The book of mormon is the doctrinal centerpiece of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The pages bespeak faith and testimony of jesus christ and an absolute belief in the historicity of the book of mormon account. Smith and the genesis of the book of mormon, has become. Its the calling card for thousands of missionaries, and part of the inspiration for a tony awardwinning broadway musical. The following video demonstrates that the book of mormon s redundancies are actually sophisticated literary features which, in many cases, are similar or identical to literary techniques used by ancient hebrew authors. The style of the book of mormon has been criticized by some as being verbose and redundant, but in most cases these repetitions are orderly and effective. According to hugh nibley, the father of contemporary mormon scriptural and theological scholarship, the book of mormon can and should be tested. The book of mormon relates the religious history of the nephite nation for a thousand years until widespread apostasy about 400 ad. Their lack of ability, in each case, did not seem to deter them from producing works which equal, or easily surpass, the book of mormon in literary style and quality. New computer study purports to detect literary influences.
The final writer in the book of mormon, the abridger of the book of ether, and the son of the prophet and historian mormon. In antiquity, one scholar explained, the beginning andor the end of a literary text was often marked by colophons. That said, unique literary styles in the book of mormon is not meant to satisfy all technical demands of academic scholarship. Could joseph smith have written the book of mormon. This may lead readers to wonder if it has any literary merit at all. They add emphasis to twicerepeated concepts and give definition to sharply drawn contrasts. That wedding of the rational and the religious works well for a volume which argues that the literary dimensions of the book of mormon contribute deliberately and dramatically to its religious impact.
The style of the book of mormon has been criticized by some as being. One of the sacred books of the mormon church, published in 1830 by joseph smith and considered by mormons to be a historic record of the migration of. Structural studies have identified an artistic literary form, chiasmus, that appears in rich diversity in both the bible and the book of mormon see book of mormon literature. Prophetic discourse is a dominant literary form in the book of mormon. New computer study purports to detect literary influences on the book of mormon posted on october 27, 20 by christopher smith the internets been abuzz with hype this week about a new computer study by duane and chris johnson which purports to identify four literary influences on the book of mormon besides the king james bible. This study of this is called analyzing word patterns, wordprinting or stylometry. A working definition of literature, is that it is an interpretive presentation of experience in an artistic form. Two others are by the hand of mormon and the book of mormon. The book of mormon begins about 600 bc with a small group who fled jerusalem, landed in america, and quickly split into two antagonistic nations, the nephites and the lamanites. If he copied from someone, we should see that authors writing style likewise. Additionally, the book of mormon reflects kjv literary and linguistic style. What is chiasmus and why is it so important in the book of. Chiasmus is one aspect of that way of writing, or, in other words, one of the literary techniques present in the bible, that has recently attracted the attention of.
However, if we define it too narrowly, then the field of literature will be so small. A biblical scholar looks at the book of mormon mormons. This volume features articles that look at literary aspects of the book of mormon, including a lyric reading of nephis psalm, the exodus pattern and moses typology in the book, the literary context that affected its acceptance in england in 1837, a comparison of the book of mormon with the narrative of zosimus, and even an analysis of the. Literary style used in book of mormon insured accurate. Opening the book of mormon itself, we find that it more than fulfills our expectations. The bibleas literature movement was so successful that by the fall of 1982. A stylometric analysis of mormon scripture and related texts d. One can read the book of mormon as canonized scripture, to guide the. This book of mormon is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive. Pinnock of the seventy has produced a conveniently organized handbook of literary devices used in the book of mormon.
Chiasmus can be used in the structure of entire passages to parallel concepts or ideas. It is claimed that the presence of chiasmus in the book of mormon is either coincidental, an artifact of the observer, or not impressive since examples of chiastic patterns have been found in the doctrine and covenants or other 19th century writing. The literary power of the book of mormon book of mormon. The literary power of the book of mormon religious studies center.
Although the book of mormon is composed of such literary elements as stories. This means that nsc analysis will always deliver positive results for one of the candidate authors in the set, even if his or her style happens to be. The answer here rests on the whole literary style contained in the book of mormon compared to maya writing in the popol vuh. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. The most significant structural studies of the book of mormon derive from. The book of mormon synonyms, the book of mormon pronunciation, the book of mormon translation, english dictionary definition of the book of mormon. Fanfic mark twain may have savaged its literary ambitions, but a new novel from avi. The description offered by leland ryken, a biblical scholar, is useful in our discussion of some of the literary parts of the book of mormon. The second disagreement between the conclusions of higher criticism and the book of mormon is of a weightier and more worthy character. Speeches such as king benjamins address mosiah 16, alma 2s challenge to the people of zarahemla alma 5, and mormons teachings on faith, hope, and charity moro. We find then that the lds claim that smith could not have written the book of mormon is without foundation. Gideon burton brigham young university presentation to the association for. Some early critics of the book of mormon ridiculed its literary qualities. Chiasmus and the book of mormon utah lighthouse ministry.
