A stylometric analysis of mormon scripture and related. This thesis is a project which investigates the science of stylometry and wordprints. Blue shortest purple average about 27 verses red longest jacob chapter 5 is definitely the longest. At least three computer analyses have been completed to date in an effort to determine who wrote the book of mormon, and whether it was a single individual or a group. Book of mormon citys only a letter or two different from the bible and citys around joseph duration. We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible, and defensible to the entire world. Journal of the book of mormon and other restoration scripture 21, no. Geology of the book of mormon book of mormon archaeological. The main assumption underlying stylometry is that an author has aspects of literary style that may be unconsciously used, and can be used to identify their work. We are a nonprofit organization supported by people like you. How hyerdahls journeys gave me a more tangible picture of the travels of the jaredites. Wordprints and the book of mormon hilton, john l wordprints and the book of mormon. Thats terribly unsurprising, but truly interesting. If joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, we should be able to see his literary style across the entire book.
A first expression of the value i think can be had from accepting that the book of mormon has an ancient source text. If you love the book of mormon, consider donating to book of mormon central and becoming part of this exciting movement. According to most adherents of the latter day saint movement, the book of mormon is a 19thcentury translation of a record of ancient inhabitants of the american continent, which was written in a script which the book refers to as reformed egyptian. Ive read a number of the wordprint studies, so i responded to it. The book of mormon is the history, religious and secular, of a fallen people. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. Then in general at stylometry and how reliable it is. No single individual, modern or ancient, could have written the book of mormon. Multiple isaiah theory and stylometry search isaiah. The focus is placed on reexamining a wordprint study done by wayne larsen and alvin rencher wherein the book of mormon was analyzed against texts by those who are purported to have written it. In three major statements about the gospel of jesus christ, the book of mormon highlights certain principles and ordinances that a person must follow or have completed in order to come fully unto christ.
Part of themormon studies commons, and therhetoric and composition commons this thesis is brought to you for free and open access by byu scholarsarchive. Het eerste wat opvalt aan the book of mormon, is het waanzinnige tempo waarin wordt gespeeld en het verbluffend hoge niveau van alle. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able to see distinct writing styles among each different author. Is the book of mormon like other ancient metal documents.
The possibility of the book of mormon as inspired fiction. In just one example, mark twain, in roughing it, accuses joseph smith of having smouched from the new testament and then giving no credit in his composing the book of mormon. This book of mormon study guide is designed to fit the needs of various ages and study habits and is ideal for personal, class or family study. It was made out of a genuine love for both the tv show and the stage musical.
My wife and i drove up to provo friday with our 12year old and yearold to attend this awesome conference. In the past, roper and fields had used stylometry to show a consistency of authorship in isaiah and the pauline epistles. Lots of answers here with an incredible amount of evidence. Book of mormon and the ruinsthe main issues hugh nibley. The evidence for emoe in the book of mormon is interesting, but there are a few caveats. The invention of the computer has brought a new tool with which. Any suggestions on a later dinner or isnt that practical. It tells of hebrew tribes that walked in ancient america.
Since 1980, four major stylometric analyses of the book of mormon have been publishedtwo by researchers at brigham young university, 19 another by a doctoral student at bristol polytechnic, 20 and yet another by researchers at stanford university. Indeed, it camem to pass that the prophet joseph smith discovered the book of mormon on golden plates. The book of mormon, journal edition, provides the space you need to write down the thoughts and inspiration you receive as you read and study the scriptures. All names represented in the book of mormon should be linked to their page the first time they are mentioned in an article and then again at the end of the entry before the notes and references section as see name, name, name transliteration.
