Original book of mormon manuscript

Evidence from the book of mormon manuscript mormonthink. Sep 27, 2017 a page of the original manuscript of the book of mormon. The original book of mormon manuscript byu studies. After this original manuscript was completed, a second copy was made for the printers use. It is enclosed by folding the casing and then by sliding it. The original book of mormon transcript book of mormon. The original book of mormon manuscript author dean c. There is no definite evidence that he continued to write after that. Nov 06, 2017 the printers manuscript is the copy of the book of mormon text made by oliver cowdery, hyrum smith, and a third, unknown scribe from the original text written by scribes as joseph smith dictated an english translation of the nephite record. Lds church buys printers manuscript of book of mormon for. The original manuscript of the book of mormon contains virtually no punctuation, and the scribes for the printers manuscript added very little of their own. A new volume of the joseph smith papers project featuring the printers manuscript of the book of mormon was released tuesday by the church historians press, an imprint of the history department of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, reads a mormon newsroom statement. The first two pages of the printer s manuscript of the book of mormon sit atop the rest of the manuscript on the casing that folds over it and then slides into an additional case for preservation. This copy is called the printers manuscript p, since it was the one normally used to set the type for the first 1830 edition of the book of mormon.

The stain from the yarn can still be seen in those four gatherings. The printers manuscript was handwritten by a follower and was used to create the first printed edition of the book of mormon in 1830. The manuscript pages contain the words written by josephs. Howe possessed the manuscript at the time of the book of mormon publication. Oliver cowdery, a new york school teacher, arrived a mony and was engaged as scribe. Elsewhere in the book of mormon, it is taught that repentant gentiles in the last days will be adopted into the house of israel, and this verse, at least. Critics long speculated that smith had access to the original script and that smith heavily plagiarized it for the book of mormon. Church history department officials have announced and displayed newly acquired fragments of the original book of mormon manuscript. Lds church buys printers manuscript of book of mormon. What does the original book of mormon manuscript reveal.

When oliver cowdery was making the printers manuscript of the book of mormon, he copied the text of the original book of mormon manuscript faithfully, including putting down chapter iii from the original manuscript, but couldnt find chapters 1 and. The earliest text this book is a fascinating look at the less than 30% of the original manuscript that still remains of the book of mormon as it was translated and dictated by joseph smith under the guidance of the spirit to his scribes. Typographical facsimile of the extant text royal skousen. The hill cumorah in october 1841, joseph placed the original manuscript in the southeast cornerstone of the nauvoo house, a place appointed by revelation for lodging visitors. The book of mormon printers manuscript has been published virtually in its entirety, but what lds historians consider the crown jewel of the books originthe original manuscript handwritten as joseph smith dictated to scribes his translation of the nephite record preserved on gold platesexists only in fragmentary form.

The document is a handwritten copy of the original manuscript dicated by joseph smith, according to the ldsowned newspaper the deseret news. A stray ink drop and a quirk of nineteenthcentury script make the difference between retain that wrong and repair that wrong. A fuller description of the manuscripts and their scribes are found in the introductions to volumes 1 and 2 of the critical text. Though much of the original manuscript has not survived, we can reasonably estimate that oliver copied the entire book of mormon onto the printers manuscript with only about 140 differencesall of them apparently simple slips of the hand or eye. When asked about her belief by her son, she answered. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of. Statement from the early records of the church, which were kept by his private secretary under the immediate direction and supervision of the prophet joseph smith himself, cited in the original manuscript of the book of mormon, improvement era, vol. Typographical facsimile of the extant text provo, ut. The printers manuscript is the earliest surviving copy of about 72 percent of the book of mormon text, as only about 28 percent of the earlier dictation copy survived decades of storage in a. In this episode, dave takes a closer look at the original manuscript of the book of mormon and shows that theres a surprising amount of insight we can gain from it. This copy is called the printers manuscript p since it was the one normally used to set the type for the first 1830 edition of the book of mormon. In similar fashion, the book of mormon today has they shall be remembered again among the house of israel, even though the original manuscript read they shall be numbered again among the house of israel.

