There were many things about the mormon faith that i had accepted, but i wasnt really sure how the scriptures compared with those ideas. These changes have only been applied to the first part of the book of mormon. In 1981 the lds church published a new edition of the book of mormon, making a number of additional changes in the text. The first printed edition compared to the manuscripts and to the subsequent major lds english printed editions and that there was to be. The purpose of this article is to analyse some of the word changes made in the book of mormon during the three major editions printed during the lifetime of the prophet joseph smith. Im first going to describe the critical text project, some of its major findings. The introduction for the book of mormon in the 20 edition of the. Book of mormon word change christian research institute. Key passages on deity in the original 1830 text of. If you are witnessing to mormons this is a great resource. The onepage introduction to the book of mormon, which gives a brief overview of its contents, was added in 1981 when the lds church released a revised text of the book of. Summary of approved adjustments for the 20 edition of the.
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. Provo the nature of the original text of the book of mormon was the focus of royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu, during the conclusion of his lecture series on. 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. Garth norman shows how izapa was laid out with clear site alignments to. Examples of later verses in which the trinitarian image of gods was retained, are mosiah 16. Although there are grammatical revisions that will be contained in the 20 edition of mormon scriptures available online now and in print format in august the substantive. Book of mormon study guide for homestudy seminary students. For some of the best scholarship on the changes in the book of mormon, see the writings of royal skousen, such as his 2014 article, changes in the book of mormon in interpreter. Dingers significant textual changes in the book of mormon. Joseph smith said that the golden plates from which he supposedly got the book of mormon, were translated letterbyletter, and by the power of god and that the book of mormon was, the most correct of any book on earth.
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. Then i would like to turn to the issue of changes in the text to the book of. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same. The most significant changes in recent history were made to the 1981 print. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past. Box 1884 salt lake city, utah 84110 or visit their website. Well the lds edition of the standard works pre 1980s had also significant changes. The original text betrays its new england origin in many. Eyring, first counselor in the first presidency, has said. Former lds bishop earl erskine talks about the changes he found in the book of mormon on polygamy. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of mormon has reignited discussion among some latterday saints about.
Mormon tabernacle choir changes name as church shifts away. By far the majority of changes between the 1830 and subsequent versions of the book of mormon are spelling or grammar corrections. The mormon church has four books of scripture referred to as the standard works. In 20, the lds church announced several changes to their scriptures.
New mormon scriptures tweak race, polygamy references. In making this study we obtained photocopies of an original 1830 edition of the book of mormon from the university of utah library. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39. Regular study of the book of mormon is one of the best ways to strengthen your faith and draw nearer to the lord. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. Book of mormontextual changeswhy were these changes made. The most recent history of the book of mormon critical text project can be. New paperback never read comes from a clean, smokefree home. At the end of february, 20, the deseret news featured an amazing article.
Royal skousens analysis of 20 edition of the book of mormon. As you can see, the book of mormon is a changing document. Despite the faith of believers that the book of mormon is. Things to write on the title pg of my book of mormon scripture marking book of mormon title page markings i like this method of enhancing your study. Mormon share new scripture mastery passages for book. 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. Bible map sectionschanges for the bible maps include 1 placing them. 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. The current 20 edition of the book of mormon has this notice printed at the bottom of the page opposite 1 nephi, chapter 1.
The bible is accepted as the word of god as far as it is translated correctly. The book of mormon is the scripture embraced by followers of joseph smith in his 1830s latterday saint movement. Returned missionaries and nonreturned missionaries will no longer. What was changed and why were the changes now being made. This is an archived article that was published on in 20. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. Royal skousen, a professor of linguistics at byu and a recognized expert of the textual history of the. Book of mormon classes undergo changes reprinted from an article by jason brown in the universe, july 1, 20. Scholars laud changes, say they bring a more accurate, fuller view of faiths history. Since its first publication in 1830, the book of moron has undergone thousands of changes.
Byu professor royal skousen concludes his discussion on. Book of mormon classes undergo changes religious education. John dinger, editor of the recently published significant textual changes in the book of mormon, was at benchmark books on 718 to discuss the book and answer. Joseph smith said that the golden plates from which he supposedly got the book of mormon. The phrase and it came to pass is used repeatedly throughout the book of mormon, including mormons own record and the book of ether. The bible and the book of mormon teach that monogamy is gods standard for marriage unless he declares otherwise see 2 samuel 12. I will be discussing these changes briefly in my lecture this coming tuesday, march. There are a few technical issues with the video that need to be fixed we hope to have an updated version soon chris johnsons website and. The book of mormon is a volume of scripture and companion to the bible for the church of jesus christ of latterday saints often inadvertently called the mormon church. Smith is full of bluff and bluster, and is a fraud. Although there are grammatical revisions that will be contained in the 20 edition of mormon scriptures available online now and in print format in august the substantive changes come in. The quickchange artistry of the young missionaries in the book of mormon is a happy, gaudy metaphor for the way musicals give extravagant color and rhythm to gray. The article noted that the changes included revisions to study aids, new photos, updated maps, making historical and contextual adjustments to the section headings of 76 sections of.
However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. Its a small change, but its nice, since some people dont realize that most of the book headings are part of the original and not a later addition. New mormon scriptures tweak race, polygamy references the salt. The primary research for this information was taken from the book 39 changes in the book of mormon by jerald and sandra tanner.
Changes to the bible in comparison most scholars agree that there are. To obtain copies of their work please write to utah lighthouse ministry p. 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. John dinger significant textual changes in the book of. This is my analysis of the changes in the book of mormon text that the church announced yesterday. 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. An original first edition book of mormon has been photographed and is available for viewing at. Official declaration 2 february 28, 20 by emjen not since 1981 and maybe even before, ill let the textualscriptural scholars. Utah was buzzing with people trying to determine what had been changed and why. Utah was buzzing with people trying to determine what had. The mormon tabernacle choir sings a song in the conference center during the third session of the183rd annual general conference of the church of jesus christ of latter.