Volumes have been written on its distinctive and rhythmic style, and it is still regarded as a triumph of modern english literature. To this day, the lds church does not produce a hebrew book of mormon. At first glance the book of mormon appears to be biblical in heft and style. There are many sources out there about inconsistencies between the holy bible and the book of mormon. Mormon scriptures to be translated into 34 additional languages, including farsi, navajo and arabic. Both the bible and the book of mormon declare themselves to be ancient. A comparison of over 30 english translations of the bible by gary kukis updated november 2, 20071 this is not a work which requires you to begin reading on page 1 and continue on to page2 and then page 3. Unless otherwise indicated, the translation was financed and the resulting text published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church. Order the dvd at the book of mormon claims to be a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. Whats the difference between various bible versions. Comparing the bible to the book of mormon, with compilation. Bible, book of mormon and lds scripture compared life after. Bible translations are accurate only when the match the book. Why do italic translator words from the kjv bible appear.
Joseph smiths translation of the bible or in the book of mormonis correct. How could we know whicha passage in joseph smiths translation. Bible texts and translations and the joseph smith translation. Not all editions of the book of mormon have been initially translated by official church translators. The book of mormon shall stand as a testimony against the world, ether 5. There are many modernday translations of the bible to address the concerns of my friend, but i hadnt heard of any modernday book of mormon translations.
Its not that simple, but mathematically it almost is. It was my feeling that we should try to render the translated book of mormon passages into. By comparison, the bible or selections therefrom has been printed in more than 1,550 languages. As men focus their attention in other areas of research, bits of cultural and linguistic evidence come to the forefront as additional testimonies of the book of mormon. The king james bible and the book of mormon religious. Problems in the joseph smith translation of the bible and comparison to the book of mormon. The miraculous translation of the book of mormon into. How many languages has the book of mormon been translated. Contradictions between the book of mormon and the bible. Mar 07, 2011 for those of us brought up in a relgion that uses the kjv bible or the book of mormon, we have become used to the old english. However, we have found in our research and scriptural study that there are many consistencies between the holy bible and book of mormon. Critics wonder why many of the quotes from isaiah in the book of mormon are identical to the king james version. The prophet joseph smith said, i told the brethren 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 joseph smith, history of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, 7 vols. Smith was murdered before he ever deemed it complete, though most of his work.
Unless otherwise indicated, bible quotations are taken from the king james version. This is, in part, because church members believe the bible was the result of a multiplestep translation process and the book of mormon was not. Mormonism and the biblejoseph smith translationas a. The claim that joseph smith translated the book of mormon from ancient. Bible, book of mormon and lds scripture compared life. Printed in canada first edition, isbn 9780981146720. The king james version of the bible is, in all likelihood, the most successful of all the english translations. Translation errors in the king james bible appearing in the book of mormon. In fact, ces letter misquotes the kjv bible verse, turns an italic word into a normal word, to make the verse appear more similar to the book of mormon. This is why the 1830 edition of the book of mormon is used for comparison. Relationship of the joseph smith translation of the bible to the book of mormon jump to subtopic. The king james bible and the book of mormon religious studies.
The book of mormon does not quote the bible s translators words word for word. Dec 05, 2017 the book of mormon challenges other scriptures with conflicting beliefs and indicates that they will no longer exist in the course of time. Thus the bible is not just a single book, but is a divine library. In terms of evidence, if we compare the bible to the book of mormon, the bible wins hands down. First presidency statement on the king james version of the bible. The lds edition of the bible is a version of the bible published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church in english, spanish and portuguese. Another misconception is that mormons have replaced the bible with the book of mormon, which some friends of other faiths have nicknamed the mormon bible. Though some have stressed that the book of mormon biblical texts feature many differences from the kjv versions, the reality is that most of the changes in the. If you ever took a foreign language, you at some point said spanish is crazy because every word can mean like 5 things. That way, they could control the language used and try to ensure compatibility, while making the text of both more readable, and maybe even enhancing the prestige of byus translation and ancient language scholars, if they do a decent job of it. The joseph smith papers, revelations and translations, vol. Moroni giving this verse with some substantial differences. The book of mormon and the king james bible wikipedia.
The bible and the book of mormon for over 100 years, mormon archaeologists have searched in vain for indisputable proof of book of mormon civilizations. Its allegedly the inspired writings of joseph smith, whom the mormons regard as a latter. While joseph smith described the book of mormon as a translation of text written on golden plates, smith had not studied ancient languages and did. 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. Jul 06, 2011 the bible came first, not the book of mormon. This study tool can help people see how different translators have interpreted the original language. Robertss study which was published posthumously in 1985 as studies of the book of mormon. The most reliable way to measure the accuracy of any biblical translation is not by comparing different texts, but by comparison with the book of mormon and modernday revelations.
