Revelation Beyond Revelation

Scriptures open to Acts 27. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Some Christians believe that Revelation 22:18 is proof enough that no other scripture could ever exist. However, it’s unlikely that the word “book” in that verse is referring to the Bible, since it hadn’t been compiled as we currently know it. Another translation for the word could have been “scroll,” which means that the verse was about Revelation itself. Since prophets have specific authority given to them to reveal doctrine about God and His gospel, the verse makes sense in such context; the revelations of the book were John’s to disclose. (Besides, if every such scripture were taken so literally, there would have been nothing after Deuteronomy 4:2.)

In truth, councils of men—not unlike the famous Nicene Council—usually decided what could be considered scripture and what could not, bereft of the guidance of prophets. Various versions of the Bible existed, and some did not include the book of Revelation at all. The King James version is now the one most widely used, and it was not compiled until 1611. According to Jewish tradition, the Old Testament books are organized first by those considered to be written by Moses and then in order of those regarded as most important to least important. Christian versions of the Bible often order the Old Testament books first by historical significance, then sacred poetry, and finally, ancient prophecies. The New Testament begins with the four gospels, followed by the letters of the prophets to the Church in order of size (biggest to smallest), with Revelation tacked on at the end. In fact, the Apostle John wrote his epistle to church members of his time period sometime after writing Revelation. Also, he is believed to have died earlier than most of the other Apostles. Clearly, chronological order was not a concern for those who created the Bible as we know it. For all these reasons, Revelation—nor any other part of the Bible—cannot reasonably be upheld as the final word of God.

Moses and the Tablets, by Jerry Harston. Moses was among the many prophets who contributed scriptural writings that were later compiled into the Bible familiar to us today. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Furthermore, there are several mentions of scriptures that have been lost throughout both the Bible and Book of Mormon. If it’s possible for scriptures to be unknown to the world, then it stands to reason that they may one day be discovered, as the Mormon Church believes the Book of Mormon was.

He Continues to Speak

We know that God will always work with prophets to ensure that we have guidance, and we also know that He will continue enlightening us with knowledge and power as we become capable of comprehending it, little by little. Considering the Mormon belief in eternal progression on top of all this, it’s only natural to believe that the Bible is not the only authority on gospel truths, and we may yet be blessed with more books of scripture beyond the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. It is a testament of God’s love that He speaks to everyone and will continue to speak.

Woman reading the Book of Mormon. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Ashley Morales

Frequently whimsical and overly optimistic about how much time it will take to do things, Ashley Morales is deeply passionate about the gospel and all kinds of creativity. Her hobbies include philosophically analyzing nearly every book, play, video game, and movie that she consumes, writing music and short stories, promising herself that she will finish writing her novels, going to sleep too late, eating foods she’s never tried, putting off cleaning her house, browsing Zillow, spending as much quality time as possible with her wonderful husband, trying to be a good mother to her fantastic children, and never finding the balance between saying too much and too little. One day, she hopes to leave a positive mark on the world and visit every continent (except Antarctica) with her family.

William E. McLellin (1806-1883), late in life (Wikimedia Commons)

The following article by Dan Peterson appeared on Patheos.com on 8 November 2016.

William E. McLellin was chosen as one of the Twelve Apostles in 1835, but was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 1838.  However, he never abandoned his faith in the Book of Mormon, and one of the pillars of his faith rested upon his early, searching interviews with the witnesses to that book.  He was a highly intelligent man (and, it seems, a rather irascible one), and he was very careful and intent upon getting at the truth.  He left a number of statements on his investigations.  This one comes from a previously unpublished manuscript that he wrote between January 1871 and January 1872.  I find it fascinating:

In 1833, when mobbing reigned triumphant in Jackson Co. Mo. I and O. Cowdery fled from our homes, for fear of personal violence on Saturday the 20th day of July.  The mob dispersed, agreeing to meet again on the next Tuesday.  They offered eighty dollars reward for any one who would deliver Cowdery or McLellan in Independence on Tuesday.  On Mond[a]y I slipped down into the Whitmer’s settlement, and there in the lonely woods I met with David Whitmer and Oliver Cowdery.  I said to them, “brethren I have never seen an open vision in my life, but you men say you have, and therefore you positively know.  Now you know that our lives are in danger every hour, if the mob can only only catch us.  Tell me in the fear of God, is that book of Mormon true?  Cowdery looked at me with solemnity depicted in his face, and said, “Brother William, God sent his holy angel to declare the truth of the translation of it to us, and therefore we know.  And though the mob kill us, yet we must die declaring its truth.”  David said, “Oliver has told you the solemn truth, for we could not be deceived.  I most truly declare declare to you its truth!!”  Said I, boys I believe you.  I can see no object for you to tell me false <hood> now, when our lives are endangered.  Eight men testify also to handling that sacred pile of plates, from which Joseph Smith <read off the> translation that heavenly Book.

