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A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 14

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Part 14: 1 Nephi 10 – 2 Nephi 31

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of 1 Nephi and all of 2 Nephi. You will notice that there is quite a big leap from 2 Nephi 5 to 26. This is the largest gap in this series and primarily due to most of the chapters between being quotes directly from Isaiah. Except for this gap, you may notice from the arc graph that there are no other really large gaps, indicating that internally consistent details are found frequently all throughout the Book of Mormon.

107. 1 Nephi 10:5 and 1 Nephi 11:27 — “Redeemer of the world”

As Nephi is describing what he saw in vision, he writes: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 14

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 13

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Part 13: Ether 11 – 1 Nephi 3

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of Ether, the Book of Moroni and some of 1 Nephi. After Joseph Smith had dictated to the end of Moroni, he went on to dictate 1 Nephi from the small plates.

98. Ether 11:6, Mosiah 8:8, Mosiah 21:26, Alma 22:30, and Omni 1:22 — “Dry Bones”

There were prophets in the days of Shiblom, found in Ether 11:4-6. We find a very subtle example of internal consistency in the fulfillment of one of their prophecies: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 13

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 12

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Part 12: Ether 1-7

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the Book of Ether. The history of the Jaredite plates have already resulted in references from other books to Ether (see items 21 and 44 in previous parts of this series). This part contains more examples of links to other books as well as perhaps the most complex example of internal consistency (item 95).

94. Ether 1:3 and Mosiah 28:17 — the contents of the Jaredite record 

In Ether 1:3, Moroni tells us that the first part of the Jaredite record “speaks concerning the creation of the world, and also of Adam, and an account from that time even to the great tower.” This was also described in Mosiah 28:17 [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 12

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 11

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Part 11: 3 Nephi 19 – 4 Nephi

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of 3 Nephi plus 4 Nephi. It also includes references to Mormon. In the description of the Savior’s visit to the Americas, there are several particularly interesting and unique examples of internal consistency in the text, as we will discuss below.

87. 3 Nephi 19:4 and 3 Nephi 7:19 — Nephi raising his brother from the dead

We learn a detail about Nephi in 3 Nephi 19:4 [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 11

Chiasmus in the News

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by John W. Welch

Strong interest in the study of chiasmus, especially in biblical texts and in the Book of Mormon, continues to abound. Indeed, so much is being regularly published on this subject that it takes a very watchful eye and lots of effort just to keep tabs on all that is coming out.

Of special interest is a book written by Dr. Joshua a Berman of Bar Ilan University in Israel and published by Oxford University Press in 2017. Entitled Inconsistency in the Torah: Ancient Literary Convention and the Limits of Source Criticism, this study reports results that emerged from a year of study by a group “composed of eight of the most distinguished names in Pentateuch criticism.” The book challenges theories about the composition of biblical texts, and Berman’s lucid and detailed investigations cannot be ignored. [Read more…] about Chiasmus in the News

Q&A with editors of Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity

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Available from the FairMormon Bookstore

This book includes a mixture of scholarship about all of Joseph Smith’s translation projects, including the highly anticipated paper by Thomas A. Wayment and Haley Wilson-Lemmon on the use of the Clarke Commentary in the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible. We had the opportunity to discuss the book with Michael Hubbard MacKay and Mark Ashurst-McGee. A review of the book will be forthcoming.

Q1: What is the purpose of the book?

Mike and Mark: The book was conceived as an attempt to cover all of the various Joseph Smith translation projects—not only the Book of Mormon and the “New Translation” of the Bible and the Book of Abraham but also the excerpt from the new account of John (D&C 7), the excerpt from the “record of John” (in D&C 93), the Kinderhook plates, and anything else. This had actually never been done before—at least not at this depth. [Read more…] about Q&A with editors of Producing Ancient Scripture: Joseph Smith’s Translation Projects in the Development of Mormon Christianity

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 10

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Part 10: 3 Nephi 1 – 3 Nephi 18

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part includes examples of internal consistency from the first half of 3 Nephi which haven’t already been covered in previous parts of this series due to their relation to earlier chapters in the dictation.

77. 3 Nephi 1:1 and Mosiah 29:46 — More on the tight control of the timeline.

In 3 Nephi 1:1, we get details about two systems of time reckoning [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 10

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 9

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Part 9: Helaman 8 – Helaman 16

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the rest of the Book of Helaman. With respect to internal consistency, the prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite are particularly impressive. The fulfillment of several of his prophecies are recorded in great detail later, just as they were foretold.

69. Helaman 8:22 and 1 Nephi 1:19-20, 2 Nephi 25:12 — “they have testified of the coming of Christ”

In Helaman 8, Nephi gives a bold speech about how prophets down through the ages have “spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.” In the process, he says: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 9

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 8

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Part 8: Alma 61 – Helaman 6

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the end of Alma and the first part of Helaman.

60. Alma 61:3-4,8 and Alma 51:2-5 — Internally consistent politics

In Alma 61, Pahoran (the chief judge) responds to Moroni’s chastisement and threats with a remarkably calm request for help. He explains the problem: [Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 8

A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 7

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Part 7: Alma 43 – Alma 56

The introduction to this series on internal consistency in the Book of Mormon is found in part 1 here.

This part covers the “war chapters” in Alma. They go into a lot of detail, especially concerning the geography. The examples shown in this part don’t do justice to the complexity of the Book of Mormon geography since there is more here than we can cover.

49. Alma 43:5 and Alma 31:3 — “the land of the Zoramites”

In Alma 43:5, Mormon informs us that an army of Lamanites arrived at…

…the land of Antionum, which is the land of the Zoramites

[Read more…] about A Detailed Look at Internally Consistent References in the Book of Mormon Text, Part 7