Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is a text first published in Palmyra, New York, USA in May 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. The title page lists its author as Mormon, who purportedly wrote much of the book in the Fourth Century A.D. in North America. In Mormonism, the book is considered along with the Bible to be a book of scripture.

The Book of Mormon is published today by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the expanded title The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, as part of the church's scriptural canon. Versions of the book are also published by other churches, including the Community of Christ. In addition, the book is part of the canon of numerous other smaller churches that grew out of the religious movement begun by Joseph Smith, Jr.

Table of contents

1 Organization of The Book of Mormon
2 Summary
3 Origin of the Book of Mormon
4 External links

Organization of The Book of Mormon

The format of The Book of Mormon is similar to that of the Bible. The book is composed of the following books, which have been divided into chapters and verses similar to the Bible:

For the most part, the book is arranged chronologically, with earlier books depicting earlier events. Notable exceptions include "Words of Mormon", which is an editorial insertion by the purported author Mormon, and the "Book of Ether", which is a purported translation of an even earlier work. The books of "1 Nephi" through "Omni" are first-person narratives, as are "Mormon" and "Moroni". The remainder of The Book of Mormon is purportedly a third-person historical narrative and commentary compiled by Mormon and Moroni.

In the version of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the book also contains introductory text concerning the origins of the book, its contents and purpose. This material is divided as follows:

Title Page text
Introduction text
The Testimony of Three Witnesses text
The Testimony of Eight Witnesses text
The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith text
A Brief Explanation About The Book of Mormon text

Summary

1 Nephi begins in ancient Jerusalem around 600 BC, at roughly the same time as the Book of Jeremiah in the Bible. It tells the story of Lehi, his family, and several others as they are led by God to travel from Jerusalem to the Americas. The books from 1 Nephi to Omni recount the group's dealings from around 600 BC to around 130 BC, in which they grow to a sizeable number, and eventually split into two groups, the Nephites and the Lamanites.

The Words of Mormon, allegedly written in AD 385, is a short introduction to the books of Mosiah: Alma, 3 Nephi and 4 Nephi. Mormon compiled The Book of Mormon (thus the name). He included the original records comprising 1 Nephi - Omni, then abridged a large quantity of collected records detailing the national history from the end of Omni until his own time.

3 Nephi contains an account of the visit of the glorified, resurrected Jesus Christ to the Americas after his ministry in Jerusalem. Here he gives much of the same instruction given in the Gospels of the Bible, and establishes an enlightened, peaceful society which endures several generations.

Mormon is an account of the events which occurred during Mormon's life, after the enlightened society of 3 and 4 Nephi had deteriorated yet again into warring groups.

Ether is another abridgement by Mormon, this time of the records of a much earlier civilization beginning at the time of the Tower of Babel. In this account, a man named Jared, his family and others were led by God to the Americas before the languages were confounded and formed a civilization long before Lehi's family arrived. Mormon placed this account after the end of his own work, before turning over the record to his son Moroni.

Moroni witnesses the final destruction of his people and the idolatrous state of the remaining society. He adds a few spiritual insights and mentions some important doctrinal teachings, as well as an invitation to pray to God for a confirmation of the truthfulness of the account.

Origin of the Book of Mormon

According to Joseph Smith and his associates, this is how the records comprising The Book of Mormon were found and translated:

The original record was engraved on thin, pliable sheets of metal with the appearance of gold and bound with rings at one edge, much like a modern book. At the end of Moroni's ministry (around AD 421), he hid these gold plates along with several other artifacts in a stone box.

In 1823, Joseph Smith was directed by God to the place where the plates were stored. He was not immediately allowed to take them, but was eventually entrusted with them. With God's help he was able to translate the characters (some apparently related to 600 B.C. Egyptian with Hebrew influence (Mormon 9:32,34)) into English.

The heavy plates were assumed to be of gold, and were consequently much sought-after by some monetarily inclined individuals. Joseph Smith and his family reported many attempts by others to find and take the plates.

Joseph Smith was allowed to show the plates to several people, and these accounts are recorded in the front of The Book of Mormon as "The Testimony of Three Witnesses" and "The Testimony of Eight Witnesses". Most of the witnesses became disaffected with Joseph Smith and/or the church he founded, but do not appear to have disavowed their statements on the origin of the book.

After translation was complete, the angel received the plates from Joseph Smith, and no public account of their whereabouts has been made since.

Critics propose various alternate explanations exist for the origin of The Book of Mormon.