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JamesStutz (talk | contribs) (→Bible vs The Joseph Smith Translation (JST)) |
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Kramer then investigates three different instances in which the JST differs from the text of ancient manuscripts of the Bible and in each case Kramer concludes that Joseph Smith's translation does not match the best manuscripts available today. Kramer ultimately concludes that Joseph Smith himself has corrupted the Bible and it is implied that Joseph is a hypocrite for claiming (through Nephi) that "the great and abominable church" is responsible for corrupting the Bible. | Kramer then investigates three different instances in which the JST differs from the text of ancient manuscripts of the Bible and in each case Kramer concludes that Joseph Smith's translation does not match the best manuscripts available today. Kramer ultimately concludes that Joseph Smith himself has corrupted the Bible and it is implied that Joseph is a hypocrite for claiming (through Nephi) that "the great and abominable church" is responsible for corrupting the Bible. | ||
− | But Joseph Smith himself never explained what exactly the nature of the JST is. The JST was a continual project for Joseph, one he did not finish before his death in 1844. In the absence of a clear explanation of the nature of the JST, many Latter-day Saints have made the same assumption that Kramer makes, that it is a restoration of text which was lost or corrupted by translators and scribes. But LDS scholarship in recent decades has helped | + | But Joseph Smith himself never explained what exactly the nature of the JST is. The JST was a continual project for Joseph, one he did not finish before his death in 1844. In the absence of a clear explanation of the nature of the JST, many Latter-day Saints have made the same assumption that Kramer makes, that it is a restoration of text which was lost or corrupted by translators and scribes. But LDS scholarship in recent decades has helped to provide insight into exactly what the JST is. It has been described as a combination of the following: |
+ | |||
+ | :#Portions may amount to restorations of content material once written by the biblical authors but since deleted from the Bible. | ||
+ | #Portions may consist of a record of actual historical events that were not recorded, or were recorded but never included in the biblical collection | ||
+ | #Portions may consist of inspired commentary by the Prophet Joseph Smith, enlarged, elaborated, and even adapted to a latter-day situation. This may be similar to what Nephi meant by "Likening" the scriptures to himself and his people in their particular circumstance. (See 1 Nephi 19:23-24; 2 Nephi 11:8). | ||
+ | #Some items may be a harmonization of doctrinal concepts that were revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith independently of his translation of the Bible, but by means of which he was able to discover that a biblical passage was inaccurate. | ||
*FAIR Wiki article:[[Joseph_Smith_Translation|The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]] | *FAIR Wiki article:[[Joseph_Smith_Translation|The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible]] |
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In 2010 Sourceflix & Living Hope Ministries (LHM) produced a DVD entitled "The Bible vs Joseph Smith". This film compares and contrasts the prophecies found in the Bible with the prophecies found in the Book of Mormon. The format of the film is a dialogue between Joel Kramer of LHM and Greg Gifford, a Latter-day Saint. The film is shot entirely in Israel, and various scholars are interviewed for their opinions. Overall the filming is well done and leaves the sense of a solid case against Joseph Smith, when in reality the arguments are very poor and easily debunked.
The film opens with a short conversation about the biblical test for determining whether a prophet is a true prophet or a false prophet as found in Deuteronomy 18꞉20-22:
Commenting on this passage, Kramer says,
A few important points should be made about this:
The following articles discuss this issue further:
Relevant articles: John Gee: The Corruption of Scripture in Early Christianity (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/books/?bookid=42&chapid=206)
What exactly is the nature of the "Joseph Smith Translation" (JST) of the Bible, also known as the "Inspired Version"? In his discussion of this text Joel Kramer approaches it as a restoration of the "plain and precious parts of the Bible", as described in the chapter heading of 1 Nephi 13. Describing the JST, Kramer says,
Kramer then investigates three different instances in which the JST differs from the text of ancient manuscripts of the Bible and in each case Kramer concludes that Joseph Smith's translation does not match the best manuscripts available today. Kramer ultimately concludes that Joseph Smith himself has corrupted the Bible and it is implied that Joseph is a hypocrite for claiming (through Nephi) that "the great and abominable church" is responsible for corrupting the Bible.
But Joseph Smith himself never explained what exactly the nature of the JST is. The JST was a continual project for Joseph, one he did not finish before his death in 1844. In the absence of a clear explanation of the nature of the JST, many Latter-day Saints have made the same assumption that Kramer makes, that it is a restoration of text which was lost or corrupted by translators and scribes. But LDS scholarship in recent decades has helped to provide insight into exactly what the JST is. It has been described as a combination of the following:
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