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{{Resource Title|Response to "Book of Mormon Concerns & Questions"}}

{{FAIRAnalysisHeader

|title=[[../|Letter to a CES Director]]

|author=

|noauthor=

|section=Book of Mormon Concerns & Questions

|previous=

|next=[[../Book of Mormon Translation Concerns & Questions|Book of Mormon Translation Concerns & Questions]]

|notes=

The absence of evidence is not proof. Here’s one small example:

Matthew Roper in a FairMormon Blog on June 17, 2013, writes about a criticism repeated many times over the years about the mention of steel in the Book of Mormon. In 1884, one critic wrote, “Laban’s sword was steel, when it is a notorious fact that the Israelites knew nothing of steel for hundreds of years afterwards. Who but as ignorant a person as Rigdon would have perpetuated all these blunders.”8 More recently, Thomas O’Dea in 1957 stated, “Every commentator on the Book of Mormon has pointed out the many cultural and historical anachronisms, such as the steel sword of Laban in 600 B.C.” [9]

We had no answer to these critics at the time, but as often happens in these matters, new discoveries in later years shed new light. Roper reports, “It is increasingly apparent that the practice of hardening iron through deliberate carburization, quenching and tempering was well known to the ancient world from which Nephi came. ‘It seems evident,’ notes one recent authority, ‘that by the beginning of the tenth century B.C. blacksmiths were intentionally steeling iron.’” [10] In 1987, the Ensign reported that archeologists had unearthed a long steel sword near Jericho dating back to the late seventh century B.C., probably to the reign of King Josiah who died shortly before Lehi began to prophesy. [11] This sword is now on display at Jerusalem’s Israel Museum. The museum’s explanatory sign reads in part, “The sword is made of iron hardened into steel, attesting to substantial metallurgical know-how.” [12] <br>

&mdash;Elder D. Todd Christofferson, [http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2013_9_24_Christofferson.htm "The Prophet Joseph Smith"], Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional, September 24, 2013.  

===="What are 1769 King James Version edition errors doing in the Book of Mormon?"====

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The author asks, "What are 1769 King James Version edition errors doing in the Book of Mormon?  An ancient text?  Errors which are unique to the 1769 edition that Joseph Smith owned?"

|authorsources=The author copied his information from the anti-Mormon site "Mormon Handbook"

|answer=

*{{Fact}} It is known that Oliver Cowdery purchased a Bible from E.B. Grandin on 8 October 1829. The Book of Mormon copyright was registered on 11 June 1829, and the translation was completed in late June. Prior to that time, the only Bible Joseph is known to have had access to was the Smith family Bible, which was not in his possession after he married and moved out of the Smith home.  

*{{Fact}} Joseph dictated the text of most of the Book of Mormon in the open in front of witnesses using the stone and the hat, a point clearly acknowledged by critics of the Church. These witnesses never reported that a Bible or any other book was present during the translation.

*{{Conjecture}} It is entirely possible, however, that Joseph had access to a Bible during the period of translation, despite the fact that no witnesses ever reported this. In this case, Joseph may have selected these passages to represent what was revealed to him. Such an approach is presented in the September 1977 ''Ensign'':

In fact, the language in the sections of the Book of Mormon that correspond to parts of the Bible is quite regularly ''selected'' by Joseph Smith, rather than obtained through independent translation. For instance, there are over 400 verses in which the Nephite prophets quote from Isaiah, and half of these appear precisely as the King James version renders them. Summarizing the view taken by Latter-day Saint scholars on this point, Daniel H. Ludlow emphasizes the inherent variety of independent translation and concludes: “There appears to be only one answer to explain the word-for-word similarities between the verses of Isaiah in the Bible and the same verses in the Book of Mormon.” '''That is simply that Joseph Smith must have opened Isaiah and tested each mentioned verse by the Spirit: “If his translation was essentially the same as that of the King James version, he apparently quoted the verse from the Bible.” [31] Thus the Old Testament passages from Isaiah display a particular choice of phraseology that suggests Joseph Smith’s general freedom throughout the Book of Mormon for optional wording.'''<br>

&mdash;Richard Lloyd Anderson, [http://www.lds.org/ensign/1977/09/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng "By the Gift and Power of God,"] ''Ensign'' (September 1977) {{ea}}

*Therefore, given that historical sources (and the critics) confirm that Joseph dictated in the open in front of witnesses without consulting a Bible, one possible conclusion that a believing member can reach to explain the presence of Bible passages which match the King James Version is that the Lord revealed them to Joseph in that manner. Another possible conclusion is that when Joseph encountered Biblical passages, that he consulted a Bible and simply used the text, although this does not explain how he managed to dictate it from memory. In either case, we do not claim to know ''why'' the Lord chose to reveal the Biblical passages in that manner.

