "Cattle," ''mormonfortress.com'' (accessed 23 Oct 2005).{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/cows1.html}}
*Mike Ash, "Swine," ''mormonfortress.com'' (accessed 23 Oct 2005).{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/swine1.html}}
*Mike Ash, "Elephants," ''mormonfortress.com'' (accessed 23 Oct 2005).{{link|url=http://www.mormonfortress.com/eleph1.html}}
*{{JBMS-2-1-11}}
*Kirk P. Rodgers (editor), "Chapter 6-Wildlife," in ''Minimum Conflict: Guidelines for Planning the Use of American Humid Tropic Environments,'' Department of Regional Development, Organization of American States, (Washington, D.C.:1987), (last accessed 23 October 2005){{link|url=http://www.oas.org/osde/publications/Unit/oea37e/ch09.htm#wildlife%20exploitation:%20goods}}
* {{FR-6-1-10}}

===Printed material===
*{{Aas|start=288|end=299}}
*John L. Sorenson, "Animals in the Book of Mormon: An Annotated Bibliography" (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1992).
*John L. Sorenson, "Once More: The Horse," in John W. Welch, ''Reexploring the Book of Mormon'' (Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book Co. ; Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 1992), 98–100. ISBN 0875796001.[http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc_id=296819]

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*[[ Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:"Adieu"|"Adieu"]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Animales|Animales]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Cemento | Cemento]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Monedas | Monedas]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Brújula | Brújula]]
*[[Libro de Mormón:ADN problemas |ADN problemas (resumen)]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Ladrones de Gadianton como Masones?| Ladrones de Gadianton como Masones?]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Planchas de “oro”| Planchas de “oro”?]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Espíritu Santo| Espíritu Santo]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Jerusalen como sitio del nacumiento de Jesus| Jerusalen como sitio del nacumiento de Jesus]]
*[[Codigos y concepto legales en el Libro de Mormón| Codigos y concepto legales]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Metales| Metales]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Planchas de metal| Planchas de metal]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:Mulek|Mulek]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Nombres| Nombres]]
*[[Cultura de olivos en el Libro de Mormón| Cultura de olivos]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Plantas | Plantas]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Mar Rojo vs Mar de Caña| Mar Rojo vs Mar de Caña]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Egipcio reformado|Egipcio reformado]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Sátiro | Sátiro]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Serpientes y sequía | Serpientes y sequía]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Shiz lucha a respirar | Shiz lucha a respirar]]
*[[Sudor y poros del piel]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:Nieve | Nieve]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Templo en el Mundo Nuevo|Templo en el Mundo Nuevo]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Tres dias de oscuridad | Tres dias de oscuridad]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos: Translation Errores de traducción de la version KJV | Translation Errores de traducción de la version KJV]]
*[[Libro de Mormón:Arte de guerra | Arte de guerra]]
**[[Libro de Mormón:Arte de guerra Espadas | Espadas]]
*[[Libro de Mormón Anacronismos:Ventanas| Ventanas]]

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{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon:Adieu}}
==Criticism==
{{s||Jacob|7|27}} ends with the phrase, "Brethren, adieu." Critics claim that because ''adieu'' is French, it shows that Joseph Smith composed the Book of Mormon, and not an ancient author.

===Source(s) of the Criticism===
*John Ankerberg and John Weldon, ''Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism'' (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 322.
*Ed Decker, ''Decker's Complete Handbook on Mormonism'' (Eugene: Harvest House, 1995), 113.
*James White, ''Letters to a Mormon Elder'' (Southbridge, MA: Crowne, 1990), 145.

==Response==

There are at least three problems with the ''adieu'' argument against the Book of Mormon.

# Critics often overlook the fact that the word ''adieu'' was not on the plates.
# The translator of a work can use words from any language he chooses in order to convey the meaning of the text to his readers, so that even if ''adieu'' had been a foreign word (e.g., French) to Joseph Smith, there is nothing either unusual or problematic with his choosing that word in his translation.
# Critics mistakenly think the word ''adieu'' is not an English word.

===Neither English nor French was on the plates===

The English Book of Mormon is a ''translation''. This means that it is no more likely that the word ''adieu'' appeared on the plates than did the words ''yea'', ''beginning'', or ''sword''. Except for proper nouns and a few other possibly transliterated nouns, no word that appears in the English version of the Book of Mormon can be said to have been on the ancient Nephite plates. Similarly, the phrase "and it came to pass" never appeared anywhere on the Nephite plates. Whatever character, word, or phrase that had been engraved on the plates was translated by Joseph Smith into what he felt was an approximate equivalent in English.

