All three of these could be the result of a dynamically equivalent translation that, like matthews and benjamins translations, 1 aims to emphasize the relationship between the book of mormon and the bible. This ninetysix page document, comprising only the books of 1 and 2 nephi, omni, 3 nephi, and mormon, was the first partial translation and one of only two partial printings of the book of mormon in book form at the time. The lord knew this text would be widely translated 1 languages currently. You can acquire the book for free or a small feedonation to the church oh and by the way the hebrew translation of the. Mar 20, 2019 because no prophet, seer, or revelator has yet been inspired by god to produce such a work. Above all, were these words given by the gift and power of god.
The book of mormon claims to be a translation of an ancient text, the original language version of which is not available. The translation process of the book of mormon lds scripture. The 1909 translation of the book of mormon shinji takagi follow this and additional works at. Critics have argued that the book of mormon cannot be true because joseph smiths claims about the book of mormon s translation seem unbelievable, but this new video seeks to put these criticisms to rest. To help rebuild this distinction, i am proposing the following framework for discussing the translation of the book of mormon as a communicative act. It is both the foundation upon wh ich the modern church is to rest and a mira cle. This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates from which the book of mormon is said to have been. We discourage this type of publication and call attention to the fact that the book of mormon. The book of mormon has been translated in its entirety into 97 languages.
We discourage this type of publication and call attention to the fact that the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god, who has declared that it is true. Why dont the latter day saints produce a modern english. It is ideal to read the standard smith translation of the book of mormon as well, but wilsons version makes it much easier to read and comprehend the basic story and theological ideas. The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the.
Take off your metaphysical glasses, roberts pleads, in effect, and read the book of mormon, which is full of plain and precious but also profound things. This feature article is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive. The translation of the book of mormon into afrikaans. Critics have argued that the book of mormon cannot be true. I wish to mention here that the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, and that said title page is not by any means a modern composition. Joseph and emmas first child, alvin, was born but died shortly thereafter. Timeline of the book of mormon translation scott woodward. Yes, several people, including someone i knew from my missionary service who wrote the easytoread book of mormon. Unless otherwise indicated, the translation was financed and the resulting text published by. Attractively bound in a black hardcover, this book has become collectable in its own right. But that is not to say that such a translation wont or even shouldnt be produced at some time in the future. Joseph smith translated an ancient text by the gift and power of god to produce the book of mormon. It makes the text of the work more accessible and understandable to those who are not familiar with the style used in the original book of mormon, which resembles that of the king james version of the bible.
Shakespeare and the bible are the most translated bodies of literature in history, so emode provides a good base text to support translations. From time to time there are those who wish to rewrite the book of mormon into familiar or modern english. One mormon scholar points out that there are other texts that are available only in. Most people are aware that the church has been involved in a massive translation effort to produce the restoration scriptures in other languages. Consistent with that definition, the translation of the book of mormon by joseph smith is indeed a modern day miracle.
But that is not to say that such a translation wont or even shouldnt be produced at some time in. Why new testament words and phrases are in the book of mormon part 9. These kinds of approaches using the tools of biblical studies tend to blur the distinction between the book of mormon as a modern text and its potential ancient sources. There is a specific reason that the book of mormon is not translated into more modern english.
The transliterated text from the recovered papyri and facsimiles. Joseph remains with emma for two weeks after the death. Some people say the text is merely a clumsy copy of the bible or other. For those unfamiliar with the language of the book of. The church has already written a modern english version of. Book of mormon translation and early modern english youtube. From a 1993 statement from the first presidency of the church. Dec 07, 2018 byu professor thomas wayment shows his new translation of the new testament, published in november 2018. To display the annotation, click on the note numbers at the end of a paragraph note 1, note 2, etc. This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates from which the book of mormon is said to have been translated to the most recent editions of josephs translation. The description of the book of mormon on the registration form is from the title page of the book of mormon, which joseph says is a literal translation taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side. This ninetysix page document, comprising only the books of 1 and 2 nephi. A testi mony of the book of mormon must of necessity embrace the understanding that it came as a gift of god, by the power of god.
