So here are 4 ancient insights into these four short booksone for each book. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the. Contains a 16page introduction by jerald and sandra tanner which shows that the changes are not in harmony. Book of mormonlamanitesrelationship to amerindians. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about. Royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu and a recognized expert of the textual history of the book of mormon, has identified 5,280 variations in all editions of the book of mormon.
Detractors of the book of mormon have often quoted this phrase as they point to changes in different editions of the book of mormon, punctuation or grammatical problems. Its impossible to fillin all the gaps, but as with other parts of the book of mormon, i find that looking at ancient perspectives brings additional light on this brief section of the nephite record. The first title page adds the significant statement that the book of mormon has been carefully revised by the translator, and the second title page adds the name moroni, thus giving proper credit to moroni who wrote this introduction to the book of mormon. This is the first published text of the book of mormon to show the precise history of many textual variants. A critical text of the book of mormon was published in 19841987 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. Instead of being the principal ancestors of american indians, lamanites are nowamong the ancestors of the american indians. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. Linguistics and the book of mormon limited geography model prophets and people list of book of mormon prophets jacob book of mormon prophet abinadi alma the elder alma the younger ammon book of mormon missionary king benjamin brother of jared samuel the lamanite captain moroni enos book of mormon prophet ether book of mormon prophet. In this study we will show that there have been at least 3,9 changes made in the book of mormon from the time it was first published in 1830. Understanding textual changes in the book of mormon. There also have been many important changes in the pearl of great price.
By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. The book of mormon is the keystone of our religion. To obtain copies of their work please write to utah lighthouse ministry p. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new thinking about an ancient people. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about the books historicity, geography and the descendants of those chronicled within its pages. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of. Get unlimited access to the best stories on medium and. The reader will immediately note that the text is structured and formatted differently from the versions currently in print. The original phrase and the changes are noted in red and bold for emphasisin the introduction to the book of mormon the second paragraph reads. One word can speak volumes says this mornings salt lake tribune. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new.
The bible, the book of mormon, and continuing revelation duration. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. The book of mormon is a second witness, confirming the validity of biblical doctrine and verifying the divinity of christ through the inspired words of other sheep in christs fold see john 10. This change makes the book of mormon introduction compatible with current dna evidence and acknowledges the fact that lehis group likely intermingled with. It is a record of gods dealings with ancient inhabitants of the americas and contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey.
A recently announced change in the book of mormons introduction, however, allows for a greater diversity of ancestry of native americans. Changes in the book of mormon introduction juvenile. Ancient perspectives on enos, jarom, omni, and words of. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as incorrect usage of jacobean english. Lds is it true they are changing the intoduction to the. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. Book of mormon word change christian research institute. We invite all men everywhere to read the book of mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask god, the eternal father, in the name of christ if the book is true. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes.
Readers of the book of mormon, however, will see light at the end of this dark historical tunnel and a silver lining around these dark clouds of destruction. From the introduction of the book of mormon we read. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes. In 1981 the lds church published a new edition of the book of mormon, making a number of additional changes in the text. Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of god. It carried a small story on a change to a single word in the introduction of the book of mormon in the recent doubleday edition. The introduction to the book of mormon was not a part of the original plates.
The published text of the book of mormon has been corrected and edited through its various editions. Its a matter of some controversy, then, that lds officials have now changed the text of the introduction to the book of mormon, softening the assertion made when the introduction was first. There have been thousands of changes to the exact text of. Some of the revelations that appear in the doctrine and covenants have had hundreds of words added to them. It 1 puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, 2 outlines the plan of salvation, and. And in 2007 the book of mormon introduction was amended to suggest that the lamanites. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of. The only changes between the 1830 and the 1981 editions in the words used. The following is a reduced, photographic reproduction of the lower half of page 52 of the 1830 edition of the book of mormon with the changes marked to bring it into conformity with modern editions. The context of joseph smiths statement in this regard is that a man can grow nearer to god by abiding by its precepts than by any other book. To understand this world, historians strive to identify significant changes that occurred at that time. The crowning event recorded in the book of mormon is the personal ministry of the lord jesus christ among the nephites soon after his resurrection.
The introduction printed in the 1981 edition of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a complex book covering a variety of historical, religious, political, and military events in a variety of ancient communities. Before the actual chapters of the book of mormon begin, there are several items which have been added by way of introduction and testimony. Jon and jay explore the introductory pages of the book of mormon. As you can see, the book of mormon is a changing document. The book of mormon itself gives the overwhelming impression to the reader that its people are central to the colonization history of the americas.