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. Online parallel bible compare bible verse versions. In some cases, entire passages are duplicated in the book of mormon. We believe the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated correctly. The introduction tells you that the book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. Seer stones, printing and publishing the book of mormon, martin harriss consultations with scholars, joseph smith translation of the bible, book of abraham translation, joseph smith jr. The joseph smith translation of the bible and his false claim to. For the latterday saint, this recognition is both a blessing and a warning. Why is some of the book of mormon identical to the bible. Isaiah variants in the book of mormon religious studies center. In addition to the 20 helps we thought itd be handy for our readers to also have a sidebyside comparison of the bible, book of mormon and other lds teachings.
Another testament of jesus christ is a separate book and validates and upholds the bible. Translations of the book of mormon in alphabetical order all languages are available in print. We believe the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated. When he sat down in 1832 to write his own history for the first time, he began by promising to include an account of his marvelous experience. However, they also affirm, while other bible versions may be easier to read than. Its couched in king james english, and it features color renderings of mormon scenes made to look like bible illustrations. That type of argument is usually called fideism or blind faith. The mormon version also has unique chapter summaries, a topical guide, and a bible dictionary that were created by the mormon church and are not found in other versions. Notice how the mormon writings will both agree and contradict each other as well as the bible. Ces letter mismatches verses here is how the sermon on the mount compares between the kjv bible and book of mormon. Mar 23, 2011 many bible versions are now available as part of bible software packages or for free viewing on various internet sites. Welcome to the parallel study bible it is the main intention of our online parallel study bible to allow users to study verses using more than one translation and version. Seer stones and the translation of the book of mormon.
And also to requote a portion of the 1992 first presidency statement that matt quotes, in doctrinal matters latterday revelation supports the king james version in preference to other english translations. W hich english translation of the bible is best for you. Why are many of the quotes from isaiah in the book of mormon identical to those in the king james bible. It would have been impossible for joseph smith to fake these passages since brentons translation was published 21 years after the book of mormon. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1988, 7390. Book of mormon commentary using a testimony of jesus christ. The joseph smith translation of the bible inspired of god.
What is the difference between mormon bible and the christian. The book of mormon and the bible are available in english in epub, mobi, pdf, and audio format for ereaders and mobile devices. Welchs excellent article entitled the miraculous translation of the book of mormon, from opening the heavens, accounts of divine manifestations 18201844, p. More than 6 million copies of the complete bible were distributed worldwide in 1975, in addition to some 300 million copies of portions of the bible. This is the ldsauthorized translation of the book of mormon into arabic.
The holy bible is the collection of writings that contain the records of divine revelation and the dealings of god with his chosen people, the tribes of israel. Why does the book of mormon match the king james version kjv of the bible so closely. Taylor was only nineteen when he was called as one of the first missionaries to open the japan mission in 1901. The bible is not a book but a collection of 66 books, written over a span of 1600 years across 3 continents, by over 40 writers inspired by god in 3 languages yet it has one primary theme the glory of god and salvat. My wife and i then proceeded to compare the king james kjv and book of mormon bm. The bible has been through so many translations it was difficult for me to understand that the similarities could have been so identical between. The joseph smith translation jst, also called the inspired version of the holy scriptures iv, is a revision of the bible by joseph smith, the founder of the latter day saint movement, who dictated inspired changes and additions to scribes. The story is that part of the agreement to secure the lease for the byu jerusalem center included a stipulation that the church not produce the book of mormon in hebrew.
Reading and comparing the charts should give you a good idea of how different versions compare to each other by translation type. These book of mormon verses should match the inspired jst version instead of the incorrect kjv version that joseph later fixed. Below are a few comparison charts to help you make your decision or learn more. A comparison of over 30 english translations of the bible. This blog is not owned or operated by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The book of mormon was written for the intent that we may believe the bible, morm. Christians assume from the getgo that the bible is gods word, and. With these, you can compare between different versions nearly instantaneously. The book of mormon contains many linguistic similarities to the king james bible kjv. Mason allred and mark ashurstmcgee discuss historical accounts of the book of mormon translation process, including joseph smith using a seer stone and accounts of joseph smith using urim and thummim.
It isnt enough to simply assume the bible s authority from the beginning. The book of mormon includes mistranslated biblical passages that were later changed in joseph smiths translation of the bible. The text of the lds churchs englishlanguage bible is the authorized king james version. What are 1769 kjv edition errors doing in book of mormon. And whereas the bible is organically linked to the earthly ministry of jesus christ by extensive surviving manuscript evidence going back as far as a.
