Difference between revisions of "Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Biblical/New Testament text"

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"Play fast and loose"
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"Seen better days"
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* ''As You Like It''
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* ''Timon of Athens''
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"The short and the long of it"
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''The Merry Wives of Windsor''
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"Wear my heart upon my sleeve"
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* ''Othello''
 
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"What the dickens"
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* ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''
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"The world's my oyster"
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* ''Henry IV, Part 2''
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Revision as of 10:57, 4 July 2009

This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.

Criticism

  • Critics claim that the Book of Mormon cannot be an ancient work because it contains material that is also found in the New Testament.
  • In the Book of Mormon, Jesus quotes a paraphrase of Moses' words found in Acts 3:22-26.

Source(s) of the criticism

Response

Main article: Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible?

The Book of Mormon claims to be a "translation." Therefore, the language used is that of Joseph Smith. Joseph could choose to render similar (or identical) material using King James Bible language if that adequately represented the text's intent.

Only if we presume that the Book of Mormon is a fraud at the outset is this proof of anything. If we assume that it is a translation, then the use of Bible language tells us merely that Joseph used biblical language.

If Joseph was a fraud, why would he plagiarize the one text—the King James Bible—which his readers would be sure to know, and sure to react negatively if they noticed it? The Book of Mormon contains much original material—Joseph didn't "need" to use the KJV; he is obviously capable of producing original material.

Furthermore, many of the critics examples consist of a phrase or a concept that Joseph has supposedly lifted from the New Testament. This complaint, however ignores several factors:

  • often the relation between the texts is not that close; only a few words are used that are the same. It is sometimes hard to see how there would be a different way of discussing the same sort of issue. Even if one believes Joseph forged the Book of Mormon, it seems more plausible that these cases are just a coincidence, or a case where one is almost "forced" to use the same type of language (e.g.,  [needs work]).
  • some phrases which approximate the New Testament are quite famous, classic renderings in the King James. Such phrases might be used almost instinctively or subconsciously when translating (e.g.,  [needs work]). Even academic translators sometimes struggle to avoid using the type of scriptural language with which they are very familiar—it can take a real effort to give a different rendering than one that is well known.
  • the Book of Mormon never hides its intent to use King James style English. It is not surprising, then, that there are parallels in language and vocabulary. The translation may even intend to call to mind these biblical verses or phrases, since the Book of Mormon is intended to complement the Bible
  • Joseph is clearly able to produce huge amounts of text that do not rely on the KJV at all. Why, if he wants to produce a believable forgery, does he adapt the occasional well-known phrase that could be noticed by even a relatively casual Bible reader? The critics require Joseph to be clever enough to produce independent text, and yet foolish enough to betray his dependence on the Bible.
  • Often, although the wording may be similar, the concept being explored is expanded, or the context is substantially altered in the Book of Mormon. The critics seem to think that Joseph flips through the Bible to find something, but the Book of Mormon certainly extends and adapts this material dramatically. The "copying" model seems more complex than needed, as it has Joseph taking small snippets of text from the Bible and other sources and somehow weaving it into the Book of Mormon text. Yet, eyewitnesses do not describe anything like this process; it is not even clear that Joseph owned a Bible during the Book of Mormon translation.
See also: Westminster Confession, The Wonders of Nature—Josiah Priest, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Did Joseph Smith own a Bible during the translation?, and Book of Mormon translation method
  • In a Bible-based culture like Joseph Smith's, Biblical phrases are simply "in the air," and are often used without an awareness of where they come from (this is especially true for those whose literary exposure did not extend much beyond the Bible—like Joseph). By analogy, many modern authors or speakers will use phrases like the following, completely unaware that they are quoting Shakespeare!
List Phrase Shakespeare Reference

*

All's well that ends well

  • All's Well That Ends Well

Title of play

*

"As good luck would have it"

  • The Merry Wives of Windsor

SOURCE

*

"Bated breath"

  • The Merchant of Venice

SOURCE

*

"Be-all and the end-all"

  • Macbeth

SOURCE

*

"Beggar all description"

  • Antony and Cleopatra

SOURCE

*

"Brave new world"

  • The Tempest

SOURCE

*

"Break the ice"

  • The Taming of the Shrew

SOURCE

*

"Refuse to budge an inch"

  • Measure for Measure
  • The Taming of the Shrew

SOURCE

*

"Dead as a doornail"

  • Henry IV, Part II

SOURCE

*
  • "Devil incarnate"
  • Henry V
  • Titus Andronicus

SOURCE

*

"Faint hearted"

  • Henry IV, Part I

SOURCE

*

"Fool's paradise"

  • Romeo and Juliet

SOURCE

*

"For goodness' sake"

  • Henry VIII

SOURCE

*

"Full circle

  • King Lear

SOURCE

*

"Good riddance"

  • Troilus and Cressida

SOURCE

*

"Household words"

  • Henry V

SOURCE

*

"Heart of gold"

  • Henry V

SOURCE

*

"In my heart of hearts"

  • Hamlet

SOURCE

*

"In a pickle"

  • The Tempest

SOURCE

*

"Laughing stock"

  • The Merry Wives of Windsor

SOURCE

*

"Lie low"

  • Much Ado About Nothing

SOURCE

*

"Love is blind"

  • The Merchant of Venice

SOURCE

*

"Melted into thin air"

  • The Tempest

SOURCE

*

"Ministering angel"

  • Hamlet

SOURCE

*

"Naked truth"

  • Love's Labours Lost

SOURCE

*=

"Not slept one wink"

  • Cymbeline

SOURCE

*=

"One fell swoop"

  • Macbeth

SOURCE

*=

"Play fast and loose"

  • King John

SOURCE

*=

"Seen better days"

  • As You Like It
  • Timon of Athens

SOURCE

*=

"The short and the long of it"

The Merry Wives of Windsor

SOURCE

*=

"Too much of a good thing"

  • As You Like It

SOURCE

*=

"Wear my heart upon my sleeve"

  • Othello

SOURCE

*=

"What the dickens"

  • The Merry Wives of Windsor

SOURCE

*

"The world's my oyster"

  • Henry IV, Part 2

Endnotes

None


Further reading

Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Biblical/New Testament text

FAIR wiki articles

FAIR web site

  • FAIR Topical Guide:

External links

Printed material

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