While there is much that is unknown about reformed egyptian, some clues about its nature emerge from a close reading of the book of mormon text and comparison with other realworld ancient. According to the record, one of these civilizations stemmed from a man named lehi who left jerusalem with his family around 600 b. The book of mormon records that during christs ministry to the people of ancient america, he established his church, as in the old world. His mission and his message religious studies center. The record keeper was usually a prophet, although there are some minor authors who were not. Suggesting that the nephites are unrighteous might be upsetting to some people. The bible and the book of mormon are used side by side in their preaching and personal study. Genealogical, historical, legal, and prophetic records of the nephites were handed down in sacred trust, usually from father to son. The following is a flow chart showing who kept the records and how they were passed on throughout the history of the book of mormon. The record keepers of the book of mormon understood that their work was not their own but followed the wise purposes of god.
It is important to note that moroni explicitly says that the term reformed egyptian refers to the script used to record the book of mormon rather than the language spoken by the nephites. As alma the younger was nearing the end of his earthly ministry, he shared his feelings about how seemingly small things like these records the nephite scriptures could confound the wise and in the end do great things such as bringing about the salvation of many souls. Number of people in the book of mormon lds teachers toolbox. According to the book of mormon, the liahona also called the directors or the ball of brass passed down from nephi to succeeding record keepers, along with the sword of laban. Jul 28, 2017 this indicates that because of its divine authority, the book of mormon is truly a binding record,12 and we will be judged for how we respond to its truths.
Over a decade in the making, a new approach to studying the book of mormon has been our labor of love. Book of mormon record keepers drew upon the natural world thousands of times to enrich their speaking and writing. Chemish, son of omni and brother of amaron, was the fifth to hold this posit. The book of mormon mormon2 relates threethreenephitedisciples separate occasions where he rose up to take action against evil. This abridged record was passed from mormon to his son moroni pronounced moroneeye, the last known survivor of his nation, who, near the end of his life, buried the plates in a. Nephite warrior who wrote first 3 verses of book of omni. After i presented at the fair conference i got some strong rebukes by people quoting scripture suggesting that i was completely wrong in my reading. The gadianton robbers, whose organization was based on what the book of mormon calls secret combinations that have existed a lot longer than the name of the society. Their many references to beasts, fruit, seashores, stones, trees, vineyards, and wildernesses provide amazing insights into how and where those record keepers lived. Many have wondered what reformed egyptian might be and why book of mormon record keepers wrote in such a script. However, we have also been considering colorizing our chart. Lehis posterity mainly through jacob, mosiahs family, alma and his long line of descendants, and mormon and his son moroni. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of mormonism. God commanded these prophets to keep a record of their teachings, prophecies, missionary labors, and wars so that we could know concerning the doings of the lord in other lands, among people of old 1 nephi 19.
Periodically, he added editorial commentaries of his own that were skillfully woven into the texts of the primary authors in that record. It seems that the record keepers, especially moroni, chose to provide only the names of animals that they thought important or useful. It is selfreferential, unique from other books as it examines its own genesis and future. If we do that, we might use a specific color to signify the record keepers. If you dont know who some of these men are, look them up in the book of mormon index and read scriptures about them. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of. Lehi wrote an account of his life and spiritual experiences that was included in the large plates of nephi. Nephite record keepers perhaps did not know the details of that process, but that is the best explanation that i know of for the remarkable growth in the number of lamanites.
One of the last record keepers was an ancient american prophet named mormon who abridged the centuries of records into a more concise account on gold plates. Many have wondered what reformed egyptian might be and why book of mormon recordkeepers wrote in such a script. The name actually refers to a prophet who lived in ancient america and who played a vital role in recording the scriptural history of his time, revealed in our day. What the text reveals about the land and lives of the record keepers book book details. Completed the record of his father added his own writings abridged the jaredite record book of plates passed outside family ether. Authors, the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. According to the record, the people lived in unity and prosperity for nearly 200 years following christs visit. Sorenson has pointed out, the book of mormon is structured as a lineage history. Omni wrote the first three verses of the book of omni before passing the responsibility of keeping the book of mormon record to his son, amaron.
Words of mormon step by step through the book of mormon. Oaks of the quorum of the twelve apostles observed, it is our position that secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the book of mormon. Commissioned 10yearold mormon to continue record upon turning 24 years of age. Why did mormon and moroni write in reformed egyptian. Mormon, though one of the contributing record keepers, is not the writer of the book, but is its abridger. Mormon record keepers thought in hebrew, although they wrote with characters of reformed egyptian mormon 9. Enos was given charge of the record by his father, jacob, son of lehi and brother of nephi.
If a date is not found in or tied directly to a specific verse, then the information has been deduced from general historical infor. Nov 16, 2017 the four families of nephite record keepers of the book of mormon are listed chronologically here, along with their approximate dates of birth and other important information. If a date is not found in or tied directly to a specific verse, then the information has been deduced from general historical information. Page 100 the book of mormon is about writing books. Adapted from church educational system, book of mormon student manual. From the time of the books first printing in 1830, people no doubt speculated on many of the things it contained in. Later, the urim and thummim and breastplate were added to the collect. What happened to the liahona that lehis family used in. More specifically, mormon was a prophet, military leader, and record keeper in the book of. Fourth nephi step by step through the book of mormon. The book of mormon is a collection of the writings of their prophets and record keepers. One of the last recordkeepers was an ancient american prophet named mormon who abridged the centuries of records into a more concise account on gold plates. The book of mormon relates the history of the inhabitants of the american continent between the time of the tower of babel spoken of in the old testament and 400 ad.