Question 4th. How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon?

Answer. Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me, and told me where they were; and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them and the Urim and Thummim with them; by the means of which I translated the plates and thus came the book of Mormon. ({{EJfairwiki|author=Joseph Smith|date=July 1838|vol=1|num=3|start=42|end=43}})

|link=Book of Mormon/Anachronisms/Translation Errors from the KJV

|subject=Book of Mormon "translation errors" from KJV?

|summary=Many of the quotes from Isaiah in the Book of Mormon are identical to the King James version. The Book of Mormon incorporates text which seems to be taken from the King James Version, including passages which are now considered to be mistranslations in the King James Version. If the Book of Mormon is an accurate translation, why would it contain these translational errors?

===="What are these 17th century italicized words doing in the Book of Mormon?"====

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The document asks why italicized words from the King James Bible are present in the Book of Mormon?

|authorsources=The author copied his information from the anti-Mormon site "Mormon Handbook"

|answer=

*{{Fact}} There was no Bible in evidence during the dictation, which was performed in the open in front of witnesses, as Joseph looked at the stone in the hat.

*{{Conjecture}} It is entirely possible, however, that Joseph had access to a Bible during the period of translation, despite the fact that no witnesses ever reported this. In this case, Joseph may have selected these passages to represent what was revealed to him. Such an approach is presented in the September 1977 ''Ensign'':

That is simply that Joseph Smith must have opened Isaiah and tested each mentioned verse by the Spirit: “If his translation was essentially the same as that of the King James version, he apparently quoted the verse from the Bible.” [31] Thus the Old Testament passages from Isaiah display a particular choice of phraseology that suggests Joseph Smith’s general freedom throughout the Book of Mormon for optional wording.<br>

&mdash;Richard Lloyd Anderson, [http://www.lds.org/ensign/1977/09/by-the-gift-and-power-of-god?lang=eng "By the Gift and Power of God,"] ''Ensign'' (September 1977) {{ea}}

|link=Book_of_Mormon_translation_method/Mainly_italics_altered

|subject=Mainly altered italics in the KJV?

|summary=Critics claim that in the Book of Mormon material which parallels the KJV, Joseph Smith generally modified the italicized text.

===="The Book of Mormon includes mistranslated biblical passages that were later changed in Joseph Smith’s translation of the bible."====

|claim=The author notes that "The Book of Mormon includes mistranslated biblical passages that were later changed in Joseph Smith’s translation of the bible."

|answer=Some aspects of the JST may reflect a restoration of lost Biblical text. But, such restoration is likely in the minority. Joseph did not claim to be mechanically preserving some hypothetically 'perfect' Biblical text. Rather, Joseph used the extant King James text as a basis for commentary, expansion, and clarification based upon revelation, with particular attention to issues of doctrinal importance for the modern reader. Reading the JST is akin to having the prophet at your elbow as one studies—it allows Joseph to clarify, elaborate, and comment on the Biblical text in the light of modern revelation.

Modern readers are accustomed to thinking of a 'translation' as only the conversion of text in one language to another. But, Joseph used the term in a broader and more inclusive sense, which included explanation, commentary, and harmonization. The JST is probably best understood in this light.

|link=Mormonism and the Bible/Joseph Smith Translation/As a restoration of the original Bible text

|subject=Was the "Joseph Smith Translation" of the Bible a restoration of the original Bible text?

|summary=If the Joseph Smith Translation (JST) is Joseph Smith's 'correction' of Biblical errors, why do these corrections not match known Biblical manuscripts?

===="DNA analysis has concluded that Native American Indians do not originate from the Middle East"====

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The document notes that "DNA analysis has concluded that Native American Indians do not originate from the Middle East or from Israelites but rather from Asia." The author then asks why the Church changed the introduction to the Book of Mormon from “…the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians” to “…the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians”

|answer=

*{{Correct}} The Church made the change to remove the assumption, inserted into the Book of Mormon introduction in the 1920's, that ''all'' of the inhabitants of the Americas were ''exclusive'' descendants of Lehi. This had been the generally held belief from the time that the Church was restored.