I wish to mention here that the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, and that said title page is not. Wayments new testament translation is a compilation of over 10 years of research. The book of mormon in modern translation is only one step removed from the bearers of revelation. Book of mormon plain english version wikisource, the free.
There are specific quotes in the book of mormon that are found in the king james bible and other modern works that joseph smith had access to. The translation by both mormon and nonmormon egyptologists is completely at odds with joseph smiths purported translation. It is claimed that each sentence and word in the 1830 book of mormon had supposedly come directly from god. As for a plaintext or contemporary english translation, there is a 1993 translation by timothy b. Some people say the text is merely a clumsy copy of the bible or other pseudo. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon.
Book of mormon written in modernday english grace for grace. Book of mormon plain english version wikisource, the. Because no prophet, seer, or revelator has yet been inspired by god to produce such a work. Book of mormon plain english version wikisource, the free online. You can acquire the book for free or a small feedonation to the church oh and by the way the hebrew translation of the book of mormon pictured here was produced by the community of christ church formerly known reorganized church of jesus christ of. Joseph smith clarifies what he means by very last leaf by specifying. I believe the was turned over to the church, but it was never published. A closer look at these duplicate isaiah texts actually provides us an additional witness of the book of mormon s authenticity. Jones produced the first translation of selections from the book of mormon into spanish. Many apologists, such as brant gardner, think the book of mormon is a. It makes the text of the work more accessible and understandable.
Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is his translation of an ancient book written on gold plates. Smith plagiarized 478 verses from the book of isaiah, and 201 are identical to the king james bible. Consistent with that definition, the translation of the book of mormon by joseph smith is indeed a modernday miracle. Translating the book of mormon religious studies center. Unless otherwise indicated, the translation was financed and the resulting text published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. Wayments new testament translation is a compilation of over 10 years. The book of mormon is divided into smaller books, titled after the individuals named as primary authors and, in most versions, divided into chapters and verses. Translating the book of mormon into other languages commenced relatively soon after the first publication in 1830. The transliterated text from the recovered papyri and facsimiles published in the book of abraham contain no direct referenceseither historical or textualto abraham at all, 41 59 and the patriarchs name does.
Has anyone written a modern english version of the book of. As of march 2015, the lds church continues to publish at least portions of the book of mormon in 110 languages. Peterson wrote an excellent article in which he cites witnesses to the book of mormon translation process, giving modern readers insight into what. Joseph smith translating the book of mormon by looking at a seer stone in a hat.
There are a number of english editions by multiple publishers. The book of mormon is presently in print in over eighty languages and is now. I believe that some things get lost in translation, and the book of mormon has been translated once already, and to translate into modern. Mar 07, 2005 the first installment of phillip barlows excellent 12 questions raises the interesting question of whether the church will ever produce a modern language edition of the book of mormon in english.
The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the book of. The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the book. Top 10 embarrassments of the mormon religion listverse. Translations of the book of mormon the book of mormon is published in 112 languages, and many of them are available in multiple formats online. It is ideal to read the standard smith translation of the book of mormon as well, but wilsons version makes it much easier to read and comprehend the basic story. Isaiah and nephi both prophesied that the book of mormon would be translated by him that is not learned so that the lord could show that he is able to do his own work and is a god of. Modernlanguage editions of the book of mormon discouraged. Dynamically equivalent translation and the book of mormon.
Several critics have pointed to grammatical errors in the early modern english style of the book of mormon and made the argument that because the original ms, the printers ms, and the first edition of. We often find differences in book of mormon isaiah texts where modern texts disagree. In march 1830, 5,000 copies of the book of mormon were printed in the e. To suppose that in its origi n the book of m ormon is less than a miracl e is to atte mpt to build the house of ones. Shakespeare and the bible are the most translated bodies of.
