Book of mormon literary analysis

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 book. Alter and kermodes the literary guide to the bible 1990 shows how this is done with the. Chiasmus in the book of mormon religious studies center. For the first time, studies of the book of mormons literary qualities were appearing in major journals of american literary studies. The literary power of the book of mormon book of mormon. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. How exactly does one read the book of mormon as literature. Does chiasmus appear in the book of mormon by chance. The book of mormon as a really interesting, well, piece of.

Whenever an ancient document is found which has questionable historical authenticity, there is a standard testing process that is done to determine whether the. Dec 12, 2017 for the 24 book of mormon authors included in the analysis, see larsen, rencher, and layton, who wrote the book of mormon. The debate between critics and defenders of the book of mormon continues today. Jan 16, 2018 an analysis of wordprints, in book of mormon authorship. The book of mormon also contains work written by more than one author. This close reading enables the construction of a theology of the book of mormon that explores the major theological emphases that. An analysis of wordprints, in book of mormon authorship. Literary reflections on jacob and his descendants religious.

It is the sacred text for the 15 millionstrong church of jesus christ of latterday saints. As john hilton put the matter, if wordprinting is a valid technique, then this analysis suggests that it is statistically indefensible to claim that joseph, oliver, or solomon spaulding wrote the 30,000 words in the book of mormon attributed to nephi and alma. Because the power of the holy ghost will unequivocally testify to the historical reality and spiritual message of the book of mormon, it therefore stands as a valid witness of gods influence and interaction with his children. Conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. A literary analysis of the book of mormon pages 14. The book of mormon is authentic because it fulfills certain conditions lending it credibility as starting off in the near east such as. A literary analysis of the word liahona book of mormon. The book of mormon is, in steinbergs view, a work of fan fiction, a way to imbue a new world with some of the sanctity of the holy land. Many faithful mormon scholars have rightly surmised that where chiasmus could be found, there just might be other literary discoveries to be made. Daniel vogel allows for the possibility that complex chiasms might occasionally appear in the book of mormon, but he argues that the multitude of nearmisses points to what statisticians call the fallacy of the enumeration of favorable circumstances, or emphasizing the successes while disregarding the failures. 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. Understanding the book of mormon grant hardy oxford. Long and complicated, written in the language of the king james version of the bible, it boggles the minds of many. Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon book.

By the late 20th century, academic scholarship began to take seriously the literary quality and religious influence of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a religious text which, like the bible, may be subjected to various methods of analysis. Parallelistic literary devices in the book of mormon include synonymous, antithetical, repetitive numerical, and circular repetitive forms. Oct 27, 20 the more distinctive ngrams a text shares with the book of mormon, the more literary dependence is indicated.

New approaches to the book of mormon signature books. A thorough literary analysis of the book of mormon reveals abundant and rich imagery and personification. The implications of reading the book of mormon from a literary perspective stokes, adam oliver. Whenever an ancient document is found which has questionable historical authenticity, there is a standard testing process that is done to determine whether the document is a work of fiction or. Jun, 2011 a mormon explanation of the i believe book of mormon musical number from the tonys. Kent brown the israelite background of moses typology in the book of mormon noel b. Alma, a father, and alma the younger, who is his son.

Both live on the american continent around 10070 bce as prophets and government leaders. He next presents an extended reading of the narrative contents of the book focusing on its literary and theological dimensions. 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. Then there is the possibility of reading the book of mormon as literature, to enlighten, uplift, and inspire the reader. Yet it is unquestionably one of the most influential books ever written. Mark twain once derided the book of mormon as chloroform in print. May 23, 2017 even as eloquent a defender of the book as terryl givensa professor of religion and literature at the university of richmond who has since the 1990s been an emissary of mormon culture and theology to nonmormon intellectualsfelt compelled to admit that searching for literary wonders in the book of mormon is a bit like seeking lyrical. Sondrup the exodus pattern in the book of mormon s. Widtsoe, council of the twelve apostles, in search of truth. Over time, however, its become clear that the book of mormon is actually a remarkably complex and sophisticated text. This close reading enables the construction of a theology of the book of mormon that explores the major theological emphases that emerge from a narrative analysis of the book. Apr 03, 2014 then there is the possibility of reading the book of mormon as literature, to enlighten, uplift, and inspire the reader. Following these rules, the thesis provides an analysis of specific themes particular to the book of mormon and suggests how.

This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. The typology of the exodus pattern in the book of mormon. A literary analysis of the book of mormon 1996, by walter krajewski. Mar 30, 2018 some early critics of the book of mormon ridiculed its literary qualities. The literary power of the book of mormon book of mormon central. Apr 26, 2020 the book of mormon is rich in imagery. The book of mormon gets the literary treatment religion.

In understanding the book of mormon, hardy offers the first comprehensive analysis of the works narrative structure in its 180 year history. This may not be an earthshattering observation, but by. Chiasmus, a rhetorical device used prevalently in the bible and in other ancient literatures, was relegated to the intellectual subconsciousness of modern western civilization until the midnineteenth century. The four texts listed above are the ones that seem to share a statistically significant number of distinctive phrases with the book of mormon. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship.

To read the book of mormon as literature is to discover how such literary devices are used to convey the messages of its content. Pros cons the book of mormon has 180 named characters that are authenic ancient names, many of which were unknown to the western world at the time. Statisticians at brigham young university completed a computer analysis of the book of mormon. What was mormons purpose in writing the book of mormon. In both fields, writings range from expository texts to doctrinal, historical, geographical, textual, literary, and comparative commentaries. Chiastic structures in the book of mormon 1997, by h. New computer study purports to detect literary influences. Each book contains between one and thirty chapters, and they are printed in chronological order. Nephi is the predominant writer of personification. For the 24 book of mormon authors included in the analysis, see larsen, rencher, and layton, who wrote the book of mormon. Linguistically based assertions are frequently cited and discussed in the context of the subject of. His research into literary forms in ancient scriptures led him to the original discovery in 1967 of chiasmus in the book of mormon. New approaches to the book of mormon explorations in critical methodology edited by brent lee metcalfe.