*This change makes the Book of Mormon introduction compatible with current DNA evidence and acknowledges the fact that Lehi's group likely intermingled with the native inhabitants of the American continents based upon current knowledge of the DNA composition of the inhabitants of the New World. There is subtantial scientific evidence of habitation in the Americas for thousands of years prior to Lehi's arrival.

<blockquote>

:&mdash;Dr. Simon Southerton, "Finally, I agree with LDS scientists-apologists," posting to an ex-Mormon discussion board, Sept. 6, 2008. {{eo}}

</blockquote>

|link=Book of Mormon/Lamanites/Relationship to Amerindians/Descendants of Lehi

|summary=If Lehi had any descendants among Amerindians, then after 2600 years all Amerindians would share Lehi as an ancestor. Even if (as is probable) the Lehite group was a small drop in a larger population 'ocean' of pre-Columbian inhabitants, Lehi would have been an ancestor of virtually all the modern-day Amerindians.

|claim=The document claims that "Horses, cattle, oxen, sheep, swine, goats, elephants, wheels, chariots, wheat, silk, steel, and iron did not exist in pre-Columbus America during Book of Mormon times."

|answer=

*The number of items considered to be anachronisms in the Book of Mormon has been steadily being ''reduced'' over time. For example, in 1842 the idea that steel swords existed in ancient Jerusalem at the time of Lehi was laughable. Now, such a sword is on display at Jerusalem's Israel Museum.

*John Clark has prepared charts which demonstrate the trend, over time, to confirmation of the Book of Mormon account. (Click on icons at the right to enlarge)

The absence of evidence is not proof. Here’s one small example:

Matthew Roper in a FairMormon Blog on June 17, 2013, writes about a criticism repeated many times over the years about the mention of steel in the Book of Mormon. In 1884, one critic wrote, “Laban’s sword was steel, when it is a notorious fact that the Israelites knew nothing of steel for hundreds of years afterwards. Who but as ignorant a person as Rigdon would have perpetuated all these blunders.”8 More recently, Thomas O’Dea in 1957 stated, “Every commentator on the Book of Mormon has pointed out the many cultural and historical anachronisms, such as the steel sword of Laban in 600 B.C.” [9]

We had no answer to these critics at the time, but as often happens in these matters, new discoveries in later years shed new light. Roper reports, “It is increasingly apparent that the practice of hardening iron through deliberate carburization, quenching and tempering was well known to the ancient world from which Nephi came. ‘It seems evident,’ notes one recent authority, ‘that by the beginning of the tenth century B.C. blacksmiths were intentionally steeling iron.’” [10] In 1987, the Ensign reported that archeologists had unearthed a long steel sword near Jericho dating back to the late seventh century B.C., probably to the reign of King Josiah who died shortly before Lehi began to prophesy. [11] This sword is now on display at Jerusalem’s Israel Museum. The museum’s explanatory sign reads in part, “The sword is made of iron hardened into steel, attesting to substantial metallurgical know-how.” [12] <br>

&mdash;Elder D. Todd Christofferson, [http://www2.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/Devotionals/2013_9_24_Christofferson.htm "The Prophet Joseph Smith"], Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional, September 24, 2013.

|link=Book of Mormon/Anachronisms

|subject=Anachronisms

|summary=Some items or concepts in the Book of Mormon are not consistent with what is currently known about ancient American geography, history, or anthropology.

[[File:BoM Archaeology 2005.PNG|800 px|By 2005, a number of features of the Book of Mormon text were known in the ancient Americas.  Yet, in 1842, many of these would have been seen as "errors" or "anachronisms".]]

====Archaeology====

|claim=The document claims that "There is absolutely no archaeological evidence to directly support the Book of Mormon or the Nephites/Lamanites who numbered in the millions."

*It is a common claim by critics that there is "absolutely no archaeological evidence" to support the Book of Mormon. When they say "directly" support, they typically mean that they are looking for a direct corroboration, such as the presence of the name "Nephi" or "Zarahemla" in association with ancient American archaeological data.

|link=Book of Mormon/Archaeology

|subject=Archaeology

|summary=Critics charge that what is known about ancient American archaeology is not consistent with the Book of Mormon account. Sectarian critics often add the claim that the Bible has been "proven" true by archaeology, unlike the Book of Mormon.