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. First, skousen makes it very clear that the book of mormon is not an early modern english text. Ive left out some topics that were only covered with words. Lds church members are taught that the book of mormon bom is scripture, as well as a true record of the inhabitants of the americas from about 2200 bc to 420 ad. Wordprinting, or stylometry as it is more commonly known, is the science of measuring literary style. Since the book of mormon s publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. The abundance of skeptical theories about who wrote the book of mormon has led many scholars to seek scientific data to discover the answer. Stylometry can find a smoking gun, but only if the actual author is among the candidates tested. Comparison of the book of mormon to novelists of the same time period. If you read the book you can clearly see that this is not the case. South park creators comingofage satire on the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is a work of comic genius. This field of research uses various statistical methods to detect linguistic patterns. Nephi is the next most prolific writer with a theme around family. The book is entitled geology of the book of mormon by jerry d.
For example, mormon as a writer contributed about 36% of the words in the book of mormon with a central theme around war. As a very brief summary, the urantia book is claimed to have come from divine beings that dictated their messages through a human mouthpiece. Critics generally claim that joseph smith either created rather than dictated the book of mormon, or that he plagiarized the text from some other nineteenthcentury scholar. I guess i find myself a little sad that there isnt more discussion on this particular topic. Clark had circumstances permitted a marked grave for the slain prophet, a fitting headstone could have read, by joseph smith, junior, author and proprietor. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins byu. African mormons mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Theres no way that you can emulate the wordprint of another individual. The book of mormon, the first broadway musical by matt stone and trey parker the creators of south park. Original broadway cast recording contains the songs from the american musical the book of mormon, with music, lyrics, and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone. Including the mormon churches conflicting results of computer analyses of the book of mormon. Journal of the book of mormon and other restoration. One of the earliest book of mormon scholars george reynolds was also a member of the seventy and secretary to brigham young.
The smoking gun of book of mormon geography book of. The words of mormon and the book of mosiah george reynolds, janne m. An outline of the textual structure of the book of mormon. If you love the book of mormon, consider donating to book of mormon.
But in this presentation, they chose to compare two novels each from jane austin, charles dickens, james fennimore cooper, mark twain with the book of mormon. Mormon had different ways of discussing resurrection. Matthew jockers used stylometric techniques to analyse the book of mormon, concluding. Joseph smiths translation of the book of mormon was a literal translation. The basic elements of book of mormon geography are discussed, and the authors and keepers of the sacred records are listed. Since the book of mormons publication in 1830, a number of different theories have been proposed concerning its authorship. November 27, 2017 what can stylometry tell us about book of. Although these stylistic studies are not as accurate as a humans fingerprint, they can give research. Thanks to our friends who watched our three youngest kids while we went, and thanks to book of mormon central for organization such an amazing, enjoyable, educational event.
Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins author john e. Jan 16, 2018 what can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. Matt roper and paul fields intrigued us with their stylometry study. Among those evidences was a reference to wordprints. Using computers for statistical analysis, they produced a wordprint like a fingerprint not only for book of mormon authors but for the pauline epistles and the book of isaiah, which helps to solve the multiple isaiah theory problem. The same types of stylometric measurements used to show that books of the bible were not written by single authors are rejected as showing multiple, non19th century authorship of the book of mormon because it is the book of mormon being studied. The book of mormon is een ware verademing het parool.
Everything is in the same order as in the standard edition, but ive regrouped the books and chapters in a slightly different way. Some modern readers assume the bom sounds old because joseph smith lived 200 years ago, naturally it would sound old. A biblical scholar looks at the book of mormon mormons in. The lost city of zarahemla is destined to become one of the most important discoveries in church history in decades the definitive answer to the question of joseph smiths knowledge of book of mormon geography and the origins of central american theories. So i decided to animate it to see how itd turn out. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of. Includes the testimony of three witnesses and and also the testimony of eight witnesses, 2 unnumbered pages at end. Gentiles in the book of mormon the interpreter foundation. Book of mormon study guide volume one spiral bound book. On november 27, 1967 the metropolitan museum of art in new york city made available to the church certain papyri fragments that had once been in the possession of joseph smith. He supports this by explaining that when he and stan carmack sat down and read early modern english texts, they kept having to look up words. He is followed by alma with a theme of faith and moroni with themes of ordinances and governance.
