As of march 2015, the lds church continues to publish at least portions of the book of mormon in 110 languages. Four women were witnesses to book of mormon translation process. We take a look at what a tight and loose translation of the book of mormon entails. By its own terms, the book of mormon is a translation of an ancient. The miraculous translation of the book of mormon john w. Oct 07, 2017 the resulting translation was published in 1830 as the book of mormon. The above was taken from the conclusion section of fairmormon answers book of mormon translation page. The full book of mormon is currently available in 88 languages, including other middleeastern languages like persian farsi and turkish. The few extant firsthand accounts from those who participated directly in the translation process provide little insight into the granular details of the process. Sources and composition of the book of mormon an introduction. This has lead to more than 150 different proposed geographies.
In the video seer stones and the translation of the book of mormon, mason allred interviews dr. The church continues to portray the hat as used in translation incorrectly. It is difficult to assess with certainty the exact process, or processes, by which joseph smith translated the book of mormon. More revisionist legerdemain and the book of mormon. From a geographical standpoint, some lds scholars believe mesoamerica to be the setting of the book of mormon. The book of mormon bom is an abbreviated account of the inhabitants of the ancient americas from 2200 bc to 421 ad. The mormon church is for the first time publishing photos of the stone it believes. More accurate book of mormon translation images in ensign.
Some had waited all of their lifetimes to read the book of mormon in afrikaans. Many accounts in the bible show that god transmitted revelations to his. Translating the book of mormon by the gift and power of god, smith dictated to his scribe the english text that appeared beneath the reformed egyptian signs. The same stone and the same method that he used to con people, he used to translate the book of mormon. A picture of a smooth, brown, eggsized rock is shown in the printers manuscript of the book of mormon. Neither of these accounts allow for a loose translation, as the seer stone. The book of mormon is the keystone of our testimony. This is how book of mormon central explains the translation. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the book of mormon so does our claim to priesthood keys, revelation and restored church. The p rocess of translating the book of mormon j oseph fielding mcconkie prof essor of ancient scripture, byu c raig j. The approximate book of mormon translation timeline was an interesting article to research. Book of mormon translation challenge home facebook.
Jul 18, 2009 the translation of the book of mormon. Josephs view of revelation is nuanced in this regard. Divining rods were believed to have power to help farmers locate where to dig to find water. Starting in 20, the church has provided a more accurate version of how the seer stone was used. Prophet joseph smith, is a translation of ancient plates written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelationwritten and sealed up, and hid up unto the lord, that they might not be destroyedto come forth by the gift and. The process of translating the book of mormon brs home page. Book of mormon translation by joseph smith the encyclopedia of. Joseph smith said that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on. To help us make sense of this seemingly perplexing method, dr. I encourage people to read the ensign regularly, especially this year when were all focused on the book of mormon. Book of mormon translation response to an essay on the mechanical process in which the book of mormon was translated was put in the topical guide of the website on 1230.
The church later admitted these facts in its october 2015 ensign, where they include a photograph of the actual rock that joseph smith used to place in his hat for the book of mormon translation. 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. While the three facsimiles of the book of abraham and joseph smiths translation method to produce the text are important issues to also consider, they will be covered in future videos. All opinions, speakers and presenters represent and express their own individual opinions, and not necessarily the opinions of firm foundation, book of mormon evidence, or its employees, and no information or opinions represent the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Aug 04, 2015 a picture of a smooth, brown, eggsized rock is shown in the printers manuscript of the book of mormon. A compilation of published statements on the book of mormon translation method in both church and nonchurch publications 18291835 summary. Some of the many factors to be considered include josephs secretiveness about the gold plates, his refusal to provide specific information about the translation method, the complexity of the book of mormon, its demonstrable dependence of the kjv, the many gaps in our knowledge about josephs movements and activities during the 1820s, and. Book of mormon translation joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is his translation of an ancient book written on gold plates. In the ces letter, i wrote that joseph smith used a rock in a hat for translating the book of mormon. A commentary on the doctrine and covenants and other modern revel ations salt lake city, ut. The story of the golden plates consists of how, according to joseph smith and his contemporaries, the plates were found, received from the angel moroni, translated, and returned to the angel before the publication of the book of mormon. Some view the book of mormon as a 19th century work, brought forth in the mind of joseph smith the prophet, which he had a right to do as a prophet of god, sort of like biblical midrash. We are entirely respectful of and grateful for the testimony to which he appended his name as one of the three witnesses of the truthfulness of.