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The document claims "Many Book of Mormon names and places are strikingly similar to many local names and places of the region Joseph Smith lived."

*{{antispeak|mutually exclusive}} The author, in the next section, presumes that the name "Moroni" was derived from the capital city of the Comoros Islands, or from "treasure stories" about Captain Kidd. In this section, he asserts that the name "Moroni" is derived from the town "Monroe, New York," which was founded in 1818.

**'''<span style="color:red">Alma</span> = Alma, Valley of'''&mdash;In the area indicated on the Holley map, modern maps show that there is a small, unincorporated community called Centerville, also known as Alma, in Tyler County, West Virginia, United States. Coordinates: 39°25′55″N 80°50′24″W. However, when we view the 1822 map of Virginia, we cannot find the name "Alma" anywhere.

**'''<span style="color:blue">Boaz</span> = Boaz'''&mdash;The name "Boaz" is from the Bible. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places.

**'''<span style="color:red">Ephrem, Saint</span> = <span style="color:blue">Ephraim</span>, Hill'''&mdash;The actual name is "Saint-Éphrem-de-Beauce, Quebec." [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-%C3%89phrem-de-Beauce,_Quebec Wikipedia] shows the town being established with that name in 1866. This is 36 years after the publication of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon name "Ephraim," of course, is easily found in the Bible.

**'''<span style="color:red">Jacobsburg</span> = Jacobugath.'''&mdash;Jacobsburg, Belmont Co., Ohio does not even show up on a [http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~747~70021:Geographical,-Historical,-And-Stati 1822 map of Ohio].

**'''<span style="color:blue">Jerusalem</span> = Jerusalem.'''&mdash;Jerusalem, Monroe Co., Ohio does not even show up on a [http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~747~70021:Geographical,-Historical,-And-Stati 1822 map of Ohio]. Even today the village of Jerusalem occupies only 0.2 square miles. Besides, the name "Jerusalem" is from the Bible. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places.

**'''<span style="color:blue">Jordan</span> = Jordan'''&mdash;The name "Jordan" is from the Bible. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places.

**'''<span style="color:red">Kishkiminetas</span> = Kishkumen'''&mdash;Kiskiminetas Township, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania was given that name in 1832, two years after the Book of Mormon was published. From ''History of Armstrong County Pennsylvania'', written in 1883 by Robert Walter Smith, "The petition of sundry inhabitants of Allegheny township was presented December 22, 1831, to the court of quarter sessions of this county, asking that a new township be formed out of the upper end of Allegheny township, to be called Kiskiminetas. Philip Klingensmith, John Lafferty and John McKissen were appointed viewers, who, after one continuance of their order, presented their report recommending the organization of the new township, which was approved by the court June 19, 1832." {{link|url=http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/smithproject/history/chap10a.html}} Kiskiminetas River in Pennsylvania does exist prior to the town, and one would assume that it would show up on a map. The Holley map, however, does not indicate that Kishkiminetas is a river, but rather a place.

**'''<span style="color:red">Mantua</span> = Manti'''&mdash;According to [http://www.mantuavillage.com/ their website], Mantua Village, Ohio, was incorporated in 1898. This is 68 years after the publication of the Book of Mormon.

**'''<span style="color:green">Monroe</span> = Moroni'''&mdash;The author, in the next section, presumes that the name "Moroni" was derived from the capital city of the Comoros Islands, or from "treasure stories" about Captain Kidd. There is a town "Monroe, New York" which was founded in 1818.

**<span style="color:red">'''Minoa</span> = Minon'''&mdash;According to the [http://www.villageofminoa.com/history.html Minoa town website], the town of Minoa, New York received that name in 1895. That is 60 years after the Book of Mormon was published.

**'''<span style="color:blue">Noah</span> Lakes = Noah, Land of'''&mdash;The name "Noah" is from the Bible. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places.

**<span style="color:green">'''Oneida Castle</span> = Onidah, Hill'''&mdash;Oneida Castle, New York is located at 43°4′42″N 75°38′0″W. The town has existed since the 18th century.

