Someone had to put the words together in the order in which the printer set them into type. Previous studies have shown that the book of mormon contains. Joseph lovell allen true book of mormon geography lands. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. They are the socalled spaldingrigdon theory and the smithassoleauthor theory.
Mormon words of mormon through book of mormon 7 and his son moroni book of mormon 89, ether, and moroni. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. This video discusses all of the main theories critics try and point to for alternative ways the book of mormon could be produced and how these arguments fall apart when the details are explored. One critic of the church even goes so far as to suggest that the church encourages challenging the authorship of the book of mormon. Instead of being the principal ancestors of american indians, lamanites are nowamong the ancestors of the american indians.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer. Fresh and inspiring explorations using the lenses of history, theology, philosophy, literary studiesand above all, faith in jesus christ. Dan vogel theories of book of mormon authorship pt. Some claim that sidney rigdon authored the book of mormon, and conspired with joseph smith well ahead of time to compose it and start a religion.
For every book published, there must be an author someone who wrote it. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. Welcome to our project to crowd source the origins of the book of mormon, a controversial text published in 1830. In light of the growing body of significant insights into the antiquity of the book of mormon, this volume refreshes, updates, and extends the discussion begun sixteen years ago. Written by terryl givens, a leading authority on mormonism, this compact volume offers the only concise, accessible introduction to this extraordinary work. In addition to authoring books and essays, he is the associate director of the mormon theology seminar and an associate editor of the journal of book of mormon studies. For most latterday saints, the question of book of mormon authorship is noncontroversial. The tests of authenticity they employ rely on analytical techniques borrowed from such diverse disciplines as history. The book of mormon never claims that the people it describes were either the only or even the predominant inhabitants of america. The original phrase and the changes are noted in red and bold for emphasisin the introduction to the book of mormon the second paragraph reads. The solomon spaulding manuscript theory of book of mormon authorship. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript.
The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of. The dartmouth university connections to the book of mormon. The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. There are differing views on the origin of the book of mormon. One of the earliest theories of book of mormon authorship was that joseph plagiarized the unpublished manuscript of a novel written by the reverend solomon spalding since the book of mormon was first published, many have been unwilling to accept joseph smiths account of how it was produced. In the first essay i discussed why authorship of the book of mormon is important, how bias affects the analysis, and i critiqued some of the major authorship theories. The extensive use of the phrase it came to pass in the book of mormon across all of the books, i believe, suggest a single author. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The other nine books are attributed to two authors.
We are excited to welcome back preeminent joseph smith historian dan vogel to mormon stories podcast. Book of mormon authorship the encyclopedia of mormonism. The book of mormon is evidence that joseph smith is a prophet of god and that the gospel of jesus christ has been restored to the earth see the introduction. A number of different authorship theories have been proposed since the book was first published in 1830. In the first essay i discussed why authorship of the book of mormon is important, how. Rencher, and tim layton published the first complete analysis of the book of mormon using the then adolescent tool of computerized stylometry, or wordprinting. Most latterday saints are aware of a minor industry in certain religious circles in the united states devoted to refuting mormonism and to criticizing the book of mormon. The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of scholarly evidence is on the side of authenticity.
The book of mormon is a second witness, confirming the validity of biblical doctrine and verifying the divinity of christ through the inspired words of other sheep in christs fold see john 10. The view of the hebrews theory of book of mormon authorship. An introduction to the relevance of and a methodology for a study of the proper names of the book of mormon. The spaldingrigdon theory of book o f mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. According to this approach, the book of mormon was essentially a new text created by joseph smith, alone or with help from cowdery. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of. What does all this have to do with the authorship of the book of mormon. Those who do not accept the book of mormon as scripture offer many theories about its origin.
A closer look, nearly sixteen years ago, his ideas in regard to book of mormon structure, content, and authorship have received widespread notice both within and without the latter day saint community. The spalding rigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. Miraculous origins theories generally accept joseph smiths own account, that he translated an ancient record compiled and abridged by mormon, a precolumbian resident of the western hemisphere. One can easily see from the chart the dramatic difference between book of mormon authors and the contemporary authors of the bible. One of the earliest theories was that the book of mormon was based on a manuscript by solomon spaulding also spelled spalding, a fictional story about. The dominant theory among nonmormons since fawn brodies 1945 biography of joseph smith has been that he was the true author of the book of mormon, perhaps with the help of oliver cowdery. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in.
