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Encyclopedia > Reformed Egyptian

According to the Book of Mormon, this scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement was originally written in reformed Egyptian characters[1] on plates of "ore"[2] by prophets living in the Western Hemisphere between 600 B.C. and A.D. 421. Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the movement, published the Book of Mormon in 1830 as a translation of these plates. Scholarly reference works on languages do not, however, acknowledge the existence of a "reformed Egyptian" language as it has been described in Mormon belief.[3] The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet-historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Contents

Reformed Egyptian and the Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon uses the term "reformed Egyptian" in only one verse, Mormon 9:32, which notes that "the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, [were] handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech" and that "none other people knoweth our language."[4] The book says that its first author, Nephi, was taught the "learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians."[5] Some LDS scholars have interpreted this to mean that while one of the original written languages of Lehi's group was Egyptian, that language evolved (possibly due in part to contact with other cultures) into a language that became a modified or reformed Egyptian.[6] In The Book of Mormon, Nephi, the son of Lehi, is a prophet and founder of the Nephite people. ...


The Book of Mormon prophet Moroni said that he wrote in "reformed Egyptian" both because it took less space on the plates than Hebrew and because of the evolution of his language since his ancestors had left Jerusalem.[7] Critics of Mormonism have suggested that Smith identified "reformed Egyptian" as the source language because many early nineteenth-century Americans knew Hebrew and no one in 1830 could read Egyptian hieroglyphics. Critics also suggest that "reformed Egyptian" might have been an even safer creation than "Egyptian," and claiming that New World Hebrew had also been modified over time would have provided additional insurance that no linguist might call such a language into question.[8] Moroni hides the plates in the Hill Cumorah Moroni (mɔrounai), according to the Book of Mormon, was the last Nephite prophet and military commander who lived in North America in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. ... Hieroglyphs are a system of writing used by the Ancient Egyptians, using a combination of logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements. ...


Although accounts of the process differ, Smith is said to have translated the reformed Egyptian characters engraved on Golden Plates into English through various means including the use of a seer stone and/or the Urim and Thummim.[9] When Smith finished the translation, he said that he returned the plates to the angel Moroni, and therefore they are unavailable for study.[10] An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from the angel Moroni. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the use of seer stones is a form of divination that played a significant role in shaping the movements history and theology. ... In ancient Israelite religion and culture, Urim and Thummim (Hebrew: האורים והתמים, Standard  Tiberian ; Arabic: الاوريم والتميم al-ŪrÄ«m waʾaṯ-á¹®ummÄ«m) is a phrase from the Hebrew Bible associated with the sacred breastplate, divination in general, and cleromancy in particular. ... Adherents of Latter-day Saint theology believe that Moroni (BoM Arabic موروني Mūrūnī) is a prophet who lived in North America in the late 4th century. ...


The Anthon transcript or "Caractors" document

Caractors document. Also known as the Anthon Transcript

The only sample of what "reformed Egyptian" might have looked like is the Anthon transcript or Caractors document. In 1887, David Whitmer said that he had in his possession "the original paper containing characters transcribed from one of the golden plates, which paper Martin Harris[11] took to Charles Anthon (a Columbia college linguist and classicist) of New York, for him to read."[12] The sample, currently owned by the Community of Christ, is alleged to have been copied by Smith from the Golden Plates.[13] Download high resolution version (942x396, 43 KB)Large Joseph Smith Anthon transcript of Book of Mormon Caractors The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus... Download high resolution version (942x396, 43 KB)Large Joseph Smith Anthon transcript of Book of Mormon Caractors The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus... David Whitmer (January 7, 1805–January 25, 1888) was an early adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormons Golden Plates. ... Martin Harris (1783–1875) was the first financier of The Book of Mormon. ... Charles Anthon (November 19, 1797 – July 29, 1867) was an American classical scholar, born in New York City. ... Columbia College is the main undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the universitys main campus of Morningside Heights in the Borough of Manhattan in the City of New York. ... It has been suggested that Community of Christ membership statistics be merged into this article or section. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from the angel Moroni. ...


