Book of Mormon textual changes

From FAIRMormon

FAIRwiki portal
Book of Mormon
FAIRwiki articles
All portal articles Basics•Wiki Gospel fulness Most correct book Plain doctrines Book of Mormon & Bible Plagiarized from Bible? Keeping KJV errors? Translation method Textual changes Anachronisms? "Familiar spirit"? Hebrew in New World?
FAIR web site
Topical guide
Articles
FARMS web site
Articles
Additional reading
On-line • Print
Other portals
DNA Geography Holy Bible Joseph Smith, Jr. Witnesses

Contents 1 Criticism 1.1 Source(s) of the criticism 2 Response 2.1 Insignificant changes 2.2 Significant changes 3 Conclusion 4 See also 5 Endnotes 6 Further reading 6.1 FAIR wiki articles 6.2 FAIR web site 6.3 External links 6.4 Printed material

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.

Source(s) of the criticism

• Contender Ministries, Questions All Mormons Should Ask Themselves. Answers
• Jerald and Sandra Tanner, The Changing World of Mormonism (Chicago: Moody Pres., 1980), 131.
• Tower to Truth Ministries, "50 Questions to Ask Mormons," towertotruth.net (accessed 15 November 2007). 50 Answers

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."^[1] 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_Ne. 19:6; 2_Ne. 33:4; Morm. 8:17; Morm. 9:31-33; Eth. 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.^[2] 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_Ne. 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_Ne. 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 at the bottom of 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_Ne. 11:18; 1_Ne. 11:21, 1_Ne. 11:32, and 1_Ne. 13:40.
• "or out of the waters of baptism" added to 1_Ne. 20:1.
• "white" changed to "pure" in 2_Ne. 30:6.
• "Benjamin" changed to "Mosiah" in Mosiah 21:28 and Eth. 4:1.

The historical record shows that these changes were made to clarify the meaning of the text, not to alter it.

Many people in the church experience revelation that is to be dictated (such as a patriarch blessing). They will go back and alter their original dictation. This is done to clarify the initial premonitions received through the Spirit. The translation process for the Prophet Joseph may have occurred in a similar manner.

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.

These changes have not been kept "secret." A discussion of them can be found in the individual articles linked above, and in the references listed below, including papers in BYU Studies and the Ensign.

See also

• Biblical textual criticism

Endnotes

1. [back] Wilford Woodruff, Wilford Woodruff’s Journal, 9 vols., ed., Scott G. Kenny (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1985), 2:139; journal entry dated {{{date}}}. ISBN 0941214133. Quoted in Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 volumes, edited by Brigham H. Roberts, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957), 4:461. GospeLink See also Joseph Smith, Jr., Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, edited by Joseph Fielding Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1976), 194. ISBN 087579243X. off-site
2. [back] Royal Skousen, "Changes In the Book of Mormon," 2002 FAIR Conference proceedings. FAIR link

Further reading

FAIR wiki articles

Book of Mormon wiki articles

• Archaeology
  • The Hill Cumorah
  • Smithsonian statement on Book of Mormon archaeology
• Book of Mormon basics
• Chronology
• Demographics
• Did Joseph Smith attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright?
• DNA evidence
• "Familiar spirit", Book of Mormon as a
• Fulness of the gospel, Book of Mormon and the
• Historicity
• Isaiah, multiple authors of
• Joseph Smith Translation and the Book of Mormon ^{[needs work]}
• Most correct book, Book of Mormon as the
• Plain and precious Book of Mormon doctrines
• Textual changes
  • "the Son of" added
  • "or out of the waters of baptism" added
  • "white" changed to "pure"
  • "Benjamin" changed to "Mosiah"
• Translation chronology, Book of Mormon
  • Anthon transcript
• Translation method, Book of Mormon ^{[needs work]}

See also: "Anachronisms"•Authorship•DNA issues•Geography issues•Herbaic influence•Witnesses

• Doctrine and Covenants textual changes
• Pearl of Great Price textual changes

FAIR web site

• FAIR Topical Guide: Changes in the Book of Mormon FAIR link
  
• L. Ara Norwood, "Benjamin or Mosiah? Resolving an Anomaly in Mosiah 21:28" off-site
• J. Cooper Johnson, "King Benjamin or Mosiah: A Look at Mosiah 21:28" off-site
• Royal Skousen, "Changes In the Book of Mormon," 2002 FAIR Conference proceedings. FAIR link