Having first been developed in the 1850s, stylometry seeks to find the wordprint of a text. Mormon apologists claim that this book was written so the brethren would know the weaknesses of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is written in pseudobiblical, 19 th century language. Ive found the same thing with book of mormon stylometry. A book of mormon reevaluation brian curtis roberts brigham young university provo follow this and additional works at. How to understand the book of mormon in book of mormon. Janne sjodahl was a swedish convert who worked in lds periodicals.
Linguistics and the book of mormon wikimili, the free. Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. One may naturally wonder, though, if the book of mormon s diversity of style is in any way unique or impressive. In reexploring the book of mormon, edited by john w. Evidence of steel has been found in the near east during the same time frame that is claimed by the book of mormon. Is stylometry the ultimate proof that joseph smith did not. Ive not included one masters thesis that i was shown. Book of mormon stylometry in pictures and tables rational. How to understand the book of mormon is a vital study tool which will serve as a lifetime reference to those who love the book of mormon. Since the book of mormon is a translation, with all its faults, into english for englishspeaking people whose fathers for generations had known no other scriptures but the standard english bible, it would be both pointless and confusing to present the scriptures to them in any other form, so far as their teachings were correct.
By the end of the study it is clear that he no longer. Apr 10, 2018 opponents to the book of mormon either claim that joeseph wrote the book of mormon or cobbled it together from others like pratt, cowdery, spaulding, or rigdon. Lets say that joseph smith wrote the book of mormon. But the bom also sounded old to its readers when it first came out in 1830. Members of the church have long held that its joseph smith. Despite joseph smith s declaration that the book of mormon is the most correct book, the book of mormon actually apologizes for being poorly written, yet practically in the same sentence, brazenly condemns all who refuse to believe it. It was recorded by the musicals original broadway cast and released on may 17, 2011 to digital outlets. For the lord god hath said that the words of the faithful should speak as if it were from the dead. The book of mormon paradigm of book of mormon historicity. Robertss study which was published posthumously in 1985 as studies of the book of mormon.
The cimeter of the book of mormon is known today as a scimitara curved blade with the outer side sharpened. In order to help shed light on this issue, several studies have relied upon a type of analysis called stylometry. Heres the book of mormon chapters categorized by length. Stylometry has been used in a number of highprofile cases. With extended margins for notes and reflection, this new format will allow you to write your thoughts directly in your scriptures and easily find them again in times of need. Swords and cimiters in the book of mormon book of mormon. On early modern english and the book of mormon times. Mormon did not paraphrase, he quoted directly from the records he had in his possession. However, the comment got buried, so i thought id bring the discussion to its own thread. Senior missionary explains book of mormon wordprint analysis. The animation ive mad is in absolutely no way affiliated with either south park or the book of mormon. Anyone who reads it and sincerely prays to know if it is true will receive. Study aids book of mormon subject guides at brigham young.
They compared twentyfour book of mormon authors each having at least 1,000 words to each other, and concluded on the basis of three separate statistical tests that these authors were distinct from each other and oliver cowdery, joseph smith, jr. It seems after reading these posts that the only possible answer is that the book of mormon happened just like joseph and others claim. Book of mormon and stylometry why the lds church is true. Stylometric comparisons with the late war uncovered the presence of many many short phrases in the book of mormon that are nearly unique to early 19 th century pseudobiblical writings. An outline of the textual structure of the book of mormon by j. As mentioned before, if you get a digital file of the book of mormon study squares, you also get a separate file with everything you need for a successful group reading program. We have seen that the style of his prophetic voice as evidenced by the main cluster of the textual samples studied, differs from the style of.
