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
We have no means of obtaining specifically the value of these coins in
modern terms, nor am I interested in that matter here. I only desire to
call attention to the fact that these are Nephite names brought over
into our language by the translation of the Nephite records, though
reference to the passage [39] where the tables are given will plainly
indicate to the interested enquirer that there is stated a system of
relative values in these coins that bears evidence of its being genuine.
Alluding to this matter of names in a general way I suggest that there
is nothing more difficult in literature than to originate new names.
As a matter of fact names do not suggest things, but things suggest
names. Men do not bring into existence names and then fasten them upon
things, but they see an object, they hear a sound, or become acquainted
with an idea, and the object, the sound or the idea suggests a name. So
that names, speaking generally, arise from things already existing and
are not formed arbitrarily. The names in the Book of Mormon could come
into existence in one of two ways only. Either Joseph Smith arbitrarily
created them, or else he found them in the Nephite record. Since
originating new names is so extremely difficult, the probability in
the case lies on the side of Joseph Smith finding them in the Nephite
record. If any one should doubt of the difficulty of originating new
names I would invite him to make the experiment. In this connection I
remember with what ease an old teacher of mine in English put down a
somewhat presumptuous class mate. The teacher had expatiated on the
excellence of the Proverbs of Solomon, when the aforesaid class mate
expressed his contempt of things so simple. "Proverbs," exclaimed he,
to those sitting near him, "why, it's easy enough to write proverbs."
The good Doctor who was our teacher happened to overhear the remark
and said to the speaker, "Suppose you write us a few." My class mate
tried: and the more he tried the farther from proverbs he got. He had
not learned that proverbs were the "pure literature of reason:" the
statement of "absolute truths without qualification;" "the sanctuary
of the intuitions of humanity." And so with this matter of originating
names. It may seem a simple thing, but those who entertain such an idea
let them give us a few new names. Now, the Book of Mormon has a number
of proper names that are not new. These are chiefly Bible names and are
found in Nephite writings because the Nephites brought with them to the
western hemisphere copies of so many of the sacred books of the Jews
as were in existence at the time of their departure from Judea, 600 B.
C., parts of which were multiplied by copying and helped form part of
the Nephite literature; hence they sometimes used Bible names. But the
Book of Mormon also gives us a long list of absolutely new names, both
of men and of places, though in many in stances, as already pointed
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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