FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Difference between revisions of "Book of Mormon textual changes"
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===FAIR web site=== | ===FAIR web site=== | ||
*FAIR Topical Guide: [http://fairlds.org/apol/ai282.html Changes in the Book of Mormon] | *FAIR Topical Guide: [http://fairlds.org/apol/ai282.html Changes in the Book of Mormon] | ||
| + | *L. Ara Norwood, [http://www.fairlds.org/pubs/conf/2001NorL.html Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28] | ||
| + | *J. Cooper Johnson, [http://www.fairlds.org/apol/bom/bom03.html King Benjamin or Mosiah: A Look at Mosiah 21:28] | ||
===External links=== | ===External links=== | ||
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*Stephen R. Gibson, [http://www.lightplanet.com/response/answers/changes.htm Why Were 4,000 Changes Made in The Book of Mormon?]. | *Stephen R. Gibson, [http://www.lightplanet.com/response/answers/changes.htm Why Were 4,000 Changes Made in The Book of Mormon?]. | ||
*W. John Walsh, Robert L. Matthews, Van Hale, Stan Larson, [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/bom_changes.htm Changes to the Book of Mormon]. | *W. John Walsh, Robert L. Matthews, Van Hale, Stan Larson, [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/response/qa/bom_changes.htm Changes to the Book of Mormon]. | ||
| − | |||
===Printed material=== | ===Printed material=== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Book of Mormon Critical Text Project==== | ||
| + | Working in collaboration with [http://farms.byu.edu FARMS], professor Royal Skousen is current producing the definitive critical edition of the Book of Mormon, comparing the original manuscripts and all printed editions, identifying differences, and suggesting improvements to the current text. The following volumes in the series are currently available: | ||
| + | *Volume 1: ''The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon'' (2001; ISBN 0934893047). | ||
| + | *Volume 2, part 1: ''The Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 1–Alma 17'' (2001; ISBN 0934893055). | ||
| + | *Volume 2, part 2: ''The Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Alma 18–Moroni 10'' (2001; ISBN 0934893063). | ||
| + | *Volume 4, part 1: ''Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 1–2 Nephi 10'' (2004; ISBN 0934893071). | ||
| + | *Volume 4, part 2: ''Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 11–Mosiah 16'' (2005; ISBN 093489308X). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ====Other material==== | ||
*Douglas Campbell, "[http://www.geocities.com/marcschindler1/vignette.htm 'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes]," ''Dialogue'', 29/4 (Winter 1996), p. 119. | *Douglas Campbell, "[http://www.geocities.com/marcschindler1/vignette.htm 'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes]," ''Dialogue'', 29/4 (Winter 1996), p. 119. | ||
*George Horton, "[http://library.lds.org/library/lpext.dll/ArchMagazines/Ensign/1983.htm/ensign%20december%201983%20.htm/understanding%20textual%20changes%20in%20the%20book%20of%20mormon.htm Understanding Textual Changes in the Book of Mormon]," ''Ensign'', December 1983, p. 25. | *George Horton, "[http://library.lds.org/library/lpext.dll/ArchMagazines/Ensign/1983.htm/ensign%20december%201983%20.htm/understanding%20textual%20changes%20in%20the%20book%20of%20mormon.htm Understanding Textual Changes in the Book of Mormon]," ''Ensign'', December 1983, p. 25. | ||
Revision as of 00:57, 27 November 2005
Contents
Criticism
The published text of the Book of Mormon has been corrected and edited through its various editions. Critics claim that this is evidence that Joseph Smith and other Church leaders were attempting to cover up errors that would expose the book as a work of man, not God.
Response
Joseph Smith taught "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" (cite). As the end of the preceding quote clarifies, by "most correct" this he meant in principle and teaching. The authors of the Book of Mormon themselves explained several times that their writing was imperfect, but that the teachings in the book were from God (1 Nephi 19:6; 2 Nephi 33:4; Mormon 8:17; 9:31-33; Ether 12:23-26).
Insignificant changes
If one counts every difference in every punctuation mark in every edition of the Book of Mormon, the result is well over 100,000 changes (Skousen, 2002). The critical issue is not the number of changes that have been made to the text, but the nature of the changes.
Most changes are insignificant modifications to spelling, grammar, and punctuation, and are mainly due to the human failings of editors and publishers. For example, the word meet — meaning "appropriate" — as it appears in 1 Nephi 7:1, was spelled "mete" in the first edition of the Book of Mormon, published in 1830. (This is a common error made by scribes of dictated texts.) "Mete" means to distribute, but the context here is obvious, and so the spelling was corrected in later editions.