Dan vogel the book of mormon as revelation instead of translation. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesspalding manuscript. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. New light on ancient origins, published in 1982 by byus religious studies center and also edited by noel reynolds. Many studies have investigated book of mormon authorship because the. A study in colophons, headers, and source indicators, journal of book of mormon studies 22 1993. Vernal holleys book of mormon authorship annotated.
The spalding rigdon theory was first given wide publicity in 1834 with the publication of the book mormonism unvailed. This theory grew until some scholars claimed that the book of isaiah was a compilation of works from many authors and many periods of time. In fact, clues in its text hint at the presence of other groups book of mormon and dna studies. Each of the parts includes a brief introduction by the editor. The book of mormon is a complex book covering a variety of historical, religious, political, and military events in a variety of ancient communities. This theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. Critical theories that sidney rigdon was a book of mormon author or coconspirator summary. Meet the book of mormon again for the first time in these brief theological introductions.
Nonbelievers produce a variety of theories to explain the existence of the book of mormon. The introduction of new vocabulary into the text is at a low rate, which is. The book of mormon is the keystone of our religion. Within the devout lds community, few doubts are raised about the truthfulness of accounts given by joseph smith, the book of mormon witnesses, and various family members and scribes associated with the process by which the book of mormon came forth. The objective is not to find the most correct meaning for each passage of the book of mormon, but to find the most likely sources which joseph smith remixed to create the book of mormon. Accounts by these individuals are recorded in the introduction of the book of mormon as the testimony of the three witnesses and the testimony of the. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. The evidence for ancient origins paperback june 1, 1997.
This theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. A summary of several theories of book of mormon lands in mesoamerica the contents of all bmaf publications are the sole responsibility of the individual authors and therefore do not necessarily represent the views of bmaf or the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. Book of mormon authorship religious studies center. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia.
Timeline and mechanics for dictating the book of mormon 10681069. The tests of authenticity they employ rely on analytical techniques borrowed from such diverse disciplines as history, literature, statistics, and ancient near eastern studies. Studies in theory and scripture, a book series published by the neal a. The nineteenthcentury origin of the book of mormon. Book of mormon authorship revisited is a sequel to book of mormon authorship. Some mormon scholars, like grant hardy, who wrote understanding the book of mormon. Most people that read the book of mormon seriously intuitively feel like there are multiple voices. The book of mormon does not contradict the land bridge migration theory.
I also summarized 24 pieces of evidence, pointing to sidney rigdon as a key contributor and likely mastermind for the 1830 version of the book of mormon. One of the earliest theories was that the book of mormon was based on a manuscript by solomon spaulding also spelled spalding, a fictional story about early inhabitants of america. Debunking 5 myths about the book of mormon lds living. Book of mormon wordprint analysis three voice hypothesis. In this and a companion essay i provide an analysis of the two prevalent authorship theories for the book of mormon. Though these varieties of objections and theories are still defended in.
Part 1 contains essays dealing with accounts of how the book was produced in 1829 and 1830, with emphasis on the translation process and. Book of mormonauthorship theoriesoverview fairmormon. Tvedtnes, colophons in the book of mormon, in rediscovering the book of mormon, ed. The book of mormon was published on a normal press in 1830. A readers guide, have attempted to move the discussion away from polemics to an appreciation for the book.
About the book in this volume, nine latterday saint scholars each address the question of book of mormon authorship from a different approach. In these episodes, we continue our deep dive into explaining the authorship of the book of mormon including these topics. This is an introduction to a series of posts that i will be making to define the three voice hypothesis for book of mormon authorship attribution, developed from analyzing book of mormon wordprint data. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints view the book of mormon as scripture written by ancient prophets, while critics believe that it is a 19thcentury fraud. He has spent almost fifty years in teaching, searching and researching the internal and external messages of that sacred history revered by millions of latterday saints worldwide. In it, the author followed up on indications previously published in ohiobased newspapers that a man named solomon spalding was the real and unwitting originator of the book of mormon this is in contrast to some lds apologists who claim that the author simply.
Since the book of mormon s publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. Mormon describes himself as a pure descendant of lehi 3 ne. What has rarely been addressed is that for much of his language and narrative structure, smith turned to the most read and memorized author of. The solomon spaulding manuscript theory of book of mormon authorship the dartmouth university connections to the book of mormon the view of the hebrews theory of book. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. The view of the hebrews theory of book of mormon authorship the sidney rigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. With over 140 million copies in print, and serving as the principal proselytizing tool of one of the worlds fastest growing faiths, the book of mormon is undoubtedly one of the most influential religious texts produced in the western world. Many book of mormon research projects have implications for the continuing issues surrounding the authorship of the book of mormon.