Despite the fact that the word ''adieu'' appears in the English translation of the Book of Mormon, the word ''adieu'' was certainly not known to any Book of Mormon writer, the word ''adieu'' was never used by any Book of Mormon writer, and the word ''adieu'' did not appear anywhere on the Nephite plates.

===A translation can legitimately use words from many languages===

The goal of a translation is to take a text written in one language and to make it understandable to someone who does not understand that language. Anyone who has had the need to translate knows that frequently there is no way to convey all of the meanings, nuances, and subtleties of the original text in the new language. Translators are free to select words and phrases that they feel best convey the original meaning and will best be understood by the readers of the translation.

For example, it would be perfectly acceptable for a translation from Japanese to English to include the non-English phrases ''ad hoc'', ''hoi polloi'', or ''savoir faire'' if those phrases seem to properly convey the original meaning and if the translator believes that readers will understand them.

''Adieu'' is Joseph's translation of a concept expressed by Jacob. ''Adieu'' implies "farewell until we meet with God," a fitting finale to Jacob's testimony and writing.

The appearance of non-English words (if there are any) in the Book of Mormon has absolutely no bearing on whether the Book of Mormon is authentic or whether the translation was properly done, and the presence of non-English words in the translated text would not imply that those non-English words appeared in the original text on the Nephite plates.

===''Adieu'' is an English word===

There is a common misunderstanding among some critics of the Book of Mormon that the word ''adieu'' is not an English word. This is not true. The problem stems from the fact that ''adieu'' is both an English word and a French word, and most English speakers are more familiar with its use in a French context.

''Adieu'' is a perfectly good English word that has appeared in English dictionaries, English literature, and in common English usage from long before Joseph Smith to the present. ''Adieu'' entered the English language in the 14th century. It entered from Middle French, not modern French, and it has been part of English for approximately 800 years. ''Adieu'' has been part of the English language longer than the word ''banquet,'' which is also a word in modern French, but ''banquet'' entered the English language only in the 15th century. ''Adieu'' is no less English than ''commence'', ''nation'', ''psychology'', ''Bible'', ''vision'', or any other word that can be traced back to Latin, Greek, German, French, Spanish, or any other language.

The presence of ''adieu'' is no more a challenge to the historicity and authenticity of the Book of Mormon than the 36 uses of ''banquet'' in the NIV is a challenge to the historicity and authenticity of the Bible.

====French at the time of Christ?====

In 1737, William Whiston (1667-1752) produced a translation of ''The Life of Flavius Josephus'', written by a Jew born in Jerusalem in A.D. 37. Whiston's translation reads, in part:

:Thus have I set down the genealog of my family as I have found it described in the public records, and so bid adieu to those who calumniate me...{{link|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext01/lfjos10.txt}}

Presumably, the critics would have us believe that Whiston is claiming that Josephus, a first century Jew, spoke French (a language not yet invented) because he uses the term ''adieu''?

====Shakespeare====
William Shakespeare is nothing if not an English writer. He uses ''adieu'' frequently in his plays:

;Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5:GHOST:Adieu, adieu! Hamlet, remember me.{{link|url=http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/hamlet/hamlet.1.5.html}}
;The Merchant of Venice, Act 2, Scene 3: LAUNCELOT Adieu! tears exhibit my tongue. Most beautiful/ pagan, most sweet Jew!{{link|url=http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/merchant/merchant.2.3.html}}
;Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5: ROMEO: Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu!{{link|url=http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/romeo_juliet/romeo_juliet.3.5.html}}
;The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2, Scene 1: NYM: Adieu. I love not the humour of bread and cheese,/ and there's the humour of it. Adieu.

There are over a hundred other examples.{{link|url=http://www.google.ca/search?as_q=adieu&num=10&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-tech.mit.edu%2F&safe=images}}

====The Declaration of Independence====
[[Image:Declar_independ_rough_p4.JPG |left|frame|A segment of the fourth page of Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence (original in Library of Congress). The red line indicates where Jefferson has written "everlasting Adieu," which he later struck out and replaced with the text underlined in green, "eternal separation." [http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration4.gif *]]]

Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the Declaration of Independence read, in part (beginning shown in image by blue underline):
:...be it so, since they will have it: the road to glory & happiness is open to us too; we will climb it in a separate state, and acquiesce in the necessity which pronounces our everlasting Adieu!{{ref|jefferson1}}

Jefferson later crossed out "everlasting Adieu," and replaced it with "eternal separation."{{ref|jefferson2}}

====Dictionaries====
Noah [http://65.66.134.201/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?search_for_texts_web1828=adieu Webster's] 1828 American dictionary demonstrates that ''adieu'' was perfectly good English the year prior to the Book of Mormon's translation:
<blockquote>
ADIEU', Adu'.
:Farewell; an expression of kind wishes at the parting of friends.
ADIEU', n. A farewell, or commendation to the care of God; as an everlasting adieu.
</blockquote>

It should be noted that the word ''adieu'' appears in nearly every modern English dictionary, and that although its etymology may be listed as being from Middle French, the word itself is not indicated as being a non-English word.