Some authors take some time to vent about their existence. The four families of nephite record keepers of the book of mormon are listed chronologically here, along with their approximate dates of birth and other important. While there is much that is unknown about reformed egyptian, some clues about its nature emerge from a close reading of the book of mormon text and comparison with other. Abridged the jaredite record book of ether sealed the abridged records in the hill cumorah. Their references to beasts, fruit, seashore, stones, trees, vineyards, and wilderness to name only a few provide amazing insights into how, and.
According to the book of mormon, omni is the first writer of several authors of the book of omni, and the son of jarom. What the text reveals about the land and lives of the re 9781951496067 195149606x, we buy used or new for best buyback price with free shipping and offer great deals for buyers. Book of mormon mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Former dean of the college of biology and agriculture at byu, kent crookston, shared his hypothesis on where he believes the record keepers of the book of mormon lived.
May 02, 2019 moroni indicates that he and his father mormon wrote in a script called reformed egyptian. Unfortunately, mormon s abridgment of the record of lehi was the material translated in the 116 manuscript pages that were lost, and consequently it is not available in the present book of mormon. For some portion of the book of mormon history the records. Lehi wrote an account of his life and spiritual experiences that was included in the large plates of nephi 1 ne. Mormon is a nickname for a member of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. From its creation to its translation and publication, the book of mormon is profoundly and essentially a book that discusses its own authorship and editing at length. The case of the numerous amulonites can be explained on similar groundstaking control over a resident population.
An alternative hypothysisbook of mormon record keepers drew upon the natural world thousands of times to enrich their speaking and writing. Latterday saints also consider the book of mormon to be a record of great ancientamerican civilizations. Starting in the 1980s when we developed and helped the church publish the first searchable online edition of the scriptures, we realized the added power of the book of. Another possible explanation is that the horse that we know today didnt exist in book of mormon times but that the ancient record keepers used the term horse to describe another animal whose characteristics were similar to that of a horse. Nephite record keepers with images scripture journaling, book. The nephite archivist, the record of records, and the book of mormon provenance, interpreter. Their many references to beasts, fruit, seashores, stones, trees, vineyards, and wildernesses provide amazing insights into. What the text reveals about the land and lives of the record keepers. The four families of nephite record keepers of the book of mormon are listed chronologically here, along with their approximate dates of birth and other important information. Enos was third in the series of record keepers who maintained the record of the nephites, a set of metal plates containing the spiritual and secular history of the nephites.
Like the bible, the book of mormon is a collection of sacred writings by ancient prophets, except these prophets lived upon the american continent. It is named after mormon, one of the last of these ancient prophets. Following the ministry of jacob and extending to the reign of king benjaminapproximately 500 bc to around bca series of seven recordkeepers preserved the sacred records which comprised the smaller plates. From the revelations placed on the small plates of nephi, those who succeeded nephi understood that their writings would, first and most importantly, be a witness of jesus christ. The ecology and agriculture of the book of mormon the. May, 2019 as the knowhy concludes, while several unanswered questions remain about the nature of nephite reformed egyptian, there is enough surviving evidence to piece together a believable idea of what it was, how it functioned, and why the nephite recordkeepers chose to utilize it as a script to record the book of mormon. Apr 08, 2020 in this video we learn a little about the 3 members of the 3rd family or record keepers in the book of mormon. In this video we learn a little about the 3 members of the 3rd family or record keepers in the book of mormon.
This led to the downfall of two great civilizations, and the recordkeepers preach against it. Completed the record of his father added his own writings abridged the jaredite record book of plates passed outside family ether sealed the abridged records in the hill cumorah. Moroni indicates that he and his father mormon wrote in a script called reformed egyptian. Unfortunately, mormons abridgment of the record of lehi was the material translated in the 116 manuscript pages that were lost, and consequently it is not available in the present book of mormon. Record keepers of the book of mormon by joel hardy the following is a flow chart showing who kept the records and how they were passed on throughout the history of the book of mormon. The stories behind the sections of the doctrine and covenants salt lake city, ut. Mormon was the chief abridger and editor of the full book of mormon. True to his commission, the book of mormon record keepers were highly selective in what they engraved on their plates. Like book of mormon prophets, we also have a responsibility to record and preserve our sacred experiences, both for ourselves and for future generations. As the knowhy concludes, while several unanswered questions remain about the nature of nephite reformed egyptian, there is enough surviving evidence to piece together a believable idea of what it was, how it functioned, and why the nephite recordkeepers chose to utilize it as a script to record the book of mormon. Matthew mcbride, letters on baptisms for the dead, in revelations in context. He took the most important pieces of history from many records to make what we have today.
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