Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, brigham young university, 2001. The original book of mormon transcript title page if there be fault it be the mistake of men. The original text of the book of mormon and its publication. A stray ink drop and a quirk of nineteenthcentury script make the difference between retain that wrong and repair that wrong. Church acquires another piece of the original book of. The book of mormon invites exploration and reexploration. Scribe 1oliver cowdery scribe 2 unknown scribe 3 unknown reply to critics. This work represents the central task of the critical text project, to restore by scholarly means the original text of the book of mormon, to the extent possible. After more than 150 years of careful reading, we are still learning to appreciate its fullness, understand its origins, and comprehend its messages. The original manuscript of the book of mormon book. Royal skousen collected and examined the existing fragments of the original manuscript of the book of mormon to produce a critical text.
The first volume in the series contains a transcript of the remaining portions of. These take the form of such things as double negatives, incorrect adverbs and adjectives, and incorrect tenses. When joseph smith translated the book of mormon in the spring of 1829, he dictated the text line by line. After more than a decade of research, byu english professor royal j. The last of the plates of mormon was the title page.
One mormon scholar points out that there are other texts that are available only in translation but that scholars agree are ancient. According to chronology found in the book of mormon, king benjamin should have been dead at this time. The words of mormon in the context of the loss of the 116. Acquires more fragments of original book of mormon manuscript. Typographical facsimile of the extant text provo, ut. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. Byu professor completes book of mormon transcripts byu. The lost 116 pages were the original manuscript pages of what joseph smith, founder of the. A complete transcript of the extant parts of the original manuscript of the book of mormon has been published as royal skousen, ed. Book of mormon printers manuscript is now online church. What im going to be talking about today is restoring the original text of the book of mormon. Finally, the mormon church leaders became so embarrassed about the grammar that they decided to abandon the idea that god gave joseph smith the english that is found in the.
Yale university press holds the rights to reproduce this text. Given the contradictory accounts left behind by charles anthon and martin harris,22 the absence of a translation of the characters which finds broad academic acceptance, and the fact that the documents which survive today are copies or even copies of copies of a presumably nowlost original, students of the book of mormon and early latter. Restoring the original text of the book of mormon fairmormon. The manuscript pages contain the words written by josephs. The coming forth of the book of mormon, ensign january 1988. The book of mormon printers manuscript, recently purchased by the church from. History and findings of the critical text project, edited by m. A strong case can be made for the authenticity of joseph smiths account of the coming forth of the book of mormon first, the eyewitness testimony of those directly involved with the translation unanimously agree that joseph was not copying from another book or manuscript, but rather the text of the book of mormon as he peered into the sear. Indeed, it camem to pass that the prophet joseph smith discovered the book of mormon on golden plates. The original book of mormon transcript book of mormon. Errors in grammar there are literally thousands of grammatical errors in the original edition of the book of mormon errors that gradually have been changed in later editions. Mar 30, 2020 a video supplement for come, follow me book of mormon lesson. Church acquires more fragments of original book of mormon.
There are many people outside of the lds church who wonder if joseph smith was. The original book of mormon transcript the book of mormon. An examination of the original manuscript reveals that joseph smith, as he translated, apparently never went back to cross out, revise, or modify. Studying it out in the mind of joseph smith, journal of book of mormon studies 52 1996. According to smith, these characters were from the golden plates the ancient record from which smith claims to have translated the book of mormon and represent the reformed egyptian. From 2004 through 2009 he published the six books that make up volume 4 of the critical text, analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon. Book of mormon, 1830, page 0 the joseph smith papers. Why did joseph smith translate the book of mormon into jacobean english, not in use in 1830. The original manuscript and printers manuscript of the book of mormon had no punctuation. An early copy of the book of mormon is now in the hands of the mainstream mormon church. Lds church acquires book of mormon printers manuscript. Andrew rannells from book of mormon and girls andrew rannells has come a long way from omaha, which he left in the late 90s to follow his dream of. Church acquires another piece of the original book of mormon.