**<span style="color:red">'''Rama</span> = Ramah'''&mdash;Rama Township, Ontario, was "first surveyed in 1834." {{ref|rama1}} This is four years after the publication of the Book of Mormon.

**'''<span style="color:green">Ripple Lake</span> = Ripliancum, Waters of'''.&mdash;Ripple Lake is so small that it is difficult to locate on ''modern'' day maps, and it is one of more than 250,000 lakes in Ontario. Are we to assume that Joseph selected this one location amongst many, and then converted the name "Ripple Lake" to "Ripliancum?"

**'''<span style="color:blue">Sodom</span> = Sidom'''&mdash;The name "Sodom," of course, is well known from the Bible. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places.

**'''<span style="color:blue">Land of Midian</span> = Land of Midian'''&mdash;The name "Land of Midian" is from the Bible and it is located in Egypt. Joseph would not have needed to look at a map for this one, unless one accepts Holley's assertion that the Holley map is supposed to show the geographical locations of Book of Mormon places. We are unable to locate a "Midian" or "Land of Midian" on any modern map of Pennsylvania.

[[File:Location.of.alma.jpg|700 px]]

[[File:Vernal.holley.name.list.jpg|400 px]]

==== ====

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The author claims "Many Book of Mormon names and places are strikingly similar to many local names and places of the region Joseph Smith lived," and "We read in the Book of Mormon of the Land of Desolation named for a warrior named Teancum who helped General Moroni fight in the Land of Desolation. In Smith’s era, an Indian Chief named Tecumseh fought and died near the narrow neck of land helping the British in the War of 1812.  Today, the city Tecumseh (near the narrow neck of land) is named after him."  

|answer=

*The author is not only stating that the ''names'' are similar to those in the Book of Mormon, but also that the ''location of those names'' is similar (the references the author makes to the "narrow neck," for example). He does, after all, title this section "Book of Mormon Geography." In addition, since some of these names could have easily been taken from the Bible instead of the surrounding region, one must assume that their inclusion on the map also implies that their geographical locations relative to one another are important.

*{{Incorrect}} Looking at the geography, it is clear from Holley's map that a number of locations have been selected to make the names match the existing geography. Some examples:

**The map places Jacobugath, site of "King Jacob's" dissenters far in the land southward, when the Book of Mormon has it far in the land northward (3 Nephi 7:9-12; see also 3 Nephi 9:9).

**The map places the land of first inheritance [land of Lehi-Nephi] is on the eastern coast of the United States, while the Book of Mormon is clear that Lehi and his group landed on the western coast.

**The City of Morianton should be by the eastern seashore, near the city of Lehi (Alma 50:25).

**"Ramah" is the Jaredite name for the Hill Cumorah (Ether 15:11). The Hill Cumorah is not in Canada.

|subject=North American place names - the Vernal Holley map

|summary=Vernal Holley has reconstructed a Book of Mormon geography based on a Great Lakes setting from the Book of Mormon text, which he then compares to the New England of Joseph Smith's day.

[[Image:Holley Geography 1.png|500 px|Geography as proposed by Vernal Holley (1983).  Z = proposed city of Zarahemla site.  Bright blue line is the model's "River Sidon." Names in red represent towns not in existence at the time of the Book of Mormon's publication.  Note that the maps available at Mazeministries contain the following errors: 1) Jerusalem and Jacobsburg are too far apart; 2) Alma is too far to the east; 3) Mount Ephrim should be north-east, not north-west of Sherbrooke.]]

[[File:CES.Letter.Great.Lakes.Map.jpg|800 px|An illustration of some of the geographical errors present in the version of the Holley geography that is used in "A Letter to a CES Director"]]

[[Image:ComorosMap.gif|frame|right|Modern map of the Comoros Islands]]

[[File:Camorah.jpg|frame|right|1830 Book of Mormon showing the spelling "Camorah"]]

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The author states, "The largest city and capital of Comoros (formerly 'Camora')?  Moroni.  'Camora' and settlement 'Moroni' were common names in pirate and treasure hunting stories involving Captain William Kidd (a pirate and treasure hunter) which many 19th century New Englanders – especially treasure hunters – were familiar with.  In fact, the uniform spelling for Hill Cumorah in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon is spelled as 'Camorah'."

|answer=

*{{antispeak|mutually exclusive}} In the previous section, the author suggests that Joseph came up with the name "Moroni" by looking at the name "Monroe" on a map of the region surrounding New York. Now he is suggesting that the name "Moroni" came from stories about Captain Kidd.