One circumstance I’ll relate of one of these eight witnesses.  While the mob was raging in Jackson Co. Mo. in 1833 some young men ran down Hiram Page <in the woods> one of the eight <witnesses,> and commenced beating and pounding him with whips and clubs.  He begged, but there was no mercy.  They said he was <a> damned Mormon, and they meant to beat him to death!  But finally one then said to him, if you will deny that damned book, we will let you go.  Said he, how can I deny what I knowto be true?  Then they pounded him again.  When they thought he was about to breathe his last, they said to him, Now what do you think of your God, when he dont save you?  Well said he, I believe in God–Well, said one of the most intelligent among them, I believe the damned fool will stick to it though we kill him.  Let us let him go.  But his life was nearly run out.  He was confined to his bed for a length of time.  So much for a man who knows for himself.  Knowledge is beyond faith or doubt.  It is positive certainty.

I in company with <a> friend, <I> visited one of the eight witnesses <in 1869>–he only one who is now alive, and he bore a very lucid and rational testimony, and gave us many interesting particulars.  He was a young man when he had those testimonies.  He is now <was then> sixty eight years old, and still he is firm in his faith.  Now I would ask what will I do with such a cloud of faithful witnesses, bearing such a rational and yet solemn testimony?  These men while in the prime of life, saw the vision of the angel, and bore their testimony to all people.  And eight men saw the plates, and handled them.  Hence these men all knew the things they declared to be positively true.  And that too while they were young, and now when old they declare the same things.

These paragraphs come from Mitchell K. Schaefer, ed., William E. McLellin’s Lost Manuscript (Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2012), 166-167.  The editorial marks (and McLellin’s curious misspelling of his own name) and the occasional omitted word are all faithfully reproduced and double-checked.

The witness whom McLellin visited in 1869 has to have been John Whitmer, who died in 1878.

Guest Author

Late one fall evening after Heber and Vilate Kimball had retired to their bed, they were awakened suddenly by an urgent knocking at their door. A neighbor, John Greene, who lived just 100 steps away, stood at the door and bade them come out and behold the scenery in the heavens.”

They did so, and it was a beautiful starlit night, so exceptionally clear and brilliant that Heber said he could “see to pick up a pin.”

As the little group watched, a white smoke formed on the eastern horizon, and slowly began to rise upward. As it did so, it formed itself into a belt spreading across the sky toward the southwest, and it was accompanied by the sound of a rushing mighty wind.

Gradually, that belt flattened out and broadened across into a bow—like a rainbow, becoming transparent with a bluish cast, and stretching from horizon to horizon.

“In this bow an army moved, commencing in the east and marching to the west. They continued marching until they reached the western horizon. They moved in platoons, and walked so close that the rear ranks trod in the steps of their file leaders until the whole bow was literally crowded with soldiers.”

They were dressed in the full battle gear of 19th century soldiers—muskets; bayonets, and were so clear and distinct that Heber and the small group of neighbors could distinguish the features of their faces, and hear the jingle of their equipage as they moved.

Shortly, the entire bow from horizon to horizon was crowded and filled with marching men, the sound of that marching reaching clearly to the ears of the astonished onlookers.

Heber later described the event this way:

“No man could judge of my feelings when I beheld that army of men, as plainly as ever I saw armies of men in the flesh; it seemed as though every [the very] hair of my head was alive.”

“When the front rank of soldiers reached the western horizon a battle ensued.” The noise of the rush of men, and the clash of the arms was distinct and unmistakable. Heber and his friends looked upon this scene for hours, until it gradually disappeared.

Heber’s wife, somewhat afraid, turned to one of the older men in the group and asked, “Father Young, what does all this mean?”

“Why, it’s one of the signs of the coming of the Son of Man,” he replied in a lively and pleased manner.

And indeed it was. The night that Heber and his friends in Mendon, New York saw the vision and Brigham Young and friends saw it in Port Byron, New York was September 22, 1827—the same night that the angel Moroni delivered the plates of the Book of Mormon into the hands of the prophet Joseph Smith. The Book of Mormon is truly the Marvelous Work and a Wonder.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

This article by R. Scott Lloyd was published on 5 November 2015 in the Deseret News.

Students of Church history are acquainted with the incident when the Prophet Joseph Smith copied some of the characters from the plates from which he translated the Book of Mormon, and a translation of a portion thereof, and allowed scribe Martin Harris to take them to “men of learning” in the east for their inspection.