Book of mormon stylometry three voice hypothesis l. With the history of the book claiming many original authors and one or perhaps two dictators, it presents very similar stylometric claims to the book of mormon. The king james bible was translated into early modern english in 1611, and the book of mormon is written in the same style. The smoking gun of book of mormon geography by jonathan neville. The billhook, shortsword, and doubledagger are other mesoamerican weapons that fit with the concept of scimitar. The book of mormon is a musical comedy with music, lyrics and book by trey parker, robert lopez, and matt stone. Have you ever wondered what would happen if the book of mormon found its way to south park. How have critics responded to the stylometry study done at byu that concluded the book of mormon selections they did not resemble any suggested 19th century authors, including joseph smith. Those who believe that joseph smith translated it by the gift and power of god naturally have accepted that its source texts were written by multiple ancient prophets. It amounts to a book of mormon 101 course, depicting pivotal scenes from the churchs seminal sacred text, which mormons believe to be a. It is my conclusion, from the results of this research and the supporting historical evidence, that the book of mormon sprang from the prophetic voice of joseph smith himself, as did his revelations and the text of the book of abraham. Oct 25, 2016 according to hugh nibley, the father of contemporary mormon scriptural and theological scholarship, the book of mormon can and should be tested.
Jan 18, 2016 measuring style in the book of mormon this blog post is long 3000 words, 28 images, and it is a quick, poor, and short summary of stylometry relevant to the book of mormon. Larsen and his associates concluded that the book of mormon was written in distinct authorship styles and that none of the 19th century candidates that they tested resemble book of mormon authors in style. For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming. It is being replaced with a second edition which is a single book covering the entire book of mormon. This form of stylometric analysis, called authorship attribution analysis, is what we used to solve the mormon book. The plural word gentiles appears 141 times in the book of mormon the singular gentile appears only five times. Opponents to the book of mormon either claim that joeseph wrote the book of mormon or cobbled it together from others like pratt, cowdery, spaulding, or rigdon.
All content will remain the same but the interior will have updated fonts. Roberts was struggling and searching for ways to justify the inconsistencies found in the book of mormon. Book of mormon the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. All the weapons cited in the book of mormon text have parallels among mesoamerican armaments. Buy book of mormon hardcover or softcover book of mormon. Wordprint studies on the book of mormon book of mormon. I found so many faithpromoting sources that held it up as proof that joseph smith didnt write the book of mormon, or that the book of mormon is internally consistent. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship.
Kjv isaiah in the book of mormon why the lds church is. Geology of the book of mormon tyler livingston, recently named president of book of mormon archaeological forum, introduced me to a new book a few days ago. Modern proponents of the mesoamerican theory have used stylometry the statistical study of linguistic style, word usage, etc. This is no laughing matter, for the book of mormon was compiled and delivered to us of modern times as a warning and teacher to save us from utter destruction upon the second coming of christ. Book of mormon numerology rational faiths mormon blog.
This paper contributes to this questioning of the origins of the mormon faith by assessing the stylometric evidence for or against multiple authorship of the book of mormon. It can be responsibly concluded that the book of mormons internal claims about its authorship are consistent with. I needed to know the chapter size so i could plan reading sections for a book of mormon readathon. Apr 17, 2015 while many who no longer believe in the historical book of mormon do not think that the book is robust enough to be compelling without its literal claims, those who see the book as inspired fiction find enough value within the book of mormon outside of its historical claims to still see the fingerprints of the divine. What do wordprint studies say about the book of mormon. To date, the combined data from several valid stylometric studies on the book of mormon have demonstrated that it has multiple, distinct writing styles and that those styles are consistent with the authors designated within the text itself. This can be demonstrated on dozens of different levels, and when looked at together, its impressive literary features offer excellent evidence that joseph smith truly translated it by the gift and power of god. Title page title page of the book of mormon introduction testimony of three witnesses testimony of eight. Over time, however, its become clear that the book of mormon is actually a remarkably complex and sophisticated text. Smith and the genesis of the book of mormon, has become increasingly subjected to the stress of open inquiry. The book of mormon claims the existence of steel in or around jerusalem before the invasion and captivity of babylon. In another post, there was a challenge to explain away a number of evidences of the book of mormon. They fought many great battles, but then, just after his crucifixion, christ appeared. The initial book of mormon wordprint studies were carried out by larsen, rencher, and layton.