For instance, the afrikaans translation of the book of mormon was done by such a man, who was. Translation errors in the king james bible appearing in the book of mormon summary. Types of bible translations there are three main types of bible translations. Picking out a new bible or curious about different translation types. Nov 06, 2006 order the dvd at the book of mormon claims to be a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. The relationship between the king james bible and the book of mormon is a strong one in terms of language and cadence and a powerful one in terms of covenantal theme. Book of mormon translations book of mormon central. However, the bible and the book of mormon together serve as a double witness to the divinity of christs mission. The christian bible is divided into the old and new testaments. The book of mormon claims to be an english translation from a text on gold plates.
In the isaiah chapters which were plagiarized by the book of mormon, joseph smith has changed them in his translation to fit the book of mormon. How does the book of mormons and the bible compare. Unfortunately, no original manuscripts of any portion of the bible are available for comparison to determine the most accurate version. Sometimes you will hear a reference to the jstb sometimes referred to as the inspired version of the bible either by detractors of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints mormons or sparingly in mormon literature. What is the difference between mormon bible and the. While different translations do use different words in places, the meaning is always preserved. However, soon into his mission, taylor was translating hymns and. The kjv and book of mormon are literal interpretations while the jst is an interpretive translation that is also correct. Comparison with the king james bible in english shows that there are differences in more than half of the 433 verses of isaiah quoted in the book of mormon, while about 200 verses have the same wording as the. Its a direct translation from the greek to the english, a onestep process. Comparison with the king james version deseret book, 2005 224.
Passages marked with an asterisk indicate that the two english versions differ and the book of mormon agrees only with lancelot brentons version. Unless otherwise indicated, the translation was financed and the resulting text published by. The bible the bible teaches that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god. The point of this passage is that when the book of mormon was published in the nineteenth century, gentiles that is, traditional christians would object to the claim that the book of mormon is scripture and insist that the bible is the only scripture that we have or need. He and oliver cowdery later purchased a bible, which suggests given josephs straitened financial situation that he did not already own one. Some historians though, challenge the writings in the book of mormon and state that these are mere interpretations of joseph smith. While i am waiting for the arabic book of mormon, compare. What is the difference between the bible and the book of. Smith considered this work to be a branch of his calling as a prophet. His supposedly divinely inspired translation of the bible, however, is not. Mormon we believe the bible to be the word of god as far as it is translated correctly. The book of mormon is similar in style to the bible. While other bible versions may be easier to read than the king james version, in doctrinal matters latterday revelation supports the king james version in preference to other. Jul 12, 2019 the translation of the book of mormon into japanese took five years and nine months of labor, and the manuscript consisted of twentyseven handwritten booklets.
In this response to gp chapter 10 we provide an overview and short evaluation of each of the major mormon scriptures and how they compare to one another and the bible. As of march 2015, the lds church continues to publish at least portions of the book of mormon in 110 languages. Church members officially regard the book of mormon as the most correct book of scripture, in that a man would get nearer to god by abiding by its precepts, than any other book. Textual additions found elsewhere in bible 2 in isaiah. The truth of the book of mormon and its divine source can be known today. Mar 21, 2010 the mormon bible is the book of mormon, which the mormons believe supercedes and completes the bible.
After all, the book of mormon also claims to be revelation from god, and that leads naturally into your other question. The book of mormon incorporates text which seems to be taken from the king james version, including passages which are now considered to be mistranslations. Mormons are pretty much wedded to the kjv even though they claim to believe the bible is the word of god as far as it is translated correctly, and the kjv is well known, in important areas, to have suboptimal or incorrect translation. Your bible is a translation directly from the best greek manuscripts we possess.
The first edition of the book of mormon went on sale in palmyra on march 26, 1830, and smith formally organized a church less than two weeks later. The printers manuscript was consulted again by joseph smith and others when the second edition of the book of mormon was printed in 1837 in kirtland, ohio. Book of mormon written in modernday english grace for grace. Mormonism and the biblejoseph smith translation fairmormon. Book of mormontranslation errors from the kjv fairmormon. Mcconkie, a comparison of book of mormon, bible, and traditional teachings on the doctrines of salvation, in the book of mormon. As a point of comparison we may look at the same isaiah passage as found in the dead sea scrolls, translated from hebrew into english by two contemporary scholars, theodor gasler and geza. Does the mormon eighth article of faith statement about. How many languages has the book of mormon been translated into. Do mormons read the book of mormon or the holy bible, or. However, the book was pulled from shelves and discarded with few surviving copies. Bible translations are accurate only when the match the book of mormon and modernday revelations. Some opinions may vary about the exact placement of the versions. Additionally, the church has made clear in the 1981 and the 20 editions of the book of mormon in footnote a for 2 nephi 12.
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