Evidence from the book of mormon manuscript mormonthink. According to smith, these characters were from the golden plates the ancient record from which smith claims to have translated the book of mormon and represent the reformed egyptian writing that was on the plates. S since the original manuscript was written under difficult circumstances, it was not always neat. Grandins assistant, who was not a member of the church. The printers manuscript was consulted again by joseph smith and others when the second edition of the book of mormon was printed in 1837 in kirtland, ohio. In uncovering the original text of the book of mormon. On september 22nd, 1827, joseph smith retrieved the golden plates that were later translated into the book of mormon. In this episode, dave takes a closer look at the original manuscript of the book of mormon and shows that theres a surprising amount of insight we can gain from it. The first edition of the book of mormon went on sale in palmyra on march 26, 1830, and smith formally organized a church less than two weeks later. What does the original book of mormon manuscript reveal about. Between 1828 and 1831, the american bible society launched an aggressive campaign to put a copy of the old and new testament in every american home. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, brigham young university, 2001, p. Sperry, of the brigham young university, made the following comment concerning this change.
It asks readers to understand that if there be fault in the book of mormon it be the mistake of men. More than a decade of meticulous research revealed such insights as royal skousen prepared transcripts of the original and printers. The first two pages of the printers manuscript of the book of mormon sit atop the rest of the manuscript on the casing that folds over it and then slides into an additional case for preservation. Royal skousen is editor of the book of mormon critical text project and. Sloan, the anthon transcripts and the translation of the book of mormon. The original book of mormon manuscript byu studies. This article is being offered free as a courtesy to as it was footnoted in an expanded gospel topic on their site while much that has been said regarding the origin of the book of mormon is beyond the experience of the average searcher, only as he accepts or rejects the credibility of the earliest witnesses, the existence of the book itself provides a common ground for careful. Mar 25, 2020 in this episode, dave takes a closer look at the original manuscript of the book of mormon and shows that theres a surprising amount of insight we can gain from it. As part of the critical text project of the book of mormon, we have produced transcripts like this one in order to faithfully record whats actually on. Mar 12, 2019 andrew rannells from book of mormon and girls andrew rannells has come a long way from omaha, which he left in the late 90s to follow his dream of becoming a broadway star in new york city. The original book of mormon transcript book of mormon central. Mar 06, 2019 the book of mormon text contains logical impossibilities. It asks readers to understand that if there be fault in the book of mormon it be.
What is the original language of the book of mormon. The original text of the book of mormon and its publication by yale. A colored photographic facsimile reprint of the original. Lds church acquires book of mormon printers manuscript the. In this paper i discuss the work of the book of mormon critical text project and the attempt to restore and publish the original text of the book of mormon. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august. Ive been working on the critical text project of the book of mormon. The book of mormon has a number of original and distinctive doctrinal discussions on subjects such as the fall of adam and eve, the nature of the christian atonement, eschatology, redemption from physical and spiritual death, and the organization of the latterday church.
Since both sariah and jerusalems walls appear early in the book of mormon, and since we know from the handwriting on the original book of mormon manuscript that emma did not scribe for 1 nephi, this means that emma assisted joseph at the beginning of lehis story in the lost 116 pages and was thus his first scribe in the work of. The book of mormon text contains logical impossibilities. A video supplement for come, follow me book of mormon lesson. The complete book and lyrics of the broadway musical. Book of mormontranslationanthon transcript fairmormon.
The text of the yale edition of the book of mormon. The book of mormon critical text project, under the editorship of royal skousen, began in 1988 and is now nearing completion. In doing the critical text project of the book of mormon, we produced these transcripts, which faithfully reproduce. A faithful site with a colored photographic facsimile reprint of every page of the original first edition palmyra, 1830 book of mormon. Book of mormon manuscript excerpt, circa june 1829 1 nephi 2. The complete book and lyrics of the broadway musical parker, trey, lopez, robert, stone, matt on. The website shows a sidebyside comparison of the pages. When i see the word translate, it means to me that a scribe read a manuscript written in one language e. More than a decade of meticulous research revealed such insights as royal skousen prepared transcripts of the original and printers manuscripts of the book of mormon for publication. Nov 21, 2012 the original manuscript and printers manuscript of the book of mormon had no punctuation. Over the years, from its initial publication in 1830 to the present day, the book of mormons original nonstandard language has been interpreted as representing joseph smiths own american dialect and taken as a clear sign that joseph was indeed the author of the words of the text. Title page if there be fault it be the mistake of men. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august 1829.
