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.
Reformed Egyptian and the Book of Mormon
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Contents
Criticism
Critics claim that
- Jews or Israelites (like the Nephites) would not have used the language of their slave period—Egyptian—to write sacred records.
- there is no evidence in Egyptology of something called "Reformed Egyptian," and that the Book of Mormon's claim to have been written in this language is therefore suspect.
Source(s) of the Criticism
- John Ankerberg and John Weldon, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Mormonism (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1992), 294-5.
- Marvin W. Cowan, Mormon Claims Answered, (Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1997), chapter 4.
- Latayne Colvett Scott, The Mormon Mirage : a former Mormon tells why she left the church (Grand Rapids : Zondervan Pub. House, 1979),63-4.
- Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 141-5.
- Kurt Van Gorden, Mormonism, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 8, footnote 7.
Response
The claim that Israelites in 600 BC would not use Egyptian is clearly false.
Conclusion
A summary of the argument against the criticism.
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
Reformed Egyptian and the Book of Mormon
FAIR web site
- FAIR Topical Guide: Reformed Egyptian
External links
- Ariel Crowley, "The Anthon Transcript," Improvement Era, 45:1 (January 1842) and 45:2 (February 1942), 45:3 (March 1942). [1]
- John L. Sorenson, "Digging into the Book of Mormon: Our Changing Understanding of Ancient America and Its Scripture, Part 2," Ensign (October 1984): 17.[2]
Printed material
- William J. Hamblin, "Reformed Egyptian" (Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1995).
- Carl H. Jones, "The 'Anthon Transcript' and Two Mesoamerican Cylinder Seals," Newsletter and Proceedings of the Society for Early Historical Archaeology, no. 122, September 1970, 1-8.