Jun 29, 2016 it was an interesting and challenging experience. Mar 07, 2011 for this step in the translation of the book of mormon into english, we would need to choose between accepting a more modern version of english as the target language and accepting a nonnative speaker of an earlier version of english as the editor. Book of mormon translation lds church is true blog. Scott bradley the constitution and the restoration of the gospel trailer. I have a large library of religious books, but the annotated edition of the book of mormon is the most technicolored, highfidelity, highdefinition, highlyresearched, testimonybuilding, multidimensional rollercoaster ride through the religious history of. Essays on mormon scripture 1990, edited by dan vogel. Above all, were these words given by the gift and power of god. The book of mormon uses the king james bible in many areas, most notably the isaiah chapters but in many other chapters spread across the book of mormon as well. The process of translating the reformed egyptian plates was simple though peculiar. Dynamically equivalent translation and the book of mormon.
Is the book of mormon like any other nineteenth century book. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Historical prattle or competent testimony book of mormon. Book of mormon title page markings i like this method of enhancing your study. Translating the book of mormon religious studies center. Tight vs loose translation in the book of mormon lds discussions. Joseph smith and his scribes wrote of two instruments used in translating the book of mormon.
One of josephs selfproclaimed successors, james strang, claimed to translate a set of ancient plates which were handled by multiple witnesses, including several nonmormons. When joseph placed this seer stone in a hat to block out light, the words of the lord. There are even works comparable to the book of mormon within mormonism. Those accounts which provide the greatest amount of detail are typically 2nd hand accounts obtained from. A compilation of published statements on the book of mormon translation method in both church and nonchurch publications. According to the prophet joseph smith, the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the. Answers to questions respecting the theory in the senior manual, 19056. The book of mormon begins about 600 bc with a small group who fled jerusalem, landed in america, and quickly split into two antagonistic nations, the nephites and the lamanites. Those skeptical of joseph smiths claims sometimes insist that his account of the coming forth of the book is simply too. Contemporary accounts indicate that joseph began the translation using the nephite interpreters, and finished it using his own seer stone after the loss of the 116. Joseph smith translating the book of mormon by looking at a seer stone in a hat. Four women were witnesses to book of mormon translation. It was all done with the spectacles, the stone, the hat, and the book.
The translation method and end product do not match. Each of these womenmary whitmer, lucy mack smith, lucy harris, and emma smithaided in the translation of the book. Translation of the book of mormon mormonism, the mormon. Book of mormon, gospel topics essays, history, joseph smith, lds, mormon, mormon belief, mormon culture, mormon discussion. Was every word of the book of mormon translation provided directly from god. The book of mormon came into the world through a series of miraculous events. In addition, youll find great book recommendations that may be of interest to you based on your search and purchase history, as well as the most wished for and most gifted books.
The book of mormon relates the religious history of the nephite nation for a thousand years until widespread apostasy about 400 ad. Although we do not fully understand precisely how the book of mormon was translated, the. Welchs excellent article entitled the miraculous translation of the book of mormon, from opening the heavens, accounts of divine manifestations 18201844, p. On september 21, 1823, joseph smith, then seventeen years old, was in his bed praying when a light began to fill his room. The church continues to imply and express dual methods for translation of the book of mormon urim and thummim or the brown seer stone which is inaccurate. The problem is that joseph smith copied the bible chapters into the book of mormon, including many translation errors and italicized words in the process. Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is his translation of an ancient book written on gold plates. It could be said that mormon history starts with the translation of the book of mormon. Selected teachings on book of mormon translation it is difficult to assess with certainty the exact process, or processes, by which joseph smith translated the book of mormon. Welch t he translation of the book of mormon, completed by joseph smith in june 1829, was an amazing feat. Book of mormon translation, gospel topics essays 2016 book of mormon translation, gospel topics essays. Chronology of statements regarding translation methods used for the book of mormon.
Joseph smith at the age of 16 maybe 14,15 or 17 was led to the site of the plates by the angel moroni, joseph was instructed not to remove the items until he was given permission. And also to the convincing of the jew and gentile that jesus is the christ, the eternal god, manifesting himself unto all nationsand now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men. By any standard, this 588page holy book is extraordinary. Book of mormon answers page 3 faithfully exploring. A scanned pdf of the arabic book of mormon can be found here, and a physical copy can be purchased from store a list of other lds materials in arabic can be found on. The 2003 south park depiction of the book of mormon s translation process turns out to be more accurate than sanitized lds images of joseph smith poring over the golden plates. The mechanics of the method by which the book of mormon was claimed to have been translated have been examined by various scholars in order to determine how words were chosen. The lds church itself takes issue with whitmers credibility in other areas, such as joseph smiths method of translation. Many proposed book of mormon geography theories were originated using a method proposed by dr.
When i see the word translate, it means to me that a scribe read a manuscript written in one language e. Book of mormon written in modernday english grace for grace. Matthews and benjmins translation method is particularly interesting for book of mormon translation theories, since some of the biggest issues in discussions of book of mormon translation are. In place of this early method, joseph smith soon turned to a method of translation that depended directly on the interpreters alone, so that the plates did not have to be viewed, and thus the translation could be done openly. Mark ashurstmcgee of the joseph smith papers project concerning the various historical accounts of the book of mormon translation process. There is also evidence that joseph first talked about the angel moroni and the finding of the gold plates as a magical journey, evolving over time into the cleaner version we know today. Ostler as sistant professor of church history and doctrine, byu from revelations of the restoration. This evidence of the actual book of mormon translation method has been discussed in at least six different scholarly articles and several books by mormon historians over the past 30 years. Why new testament words and phrases are in the book of mormon part 9.