The book of mormon printer s manuscript has been published virtually in its entirety, but what lds historians consider the crown jewel of the book s originthe original manuscript handwritten as joseph smith dictated to scribes his translation of the nephite record preserved on gold platesexists only in fragmentary form. Apr 17, 2018 on september 22nd, 1827, joseph smith retrieved the golden plates that were later translated into the book of mormon. Only about 39 percent of the printers manuscript pages contain editing marks that were inserted in advance of typesetting. The book of mormon claims to be a translation of an ancient text, the original language version of which is not available. The original manuscript of the book of mormon contains virtually no punctuation, and the scribes for the printers manuscript added very little of their own. There are at least185 quotations and 2,500 unique vocabulary words from the new testame. A new volume of the joseph smith papers project featuring the printers manuscript of the book of mormon was released tuesday by the church historians press, an imprint of the history department of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. It tells of hebrew tribes that walked in ancient america. Skousen, 69, has completed typographical transcripts of the handwritten original and printers manuscripts of the book of mormon. He works in me to do his will enoswords of mormon transcript in words of mormon, which is currently positioned between the records translated from the small plates of nephi and the large plates of nephi, mormon expla. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon is the 11th published volume of the project in. For the latest detailed report, see royal skousen, towards a critical edition of the book of mormon, byu studies 30 winter 1990. Reid neilson, left, assistant church historian and recorder, and robin scott jensen, associate managing historian and project archivist for the joseph smith papers project, go over portions of the original manuscript of the book of mormon that have been in the possession of the church history department. In 2001, facsimile transcripts of the two book of mormon manuscripts volumes 1 and 2 of the critical text were published by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms.
The anthon transcript often identified with the caractors document is a piece of paper on which joseph smith wrote several lines of characters. Though skousen had made a transcript from black and white photos of the printers manuscript the handwritten book of mormon copied from the original manuscript to help printers set type. The original text betrays its new england origin in many ways, from inconsistent spelling to incorrect use of tenses and number, as well as incorrect usage of jacobean english. The original book of mormon transcript contains grammatical errors. What does the original book of mormon manuscript reveal.
Royal skousen, the original manuscript of the book of mormon. For information about the more recent discovery of several fragments of the original manuscript. The anthon transcript is a small piece of paper on which joseph smith wrote several lines of characters. Using funds from donors, the church purchased the manuscript from the community of christ on wednesday, september 20, 2017. Is the book of mormon an authentic ancient scripture. This paper was then delivered to professor charles anthon, a wellknown. A threebook set of the manuscripts is now available to scholars for the first time. Given the contradictory accounts left behind by charles anthon and martin harris,22 the absence of a translation of the characters which finds broad academic acceptance, and the fact that the documents which survive today are copies or even copies of copies of a presumably nowlost original, students of the book of mormon and early.
Smith completed the book of mormon without retranslating the book of lehi, replacing it with what he said was an. The earliest text and his printers manuscript volumes, this book is an indispensable resource for studies of the book of mormon that rely on an accurate and original text. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. They fought many great battles, but then, just after his crucifixion, christ appeared.
The earliest text this book is a fascinating look at the less than 30% of the original manuscript that still remains of the book of mormon as it was translated and dictated by joseph smith under the guidance of the spirit to his scribes. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. Book of mormon central evidences of the book of mormon. Book of mormon sets new record for most expensive manuscript. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, 2002. Pros cons there are rather few faults in book of mormon grammar, even in. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. Skousens decades if painstaking effort have provided a whole new landscape for critical study of the book of mormon. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors.
Church history department releases book of mormon printer. Book of mormon, 1837 book of mormon, 1840 book of mormon, 1841. Church acquires another piece of the original book of mormon manuscript. Modern origin of the book of mormon institute for religious. Aug 31, 2017 reid neilson, left, assistant church historian and recorder, and robin scott jensen, associate managing historian and project archivist for the joseph smith papers project, go over portions of the original manuscript of the book of mormon that have been in the possession of the church history department. The book of mormons old testament portion bmot quotes heavily from the new testament of the bible. May 09, 2019 many questions remain about the anthon transcript. Book of mormon, the script broadway musical the book of mormon cast a hill mormon moroni jesus joseph smith brigham young the missionary training center superior kevin price arnold cunningham elder harris elder grant elder young elder cross elder smith elder green elder brown elder white the families mr. The original book of mormon transcript the book of. The anthon transcript is a piece of paper on which joseph smith wrote several lines of characters.