1981 changes to book of mormon editions

Book of mormon editions 18301981 from the encyclopedia of mormonism. The changes are the first since 1981, and deal specifically with the churchs original ban on black priesthood ordination and polygamy. Until 1981, editions of the book used code names for certain people and places in those sections that dealt with the united order. Dingers significant textual changes in the book of mormon. Joseph originally taught that jesus and the father were the same. Presenting the maxwell institute study edition of the book. Book of mormon changes the fall of mormonism rich kelsey. Changes in the book of mormon is mormonism christian. Each chapter includes a paragraphlong heading that summarizes the contents of the chapter from a mormon perspective.

The 1981 lds edition replaced these with the real names, relegating the code names to footnotes. A good overview of the various editions of the book of mormon that have been published since 1830 is found in an article by royal skousen in the encyclopedia of mormonism, vol. In 1981 the lds church published a new edition of the book of mormon, making a number of additional. When the church of jesus christ of latterday saints issued a new edition of the book of mormon in 1981, a change was made to the text of 2 nephi 30. Textual variations in the supplemental text of the book of. The text was restored in the 1981 edition of the book of mormon. Editions 18301981 the book of mormon critical text. This change was originally made in the 1840 edition but because subsequent editions were based off the european editions which followed the 1837 edition, the change did not get perpetuated until the preparation of the 1981 edition. 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. The following graphic is a list of major changes in the book of mormon and was compiled by scott faulring and printed in the seventh east press, october 21, 1981, provo, utah. Book of mormontextual changeswords missing in alma 32. Book of mormontextual changeswhite changed to pure.

Edition of the scriptures background the current printing masters of the 1979 edition of the king james version of the bible and the 1981 edition of the book of mormon, doctrine and covenants, and pearl of great price have deteriorated because of age and long use. Four editions were published during joseph smiths lifetime. Editions of book of mormon student manual by the church of. One important framework for understanding the book is to examine its publishing history.

Crossreferencing footnotes to the bible, the book of mormon, the doctrine and covenants, and the pearl of great price are included, as is an ldsoriented 600page topical index and the churchs bible dictionary. A oneword change in the introduction to a 2006 edition of the book of. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. Skousen, editor of a 2009 yale edition of the book of mormon, sees the heading changes as a nod to contemporary readers. Book of mormon introduction change may reflect new. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. On july 11, 20, i was surprised to get an email from a community of christ colleague informing me that the smithpettit foundation was publishing john s.

This type of error is common in publishing, and some translators and scribes of the bible have made similar errors. It carried a small story on a change to a single word in the introduction of the book of mormon in the recent doubleday edition. In reality, though, the kind of stylistic accuracy achieved by these changes has little to do with what joseph meant when he called the book of mormon the most correct of any book on earth. The change in the 1981 edition seems to be an attempt to bring the book of mormon up to speed with the 1978 revelation that allowed black members of the church to hold the priesthood. The change is not a modification of josephs translation, but restores omitted text which joseph translated.

Hardy writes, one of the most exciting developments in the study of the book of mormon over the past couple of decades is royal skousens critical text project, which analyzes all the changes that have occurred from the original manuscript through the current official edition 1981, and which also offers a scholarly reconstruction of the. Understanding the nature of the thousands of small changes in the book of mormon may be helpful and interesting. Mcconkie wrote the introduction in 1981 for the then new edition of the book of mormon and it contained this statement. The text appears again in double columns, but new introductory material, chapter summaries, and footnotes are provided. The following statistics are derived from my computerized collation of the two manuscripts of the book of mormon the original and the printers manuscripts and 20 standard page 173 editions of the book of mormon fifteen lds editions, from 1830 to 1981, the 1858 wright edition, and four rlds editions, from 1874 to 1953. One word can speak volumes says this mornings salt lake tribune. And, most recently, the 1981 edition was prepared under the supervision of the.

The differences in the chapter divisions between the first edition of the book of mormon and the 1981 edition are listed in this fourpage chart. One expert says these additions to mormon scripture show. I think it would be better having the chapters each split onto a separate page, just as you split it into the separate books book of 1 nephi, etc. Introduction to 3,9 changes in the book of mormon pdf version. The introduction to the book of mormon the church of. Church has the handwritten printers copy, which was given to.

