The Story of the Mormons, from the Date of Their Origin to the Year 1901Linn, William Alexander
History
The Story of the Mormons, from the Date of Their Origin to the Year 1901
Linn, William Alexander
Latter Day Saints -- History; Utah -- History
Among the many anachronisms to be found in the book may be mentioned the
giving to Laban of a sword with a blade "of the most precious steel" (1
Nephi iv. 9), centuries before the use of steel is elsewhere recorded.
and the possession of a compass by the Jaredites when they sailed
across the ocean (Alma xxxvii. 38), long before the invention of such
an instrument. The ease with which such an error could be explained is
shown in the anecdote related of a Utah Mormon who, when told that the
compass was not known in Bible times, responded by quoting Acts xxviii.
13, where Paul says, "And from thence we fetched a compass." When Nephi
and his family landed in Central America "there were beasts in the
forest of every kind, both the cow, and the ox, and the ass, and the
horse" (ix Nephi xviii. 25). If Nephi does not prevaricate, there must
have been a fatal plague among these animals in later years, for horses,
cows, and asses were unknown in America until after its discovery by
Europeans. Moroni, in the Book of Ether (ix. 18, 19), is still more
generous, adding to the possessions of the Jaredites sheep and swine*
and elephants and "cureloms and cumoms." Neither sheep nor swine are
indigenous to America; but the prophet is safe as regards the "cureloms
and cumoms," which are animals of his own creation.
* "And," it is added, "many other kinds of animals which were
useful for the use of man," thus ignoring the Hebrew antipathy to pork.
The book is full of incidental proofs of the fraudulent profession
that it is an original translation. For instance, in incorporating 1
Corinthians iii. 4, in the Book of Moroni, the phrase "is not easily
provoked" is retained, as in the King James edition. But the word
"easily" is not found in any Greek manuscript of this verse, and it is
dropped in the Revised Version of 1881.
Stenhouse calls attention to many phrases in this Bible which were
peculiar to the revival preachers of those days, like Rigdon, such as
"Have ye spiritually been born of God?" "If ye have experienced a change
of heart."
The first edition was full of grammatical errors and amusing phrases.
Thus we are told, in Ether xv. 31, that when Coriantumr smote off the
head of Shiz, the latter "raised upon his hands and fell." Among other
examples from the first edition may be quoted: "and I sayeth"; "all
things which are good cometh of God"; "neither doth his angels"; and
"hath miracles ceased." We find in Helaman ix. 6, "He being stabbed by
his brother by a garb of secrecy." This remains uncorrected.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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