According to Martin’s own account, one of the scholars who was shown the transcription, Charles Anthon of Columbia College in New York, pronounced the translation correct, more so than any he had ever seen, and wrote a note certifying that the characters were true.

But Martin reported that when told the plates came from an angel, the professor promptly tore up the certificate, denied the possibility of such a manifestation and said Martin should bring the record to him. Martin said part of the plates were sealed, and Anthon replied, “I cannot read a sealed book.”

The response came to be interpreted as a fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah 29:11.

There is much more to the story of Martin’s journey to the east with the transcribed characters, according to research by Richard E. Bennett, chairman of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, who was one of the speakers Oct. 24 at the Sidney B. Sperry Symposium. Brother Bennett spoke on Martin’s visit not just to Professor Anthon during that journey, but to Luther Bradish and Samuel Mitchell.

“It was likely Professor Samuel Latham Mitchell, thanks to the recommendation of both Luther Bradish and Charles Anthon himself, who gave the most scholarly corroboration Harris was looking for that winter of 1828,” he said. “Returning home to Palmyra with a story of prophecy fulfilled on the one hand and on the other, the sanctioning of all that Anthon may have said by America’s foremost naturalist [Mitchell], Harris was ready to provide the financial means to publish the Book of Mormon.”

Though many have assumed Martin went east primarily because he wanted scholarly validation of the translation efforts of Joseph, “there may have been other reasons for Harris to seek insights from scholars,” Brother Bennett said. “According to Joseph Smith’s earliest 1832 history, Martin Harris had received his own independent corroborative inspiration even before making the trip as a result of his giving Joseph $50 to move from Manchester, New York, to Harmony, Pennsylvania.”

The Prophet recorded that because of Martin’s faith and righteous deed, the Lord appeared to him in a vision and showed him a marvelous work he was about to do. Thereafter, he came to Harmony and said the Lord had shown him he must go to New York City with some of the characters.

“Perhaps there was as much compliance as there was corroboration involved in Harris’ making the trip to New York in 1828,” Brother Bennett remarked.

The Prophet’s mother, Lucy Mack Smith, recorded that it was agreed that Martin should take the characters to the east “and through the country in every direction,” and on his way should call upon “all who are professional linguists to give them an opportunity of showing their talents in giving a translation of the characters,” Brother Bennett noted.

Until recently, the prevailing notion was that a document now housed in the archives of the Community of Christ in Independence, Missouri, is the actual piece of paper shown by Harris to Anthon and others in New York. Letters recently found from Anthon indicate “it is virtually impossible to argue with certainty” that the transcript in Independence is the only one Anthon saw, Brother Bennett said. Moreover, recent research stemming from the Joseph Smith Papers project and based on handwriting analysis shows that the extant manuscript was likely not written by Joseph in 1828 but by John Whitmer in 1829 “and therefore could not have been the one displayed in New York City,” he added.

Contemporary reports indicate that on his journey, Martin first stopped off at Albany, New York, where he met with Luther Bradish, Brother Bennett said.

Bradish and Martin Harris knew each other in Palmyra. Bradish had become a successful Wall Street lawyer and New York assemblyman and was in a position possibly to assist in the cost of printing the Book of Mormon.

“But there is no indication Bradish pledged any kind of financial support,” he said. “Instead, Bradish likely recommended, since he knew the city so well, that once in New York City, Harris visit with the leading naturalist in the country, Professor Samuel L. Mitchell.”

A brilliant scholar, Mitchell was also a linguist. “Before offering his learned opinion on the written characters which Harris brought with him, Mitchell kindly referred him to his colleague, the young and up-and-coming scholar of linguistics” Charles Anthon, Brother Bennett said.

Anthon, however, though he was accomplished in the classic languages of Greek and Latin, likely knew little about Egyptian, Hebrew or any other Middle Eastern language, Brother Bennett said. “By force of his own brusque personality, he claimed to know more in this area than he really did.”

He said, “After Anthon showed Harris the door, Mitchell welcomed him back and sanctioned what Harris showed him for at least two reasons.”

Mitchell was the country’s leading student of the Rosetta Stone, an ancient stele with writing in three languages that had earlier been discovered and decoded. Thus Mitchell had an intense interest in hieroglyphic writing. And Mitchell had been studying the origins of the American Indians for several years and “had painstakingly developed his own two-races theory of ancient America,” Brother Bennett said. “His interest in the history of the ancient American Indian was therefore at a peak when Harris showed him this transcript.”

Brother Bennett concluded by testifying that “the Lord is continuing to open new things to our understanding, new insights, ‘line upon line, here a little and there a little.’ I believe we will continue to learn more that will corroborate the coming forth, the translation and the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon, and it’s exciting to be a part of it.”

rscott@deseretnews.com

 R. Scott Lloyd is a reporter and staff writer for the Deseret News, where he is attached full time to the LDS Church News staff, working in that capacity for the 25-plus years he has been with the newspaper.