Some of these typographical errors do affect the meaning of a passage or present a new understanding of it, but not in a way that presents a challenge to the divinity of the Book of Mormon. One example is 1 Nephi 12:18, which in all printed editions reads "a great and a terrible gulf divideth them; yea, even the word of the justice of the Eternal God," while the manuscript reads "the sword of the justice of the Eternal God." In this instance, the typesetter accidentally dropped the s at the beginning of sword.
The current (1981) edition of the Book of Mormon has this notice printed on the page opposite 1 Nephi, chapter 1:
- Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Significant changes
Changes that would affect the authenticity of the Book of Mormon are limited to:
- those that are substantive AND
- could possibly change the doctrine of the book OR
- could be used as evidence that the book was written by Joseph Smith.
There are surprisingly few meaningful changes to the Book of Mormon text, and all of them were made by Joseph Smith himself in editions published during his lifetime. These changes include:
- "the Son of" added to 1 Nephi 11:18, 11:21, 11:32, and 13:40.
- "Benjamin" changed to "Mosiah" in Mosiah 21:28 and Ether 4:1.
- "or out of the waters of baptism" added to 1 Nephi 20:1.
- "white" changed to "pure" in 2 Nephi 30:6.
The historical record shows that these changes were made to clarify the meaning of the text, not to alter it.
For example, the addition of "the Son of" to four passages in 1 Nephi does not change the Book of Mormon's teaching that Jesus Christ is the God of Old Testament Israel. This concept is taught in at least dozen other passages whose readings remain unchanged from the original manuscripts. (See, for example, 1 Nephi 19:10; Mosiah 7:27; 13:28, 33-34; 15:1; Helaman 8:22-23; 3 Nephi 11:10, 14.)
Conclusion
The authenticity of the Book of Mormon is not affected by the modifications that have been made to its text because the vast majority of those modifications are minor corrections in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The few significant modifications were made by the Prophet Joseph Smith to clarify the meaning of the text, not to change it. This was his right as translator of the book.
Further reading
FAIR web site
- FAIR Topical Guide: Changes in the Book of Mormon
- L. Ara Norwood, Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28
- J. Cooper Johnson, King Benjamin or Mosiah: A Look at Mosiah 21:28
External links
- Jeff Lindsay, Have there been thousands of changes in the Book of Mormon?
- Mike Ash, Changes in the Book of Mormon.
- Stephen R. Gibson, Why Were 4,000 Changes Made in The Book of Mormon?.
- W. John Walsh, Robert L. Matthews, Van Hale, Stan Larson, Changes to the Book of Mormon.
Printed material
Book of Mormon Critical Text Project
Working in collaboration with FARMS, professor Royal Skousen is current producing the definitive critical edition of the Book of Mormon, comparing the original manuscripts and all printed editions, identifying differences, and suggesting improvements to the current text. The following volumes in the series are currently available:
- Volume 1: The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon (2001; ISBN 0934893047).
- Volume 2, part 1: The Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 1–Alma 17 (2001; ISBN 0934893055).
- Volume 2, part 2: The Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Alma 18–Moroni 10 (2001; ISBN 0934893063).
- Volume 4, part 1: Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: 1 Nephi 1–2 Nephi 10 (2004; ISBN 0934893071).
- Volume 4, part 2: Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon: 2 Nephi 11–Mosiah 16 (2005; ISBN 093489308X).
Other material
- Douglas Campbell, "'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes," Dialogue, 29/4 (Winter 1996), p. 119.
- George Horton, "Understanding Textual Changes in the Book of Mormon," Ensign, December 1983, p. 25.
- Stan Larson, "Changes in Early Texts of The Book of Mormon," Ensign, September 1976, pp. 77–82.
- Stan Larson, "Early Book of Mormon Texts: Textual Changes to the Book of Mormon in 1837 and 1840," Sunstone 4 (Fall 1976): 45–59.
- Stan Larson, "Textual Variants in Book of Mormon Manuscripts," Dialogue, 10/4 (Autumn 1977), pp. 8–30.
- Robert J. Matthews, "Why have changes been made in the printed editions of the Book of Mormon?," Ensign, March 1987, p. 47.
- Royal Skousen, "Towards a Critical Edition of the Book of Mormon," BYU Studies 30/1 (1990), pp. 41–69.
- Royal Skousen, "Piecing Together the Original Manuscript," BYU Today, May 1992, pp. 18–24.
- Royal Skousen, "Changes In the Book of Mormon," 2002 FAIR Conference proceedings.