Book of mormon manuscripts the encyclopedia of mormonism. The lds church purchased the manuscript from the community of christ on wednesday, sept. The first volume of skousens work, the original manuscript of the book of mormon. A photograph of the original manuscript of the book of mormon which is published in the book, a new witness for christ in america, vol. Royal skousen explains the significance of the original and printers manuscripts of the book of mormon. In 1841, joseph smith placed the original manuscript in the cornerstone of the nauvoo house, a boarding house in nauvoo, illinois. Smith reportedly placed the original dictation of the book of mormon in the cornerstone of a house in nauvoo, illinois, in 1841. View of the hebrewsethan smithoriginal book of mormonlatter daycd ebook pdf. Book of mormon manuscript correspondence and clippings, 18991949, ccla. It is possible that verses 1218 of words of mormon were not originally part of words of mormon, but were part of the book of mosiah. Sep 29, 2017 the printers manuscript is the earliest surviving copy of about 72 percent of the book of mormon text, as only about 28 percent of the earlier dictation copy survived decades of storage in a. The original was never in the hands of the printer. It was begun in july 1829 and finished early in 1830. The printers manuscript is the copy of the book of mormon text made by oliver cowdery, hyrum smith, and a third, unknown scribe from the original text written by scribes as joseph smith dictated an english translation of the nephite record.

The yale edition of the book of mormon contains several hundred readings that have never appeared in any previous editions, including 216 that were found only in the original manuscript, 187 from the printers manuscript where the original is not extant, and 88 that were in both the original and printers manuscripts. The original book of mormon transcript book of mormon central. Using funds from donors, the church purchased the manuscript from the community of christ on wednesday, september 20, 2017. When compared, the original handwritten manuscript allegedly dictated by joseph smith, and the corrected handwritten manuscript from which the first printing was made. View of the hebrewsethan smith original book of mormon latter daycd ebook pdf. Martin harris wrote for joseph during the initial stages of the translation in harmony, pennsylvania, prior to the loss of the 116 pages of the manuscript in 1828. Book of mormon manuscript excerpt, circa june 1829 1 nephi 2. More than a decade of meticulous research revealed such insights as royal skousen prepared transcripts of the. Lds church buys printers manuscript of book of mormon for record. It is the most complete copy of the original manuscript, deseret news reports. The original manuscript of the book of mormon book of. David whitmer, one of the witnesses to the book of mormon was living in the town at the time, and had the printers manuscript of the book of mormon stored in a room of his house. The original text of the book of mormon and its publication.

Original book of mormon manuscript fragments could provide. Church acquires more fragments of original book of mormon. Book of mormon printers manuscript is now online church news. Smith completed the book of mormon without retranslating the book of lehi, replacing it with what he said was an abridgment taken from the. As for the recently acquired original of the manuscript, snow said plans were in the works to make it an exhibit at the church history library in. What does the original book of mormon manuscript reveal about. Only 28 percent of the original, dictated manuscript of the book of mormon survives, but the printers manuscript is virtually complete, missing.

John gilbert, the compositor for the 1830 edition, added punctuation to this portion of the manuscript prior to typesetting. In 2001, facsimile transcripts of the two book of mormon manuscripts volumes 1 and 2 of the critical text were published by the foundation for ancient research and mormon s. But beyond this, some surviving, badly weathered fragments of the original manuscript permit a consideration of the book of mormon from a paleographic. In june of 1878, a tornado tore through the town of richmond, missouri. Skousen found that there were three principal scribes. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august. Book of mormon manuscript excerpt, circa june 1829 1. The original 1830 edition, book of mormon had s of errors. Jessee the one thing that confirmed the divine authenticity of the book of mormon in the mind of emma smith was the method of writing the manuscript. The lost 116 pages were the original manuscript pages of what joseph smith, founder of the latter day saint movement, said was the translation of the book of lehi, the first portion of the golden plates revealed to him by an angel in 1827. Manuscripts of the book of mormon the book of mormon. The book of mormon and the manuscripts meridian magazine. A page of the original manuscript of the book of mormon.