According to an account attributed to Harris by Smith,[14] Anthon "stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct."[15]


During this period Egyptology was in its infancy, and Anthon would not have been able to read Egyptian hieroglyphs in the late 1820s when Harris brought him the writing specimen.[16] Anthon's report is that the transcript "consisted of all kinds of crooked characters disposed in columns, and had evidently been prepared by some person who had before him at the time a book containing various alphabets. Greek and Hebrew letters, crosses and flourishes, Roman letters inverted or placed sideways, were arranged in perpendicular columns, and the whole ended in a rude delineation of a circle divided into various compartments, decked with various strange marks, and evidently copied after the Mexican Calender given by Humboldt, but copied in such a way as not to betray the source whence it was derived. I am thus particular as to the contents of the paper, inasmuch as I have frequently conversed with my friends on the subject, since the Mormonite excitement began, and well remember that the paper contained any thing else but 'Egyptian Hieroglyphics.'"[17] Because Anthon's description seems inconsistent with the "caractors document," his description of the transcript as having been written in long "perpendicular columns" may be inaccurate, the "carators document" may not have been the one taken to Anthon, or the Whitmer transcription (now in custody of the Community of Christ) may be only a portion of the material that Harris took to Anthon.[18] An 1859 portrait of Alexander von Humboldt by the artist Julius Schrader, showing Mount Chimborazo in the background. ... It has been suggested that Community of Christ membership statistics be merged into this article or section. ...


Although the Smith-Harris account states that Anthon wrote a "certificate" stating he approved of the characters' authenticity and the translation, the professor denied he ever made such a certification:


"The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite inscription to be 'reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics' is perfectly false. Some years ago, a plain, and apparently simple-hearted farmer, called upon me with a note from Dr. Mitchell of our city, now deceased, requesting me to decypher, if possible, a paper, which the farmer would hand me, and which Dr. M. confessed he had been unable to understand. Upon examining the paper in question, I soon came to the conclusion that it was all a trick, perhaps a hoax. [...] I began to regard it as part of a scheme to cheat the farmer of his money, and I communicated my suspicions to him, warning him to beware of rogues. He requested an opinion from me in writing, which of course I declined giving, and he then took his leave carrying the paper with him. [19]


In the early 1980s, forger Mark Hofmann sold forged Mormon materials to Mormon investors and the LDS Church.[20] The papers included an alleged sample of reformed Egyptian characters probably copied (somewhat recklessly) from the Caractors Transcript in a manner intended to make them more closely agree with the description given by Anthon.[21] Mark Hofmann (born December 7, 1954), a disaffected member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was a prolific counterfeiter who murdered two people in Salt Lake City, Utah. ...


Mormon studies of reformed Egyptian

LDS studies of "reformed Egyptian" are necessarily limited to whatever linguistic footprints might be discovered in the translated text plus the extant seven-line Anthon transcript that may be the characters Joseph Smith said he copied from the gold plates.[22] Some Mormons have attempted to decipher the Anthon transcript but, according to John Gee, "the corpus is not large enough to render decipherment feasible."[23] Nevertheless, various LDS scholars and one RLDS scholar, have made the attempt, including Ariel L. Crowley,[24] Blair Bryant,(RLDS)[25] and Stan and Polly Johnson.[26] It has been hypothesized that the characters resemble those of other languages[27] including Hebrew[28], Gregg shorthand[29], Demotic[30], Hieratic[31], Coptic[32], and Mayan/Olmec.[33] Nevertheless, to make such identifications, the characters often have to be turned upside down or sideways. The word Hebrew most likely means to cross over, referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. ... Gregg Shorthand is a form of shorthand that was invented by John Robert Gregg in 1888. ... Demotic (disambiguation) The term Demotic can refer to: The Demotic Greek dialect of the Greek language. ... Development of hieratic script from hieroglyphs; after Champollion. ... The Coptic language is a direct descendant of the ancient Egyptian language which was once written in Egyptian hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic scripts. ... The adjective Mayan is sometimes used to refer to the indigenous peoples of parts of Mexico and Central America, their culture, language, and history. ... Monument 1, one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta. ...


