Book of mormon changes since 1830

The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors. The first and second rlds editions 1874, plano, illinois. On july 11, 20, i was surprised to get an email from a community of christ colleague informing me that the smithpettit foundation was publishing john s. With such claims we would expect to see the book of mormon free of changes. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830 it has had s of changes made to it. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. Wright 1858, new york, basically a reprinting of the 1840 nauvoo edition. Yet, many changes in the text of the book of mormon can be detected when. Major changes count as something which is 57 % or less similar to each other. And it also ignores several of the favorite changes such as is changed to are, etc. Since the defective pages in the uncut sheets were unusable, wood substituted photographs from at least three bound copies of the 1830 edition in order to. Verses make the scripture very manageable and are of great use in teaching situations, but reading the book of mormon as it was originally published, with only chapters, you get a real sense of the story within the book.

Book of mormon changes text files to compare it yourself. Elkins catholics do not use the same bible mormons use. An analysis of selected changes in major editions of the book. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. As recent as 1981 mormon leaders have made approximately 200 more word changes. As you can see, the book of mormon is a changing document. An analysis of selected changes in major editions of the book of mormon 18301920 jeffrey r.

Key passages on deity in the original 1830 text of the book of mormon were changed in the 1837 edition to reflect joseph smiths changing doctrine of deity. Jan 01, 2017 well, i can see ive got to jump in on this one, since both of the previous answerers seem confused and unable to see whats actually being asked. Soon after the first printing of the book of mormon, in 1830, readers began finding typographical, spelling, and other mistakes. Holland brigham young university provo follow this and additional works at.

And now i, mormon, make a record of the things which i have both seen and heard, and call it the book of mormon. If the book of mormon is the most correct book, why so. Jan 04, 2016 critics of the book of mormon have assailed the book s authenticity on the grounds that it has undergone many changes since its 1830 publication. Changes to the bible in comparison most scholars agree that there are about 24,000 changes between 1611 version and the 1769 version of the kjv bible. The original 1830 edition of the book of mormon contained numerous passages that demonstrate distinctly nineteenthcentury new england grammar. Church and enemies of the book of mormon, who have made the statement that there have been one or two or more thousand changes in the book of mormon since the first edition was published. Book of mormon changes since 1830 book of mormon facts. The differences in the chapter divisions between the first edition of the book of mormon and the 1981 edition are listed in this fourpage chart.

Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same. Much has been said recently about changes and modifications in this record but, unfortunately, most of it has been said by those who have been unfriendly toward both the book itself and the church which endorses it. The 1830 book of mormon, states the catholic definition of. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39 changes in the book of mormon by jerald and sandra tanner. Chapters in the 1830 edition were longer, in part because the book of mormon was printed in narrative rather than verse formwhat we would expect from a historical record. During the process of dictating, transcribing, copying, typesetting, and printing, some human errors were made. The original book of mormon transcript the book of mormon. Church removes racial references in book of mormon headings.

Third and most importantly, changes in the text from the 1830 book of mormon show only that there was human error, and in no way influences the fact that the book of mormon was brought forth through the gift of god. Much like lamoni calls approach in the 1890s, jerald tanner sat down eighty years later with an 1830 edition and a 1964 edition of the book of mormon and annotated all changes he could identify. It gives reading the book of mormon a whole new feel its really. Joseph fielding smith, the tenth president of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, proclaimed. A good overview of the various editions of the book of mormon that have been published since 1830 is found in an article by royal skousen in the encyclopedia of mormonism, vol. Dingers significant textual changes in the book of mormon. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from. Well, of course, there is no truth in that statement. Types of changes in the book of mormon text the following statistics are derived from my computerized collation of the two manuscripts of the book of mormon the original and the printers manuscripts and 20 standard page 173 editions of the book of mormon fifteen lds editions, from 1830 to 1981, the 1858 wright edition, and four rlds. And helaman was the son of helaman, which was the son of alma, which was the son of alma, being a descendant of nephi, which was the son of lehi, which came out of jerusalem in the first year of the reign of zedekiah, the king of judah. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been.

Box 1884 salt lake city, utah 84110 or visit their website. Recently royal skousen has been directing much further work on the original manuscript of the book of mormon, with the assistance of f. Royal skousen has looked carefully at the transmission history of the book of mormon and has highlighted many interesting things about the text that inspire confidence in its reliability and josephs ability as a translator. Jul 01, 2011 however, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of joseph smith. An original first edition book of mormon has been photographed and is available for viewing at. One derived from a single family who fled jerusalem in 600 b. The book of mormon has attracted significant attention since its first printing in 1830. Jan 23, 2016 since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830 it has had s of changes made to it. As the title indicates, this thesis is a consideration of selected changes that have been made in major editions of the book of mormon. However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. On the title page of the book of mormon are these words.

In reality, though, the kind of stylistic accuracy achieved by these changes has little to do with what joseph meant when he called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth. The original book of mormon transcript the book of. Part of thehistory commons, mormon studies commons, and thereligious thought, theology and philosophy of religion commons. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. Third and most importantly, changes in the text from the 1830 book of mormon show only that there was human error, and in no way influences the fact that the book. Why has the church found it necessary to make changes any. In light of these how could any change be justified tranlation was done by the power of god. An analysis of selected changes in major editions of the. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. My greatgreatgrandfather received it in massachusetts and brought it out west through missouri and finally.