People interested in how joseph smith translated the book of mormon into english focus on the language in the text. These tables show all the versions of the book of mormon that have been translated. It was not intended to be a translation of the book. Wikidata item this is a version of the book of mormon adapted into plain english by timothy b. Oct 07, 2017 the second installment in book of mormon centrals evidence video series tackles the translation of the book of mormon. The plain english reference to the book of mormon is an interesting project, but it includes a lot of interpolations and interpretations. It was not intended to be a translation of the book of mormon into modern english, and it would fit that role poorly. Concerning the manner in which the seerstone or the interpreters functioned, joseph smith. Several critics have pointed to grammatical errors in the early modern english style of the book of mormon and made the argument that because the original ms, the printers ms, and the first edition of the book of mormon appear to have contained hundreds of grammatical errors, the book was therefore fabricated by smith and not divinely inspired. Has anyone written a modern english version of the book of mormon. The 116 pages of the book of lehi were borrowed and then lost by martin harris.
This is an annotated version of the article book of mormon translation at. Isaiah and nephi both prophesied that the book of mormon would be translated by him that is not learned so that the lord could show that he is able to do his own work and is a god of miracles 2 nephi 27. The description of the book of mormon on the registration form is from the title page of the book of mormon, which joseph says is a literal translation taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates see pjs 1. The 1909 translation of the book of mormon shinji takagi follow this and additional works. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. Journal of book of mormon studies volume 18number 2 article 4 7312009 proclaiming the way in japanese. This is a version of the book of mormon adapted into plain english by timothy b. As of april 2011, the book of mormon has been published in its entirety in. This paper aims to stimulate specific thinking about the intense and complex events during which the book of mormon was translated in 1829. Maxwell, 1 and building on my chapter in the second edition of opening the heavens, 2 this article strives to be as precise as possible about the timing of the events and progress of the book of mormon translation.
The second installment in book of mormon centrals evidence video series tackles the translation of the book of mormon. His early work on the translation, with emma smith and martin harris serving as the main scribes, was lost in 1828. Byu professor publishes modern translation of new testament. Aug 31, 2018 people interested in how joseph smith translated the book of mormon into english focus on the language in the text. Truly, the translation of the book of mormon was a miracle and was accomplished by miraculous means. That is to what degree do the words in our english book of mormon match the underlying hebrew that was behind the gold plates. Book of mormon translation evidence book of mormon. This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates. The translation of the book of lehi is completed, resulting in 116 pages of translated text. Mar 07, 2011 the plain english reference to the book of mormon is an interesting project, but it includes a lot of interpolations and interpretations. We discourage this type of publication and call attention to the fact that the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god, who has declared that. I have only heard of a translators edition of the book of mormon, but i. Almost all of the present book of mormon text was translated during a threemonth period between april and june 1829 with. Byu professor thomas wayment shows his new translation of the new testament, published in november 2018.
The king james version of the bible is, in all likelihood, the most successful of all the english translations. Portions of the book have been translated into another 20 languages. One mormon scholar points out that there are other texts that are available only in translation but that scholars agree are ancient. Book of mormon translations book of mormon central. All three of these could be the result of a dynamically equivalent translation that, like matthews and benjamins translations, 1 aims to emphasize the relationship between the book of mormon and the. Critical appraisal of the book of abraham wikipedia. Peterson wrote an excellent article in which he cites witnesses to the book of mormon translation process, giving modern readers insight into what eyewitnesses saw regarding how joseph smith translated the book of mormon. Translation of the book of mormon church of jesus christ. It is written in english very similar to the early modern english linguistic style of the king james version of the bible, and has since been fully or partially translated into 111.
Joseph smith said that the book of mormon translation was performed by the gift and power of god the lost 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript. Mar 06, 2015 the book of mormon is translation literature. To suppose that in its origi n the book of m ormon. It is not an attempt to reinterpret doctrine, rather an.
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