====John and Charles Wesley====

The Wesley brothers, founders of Methodism, used ''adieu'' in some of their hymns:
;Hymn 285: I'll bid this world of noise and show/ With all its glittering snares, adieu! {{link|url=http://www.ccel.org/w/wesley/hymn/jwg02/jwg0285.html}}
;Hymn 809: VAIN, delusive world, adieu...{{link|url=http://www.ccel.org/w/wesley/hymn/jwg08/jwg0809.html}}{{ref|wesley1}}

Furthermore, John Wesley was fond of ''adieu'', using it many times in his personal letters. A few examples follow; more are available{{link|url=http://www.google.com/custom?q=adieu&btnG=Search&safe=vss&cof=GL%3A0%3BT%3A%23000000%3BLC%3A%230000FF%3B&domains=wesley.nnu.edu&sitesearch=wesley.nnu.edu}}
;5 January 1763 to Charles Wesley:"We join in love to you both. My wife gains ground. She is quite peaceable and loving to all. Adieu!"{{link|url=http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/letters/1763.htm}}
;17 May 1742 to Charles Wesley:Let all the brethren pray for me. Adieu!{{link|url=http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/letters/1742.htm}}
;15 December 1772 to Charles Wesley:My love to all. Adieu!{{link|url=http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/letters/1772b.htm}}
; 16 December 1772 to Mrs. Bennis:My dear sister, adieu{{link|url=http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/letters/1772b.htm}}

====Irenaeus - French in the 1st Century?====

Speaking after quoting {{s||Deuteronomy|33|9}}, the early Christian author Irenaeus (A.D. 115–202) had ''his'' ancient writings translated as follows:

:But who are they that have left father and mother, and have said adieu to all their neighbours, on account of the word of God and His covenant, unless the disciples of the Lord?{{ref|irenaeus1}}

Is this a legitimate translation, or was Irenaeus non-existent and the translator a fraud for using "adieu"?

====Use Among LDS Members====
[[Image:Emma_hymn_book_2.jpg |right|frame|Index page from the 1835 book of hymns chosen by Emma Smith for use in the Church. Original from BYU library.{{link|url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docitemview.exe?CISOROOT=/NCMP1820-1846&CISOPTR=533}}]]

Closer to home, hymn #52 (penned by a non-LDS author) was collected by Emma Smith for the use of the Church. In this hymn, ''adieu'' is used twice in the first line:

:Adieu, my dear brethren adieu,
:Reluctant we give you the hand,
:No more to assemble with you,
:Till we on mount Zion shall stand.{{ref|hymn1}}

Clearly, this was a word familiar to Joseph and his contemporaries. The Church's the ''Times and Seasons'' periodical used the word 19 times.

====Use Among Non-LDS Contemporaries====

Emma Smith's second husband, Lewis Bidamon, was certainly not LDS. His letters reveal that his spelling is not terribly sophisticated. Yet, even he was very comfortable using the phrase "adieu," as in this letter to Emma:

:''Adeau'', dear Emma, for the present. Give my warmest affections to the children and all inquireing friends, and curses to my enmeys!{{ref|bidamon1}}

==Conclusion==
''Adieu'' is simply one English word among many in the Book of Mormon translation. It was in common use among Latter-day Saints and others in Joseph's era. Critics hope to cause confusion simply because the word's French associations are more familiar to the general reader and because the critics can misrepresent the nature of translated works to people who don't carefully consider what the critics are asserting. In the final analysis, the presence of the word "adieu" in the English translation of the Book of Mormon cannot be construed to indicate anything beyond the fact that Jacob intended to communicate "farewell forever, or until we meet God."