Apostle orson pratt gave an expansive definition in 1851 stating. Smith is the only source for a great deal of the story because much of it occurred while he was the only human witness. Why did joseph smith translate the book of mormon into jacobean english, not in use in 1830. Warning themes in the book of mormon and the condemnation that resteth upon the children of zion trailer. A number of questions, from their correspondents, have been submitted to the writer, by the editors of the era, respecting the senior manual for 19056. What was the method of translation, and why did it happen in the way it did. Unless otherwise indicated, the translation was financed and the resulting text published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates from which the book of mormon is said to have been translated to the most recent editions of josephs translation. Various accounts from witnesses to the translation process exist, including david whitmer and martin harris, two of the three witnesses.
And from such a viewpoint we may find it possible to place a broader interpretation on the nature of the book of mormon record itself. The leaders of the mormon faith teach that joseph smith translated ancient golden plates to get the foundation scriptures of the faith, namely the book of mormon. The gold plates and the translation of the book of mormon. Other accounts indicate that human effort was also involved. New church video explains joseph smiths seer stones book of. Joseph smiths means and methods of translating the book of mormon. I took my time rereadinglistening to this standard work of the latterday saints lds faith. Again, it is the rate of translation, approximately 6. More insight into the book of mormon translation process might come from the original book of commandments. Joseph smith said that the book of mormon translation was performed by the gift and power of god the lost 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript. That alone should raise suspicion among anyone with any sense at all. But besides that, there are serious issues with the book of mormon, some of its supporting evidence, and the translation method. The article is fairly brief and only superficially addresses the problem.
Examples of deliberate deception regarding the book of. How the book of mormon was translated let us reason. These facts are now officially confirmed in the churchs december 20 book of mormon translation essay. This method of translation is a literal one and does not afford joseph smith the. Introduction to the approximate book of mormon translation. At the completion of the translation, the golden plates were returned to the angel moroni, in whose care they. April 06, 1829 to june 16, 1829 translation of the book of mormon at this point we move to a daily analysis of the translation of the book of mormon. Much can be known about the coming forth of the english text of the book of mormon through a careful study of statements made by joseph smith, his scribes, and others closely associated with the translation of the book of mormon. Book of mormon keystone of mormonism mormon stories. New church video explains joseph smiths seer stones. The urim and thummim is a stone or other substance sanctified and illuminated by the spirit of the living god, and presented to those who are blessed with the gift of seeing.
All witnesses that refer to the translation of the lost 116. It is claimed that each sentence and word in the 1830 book of mormon had supposedly come directly from god. So clearly the book of mormon being translated through a rock in a hat is ridiculous. Emma smith, joseph smiths wife and scribe for part of the book of mormon, made a clear distinction between the two in an 1870 letter, the first that my. Nelson said, the details of this miraculous method of translation are still not fully known. In it, joseph is receiving revelation from god telling oliver he is blessed with a gift of a divining rod. The gold plates were never used and joseph used a seer stone he had found in a well to translate. The earliest newspaper accounts do not differ significantly from this scenario.
Jul 06, 2011 several of the witnesses comment that the gold plates were sometimes not even in sight as joseph dictated the book of mormon. The gold plates and the translation of the book of mormon the gold plates and the translation of the book of mormon according to joseph smiths later accounts, three years after he experienced his first vision of deity, an angel appeared to him in 1823 and told him of an ancient record written on gold plates. It is an attempt to put an at least approximate date on each of those events which were recorded from the time joseph smith received the book of mormon plates, until the time that the translation was completed. Concerning the manner in which the seerstone or the interpreters functioned, joseph smith reported only that they operated by the gift and power of god. Mormon church leaders and scholars have often stated that the book of mormon translation was not a mechanical process.
Fairmormon agrees with this statement, but attempts to argue that this method has been described in a variety of sources, as if to suggest that the rock in the hat translation method is common knowledge. Those historical interests are manifest in the recent description of the translation of the book of mormon found on the churchs official website. One should read the book of mormon itself and evaluate its message rather than get wrapped up in the detail of its exact method of translation. Rhonda pickering signs of our time why are the iconic symbols of the hopewell, a hand and a bird. The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the. The book of mormon is the keystone in our witness of jesus christ.
A personage appeared in the light and began to speak to joseph. Translation of the book of mormon book of mormon central. Smiths use of seer stones in the translation process of the book of mormon. When lds artists depict the translation of the book of mormon, it doesnt look.
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