Book of Mormon FAIR articles

• FAIR Topical Guide: Book of Mormon FAIR link
  

See also: Authorship•DNA issues•Geography issues•Herbaic influence•Witnesses

External links

• Jeff Lindsay, "Have there been thousands of changes in the Book of Mormon?" jefflindsay.com off-site
• Mike Ash, "Book of Mormon Criticisms: Changes," mormonfortress.com off-site
• Douglas Campbell, "'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 29:4 (Winter 1996): 119. off-site
• Stephen R. Gibson, "Why Were 4,000 Changes Made in The Book of Mormon?" lightplanet.com off-site
• George Horton, "Understanding Textual Changes in the Book of Mormon," Ensign (December 1983): 25. off-site
• Stan Larson, "Early Book of Mormon Texts: Textual Changes to the Book of Mormon in 1837 and 1840," Sunstone (Issue #4) (Fall 1976): 45–59. off-site
• Stan Larson, "Textual Variants in Book of Mormon Manuscripts," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 10:4 (Autumn 1977): 8–30. off-site
• Stanley R. Larson, "A Study of Some Textual Variations in the Book of Mormon Comparing the Original and the Printer's Manuscripts and the 1830, the 1837, adn the 1840 Editions," Master's Thesis, BYU, Department of Ancient Scripture, April 1974. off-site
• Robert J. Matthews, "I Have A Question: Why have changes been made in the printed editions of the Book of Mormon?," Ensign (March 1987): 47. off-site
• Royal Skousen, "Towards a Critical Edition of the Book of Mormon," Brigham Young University Studies 30:1 (1990): 41–69. off-site
• Royal Skousen, "Piecing Together the Original Manuscript," BYU Today (May 1992): 18–24.
• Royal Skousen, "Changes In the Book of Mormon," 2002 FAIR Conference proceedings. FAIR link
• W. John Walsh, Robert L. Matthews, Van Hale, and Stan Larson, "Changes to the Book of Mormon," lightplanet.com off-site
• Daniel B. Wallace, "Changes to the KJV since 1611: An Illustration," bible.org off-site

Book of Mormon on-line articles

• Donald B. Doty, "I Have A Question: Why is the Book of Mormon the ‘most correct of any book on earth’?," Ensign (August 1988): 28–29. off-site
• Monte S. Nyman, "The Most Correct Book," Ensign (June 1984): 21. off-site
• Monte S. Nyman, "Why is the Book of Mormon the 'most correct book,' and how does it contain the fulness of the gospel?," Ensign (September 1976): 87. off-site

See also: Archaelogy•Authorship•DNA issues•Geography issues•Herbaic influence•Witnesses

Printed material

• George A. Horton, Jr., “Changes in the Book of Mormon and How to Handle Them,” in Report of the Sixth Annual Church Educational System Religious Educators’ Symposium on the Book of Mormon, August 1982.
• Stan Larson, "Changes in Early Texts of The Book of Mormon," Ensign (September 1976): 77–82.

Book of Mormon Critical Text Project

Working in collaboration with FARMS, professor Royal Skousen is currently 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: (Key source)

Volume 1

• Royal Skousen (editor), The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon : typographical facsimile of the extant text [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 1] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2001), 1. ISBN 0934893047.

Volume 2

• Royal Skousen (editor), The Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon : typographical facsimile of the entire text in two parts [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 2, Part 1: 1 Nephi 1–Alma 17] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2001), 1. ISBN 0934893055.
• Royal Skousen (editor), The Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon : typographical facsimile of the entire text in two parts [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 2, Part 2: Alma 18–Moroni 10] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2001), 1. ISBN 0934893063.

Volume 3

• Forthcoming

Volume 4

• Royal Skousen (editor), Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 4, Part 1: 1 Nephi 1–2 Nephi 10] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2004), 1. ISBN 0934893071.
• Royal Skousen (editor), Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 4, Part 2: 2 Nephi 11–Mosiah 16] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2005), 1. ISBN 093489308X.
• Royal Skousen (editor), Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 4, Part 3: Mosiah 17–Alma 20] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2006), 1. ISBN 093489311X.
• Royal Skousen (editor), Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon [Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, Vol. 4, Part 4: Alma 21–55] (Provo, Utah : Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University, 2007), 1. ISBN 0934893128.

See also:

• M. Gerald Bradford and Alison V.P. Coutts, "Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon,” in “Uncovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 11/0 (2002): 1–57. [No off-site] PDF link wiki ISBN 0934893683.
• M. Gerald Bradford, "Recovering the Original Text of the Book of Mormon: An Interim Review," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 30–31. off-site PDF link wiki
• Terryl L.Givens, "The Book of Mormon Critical Text Project," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 32–35. off-site PDF link wiki
• Anonymous, "English Editions of the Book of Mormon 1830–1981," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 36–37. [No off-site] PDF link wiki
• Robert J. Matthews, "Joseph Smith and the Text of the Book of Mormon," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 38–42. off-site PDF link wiki
• Grant Hardy, "Scholarship for the Ages," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 43–53. off-site PDF link wiki
• Kevin L. Barney, "Seeking Joseph Smith's Voice," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 54–59. off-site PDF link wiki
• Kerry Muhlestein, "Insights Available as We Approach the Original Text," Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 15/1 (2006): 60–65. off-site PDF link wiki

Book of Mormon printed materials

• Free copy of the Book of Mormon with no obligation.

See also: Authorship•DNA issues•Geography issues•Herbaic influence•Historicity•Witnesses