*The author commits the logical fallacy of the [[#Logical_fallacies#Appeal_to_probability | Appeal to probability]].  This fallacy argues that because something is even remotely ''possible'', it must be ''true.''

*{{Unsupported Assertion}} The author states that ''Camora'' and ''Moroni'' were "common names in pirate and treasure hunting stories involving Captain William Kidd," but does not cite a single source that can be checked.

*{{Incorrect}} It is unlikely that ''any'' source would have contained the name of "Moroni."  That settlement did not become the capital city until 1876 (32 years after Joseph's death and 47 years after the publication of the Book of Mormon), when Sultan Sa'id Ali settled there. At that time it was only a small settlement. Even a century later, in 1958, its population was only 6500.

*In a search for references to Comorah and Moroni, the following gazetteers from Joseph's era were consulted:

2257 pages of double columned miniscule print, with no reference to Comoros Islands or Moroni.

*Comora on p. 400, no mention of Moroni</td>

<tr valign="top">

*1819 edition</td>

*Comora, no mention of Moroni</td></tr>

<tr valign="top">

*1835 edition</td>

*Comoro on p. 214, no mention of Moroni</td></tr>

<tr valign="top">

*Comoro, no mention of Moroni</td></tr>

*There is no evidence that Joseph saw these maps, or any other, but if he had they would have provided little help.

*The 1830 Book of Mormon uses the spelling "Camorah." Oliver Cowdery stated that this was a spelling error in the July 1835 issue of the ''Latter Day Saint's Messenger and Advocate'':

By turning to the 529th and 530th pages of the book of Mormon you will read Mormon's account of the last great struggle of his people, as they were encamped round this hill Cumorah. (It is printed Camorah, which is an error.)  

*The spelling was corrected to "Cumorah" in the 1837 reprint of the Book of Mormon. This makes it consistent with other Nephite names with the phrase "cum" (for example, Teancum). There are no Nephite names which contain "cam."

===="'View of the Hebrews' compared to the Book of Mormon"====

{{CESLetterItem

|claim=The document claims extensive parallels between the 1825 book ''A View of the Hebrews'' and the Book of Mormon.

|answer=

*The View of the Hebrews theory of Book of Mormon origin originated after the rediscovery of the Spalding manuscript, which led to the demise of the Spalding Theory. Many of the criticisms proposed by the View of the Hebrews theory are based upon B. H. Roberts' list of parallels, which only had validity if one applied a hemispheric geography model to the Book of Mormon. There are a significant number of differences between the two books, which are easily discovered upon reading Ethan Smith's work. This is one of the reasons that BYU republished ''A View of the Hebrews'' in the 1990's. Many points that Ethan Smith thought were important are not mentioned at all in the Book of Mormon, and many of the "parallels" are no longer valid based upon current scholarship.

*Some parallels do exist between the two books. For example, ''View of the Hebrews'' postulates the existence of a civilized and a barbarous nation who were constantly at war with one another, with the civilized society eventually being destroyed by their uncivilized brethren. This has obvious similarities to the story of the Nephites and the Lamanites in the ''Book of Mormon''.  

*However, many of the "parallels" that are discussed are not actually parallels at all once they are fully examined:

====The destruction of Jerusalem====

*View of the Hebrews: by the Romans in A.D. 70.

*Book of Mormon: by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

*View of the Hebrews: via dry land across the Bering Strait.

*Book of Mormon: via the ocean on board a ship.

====Colonists spread out to fill the entire land====

*View of the Hebrews: from the North to the South.

*Book of Mormon: from the South to the North.

====A great lawgiver (whom some assume to be associated with the legend of Quetzalcoatl)====

*View of the Hebrews: who is identified as Moses.

*Book of Mormon: who is identified as Jesus Christ.

====An ancient book that was preserved for a long time and then buried====

*View of the Hebrews: because they had lost the knowledge of reading it and it would be of no further use to them. {{ref|voth.223}}

*Book of Mormon: in order to preserve the writings of prophets for future generations.

====A buried book taken from the earth====

*View of the Hebrews: in the form of four, dark yellow, folded leaves of old parchment.{{ref|voth.220}}

*Book of Mormon: in the form of a set of gold metal plates.