References and Notes

  1. ^ Mormon 9:32
  2. ^ 1 Nephi 19:1
  3. ^ Standard language references such as Peter T. Daniels and William Bright, eds., The World's Writing Systems (New York: Oxford University Press, 1996) (990 pages); David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language (Cambridge University Press, 1997); and Roger D. Woodard, ed., The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the World's Ancient Languages (Cambridge University Press, 2004) (1162 pages) contain no reference to "reformed Egyptian." "Reformed Egyptian" is also ignored in Andrew Robinson, Lost Languages: The Enigma of the World's Undeciphered Scripts (New York: McGraw Hill, 2002), although it is mentioned in Stephen Williams, Fantastic Archaeology: The Wild Side of North American Prehistory (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991).
  4. ^ Mormon 9:32-34.
  5. ^ 1 Nephi 1:2.
  6. ^ See Reformed Egyptian by William J. Hamblin, "In fact, the word reformed is used in the Book of Mormon in this context as an adjective, meaning "altered, modified, or changed." This is made clear by Mormon, who tells us that "the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, [were] handed down and altered by us" and that "none other people knoweth our language" (Mormon 9:32, 34).
  7. ^ Mormon 9:33. Hebrew is more compact than many phonetic languages because it is written without vowels, but even more information can be conveyed in the same amount of space in ideogram or logographic characters such as Egyptian or Mayan hieroglyphs.
  8. ^ The Secular Web
  9. ^ Michael Morse, Smith's brother-in-law, said that he watched Smith on several occasions and said his "mode of procedure consisted in Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face." Michael Morse interview with William W. Blair, May 8, 1879, in EMD, 4: 343. Morse was clearly awed by Smith's ability to dictate as he did and called it "a strange piece of work." David Whitmer said that at one point "the plates were not before Joseph while he translated, but seem to have been removed by the custodian angel." David Whitmer Interview with the Chicago Times, August 1875, in EMD, 5: 21. Whitmer also stated that "after affixing the magical spectacles to his eyes, Smith would take the plates and translate the characters one at a time. The graven characters would appear in succession to the seer, and directly under the characer, when viewed through the glasses, would be the translation in English." Chicago Tribune, 15 December 1885 in EMD, 5: 124. Isaac Hale said that while Joseph was translating, the plates were "hid in the woods." Hale said that Martin Harris demanded that Smith give him a "greater witness," and Smith told Harris to "go into the woods where the Book of Plates was, and that after he came back, Harris should follow his track in the snow, and find the Book, and examine it for himself. Harris informed me afterwards, that he followed Smith's direction, and could not find the Plates, and was still dissatisfied." "Mormonism, Susquehanna Register and Northern Pennsylvanian 9 (May 1, 1834): 1 in EMD 4: 286-87. "No primary witness reported that Joseph used [the plates] in any way." Grant H. Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002), 2-5.
  10. ^ "Joseph Smith Interview with Peter Bauder, October 1830" in EMD, 1: 17; "Joseph Smith Interview with Leman Copley, 1831" in EMD, 1: 24-25. Yet even after Smith had returned the plates to the angel, other early LDS Church members testified that an angel had also showed them the plates. Grant Palmer, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002), 201. In 1859, Brigham Young referred to one of these "post-return" testimonies: "Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, were afterwards left to doubt....One of the Quorum of the Twelve, a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and saw the angel." Journal of Discourses, June 5, 1859, 7: 164.
  11. ^ Harris had changed his religion at least five times before he became a Mormon and had been a Quaker, a Universalist, a Restorationist, a Baptist, a Presbyterian, and perhaps a Methodist. Ronald W. Walker, "Martin Harris: Mormonism's Early Convert," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 19 (Winter 1986):30–33). Like the other Witnesses, he had a magical world view. A biographer wrote that his "imagination was excitable and fecund." He once thought that a candle sputtering was the work of the devil. He told a friend that he had met Jesus in the shape of a deer and walked and talked with him for two or three miles. John A. Clark letter, August 31, 1840 in Early Mormon Documents, 2: 271. The local Presbyterian minister called him "a visionary fanatic." Walker, 34–35. A friend, who praised Harris as a "universally esteemed as an honest man," also declared that Harris's mind "was overbalanced by 'marvellousness'" and that his belief in earthly visitations of angels and ghosts gave him the local reputation of being crazy. Pomroy Tucker Reminiscence, 1858 in Early Mormon Documents 3: 71. Another friend said, "Martin was a man that would do just as he agreed with you. But, he was a great man for seeing spooks." Lorenzo Saunders Interview, November 12, 1884, Early Mormon Documents 2: 149.
  12. ^ "Address to All Believers," 11.
  13. ^ The event is recounted in a Mormon scripture, Joseph Smith—History.
  14. ^ Joseph Smith—History 1:62-65
  15. ^ The full account reads, "I went to the city of New York and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof to Professor Anthony (sic), a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments;-Professor Anthony (sic) stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldeac, Assyriac, and Arabac [Arabic], and he said that they were true characters. He gave me a certificate certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct." Martin Harris, "Times and Seasons," III, 773.