Lds officials dont want readers to focus on the kind of overt statements about race that were in mcconkies 1981 summaries, he said. It introduces the book of mormon to the modern reader by providing background information and a description of the book. Items are arranged in alphabetical title sequence images not scaled. Changes in the book of mormon joseph smith said 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 history of the church, vol. Changes in the book of mormon introduction juvenile. Not many of us have the 1920 edition at hand or earlier versions. For this edition, hundreds of grammatical changes and a few. An account written by the hand of mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. The community of christ edition still uses the code names.

However, there are numerous other changes which affect the doctrinal teachings of the book of mormon. The book 3,9 changes in the book of mormon is a reproduction of an original book of mormon with the changes marked, and is available through us. Major changes between 1920 and 1981 editions of the book of. Therefore, the text is an exact photographic reproduction of the first edition of the book of mormon, and the handwriting shows the changes that would have to be made in the text to bring it into conformity. We have not tried to show capitalization or punctuation changes in this study. Olivers handwriting also presented a special challenge to the typesetter, his r which looks like a palmer r and his n are difficult to distinguish, as are his. Most modern editions of the book have been divided into chapters and verses. Church removes racial references in book of mormon. Debate renewed with change in book of mormon introduction. The introduction to the book of mormon was not a part of the original plates. Changes were made to the book of mormon after joseph smith changed his doctrine from monotheism to polytheism. An analysis of selected changes in major editions of the. The first printed edition compared to the manuscripts and to the subsequent major lds english printed editions and that there was to be. They also reset the type thus changing the page numbers from the previous editions.

For this edition, hundreds of grammatical changes and a few emendations were made in the text. Following is a very small sample of the changes in the book of mormon. This computerized collation will eventually be made available as volume 5 of the critical text of the book of mormon. After comparing the first edition of the book of mormon with the 1964 edition we marked the changes on the photocopies of the 1830 edition. The 1837 edition was used for the european editions, which were in turn used as the basis for the 1879 and 1920 editions, so the change was lost until the 1981. Two major goals of each published edition of the book of mormon have been 1 to faithfully reproduce the text. The man responsible for punctuating the first edition of the book of mormon. A oneword change was made to the introduction in the latest edition of the book of mormon published by doubleday. Chapters in the 1830 edition were longer, in part because the book of mormon was printed in narrative rather than verse formwhat we would expect from a. In 1981 the lds church published a new edition of the book of mormon, making a number of additional changes in the text. Continuing with the textual changes of these early book of mormon editions and why such changes were necessary in a work joseph smith claimed was the most perfect book written. Changes to latterday scripture lds leaders have made. Book of mormon editions 18301981 book of mormon central. The 1981 edition is also the edition which has been most read by mormons and nonmormons, especially since president bensons push to flood the earth or at least, thrift store bookshelves with the book of mormon.

Over the last 178 years, seven major editions of the book of mormon have been published by the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to. Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the book of mormon. Joseph smith translated the book of mormon into english through the. Paperback published in 1979, kindle edition published in 20, kindle edition published in 2012, publ. And he said unto me, behold, the virgin which thou seest, is the mother of. Lds leaders reinserted the omitted words into all editions since 1981. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions.

Understanding textual changes in the book of mormon. As the title indicates, this thesis is a consideration of selected changes that have been made in major editions of the book of mormon. To see a listing of our latest lds book acquisitions, please click here. Book of mormon 1981 salt lake city edition internet archive. Book of mormon editions 18301981 brigham young university. The text of this version is of the lds 1981 edition. Many of his observations were included as improvements in the 1981 lds edition of the book of mormon. The quality of the typeface is no longer as clear and sharp as it should be. Edited by a committee headed by members of the quorum of the twelve. New items are added without notice, so please check back frequently. The prophet joseph smith said, i told the brethren that the book of mormon was. Understanding the process of publishing the book of mormon. Book of mormon 1981 wikisource, the free online library. Original 1830 book of mormon page numbers with corresponding 1981 verses.

Key passages on deity in the original 1830 text of the book of mormon were changed in the 1837 edition to reflect joseph smiths changing doctrine of deity. Smith is full of bluff and bluster, and is a fraud. Behold, the virgin which thou seest is the mother of god after the manner of the flesh. This area of mormon memorabilia provides a listing of books relating to mormonism or religion. This change was originally made in the 1840 edition, lost, and then restored again in the 1981 edition. Joseph smith declared that the book of mormon was the most correct of any. The maxwell institute study edition will be the first edition ever to combine the churchs current official version of the text 20 with the results of royal skousens groundbreaking book of mormon critical text project. This edition is a major reworking of the 1920 edition.