But even if the book of mormon is not remarkable in its literary qualities as we. According to smith, the text was originally written in an unknown language called reformed egyptian. Jul 12, 2017 the book of mormon is, in steinbergs view, a work of fan fiction, a way to imbue a new world with some of the sanctity of the holy land. The book of mormon as a really interesting, well, piece of literature. Two others are by the hand of mormon and the book of mormon. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. A judeomormon analysis illuminates the seeker of truth on a refreshingly new level. An analysis of wordprints, book of mormon authorship, 181. One challenge in performing a linguistic analysis of the book of mormon is that. So i watched the tony awards last night, where the book of mormon musical cleaned up. Jacks efforts to plumb the depths of chiasmus during the 1970s also stimulated other types of literary analysis of the book of mormon.

The book of mormon in the english literary context of 1837 gordon k. The implications of reading the book of mormon from a literary perspective. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been written in otherwise unknown characters referred to as reformed egyptian engraved on golden plates. The book of mormons structure and complexity is evidence of its authenticity. Critics of the book of mormon church of jesus christ. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from. The book of mormon has 180 named characters that are authenic ancient names, many of which were unknown to the western world at the time. Since the book of mormon contains numerous chiasms, it thus becomes logical to consider the book a product of the ancient world and to judge its literary qualities accordingly. 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 gilbert j. Literary analysis of the book of mormon is just as legitimate as the kind of historical analysis and comparisons that hugh nibley did for apologetic purposes.

Reynolds the thronetheophany and prophetic commission in 1 nephi. Critics of the book of mormon have claimed that a variety of linguistic anachronisms exist in it which cast doubt upon its historical authenticity. Volume 4 of royal skousens book of mormon critical text project contains six parts that detail the textual variants found throughout the text of the book of mormon. According to the text, the nephites and the lamanites initially spoke hebrew 600 bc and might have spoken a modified semitic language until at least 400 ad, when the book of mormon ends. As a missionary, i told people about this story all of the time. This led to new research on the ancient american setting and complex literary structure of the book of mormon. New computer study purports to detect literary influences on. Intriguing literary analysis of the book of mormon later on. A mormon explanation of the i believe book of mormon. Some early critics of the book of mormon ridiculed its literary qualities. Its the calling card for thousands of missionaries, and part of the inspiration for a tony awardwinning broadway musical. The 19th century writers included sidney rigdon, solomon spaulding, joseph smith, w.

Hunt, the late war, between the united states and great britain, from june 1812, to february 1815 1816 modeste gruau, the first book of napoleon, the tyrant of the earth. The term chiasmus is never used, but this book clearly shows that hebrew poetic styles were recognized and studied even before joseph smiths time. This claim, as well as all claims to historical authenticity of the book of mormon, are rejected by nonlatter day saint historians and scientists. 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. Joseph smith translated this record written on golden plates, and that translation is what we now have as the book of mormon. Bruce schaalje, stylometric analyses of the book of mormon. Personification is a type of imagery where objects or abstract things are treated as though they were human. We can rest assured there are definitely multiple authors in. For nearly two centuries, faithful members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds have. With over 140 million copies in print, it is a central text of one of the largest and fastestgrowing faiths in the world. 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.

The book of mormon comprises fifteen books, all named for their primary narrator or protagonist. Linguistic anachronisms in the book of mormon are words that represent concepts that are not believed to have existed in the americas between 2500 b. Since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a 19thcentury translation of a record of ancient inhabitants of the american continent, which was written in a script which the book refers to as reformed egyptian. Unlike virtually all other recent world scriptures, the book of mormon presents itself as an integrated narrative rather than a series of doctrinal expositions, moral injunctions, or devotional hymns. The literary power of the book of mormon religious studies center. Its local color is extremely plausible, describes a state of social organization which agrees exactly with archaeological and documentary evidence, the personal names are satisfactory for that period and region, and finally, there is nothing unreasonable in. Although the book of mormon is composed of such literary elements as stories, poetry, symbolism, letters, archetypes, typology, and allegories, it is not just literature.

Senior missionary explains book of mormon wordprint analysis. Book of mormon literature the encyclopedia of mormonism. In no way does the use of literary criticism suggest that his gospel is only a. Book of mormon studies the encyclopedia of mormonism. The book of mormon contains a chronology and internal geography that remain consistent through. Jan 16, 2018 556 videos play all knowhy videos book of mormon central president nelson grandfathers visit from the other side of the veil and family history work duration. Book of mormon authorship, in book of mormon authorship revisited. This last landmark work by renowned isaiah scholar and literary analyst avraham gileadi is destined to transform readers understanding of the most timely and empowering truths the scriptures reveal. To latterday saints there can be no objection to the careful and critical study of the scriptures, ancient or modern, provided only that it be an honest studya search for truth. Analysis of textual variants of the book of mormon, part one.

At least three computer analyses have been completed to date in an effort to determine who wrote the book of mormon, and whether it was a single individual or a group. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a. To the person who knows only chiasmus and no other form of literary. To view any of the parts, click on one of the links below. There are actually two almas in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a sacred text in the latter day saint movement published by joseph smith. To appreciate the book of mormon through a literary lens does not require us to. For example, unlike the authors of the bible, the prophets, compilers, and abridgers of the book of mormon frequently state explicitly the dates when they.