  16. ^ In 1814, the Briton Thomas Young finished translating the enchorial (demotic) text and began work on the hieroglyphic alphabet. From 1822 to 1824, Jean-François Champollion greatly expanded this work, and he is usually considered the decipherer of the Rosetta Stone. In 1858, the Philomathean Society of the University of Pennsylvania published the first complete English translation of the Rosetta Stone. Allen, Don Cameron. "The Predecessors of Champollion", Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 144, No. 5. (1960), 527–547. and Adkins, Lesley; Adkins, Roy. The Keys of Egypt: The Obsession to Decipher Egyptian Hieroglyphs. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000 (hardcover, ISBN 0-06-019439-1); 2001 (paperback, ISBN 0-00-653145-8).
  17. ^ Charles Anthon to E. D. Howe, February 17, 1834, in EMD, 4: 380.
  18. ^ EMD, 4: 417.
  19. ^ Charles Anthon to E. D. Howe, February 17, 1834, in EMD, 4: 380.
  20. ^ See Mark Hofmann and Salamander Letter.
  21. ^ Blair Bryant explains:"Find a copy of that forgery and you can easily compare and see how Hofmann did it. Just turn a copy of the Caractors Transcript 90 degrees clockwise. Now compare the right-hand most column (line A) with Hofmann's left-hand most column. Reorient the individual characters as in the original (rotate each individual character 90 degrees counterclockwise) and you can identify every character.... Then Hofmann added a couple of additional squiggles to the bottom. Then, go to the line B and compare it from top to bottom with Hofmann's second column and so on. He copied it character-by-character with a few changes in flourishes or combinations of elements. He did that for the first four lines. In his fifth column he took elements in sequence from line E at the top and segments of other lines for the circular figure at the bottom. In a letter written several years after the Martin Harris meeting (1834, if memory serves), Professor Anthon described the document characters as being like mixtures of ancient alphabets jumbled and that there was a circular figure similar to an Aztec calendar at the bottom. It seems apparent that Hofmann rearranged the pattern to agree with Professor Anthon's description."
  22. ^ Some LDS members also accept the Kirtland Egyptian papers and Frederick G. Williams note as genuine. [1]; [2]
  23. ^ See Some Notes on the Anthon Transcript by John Gee
  24. ^ In the February 1942 issue of the Improvement Era magazine, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ariel L. Crowley, a LDS attorney from Boise, presented evidence that the Anthon Transcript characters could be of Egyptian origin. See The Anthon Transcript. He discussed Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic in relation to hieratic and demotic Egyptian, the Anthon Transcript characters, and Martin Harris's report that Anthon mentioned those languages when he reviewed the transcript. He also presented 194 pairs of photographs comparing characters from the Anthon Transcript with similar or identical characters in recognized Egyptian works such as the Book of the Dead and the Rosetta Stone.
  25. ^ Community of Christ adherent Blair Bryant claims to have found correlation between the Caractors (Anthon) document and the Book of Mormon title page. See Blair Bryant's Caractors Translation.
  26. ^ In the book Translating the Anthon Transcript (Parowan, Utah: Ivory Books, 1999) by Stan and Polly Johnson, the authors argue that the Anthon transcript corresponds to Ether 6:3–13 in the present Book of Mormon. However, John Gee notes that if the so-called Anthon transcript is the actual piece of paper that Martin Harris took to Charles Anthon, it is safe to assume that the characters came from the text they were then translating (the 116 missing manuscript pages, which contained a record from the time of Lehi to the time of King Benjamin). Thus Ether should not be a logical source for the transcript's contents. See Some Notes on the Anthon Transcript by John Gee.
  27. ^ See for example these anecdotal comparisons: http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/trackingch6a.htm, http://thedigitalvoice.com/enigma/essays/AAffair1.htm, http://www.shields-research.org/Scriptures/BoM/BYUSAntn.html http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/book_of_mormon/language.html, http://www.meridianmagazine.com/ancients/060228egyptians.html
  28. ^ http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=124 and http://www.shields-research.org/Books/Sperry/AChap09.PDF
  29. ^ http://latayne.tripod.com/Chapter4.htm
  30. ^ See Since Cumorah, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1988), 149-50 by Hugh Nibley, http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon028.htm and http://www.geocities.com/rameumptom/bom/demotic.html
  31. ^ Later in E.B. Howe's Mormonism Unveiled, Anthon recalled that the characters were not Hieroglyphics. See http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/anthon.htm and http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=124
  32. ^ http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=128
  33. ^ A number of researchers, including Anthon himself in Mormonism Unveiled, compared the characters to Mexican calendars. See http://farms.byu.edu/display.php?table=jbms&id=188 for example. See also David H. Kelley, "Cylinder Seal from Tlatilco," American Antiquity 31 (July 1966): 744–46. And also http://www.utlm.org/images/tracking/trackingp72sup_ensignanthontranscript.jpg.

David Whitmer (January 7, 1805–January 25, 1888) was an early adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormons Golden Plates. ... Isaac Hale was the father of Emma Hale Smith. ... Joseph Smith—History (abbreviated JS–H) is a book in the Pearl of Great Price that contains an autobiographical record of some of the early events in Joseph Smiths life. ... The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum. ... Mark Hofmann (born December 7, 1954), a disaffected member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was a prolific counterfeiter who murdered two people in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... The Salamander Letter was one of hundreds of documents concerning the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormon) that surfaced in the early 1980s. ... The New Era is an official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... It has been suggested that Community of Christ membership statistics be merged into this article or section. ...

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The Latter Day Saint movement

Mormonism · Latter Day Saint · Mormonism and Christianity · Latter Day Saint Denominations Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1672x2204, 566 KB) Summary photo by user Ricardo630 The Book of Mormon English Missionary Edition Soft Cover The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Book of Mormon Metadata This... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1065x800, 99 KB) Summary Christus statue on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah Taken by Ricardo630 in August 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms... Jerald D. Tanner (June 1, 1938—October 1, 2006) and Sandra McGee Tanner have been prominent critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Book of Mormon, see Latter Day Saint movement. ... The term Latter Day Saint most commonly refers to (but is not limited to) members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which, its members believe, was founded under the direction of Jesus Christ by the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Since the beginning of the Latter...

History

Church of Christ · Succession crisis · History of the LDS Church · Community of Christ history public domain painting File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Church of Christ was the original name given to the church formally organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Succession Crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement occurred after the violent death of the movements founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is shared by the larger Latter Day Saint movement, which originated in upstate New York under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The history of the Community of Christ covers a period of approximately 200 years. ...

Sacred texts

Bible · Book of Mormon · Book of Commandments · Doctrine & Covenants · Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible · Book of Moses · Book of Abraham This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet-historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... The Book of Commandments is among the most rare and valuable books in American history because the original printing was almost entirely destroyed by a mob. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, also called the Inspired Version of the Bible or the JST, is a version of the Bible dictated by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Book of Moses is a text published by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Book of Abraham is a text published as part of the Pearl of Great Price, one of the four canonical scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

Founders and early sect leaders

Joseph Smith, Jr. · Oliver Cowdery · Sidney Rigdon · Brigham Young · Joseph Smith III · James Strang · William Bickerton · Granville Hedrick Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Photograph of Oliver Cowdery found in the Library of Congress, taken in the 1840s Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery[1] (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Sidney Rigdon Sidney Rigdon (19 February 1793–14 July 1876) was an important figure in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... See also, Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... Joseph Smith III — Leader of the 1860 Reorganization of the Latter Day Saint church. ... 1856 daguerreotype of James Strang, taken on Beaver Island, Lake Michigan, by J. Atkyn, one of his assassins. ... William Bickerton (January 15, 1815—February 17, 1905) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis. ... Granville Hedrick apostate of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ...

Doctrines, beliefs and practices

Views on Godhead · Views on Jesus · Priesthood · Articles of Faith · Restoration · Mormonism and Judaism · Temples Mormonism, depending on era and denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement, has accommodated a diverse range of views of the concept of the Christian Godhead including forms of modalism, binitarianism, tritheism, henotheism, and trinitarianism. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority of God, including the authority to act as a leader in the church and to perform ordinances (sacraments), and the apostolic power to perform miracles. ... In Mormonism, the Articles of Faith are a creed composed by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Restoration was a period in its early history during which a number of events occurred that were understood to be necessary to restore the early Christian church as demonstrated in the New Testament, and to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of... This article on Mormonism and Judaism describes the views of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, with respect to Jews and Judaism, and includes comparisons of the Mormon and Jewish faiths. ... The Salt Lake Temple, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the best-known Mormon temple. ...

Controversies

Anti-Mormonism · Criticism An anti-Mormon political cartoon from the late nineteenth century. ... It has been suggested that Mormonism and authority be merged into this article or section. ...

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21 articles
History

Latter Day Saint Movement • History of the Latter Day Saint movement • First Vision • Joseph Smith, Jr.: Early Life, 1827-1830, 1831-1834, 1835-1838, 1838-1842, 1842-1844, Death • Oliver Cowdery • Sidney Rigdon • Brigham Young • Lucy Mack Smith • Mormon War • Haun's Mill massacre • Utah War • Mountain Meadows massacre • Mormon Battalion • Bear River massacre Handsome picture of the Salt Lake Temple from the Dutch wikipedia taken by Bjørn Graabek April 7, 2003. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest attraction in the citys Temple Square. ... The original Nauvoo Temple of the Latter Day Saint movement built in Nauvoo, Illinois. ... The early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is shared by the larger Latter Day Saint movement, which originated in upstate New York under the leadership of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Latter Day Saint movement is a religious movement within Christian Restorationism beginning in the early 19th century that led to the set of doctrines, practices, and cultures called Mormonism and to the existence of numerous Latter Day Saint churches. ... Stained glass depiction of the first vision of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The early life of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The life of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The life of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The life of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The life of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The life of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Main article: Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Photograph of Oliver Cowdery found in the Library of Congress, taken in the 1840s Oliver Hervy Pliny Cowdery[1] (3 October 1806 – 3 March 1850) was the primary participant with Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Sidney Rigdon Sidney Rigdon (19 February 1793–14 July 1876) was an important figure in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... See also, Brigham Young University Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Mormon War is a name sometimes given to the 1838 conflict which occurred between Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and their neighbors in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Missouri. ... A stone from Hauns Mill, at one time used as a memorial at the site of the massacre. ... Combatants United States Mormon settlers Commanders Albert Sidney Johnston Brigham Young John D. Lee Lot Smith Strength Unknown Unknown Casualties Unknown Unknown The Utah War was a dispute between Mormon settlers in Utah Territory and the United States federal government. ... The Mountain Meadows massacre was a massacre of the Baker-Fancher emigrant party on September 11, 1857 at Mountain Meadows by Mormon militia and Paiute supporters. ... The Mormon Battalion was the only religious unit in American military history serving from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican War. ... Combatants United States Army Shoshone Indians Commanders Col. ...

16 articles
Beliefs and Practices

Godhead • The Apostasy • Restoration • Revelation • Priesthood • Ordinances • Endowment • Plan of salvation • Plurality of Gods • Celestial marriage • The Family: A Proclamation to the World • Family Home Evening • Perfection • King Follett discourse • Blacks and the Church • Homosexuality • Sexuality Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1065x800, 99 KB) Summary Christus statue on Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah Taken by Ricardo630 in August 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms... Mormonism, depending on era and denomination within the Latter Day Saint movement, has accommodated a diverse range of views of the concept of the Christian Godhead including forms of modalism, binitarianism, tritheism, henotheism, and trinitarianism. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Wycliffe Tyndale · Luther · Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      The Great Apostasy is... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Restoration was a period in its early history during which a number of events occurred that were understood to be necessary to restore the early Christian church as demonstrated in the New Testament, and to prepare the earth for the Second Coming of... Latter Day Saints teach that the Latter Day Saint movement began with a Revelation from God (see History of the Latter Day Saint movement). ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, priesthood is considered to be the power and authority of God, including the authority to act as a leader in the church and to perform ordinances (sacraments), and the apostolic power to perform miracles. ... In Mormonism, an ordinance is a religious ritual of special significance, often involving the formation of a covenant with God. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the Endowment is a gift of power from on high that has several meanings in various contexts of Latter Day Saint theology. ... The plan of salvation as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Plan of Salvation is a concept in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - the plan that the Heavenly Father created to save, redeem, and exalt humankind. ... The plurality of gods usually refers to a unique doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is based on interpretations of the Bible, the canonical Book of Abraham, the teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Celestial marriage (also called the New and Everlasting Covenant) is a doctrine peculiar to Mormonism, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and branches of Mormon fundamentalism. ... The Family: A Proclamation to the World is a statement issued by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1995, which defined the churchs official position on gender roles, human sexuality, and the family. ... Family Home Evening (FHE) or Family Night, in the context of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, refers to one evening per week, usually Monday, that families are encouraged to spend together in study, prayer and other wholesome activities. ... Latter Day Saints teach that Perfection is a continual process requiring the application of Faith, Works, and Grace in compliance with the admonition of Jesus Christ to: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. ... The King Follett Discourse is an address delivered by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... From the end of the nineteenth century until 1978, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did not allow black men to be ordained to the priesthood or to enter its temples to perform ceremonies such as the Endowment or sealing that the church believes are necessary for... Main article: Sexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, homosexuality is officially seen as a set of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and not an immutable condition or an indication of an innate identity (Oaks 1995). ... The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that members must obey what it calls the law of chastity, which is a code of morality and modesty. ...

11 articles
Sacred Texts and Other Publications

Standard Works • Bible: King James Version of the Bible, Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible • Book of Mormon: Golden plates • Doctrine and Covenants • Pearl of Great Price: Book of Moses, Book of Abraham, Articles of Faith Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1672x2204, 566 KB) Summary photo by user Ricardo630 The Book of Mormon English Missionary Edition Soft Cover The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Book of Mormon Metadata This... The Standard Works of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) consists of several books that constitute its open, scriptural canon, and include the following: The Holy Bible (King James version)* The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ The Doctrine and Covenants The Pearl... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... The King James or Authorized Version of the Bible is an English translation of the Christian Bible first published in 1611. ... The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, also called the Inspired Version of the Bible or the JST, is a version of the Bible dictated by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Book of Mormon[1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement, regarded by Latter Day Saints as divinely revealed, and named after the prophet-historian Mormon who, according to the text, compiled most of the book. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from the angel Moroni. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The Pearl of Great Price is part of the standard works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormonism) and some other Latter Day Saint denominations. ... The Book of Moses is a text published by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Book of Abraham is a text published as part of the Pearl of Great Price, one of the four canonical scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... In Mormonism, the Articles of Faith are a creed composed by Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

6 articles
Worship and Culture

Temples • General Conference • Culture • Young Men Organization • Young Women Organization • Institute of Religion Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2304 × 1728 pixel, file size: 793 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) From English Wikipedia, en:Image:PSP 028. ... In Mormonism, worship services include weekly services, held on Sundays (or Saturday when local custom or law prohibits Sunday worship), in neighborhood based religious units. ... The Salt Lake Temple, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is the best-known Mormon temple. ... In Mormonism, a general conference is a meeting open to all members of a particular Latter Day Saint denomination. ... The Culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has sprung up around the basic beliefs and traditions of the Church. ... The Young Men Organization (often referred to incorrectly as Young Mens) is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... The Young Women Organization (often referred to incorrectly as Young Womens or Young Womans) is a youth organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ... Institutes of Religion are organizations, usually situated near colleges or universities, which offer classes on the doctrine and scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). ...

7 articles
Organization and Leadership

Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints) • President • Gordon B. Hinckley • First Presidency • Quorum of the Twelve Apostles • Presiding Bishop • Quorums of the Seventy Image File history File linksMetadata LDS_church_office_building. ... The Church of Christ was the original name given to the church formally organized by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. ... Gordon Bitner Hinckley (born June 23, 1910) has been the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since March 12, 1995. ... Thomas S. Monson, Gordon B. Hinckley, and James E. Faust, the current members of the First Presidency of the LDS Church. ... In Mormonism, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Quorum of the Twelve, the Council of the Twelve, or the Twelve) is one of the governing bodies of the church hierarchy in many Latter Day Saint denominations, members of which are considered to be Apostles, and special... The Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a priesthood calling with church-wide authority. ... Seventy is a priesthood office in the Melchizedek Priesthood of several denominations within the Latter Day Saint movement, including The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ...

7 articles
Other Related Articles

Mormon • Mormonism • Mormonism and Christianity • Mormon missionary • Church Finances • Church Educational System • Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1940x1908, 2854 KB) Summary LDS Church Administration Building (LDS Church Office Building in background) Salt Lake City, Utah, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Ricardo630 Ricardo630 06:21, 21 April 2006 (UTC) Licensing File links The following... According to Latter Day Saint belief, Mormon is the name of the compiler of the book of scripture known as the Book of Mormon. ... Book of Mormon, see Latter Day Saint movement. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      Since the beginning of the Latter... It has been suggested that Senior Missionaries be merged into this article or section. ... This 15-barreled silo at Welfare Square contains enough wheat to feed a small city for 6 months. ... The Church Educational System (CES) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints consists of several institutions that provide religious and secular education for Latter-day Saint elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and adult learners. ... The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS) is an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Mormon historical scholarship. ...


  Results from FactBites:
 
Reformed Egyptian - Definition, explanation (1408 words)
Because there is no archeaological, linguistic, or other evidence of the use of Egyptian writing in ancient America, some have suggested that the claims of the Book of Mormon regarding reformed Egyptian are implausible (or false).
Most study of reformed Egyptian in Mormonism is via the proxy of the purported English translation, the Book of Mormon.
Sent to Historian's Office, March 22, 1860, by his son, Joseph Fielding Smith." The fact that the characters on the placard of 1844 are without question poor copies of the characters of the Anthon Transcript is additional evidence of the genuineness of this transcript.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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