Jul 16, 2015 royal skousen explains the significance of the original and printers manuscripts of the book of mormon. This manuscript was begun no later than april 1829 and finished in june 1829. Restoring the original text of the book of mormon fairmormon. Page 63 one of the biggest discoveries of the critical text project was to find that for one sixth of the book of mormon text the printers manuscript was not the manuscript taken to the 1830 printer. This is the first page of the printers manuscript of the book of mormon. This kind of transcription is an exact reproduction of the text in typescript, including original spellings, miswritings, crossouts, overwritings, erasures. There are on the average three changes per original manuscript page. Based on joseph sabins famed bibliography, bibliotheca americana, sabin. Lds church acquires book of mormon printers manuscript the. It is enclosed by folding the casing and then by sliding it into an additional case. Typographical facsimile of the extant text, was published in 2001 by the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august 1829circa.

Book of mormon printers manuscript is now online church. The original edition of the book of mormon contained dozens of misspelled words, documenting that. A copy of the original was then made by oliver cowdery and two other scribes. Prepared by royal skousen, professor of english and linguistics at brigham young university, this volume contains typographical facsimiles of the original manuscript of the book of mormon. There are on the average three changes per original manuscript. Davids house was a large twostory, sevenroom house, and the tornado turned most of it into matchsticks. The earliest text, attempts to sift through changes in the manuscript to bring the reader back to the best approximation of what the original text of the book of mormon would have said. At least five scribes aided joseph smith during the writing of the original book of mormon manuscript. Book of mormon manuscript correspondence and clippings, 18991949. The study so far is yielding a deeper appreciation of the original manuscript. These are the first couple of pages of the printers manuscript of the book of mormon.

The original book of mormon transcript the book of. Notes the original manuscript of the book of mormon, improvement era, vol. David whitmer was not aware of this commandment, or had forgotten it, and without doubt, believed that the printers copy was the original. This page shows the original text and the changes that were made by joseph smith and others for later editions of the book of mormon. The original manuscript was in this manner carefully guarded, and the copy struck off by oliver cowdery was used in the printing of the book of mormon. And we can see this quite well from the pencil marks in this color photograph of the original. The foundation for ancient research and mormon studies.

Printers manuscript of the book of mormon, circa august 1829. One of the biggest discoveries of the critical text project was the finding that for one sixth of the book of mormon text the printers manuscript was not the manuscript taken to the printer. The printers manuscript is not an exact copy of the original manuscript. Spaldings story, called manuscript story, revolves around a group of seafaring romans who sail to the new world some two millennia ago. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies, brigham young university, 2001. The lost 116 pages were the original manuscript pages of what joseph smith, founder of the. Jun 26, 2017 it is possible that verses 1218 of words of mormon were not originally part of words of mormon, but were part of the book of mosiah. Mar 25, 2020 in this episode, dave takes a closer look at the original manuscript of the book of mormon and shows that theres a surprising amount of insight we can gain from it. Five of the scribesoliver cowdery, martin harris, john whitmer, christian whitmer, and samuel smithalso gave their testimonies as witnesses of the book of mormon. The original book of mormon transcript the book of mormon. Oliver cowdery as book of mormon scribe religious studies.

An examination of the original manuscript reveals that joseph smith, as he translated, apparently. After the original manuscript was completed, joseph smith instructed oliver cowdery to prepare a second copy for the printers use. The book of mormon an account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi wherefore it is an abridgment of the record of the. When the compositors set type for the first edition of the book of mormon, they used the printers manuscript as their source text up through the fifteenth gathering, then the original manuscript until the twentieth gathering, and then the printers manuscript until the end. Book of mormon comparative from the original manuscripts. An examination of the original manuscript reveals that joseph smith, as he translated, apparently never went back to cross out, revise, or modify. The mormon story pictorial account of mormonism 1958 book rulon howells hc lds. Several decades later, when the manuscript was pulled out, water had seeped into the cornerstone, and the manuscript had started to fall apart from the bottom up. The book of mormon critical text project, under the editorship of royal skousen, began in 1988 and is now nearing completion. Jessee this article is being offered free as a courtesy to as it was footnoted in an expanded gospel topic on their site. Lds church acquires book of mormon printers manuscript. Sep 25, 2017 the printers manuscript was handwritten by a follower and was used to create the first printed edition of the book of mormon in 1830. The original manuscript was used by smith to further correct errors printed in the 1830 and 1837 versions of the book of mormon for the 1840 printing of the book. Because 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript had been lost a year earlier, joseph and his associates were wary about the manuscripts safety.