This video discusses the 5 types of changes that have occurred with the text of the original book of mormon translation and why they should not be of any concern. The changes to the 20 edition of the scriptures, available in print in. New changes in the book of mormon introduction main. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Posted in book of mormon changes, tagged book of mormon introduction. Yes its in that introduction which was added in the 1981 version. Key passages on deity in the original 1830 text of the book of mormon were changed in the 1837 edition to reflect joseph smiths changing doctrine of deity. So, in this video, i want to talk about textual changes to the book of mormon and why they are not a. Mcconkie wrote the introduction in 1981 for the then new edition of the book of mormon and it contained this statement.
My introduction to the book of mormon or the book of mormon evidences page could also be. The few significant modifications were made by the prophet joseph smith to clarify the meaning of the text, not to change it. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints 165,852 views. Comparing the 1981, 2004, and 2006 book of mormon introductions. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same.
The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed. Changes in the book of mormon, the most corrected book in the world. Yet, many changes in the text of the book of mormon can be. Although there have been thousands of changes made in the book of mormon, the changes made in some of the other mormon books are of a more serious nature. Yesterday while reading some interesting news stories on byus online newspaper, i came across an article they posted a few years back about changes made to the introduction in the book of mormon their article reminded me once again of the arbitrary nature of the church when it comes to the validity of joseph smiths claims on anything from his first. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. Mormons change references to blacks, polygamy the changes are the first since 1981, and deal specifically with the churchs original ban on black priesthood ordination and polygamy.
The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Yesterday while reading some interesting news stories on byus online newspaper, i came across an article they posted a few years back about changes made to the introduction in the book of mormon. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39 changes in the book of mormon by jerald and sandra tanner. This had been the generally held belief from the time that. Why did the church modify the introduction to the book of mormon. A careful check of the list of changes shows there is not one change or. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon, which was donated to the university of utah library by the lds apostle john a. The minister just smiled with a big ivegotyounow smile and. Juvenile instructor changes in the book of mormon introduction. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of.
Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the son god. Some of the many changes in the book of mormon by matt slick joseph smith said that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book, history of the church, vol. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. Heres a response on the textual changes in the book of mormon.
Understanding the nature of the thousands of small changes in the book of mormon may be helpful and interesting. The introduction to the book of mormonbook of mormon teacher resource manual. The annotated edition of the book of mormon has been formatted to enlarge our understanding of and give reverence to this unique and sacred volume of scripture. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction.
Changes were made to the book of mormon after joseph smith changed his doctrine from monotheism to polytheism. A photoreprint of the original 1830 edition of the book of mormon with all changes marked compared to a 1964 edition. In reality, though, the kind of stylistic accuracy achieved by these changes has little to do with what joseph meant when he called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Introductory pages of the book of mormon part 1 come. The news that the introduction to the 2006 doubleday edition of the book of mormon contains significant changes seems to be all the rage on. Claiming it was scripture like the bible, in 1841 he declared it to be the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion. Single word change in book of mormon speaks volumes the salt.
It introduces the book of mormon to the modern reader by providing background information and a description of the book. In early 1830 joseph smith published the book of mormon, a 269,938word volume that discusses religious themes intermingled with a history of ancient american peoples. However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. Another change affirms the teaching that the book of mormon alone contains the fullness of the gospel. Contains a 16page introduction by jerald and sandra tanner which shows that the changes are not in harmony with the original text. Book of mormontextual changeswhy were these changes made. Notice the phrase or out of the waters of baptism has been added. Why were textual changes made to the book of mormon over the years after it was first published.
A recent word change to the introduction of the book of mormon has once again brought attention to the question regarding the historical reliability of one of mormonisms most sacred texts. Dingers book begins with a foreword by stan larson that provides some historical background to larsons own earlier work on the book of mormon text, plus a list of significant textual changes that come, for the most part, from the current book of mormon critical text project. The church made the change in wording to the introduction to the book of mormon to remove the assumption, which inserted into the book of mormon introduction in the 1920s and not part of the original text, that all of the inhabitants of the americas were exclusive descendants of lehi. Textual changes to the book of mormon in 1837 and 1840 by stan larson, sunstone, fall 1976, pp. Box 1884 salt lake city, utah 84110 or visit their website. Changes in the book of mormon introduction juvenile instructor. It has been suggested by many that the announced change in the book of mormon introduction has everything to do with the dna challenge that the church has been facing for the past few years.