Literary style used in book of mormon insured accurate translation. The book of mormon reference companion book of mormon. The book of mormon is a religious text which, like the bible, may be subjected to various methods of analysis. Book of mormon literature the encyclopedia of mormonism. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able to see distinct writing styles among each different author. The ultimate list of lds classics every mormon should read. David bokovoys work and grant hardys understanding the book of mormon have already been mentioned and both would qualify as efforts that bracket issues of truthfulness to evaluate the literary value. For over a century, this book has been a standard text for gospel students and teachers alike because it presents the fundamental doctrines of the church in a systematic way. The term chiasmus is never used, but this book clearly shows that hebrew poetic styles were recognized and studied even before joseph smiths time. Finding biblical hebrew and other ancient literary forms. This inspiring and thoughtprovoking work, long considered a classic in mormon literature, is now available in a convenient, giftable, softleather edition. The kjv was the most commonly used translation of the bible when the book of mormon was produced. Unique literary styles in the book of mormon, further.
It speaks in a clarion voice of warning to those who would survive the last days. A glance at independent studies of poetic style in the book of mormon crowell 1992. The literary masterpiece called the book of mormon. Some critics have disparaged the book of mormon s language for being too repetitive. Following these rules, the thesis provides an analysis of specific themes particular to the book of mormon and. This process, termed conceptual chiasmus, uses a crisscrossing rhetorical structure to cause an overlapping of intellectual space. It has been claimed that the books of the apocrypha were a source for the book of mormon. Several critics have pointed to grammatical errors in the early modern english style of the book of mormon and made the argument that because the original ms, the printers ms, and the first edition of the book of mormon appear to have contained hundreds of grammatical errors, the book was therefore fabricated by smith and not divinely inspired. This thesis discusses whether literary methods of analysis are applicable to a sacred text, and suggests rules which should govern such a method of analysis. Chiasmus in the book of mormon may, therefore, help readers more deeply appreciate the literary brilliance of the book while simultaneously increasing confidence in its authenticity as an ancient text and elevating faith in its concerted testimony of jesus christ, who is without doubt the central figure of this sacred record. Second, the doctrine and covenants has examples of the same pattern. The book of mormon definition of the book of mormon by. They add emphasis to twicerepeated concepts and give definition to sharply. My intended readers are those who may have little appetite for endless footnotes from obscure sources, and are not bedazzled by credentials behind a name.
Critics of the book of mormon are quick to point out that knowledge of chiasmus was actually widespread during that time and it would not have been exceptional at all for joseph smith to have been aware of this hebrew literary style during translation. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. January 2, 1988 by ben crowder apocryphal works, attack. In 1980, researchers at brigham young university used stylometric techniques they called wordprint analysis to examine the possible authors of the book of. It was brought forth by prophetic gifts for prophetic purposes. Feasting on the word is both a heartfelt and a thoughtful book, as clearly reasoned as it is faithful. So farreaching is the book of mormon s influence as a classic that it has been ranked among the most influential works of american literature by no less than the library of congress. In particular, 2 maccabees includes the name nephi. Book of mormon synonyms, book of mormon pronunciation, book of mormon translation, english dictionary definition of book of mormon. One of the sacred books of the mormon church, published in 1830 by joseph smith and considered by mormons to be a historic record of the migration of ancient. Another point which the modern study of the bible has established that undermines the validity of the book of mormon is in regard to the date of the.
If the book of mormon truly is a direct translation of a text formulated in accordance with ancient hebrew learning, chiasmus might well be present as an integral part of its literary style. For example, parallelisms, which abound in the book of mormon, serve many functions. It is the science of identifying authorship by measuring the words and phrases a person unconsciously uses. Some lds writers are trying to establish the historicity of the book of mormon by. The book of mormon gets the literary treatment religion. It was first published in 1830 in palmyra, new york, and was thereafter widely reprinted and translated. He defined poetic parallelisms as words, phrases, or sentences that. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. One of the sacred books of the mormon church, published in 1830 by joseph smith and considered by mormons to be a. The poetic patterns serve, as they do in the bible, to emphasize messages, define and expand them, make them more memorable, and. It is also found throughout the quran and the book of mormon. However, along with its incomparable spiritual message, the book of mormon contains a wealth of literary forms and figures of speech containing dozens of literary patterns. If so, an understanding of chiasmus should be helpful in interpreting and understanding the design of the total book. Book of mormon definition of book of mormon by the free.
Book of mormonevidenceshebraismschiasmus fairmormon. The church news recently received a letter from an interested nonmember of the church making the inquiry about why the prophet joseph smith, in translating the book of mormon, did not use. The book of mammon is a challenging read, both in content and literary style. From his experience working at mormon corporate headquarters in salt lake citythe church office buildingsmith concludes that the cob is an enormous inwardlyfocused, selfperpetuating machine fueled by the tithing monies of the faithful. Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. He would then appear to joseph smith as a resurrected being. He wandered alone for three decades in a hostile land and finished the record which would come forth in a later day. Over time, however, its become clear that the book of mormon is actually a remarkably complex and sophisticated text. It is the sacred text for the 15 millionstrong church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The bibleasliterature movement was so successful that by the fall of 1982. Bible, book of ether, book of mormon, book of moses, book of the dead, brigham young, carnal, celestial. The literary book of mormon richard dilworth rust follow this and additional works at. Chiasmus in the book of mormon philosophies of men.
465 1202 1344 598 1107 1294 534 53 1037 175 1498 1038 64 1108 1508 299 819 1146 1076 1548 245 1282 1218 109 874 703 633 561 721 92