*View of the Hebrews: an Egyptian influence is present in hieroglyphic paintings made by native Americans.{{ref|voth.184-5}}

*Book of Mormon: a reformed Egyptian was used to record a sacred history.

|link=Book of Mormon/Authorship theories/View of the Hebrews

|subject=View of the Hebrews

|summary=Critics claim that a 19th century work by Ethan Smith, View of the Hebrews, provided source material for Joseph Smith's construction of the Book of Mormon. Critics also postulate a link between Ethan Smith and Oliver Cowdery, since both men lived in Poultney, Vermont while Smith served as the pastor of the church that Oliver Cowdery's family attended at the time that View of the Hebrews was being written.

*Critics note that the earliest edition of the Book of Mormon referred to Jesus as "God," but in later editions some of these references were changed to "''the Son of'' God."  They claim Joseph was originally a solid Trinitarian (perhaps even a Modalist), and as he later began to teach that the Father and Son were two separate beings, he had to change the Book of Mormon to support his new doctrine.

*The second edition of the Book of Mormon was published in 1837 at Kirtland, Ohio. The typesetting and printing were done during the winter of 1836&ndash;37, with Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery taking an active part in the editing process. In this edition numerous corrections were made to the text of the 1830 (first) edition to bring it back to the reading in the original and printer's manuscripts. Joseph Smith also made a number of editorial changes to the text. Among the changes he made are these four in 1 Nephi 11 and 13:

  <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;">Behold, the virgin whom thou seest, is the mother of <span style="color: red;">the Son of</span> God, after the manner of the flesh.</td>

  <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;">&amp; it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again saying look and i lookt &amp; beheld the lam of god that he was taken By the People yea the ever lasting god was judgd of the world and i saw &amp; bare record</td>

  <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;">&amp; it came to pass that the Angel spake unto me again saying look &amp; I looked &amp; behold the Lamb of God that he was taken by the People yea the everlasting God was Judged of the world &amp; I saw &amp bear record</td>

  <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;">And it came to pass the angel spake unto me again, saying, look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Everlasting God, was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.</td>

  <td style="border-bottom: 1px solid black;">And it came to pass the angel spake unto me again, saying, look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, <span style="color: red;">the Son of</span> the Everlasting God, was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.</td>

<tr style="vertical-align: top;">

</table>

*(The <strike>strikeouts</strike> and &lt;'''insertions'''&gt; in the printer's manuscript are in Joseph's hand, and were added by him during the preparation of the 1837 edition.)

*These changes are clarifications that the passages are speaking of Jesus, not God the Father. The terms "God," "Everlasting God," and "Eternal Father" are ambiguous since they could properly refer to either the Father or the Son. For example, "Eternal Father" refers to God the Father in {{scripture||Moroni|4|3}}, {{scripture||Moroni|5|2}}, and {{scripture||Moroni|10|4}}, but to God the Son in {{scripture||Mosiah|16|15}} and {{scripture||Alma|11|38-39}}.

*The addition of "the Son of" to four passages in 1 Nephi does not change the Book of Mormon's teaching that Jesus Christ is the God of Old Testament Israel. This concept is taught in more than a dozen other passages whose readings remain unchanged from the original manuscripts. For example:

**"And ''the God of our fathers'', who were led out of Egypt, out of bondage, and also were preserved in the wilderness by him, yea, ''the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'', yieldeth himself...as a man, into the hands of wicked men, to be lifted up...and to be crucified...and to be buried in a sepulchre...." ({{scripture|1|Nephi|19|10}})

**"...he said unto them that ''Christ was the God, the Father of all things'', and said that he should take upon him the image of man, and it should be the image after which man was created in the beginning; or in other words, he said that man was created after the image of God, and that ''God should come down'' among the children of men, and take upon him flesh and blood, and go forth upon the face of the earth." ({{scripture||Mosiah|7|27}})

**"Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, ''who is the very Eternal Father''." ({{scripture||Mosiah|16|15}})

**"Now Zeezrom saith again unto him: ''Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father?'' And Amulek said unto him: Yea, ''he is the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth'', and all things which in them are; he is the beginning and the end, the first and the last." ({{scripture||Alma|11|38-39}})

#{{note|rama1}}''Reflections of the Past : the story of Rama Township : a joint project of the Township of Rama and the Orillia Public Library'', {{link|url=http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=1037713}}