New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Religion
New Witnesses for God (Volume 3 of 3)
Roberts, B. H. (Brigham Henry)
Book of Mormon; Smith, Joseph, Jr., 1805-1844
In addition to the changes from the first to the third person already
noted between the first group of Nephite authors, whose writings are
unabridged, and Mormon and Moroni's abridgment, there is one other item
which further exhibits the consistency between the style and language
of the book with the theory of its construction, viz: The style of
Mormon and Moroni's part of the work is pronouncedly the style of an
abridgment. Its general characteristics have already been considered in
chapter ix., and it only remains here to say that the body of the work
is Mormon's abridgment of the chief events from the Nephite annals,
with occasional verbatim quotations from those works, and his own
running comments upon the same. In the progress of the work one may
almost see the writer with a number of the Nephite records about him
engaged at his task. He has just recorded the thrilling events of a few
years rich in historical instances, and in closing says:
"And thus endeth the 5th year of the reign of the Judges."
Then he strikes a period where there are but few important events in
the annals, so he passes over them lightly in this manner:
Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the Judges
over the people of Nephi, there were no contentions nor wars in the
land of Zarahemla. * * * * * And it came to pass in the seventh
year of the reign of the Judges, there were about three thousand
five hundred souls that united themselves to the Church of God, and
were baptized. And thus endeth the seventh year of the reign of the
Judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in
all that time. [2]
He closes another eventful period, in a similar manner:
But behold there never was a happier time among the people of
Nephi, since the days of Nephi, than in the days of Moroni; yea,
even at this time, in the twenty and first year of the reign of the
Judges. And it came to pass that the twenty and second year of the
reign of the Judges also ended in peace; yea, and also the twenty
and third year. [3]
The following is a similar example:
And it came to pass that there was peace and exceeding great joy
in the remainder of the forty and ninth year; yea, and also there
was continual peace and great joy in the fiftieth year of the reign
of the Judges. And in the fifty and first year of the reign of the
Judges there was peace also, save it were the pride which began to
enter into the church. [4]
Again in Helaman:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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