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Difference between revisions of "Book of Mormon/Money"
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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 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. | + | 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: |
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| + | :[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}} | ||
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==Conclusion== | ==Conclusion== | ||
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==Endnotes== | ==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|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}} | ||
Revision as of 18:19, 2 March 2007
Contents
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.
Response
The text of the Book of Mormon does not mention coins. The pieces of gold and silver described in Alma 11꞉1-20 are not coins, but a surprisingly sophisticated[1] 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.[2]
Endnotes
- [note] See "The Numerical Elegance of the Nephite System": Table 1 and Table 2, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999); John W. Welch, "Did the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica use a system of weights and scales in measuring goods & their values?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). link; John W. Welch, "Weighing & Measuring in the Worlds of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). [36–46] link
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
Book of Mormon/Money
FAIR web site
- FairMormon Topical Guide: Book of Mormon Anachronisms FairMormon link
- Michael Ash, "Book of Mormon Anachronisms Part 6: Compass, Coins, and Other Miscellaneous" PDF link
External links
- Michael Ash, "Coins in the Book of Mormon"] (MormonFortress.com) off-site
- Jeff Lindsay, "Why Are 'Coins' Mentioned in the Book of Mormon Before The Invention of Coins?" (LightPlanet.com) off-site
- Daniel C. Peterson, "Chattanooga Cheapshot, or The Gall of Bitterness (Review of Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism by John Ankerberg and John Weldon)," FARMS Review of Books 5/1 (1993): 1–86. off-site, see especially p. 55.
- John W. Welch, "Did the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica use a system of weights and scales in measuring goods & their values?," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). link
- John W. Welch, "Weighing & Measuring in the Worlds of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999). [36–46] link
- "The Numerical Elegance of the Nephite System": Table 1 and Table 2, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 8/2 (1999).