The Book Of Mormon 2
ARTICLE 8-* * * We also believe the Book of Mormon
to be the word of God.
Its Authenticity
The Authenticity of the Book of Mormon constitutes our most important consideration of the work. This subject is one of vital interest to every earnest investigator of the word of God, to every sincere searcher after truth. Claiming to be, as far as the present dispensation is concerned, a new scripture, presenting prophecies and revelations not heretofore recognized in modern theology, announcing to the world the message of a departed people, written by way of commandment, and by the spirit of prophecy and revelation-this book is entitled to the most thorough and impartial examination. Not only does the Book of Mormon merit such consideration, it claims, even demands the same; for no one professing belief in the power and authority of God can receive with unconcern the announcement of a new revelation, professedly bearing the seal of divine authority. The question of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon is therefore one in which the world is concerned.
The Latter-day Saints base their belief in the authenticity of the book on the following proofs:
1. The general agreement of the Book of Mormon with the Bible in all related matters.
2. The fulfilment of ancient prophecies accomplished by the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon.
3. The strict agreement and consistency of the Book of Mormon with itself.
4. The evident truth of its contained prophecies.
To these may be added certain external, or extra-scriptural evidences, amongst which are:
5. Corroborative testimony furnished by archeology and ethnology.
1. the Book of Mormon and the Bible
The Nephite and the Jewish Scriptures are found to agree in matters of tradition, history, doctrine, and prophecy which the separate records treat. These two volumes of scripture were prepared on opposite hemispheres, under widely diverse conditions; yet between them there exists surprising harmony, confirmatory of divine inspiration in both. The Book of Mormon contains a number of quotations from the ancient Jewish scriptures, a copy of which, as far as they had been compiled at the time of Lehi’s exodus from Jerusalem, was brought to the western continent as part of the record engraved on the plates of Laban. In the case of such passages there is no essential difference between Biblical and Book of Mormon versions, except in instances of probable error in translation-usually apparent through inconsistency or lack of clearness in the Biblical reading. There are, however, numerous minor variations in corresponding parts of the two volumes; and between such, examination usually demonstrates the superior clearness of the Nephite scripture.
In a careful comparison of the prophecies of the Bible with corresponding predictions contained in the Book of Mormon, e.g., those relating to the birth, earthly ministry, sacrificial death, and second coming of Christ Jesus; with others referring to the scattering and subsequent gathering of Israel; and with such as relate to the establishment of Zion and the rebuilding of Jerusalem in the last days, each of the records is corroborative of the other. True, there are many predictions in one that are not found in both, but in no instance has contradiction or inconsistency been pointed out. Between the doctrinal parts of the two volumes of scripture the same perfect harmony is found to prevail.
2. Prophecies Regarding the Book of Mormon
Ancient Prophecy has been literally fulfilled in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. One of the earliest utterances directly bearing upon this subject is that of Enoch, an antediluvian prophet unto whom the Lord revealed His purposes for all time. Witnessing in vision the corruption of mankind, after the ascension of the Son of Man, Enoch cried unto his God: "Wilt thou not come again upon the earth? * * * And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the last days. * * * And the day shall come that the earth shall rest, but before that day the heavens shall be darkened, and a veil of darkness shall cover the earth; and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I preserve; And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten. * * * And righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare." The Latter-day Saints regard the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, together with the restoration of the Priesthood by the direct ministration of heavenly messengers, as a fulfilment of this prophecy, and of similar predictions contained in the Bible.
David, who sang his psalms over a thousand years before the "meridian of time," predicted: "Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven." And so also declared Isaiah. Ezekiel saw in vision the coming together of the stick of Judah, and the stick of Joseph, signifying the Bible and the Book of Mormon. The passage last referred to reads, in the words of Ezekiel: "The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand."
When we call to mind the ancient custom in the making of books-that of writing on long strips of parchment and rolling the same on rods or sticks, the use of the word "stick" as equivalent to "book" in the passage becomes apparent. At the time of this utterance, the Israelites had divided into two nations known as the kingdom of Judah and that of Israel, or Ephraim. Plainly the separate records of Judah and Joseph are here referred to. Now, as we have seen, the Nephite nation comprised the descendants of Lehi who belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, of Ishmael who was an Ephraimite, and of Zoram whose tribal relation is not definitely stated. The Nephites were then of the tribes of Joseph; and their record or "stick" is as truly represented by the Book of Mormon as is the "stick" of Judah by the Bible.
That the bringing forth of the record of Joseph or Ephraim was to be accomplished through the direct power of God is evident from the Lord’s exposition of the vision of Ezekiel, wherein He says: "Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph * * * and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah." That this union of the two records was to be a characteristic of the latter days is evident from the prediction of an event which was to follow immediately, viz., the gathering of the tribes from the nations among which they had been dispersed. Comparison with other prophecies relating to the gathering will conclusively prove that the great event was predicted to take place in the latter times, preparatory to the second coming of Christ.
Reverting to the writings of Isaiah, we find that prophet voicing the Lord’s threatenings against Ariel, or Jerusalem, "the city where David dwelt." Ariel was to be distressed, burdened with heaviness and sorrow; then the prophet refers to some people, other than Judah who occupied Jerusalem, for he makes the comparison with the latter, saying: "And it shall be unto me as Ariel." Concerning the fate decreed against this other people we read: "And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust."
Of the fulfilment of these and associated prophecies, a latter-day apostle has written: "These predictions of Isaiah could not refer to Ariel, or Jerusalem, because their speech has not been ‘out of the ground,’ or ‘low out of the dust’; but it refers to the remnant of Joseph who were destroyed in America upwards of fourteen hundred years ago. The Book of Mormon describes their downfall, and truly it was great and terrible. At the crucifixion of Christ, ‘the multitude of their terrible ones,’ as Isaiah predicted, ‘became as chaff that passeth away,’ and it took place as he further predicts, ‘at an instant suddenly.’ * * * This remnant of Joseph in their distress and destruction became as Ariel. As the Roman army lay siege to Ariel, and brought upon her great distress and sorrow, so did the contending nations of ancient America bring upon each other the most direful scenes of blood and carnage. Therefore the Lord could, with the greatest propriety, when speaking in reference to this event, declare that, ‘It shall be unto me as Ariel.’"
Isaiah’s striking prediction that the nation thus brought down should "speak out of the ground," with speech "low out of the dust" was literally fulfilled in the bringing forth of the Book of Mormon, the original of which was taken out of the ground, and the voice of the record is as that of one speaking from the dust. In continuation of the same prophecy we read: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed: And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned." The fulfilment of this prediction is claimed in the presentation of the transcript from the plates-"the words of a book," not the book itself-to the learned Professor Charles Anthon, whose reply, almost in the words of the text, has been cited in the last chapter; and in the delivery of the book itself to the unlettered youth, Joseph Smith.