To obtain copies of their work please write to utah lighthouse ministry p. The book of mormon is divided into smaller books, titled after the individuals. Well, i can see ive got to jump in on this one, since both of the previous answerers seem confused and unable to see whats actually being asked. What follows are specific examples from the original 1830 first edition book of mormon which did not have verse divisions compared with the. Using the first three editions of the book of mormon along with these transcripts, scholars now have all the available information for studying the text of the book of mormon. The claim is often heard that there are more than 4000 changes to the book of mormon text.

There is about 16k changes from the 1830s to current version. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. However, a close examination reveals that over 4000 word changes, including doctrinal changes, have been made since the first 1830 edition. Church removes racial references in book of mormon. Has the book of mormon had over 4,000 changes since the first. There is about 16k changes from the 1830 s to current version. Feel free to draw what conclusions you want yourself. Typesetting from the printers manuscript which was oliver cowderys handwritten copy of the original manuscript started in august of 1829. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. Prior to 1874, the rlds used an edition of the book of mormon published by james o. This circumstance is completely unlike manmade translations of the bible. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. This book is not a facsimile of the 1830 book of mormon.

The text is based on several digitized versions that have been electronically compared to ensure accuracy, and the original paragraph breaks, punctuation, spelling, and typographical. Rather, it presents the text of the 1830 edition in a new format designed especially for easy reading. This copy is called the printers manuscript because, for the most part, this was the manuscript that was taken to the printers shop in palmyra, new york, where the type was set for the first edition of the book of mormon, published. Jerald and sandra tanners 1965 publication, 3,9 changes in the book of mormon, has probably had a greater influence. 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. Book of mormon 1830mormon wikisource, the free online. Since doctrine seems to be the area of greatest concern four changes made in the second 1837 edition of the book of mormon, which allegedly alter the book of mormon doctrine of the godhead, are the changes most frequently cited. Dec 20, 2010 the account, known as the book of mormon, first published in 1830, primarily tells the story of gods dealings with two israelite civilizations living in the new world. Book of mormon editions 18301981 the encyclopedia of. Part of thehistory commons,mormon studies commons, and thereligious thought, theology and philosophy of religion commons.

Second, the changes to the book of mormon that critics point to are defined almost entirely by eversoslight punctuation or grammatical changes to correct for these mistakes. Changes were made to the book of mormon after joseph smith changed his doctrine from monotheism to polytheism. Deletions are highlighted in red and additions are highlighted in blue. Has the book of mormon had over 4,000 changes since the.

Comparing the original version to the 1986 edition reveals that the critics declarations about thousands of changes are misleading. Yet, when one compares the original book of mormon with a currently circulating edition, one observes that many changes have been made in the book of mormon since the original 1830 edition. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes. Joseph smith translated the book of mormon by the gift and power of god. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints has stewardship over the book of mormon and will do everything in its power to put a copy of the book into your hands in your own language. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of. Edits and changes to the book of mormon will occasionally b. Pdfs of 1830 palmyra edition of the book of mormon.

Reasons for textual changes made to the book of mormon over the years after it was first published. The first printed edition compared to the manuscripts and to the subsequent major lds english printed editions and that there was to be. 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. Although for 16 of the textfrom helaman through the end of mormonthe type. The book of mormon has undergone many revisions since the 1830 ed. Claiming it was scripture like the bible, in 1841 he declared it to be the most correct of any book on earth and the keystone of our religion. During 182930, a copy of the original manuscript was made.

Royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu and a recognized expert of the textual history of the book of mormon, has identified 5,280 variations in all editions of the book of mormon. Understanding textual changes in the book of mormon. 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. After comparing the first edition of the book of mormon with the 1964 edition we marked the changes on the photocopies of the 1830 edition. In early 1830 joseph smith published the book of mormon, a 269,938word volume that discusses religious themes intermingled with a history of ancient american peoples. Critics of the book of mormon have assailed the books authenticity on the grounds that it has undergone many changes since its 1830 publication. Ash, scholar, author of shaken faith syndrome and of faith and reason thousands of textual changes have been made to the book. Understanding the nature of the thousands of small changes in the book of mormon may be helpful and interesting. In this study we will show that there have been at least 3,9 changes made in the book of mormon from the time it was first published in 1830.

This publication is intended for scholars of all faiths and persuasions, lds, rlds and all others interested in the text. The account, known as the book of mormon, first published in 1830, primarily tells the story of gods dealings with two israelite civilizations living in the new world. I sometimes read the words of skeptics of the book of mormon regarding purported changes since the original 1830 printing, although i do not often purposefully look for objections to our lds scriptures. The book of mormon that joseph smith published in 1830 is not the same book that is published over 170 years later. Understanding the process of publishing the book of mormon. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. John gilberts 1892 account of the 1830 printing of the. An analysis of selected changes in major editions of the book of mormon 1830 1920 jeffrey r.

The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. Larson, a study of some textual variations in the book of mormon comparing the original and the printers manuscripts and the 1830, the 1837 and the 1840 editions masters thesis, brigham young university, 1974. Four editions were published during joseph smiths lifetime. Joseph smith said that 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, history of the church, vol. Holland, an analysis of selected changes in major editions of the book of. For the most part, the 1830 printer set the type from the printers manuscript. Changing critics criticisms of book of mormon changes the. Dec 24, 2007 this book is not a facsimile of the 1830 book of mormon. Book of mormontransmission from translator to printed. Book of mormon 18303 nephi wikisource, the free online. I am a book of mormon fanatic and have in my collection several different versions including photo reproduction of the original spanish book of mormon 1876, the 1908 version orson pratt, 1920 version jame e.