==Endnotes==
#{{note|jefferson1}} Thomas Jefferson, "original Rough draght," ''The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 1:1760-1776'' (Princeton University Press, 1950), 423–428. {{link|url=http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html}}
#{{note|jefferson2}} Editorial Note, "Jefferson's 'original Rough draught,' of the Declaration of Independence," (Princeton University Press, 2004), 6, footnote 16. {{link|url=http://www.princeton.edu/~tjpapers/declaration/declaration.html}}
#{{note|wesley1}} John Wesley, ''A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists'' (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Book Room, 1889 [1780]), #285, #809.
#{{note|irenaeus1}} {{Anf1|author=Irenaeus|article=Against Heresies|citation=book 4 chap. 8|vol=1|start=471}}
#{{note|hymn1}}Emma Smith, ''A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints'' Hymn 52, (Kirtland, Ohio: F. G. Williams & co., 1835), 68.
#{{note|bidamon1}} Lewis Bidamon to Emma Smith Bidamon, 20 April 1850, RLDS Archives; cited in {{ME2_1|start=257}} Spelling as original, italics added.

==Best articles to read next==
{{LearnMore}}
#"How is it that the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob ends his account with the French word 'adieu'?", ''farms.byu.edu'' (accessed 14 June 2006).{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/questionday.php?id=1 }}
#Jeff Lindsay, "Why does the Book of Jacob end with a French word?", ''lightplanet.com'' (accessed 14 June 2006).{{link|url=http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/bom_french.htm}}
#{{Ensign1|author=Edward J. Brandt|article=Why are the words ''adieu, bible,'' and ''baptize'' in the Book of Mormon? These words weren't known in Book of Mormon times|date=October 1985|start=17}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/library/lpext.dll/ArchMagazines/Ensign/1985.htm/ensign%20october%201985%20.htm/i%20have%20a%20question.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0#LPTOC1}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
{{Book_of_Mormon_Anachronisms}}
===FAIR web site===
*{{Tg|topic=Book of Mormon Textual Issues|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai111.html}}

===External links===
*"How is it that the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob ends his account with the French word 'adieu'?", ''farms.byu.edu'' (accessed 14 June 2006).{{link|url=http://farms.byu.edu/questionday.php?id=1 }}
*Jeff Lindsay, "Why does the Book of Jacob end with a French word?", ''lightplanet.com'' (accessed 14 June 2006).{{link|url=http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/bom_french.htm}}
*{{Ensign1|author=Edward J. Brandt|article=Why are the words ''adieu, bible,'' and ''baptize'' in the Book of Mormon? These words weren't known in Book of Mormon times|date=October 1985|start=17}} {{link|url=http://library.lds.org/library/lpext.dll/ArchMagazines/Ensign/1985.htm/ensign%20october%201985%20.htm/i%20have%20a%20question.htm?fn=document-frame.htm&f=templates&2.0#LPTOC1}}

===Printed material===
*{{revisited1|author=Daniel C. Peterson|article=Is the Book of Mormon True? Notes on the Debate|start=Chapter 6}} {{GL1|url=http://gospelink.com/library/doc?doc%5fid=264962}}

Libro de Mormón Anacronismos

2007-08-10T04:30:33Z

GregSmith:

{{GeographyPortal}}
{{GermanWiki|http://www.de.fairmormon.org/index.php/Anachronismen_im_Buch_Mormon}}
==Criticism==

"Anachronism" = out of time; something which is not in its proper historical context

Critics point to some items or concepts in the Book of Mormon which they claim are not consistent with what is known about ancient American geography, history, or anthropology. They claim that these "errors" prove that Joseph Smith was producing the Book of Mormon in the 19th century, and that the Book of Mormon is therefore not an ancient record. This is a master page; specific issues are addressed on separate pages.

==Specific Criticisms==
{{Book_of_Mormon_anachronisms}}

==Further reading==

===FAIR wiki articles===
*[[Archaeology and the Bible]]
*[[Book of Mormon archaeology]]
*[[Chiasmus]]

===FAIR web site===
*{{tg|url=http://www.fairlds.org/apol/ai156|topic=Book of Mormon "Anachronisms"}}

===Printed material===
{{Book_of_Mormon_Historicity_Books}}

Plantilla:Errores en el Libro de Mormón

2007-08-10T04:29:08Z

GregSmith: Plantilla:Errores en el Libro de Mormón trasladada a Plantilla:Libro de Mormón "Anacronismos"

#REDIRECT [[Plantilla:Libro de Mormón "Anacronismos"]]

Plantilla:Libro de Mormón Anacronismos

2007-08-10T04:29:08Z

GregSmith: Plantilla:Errores en el Libro de Mormón trasladada a Plantilla:Libro de Mormón "Anacronismos"

Plantilla:Libro de Mormón Anacronismos

2007-08-10T04:28:45Z

GregSmith: