Joseph smith said that the book of mormon translation was performed by the gift and power of god the lost 116 pages of the book of mormon manuscript. After joseph smith translated the book of mormon into the english language in 1829, the church would. Portions of the book have been translated into another 20 languages. Book of mormon difficulties, contradictions and explanations. The book of mormon has been translated in its entirety into 97 languages. The 22 languages in which the book of mormon is now in print make it available to some 40 percent of the worlds population. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints, which has translated the full book of mormon into 90 languages selections are offered in 21 others since the work was first printed in 1830, also. In a few languages, translations have been made by people who were not latterday saints, but whom the lord inspired and guided to accomplish the work. What do we know about the chronology of the book of. Book of mormon translation timeframe jump to subtopic. Zeniff, a nephite, took a group south to reclaim the nephite lands. Understanding the timeline of book of mormon translation makes a difference. The book of mormon is published in 107 languages, and many of them are available in multiple formats online.
Again, it is the rate of translation, approximately 6. Lds church to translate the book of mormon in 34 additional languages. Approximately 114 of those languages are each spoken by more than 1 million people. The book of mormon referred to this instrument, together with its breastplate, as a device kept and preserved by the hand of the lord and handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages. Nephite interpreters to translate the book of mormon bom to various scribes. How many languages has the book of mormon been translated. For instance, the afrikaans translation of the book of mormon was done by such a man, who was eminently qualified and highly recommended by local leaders. Remote work advice from the largest allremote company. The church decided to translate the book of mormon into these languages to help spread interest among the millennials and generation z. Translation of the book of mormon into foreign languages.
There are no language equivilants for so many king james type biblical. Are translations of the book of mormon into other languages made from english, or are the golden plates stashed in a temple somewhere. Since it was first published in english in 1830, the book of mormon has been fully translated into 82 languages, and printed copies have totaled more than 150 million. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Includes the videos from the beginning of the book of mormon through the arrival of lehi and his family in the promised land. Book of mormon written in modernday english grace for grace. April 06, 1829 to june 16, 1829 translation of the book of mormon at this point we move to a daily analysis of the translation of the book of mormon. When my husband was translating the book of mormon, i wrote a part of it. Below is the modern map of the area of smiths youth.
Elder john taylor had just supervised the translation of the book of mormon into french. These tables show all the versions of the book of mormon that have been translated. The book of lehi mormons abridgement is translated. Book of mormon language the encyclopedia of mormonism.
Once zeniff and his group arrived, the lamanites put them in bondage. In 1978, he receives a revelation extending the priesthood to all worthy men regardless of race. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. As it stands, the language found in the current edition of the book of mormon is not nearly as archaic as the language in the kjv bible, and is in my opinion still much more readable. Today, all or part of the book of mormon has been translated into 112 languages. Welchs excellent article entitled the miraculous translation of the book of mormon, from opening the heavens, accounts of divine manifestations 18201844, p. Not the chronological passing of time from when joseph smith started to when it ended. Book of mormon translations book of mormon central. This practice is disclosed as a part of three different revelations.
In september 1851, an apostle, a mission president, a missionary and two converts came together to translate and publish the first edition of the book of mormon in german. Willes center for book of mormon studies wednesday at the gordon b. Litster, administrator for established languages, church distribution and translation services since the publication of the first five thousand copies in. From that humble beginning, today the church prints over 3 million copies a year on large web presses. Book of mormon translation timeline lds apologists like to say that the book of mormon was written in only 60 days and what a amazing feat this was. The translations include klingon, vulcan, cityspeak, navi, huttese, ewokese, quenya, adunaic, newspeak, nadsat, atlantean, barsoomian, gungan, dothraki, and parseltongue. This is one in a series on book of mormon translations and translators. Translating the book of mormon is an enormous task requiring literally years of. Some african countries have european languages as some of their official languages i. The language of the book of mormon exhibits features typical of a translation from an ancient near eastern text as well as the stamp of nineteenthcentury english and the style of the king james version kjv of the bible.
This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates from which the book of mormon is said to have been translated to the. In the 1970s and 1980s, the mormon church focuses on the basic doctrines and on translating the book of mormon into dozens of additional languages. I cannot write but a little of my words, because of the difficulty of engraving our words upon plates. Ill add a note that ive seen at least a dozen incomplete translations selections from the book of mormon into more obscure languages. What is the timeline for the book of mormon answers. Martin harris reported a different reason for removing the plates from under the hearth. Selections from the book of mormon are available in 21 other languages. For this and other reasons, many people have naturally been interested in the details of its coming forth, including the timing of its translation. Mormon scriptures to be translated into 34 additional languages. There is only one version, unless you are asking how many. The full book of mormon is available in 90 languages, plus american sign language, english braille, spanish braille, and language study editions not included in the full list of languages below. The three witnesses see the plates around this date see accounts.
Professor figures out book of mormon translation timeline. At first joseph spent a lot of time becoming familiar with the plates and the language in which they were written. How many versions of the book of mormon are there answers. Bibles in other languages christian book distributors. A timeline of the book of mormon translation i looked a bit at the timeline of the translation of the book of mormon to help me organize in my thoughts some of the main events related to the translation.
We want it to be an opportunity to share with others and let people know all the languages the book of mormon is in, luke said. This timeline of events, if accurate, casts doubt on josephs motives and. Why is the timing of the book of mormons translation so. In march 1830, 5,000 copies of the book of mormon were printed in the e. Receiving translations of the book of mormon, the churchs signature scripture, for the first time will be speakers of burmese, georgian, navajo, the micronesian language of pohnpeian, and african tribal dialects including efik, sesotho and tshiluba. With that perspective, some scholars suggest that an official, nivstyle edition of the book of mormon is simply not necessary. The book of mormon was also recently published in serbian, urdu, and yoruba, bringing the total number of available translations of the book of mormon to. History in march 1830, 5,000 copies of the book of mormon were printed in the e. Display of the book of mormon translated into different languages. Much can be known about the coming forth of the english text of the book of mormon through a careful. Willes center for book of mormon studies at the gordon b. Approximate book of mormon translation timeline elden watsons. Below are the years the book of mormon was translated into various african languages. To every nation, kindred, tongue, and people religious studies.
The book of mormon teaches that god has flesh and bones and that he has a wife with whom they produce spirit offspring in heaven that will inhabit human bodies on earth. Was it translated the way that many have assumed, or was there more to the miracle that brought forth another testament of jesus christ. I was poking around the internet to see if there are any ldssanctioned modern translations of the book of mormon in english, and it seems there are not. Welch of brigham young university, delivered a powerful address on wednesday, november 8 on the timing of the translation of the book of mormon. For the first 150 years of mormonisms existence, everyone thought it was a story about a people who left the middle east and came to south or central america, and who fought wars clear up into new york state where. The book of mormon presents itself to the world as a miracle and as a sign that god has begun the process of gathering scattered israel, as he anciently covenanted to do see 3 nephi 21. Although afrikaans is derived from the dutch language, and not native to africa, i mention it here because of its development in africa. Joseph smith translating the book of mormon by looking at a seer stone in a hat.
The title page of the book of mormon declares that it was translated by the gift and power of god, but what do we know about this divine process. The book of mormon is published in 107 languages, and many of them are available in multiple formats online history. The book of mormon is supposed to be a history of real people living in a real place. What do we know about the chronology of the book of mormon translation and publication. Historical chronology of the church of jesus christ of latterday. Language availability of latterday saint scriptures.
A page about the translations of the book of mormon. The book of mormon is available in print in various sizes, bindings, and colors. Book of mormon translations the encyclopedia of mormonism. The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the. Receiving translations of the book of mormon, the churchs signature. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints 153,702 views.
The display will also feature the stories behind book of. Sam expressed optimism that this new translation will save many souls in. How many languages has the book of mormon been translated into. Unable to provide them with church materials in their language, the church. Welch gave the annual book of mormon lecture entitled hours never to be forgotten for the laura f. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi. The book of mormon and linguistic evolution deseret news. Click here for part 1 of this series and links to the other articles. The bible the bible teaches that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god. After the prophet joseph smiths original translation of the book of mormon from the gold plates into english in 1829 and the return of those plates to the angel moroni, no translations from english into other languages appeared until the 1850s. Visual overview of the flow of events in the book of mormon.
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