Guest Author

Latter-day Saints testify that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are the Word of God, and that the Book of Mormon is not intended to supersede the sacred teachings found in the Bible, but rather, the teachings found in the Book of Mormon help to enrich the comprehension of the avid student of the scriptures.

Nevertheless, there still exist several misunderstandings and myths about the Book of Mormon. In her 12 November 2014 LDS Living.com article titled “Debunking 5 Myths about The Book of Mormon,” Danielle Beckstrom carefully analyzes a few of the common misconceptions about the Book of Mormon.

Refuting the Myths about the Book of Mormon

There are people of other faiths who believe that Mormons do not believe in the Bible, because they include the Book of Mormon as part of the scriptures that they use. However, the 8th Article of Faith of The Church of Jesus Christ teaches, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”

Beckstrom points out in her article that Mormons “not only have The Book of Mormon, we have the Doctrine and Covenants (a book of revelations given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and succeeding prophets), words from modern day prophets, and the Pearl of Great Price (selections of both ancient and modern materials that touch on significant doctrines, many unique to our faith).” Even though Mormons use other sacred writings as part of the foundation of their doctrinal beliefs, they still have a deep abiding reverence for the Holy Bible and reference it frequently in their teachings, as well as their personal study. Beckstrom also points out that the additional scriptures are used to support, enhance, and in many instances “clarify ambiguous doctrines found in the Bible.”

She succinctly answers the question of whether or not Mormons have their own translation of the Bible thusly:

While we fully believe that the Bible contains divine revelation from God, we also understand that it was recorded and later translated by men who make mistakes.  As a result, the Prophet Joseph Smith provided more accurate translations of key verses and chapters in the Bible.  So, though Mormons use the King James Version of the Bible, we have footnotes and appendixes that provide Joseph Smith’s translations.

Another myth about the Book of Mormon is that the book was written by Joseph Smith or Mormon. However, a careful study of the volume reveals that it was not written by one man. The book actually contains the accounts of four separate records which were written by prophets of God living from about 2200 BC to AD 450. One of those ancient prophets, Mormon, compiled the majority of the records, and his son, Moroni, completed the work. Joseph Smith was later called of God to translate the ancient scriptures.

If people believe that myth concerning the authorship of the Book of Mormon, then they are apt to believe that Mormons worship Joseph Smith or Mormon. Mormons, however, do not worship any man. The official name of the Church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – is a testimony to the world that the One whom Latter-day Saints worship and adore is the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is His Church and not the church of any man. The Savior Himself admonished the disciples concerning this matter as recorded in the Book of Mormon in 3 Nephi 27:7-8:

Therefore, whatsoever ye shall do, ye shall do it in my name; therefore ye shall call the church in my name; and ye shall call upon the Father in my name that he will bless the church for my sake. And how be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church; or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel.

The full name of the volume of scripture – The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ –  also attests to the fact that Latter-day Saints worship God, the Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ.

There are also those who purport that the language of The Book of Mormon is historically inaccurate. In her article “Debunking 5 Myths about The Book of Mormon,” Beckstrom shares what she has learned about the language of the Book of Mormon:

The symbolism, sentence-structure, and language of The Book of Mormon is far removed from the writing style of early 19th century America.  In fact, BYU professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic Daniel C. Peterson states that “rigorous statistical analysis strongly indicates that neither Joseph Smith nor any of his known associates composed the English text of the Book of Mormon. In fact, research suggests that the book was written by numerous distinct authors” (“Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon”).  The fact that many of the names or words in The Book of Mormon are unlike those of biblical accounts actually enhances The Book of Mormon’s historical accuracy because many of the accounts from The Book of Mormon were written at a time and place far removed from those of the Bible.  Besides, historic evidence supporting the accuracy of these names still exists.  For example, the names Sariah and Nephi have been found in ancient Jewish documents dating from the time and place where these Book of Mormon figures lived.

The Prophet Mormon in the Book of Mormon as recorded in Mormon 9:32-34 wrote:

And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language; and because that none other people knoweth our language, therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.

One other myth surrounding the Book of Mormon is that Native American DNA proves that The Book of Mormon can’t be true. Numerous scholars support the land bridge migration theory that basically implies that Native Americans migrated over a land bridge connecting Siberia and Alaska. This theory, they proclaim, disproves The Book of Mormon account that some Native American ancestors crossed over the Atlantic to America.

Beckstrom concludes her article by emphatically stating:

The Book of Mormon does not contradict the land bridge migration theory. The Book of Mormon never claims that the people it describes were either the only or even the predominant inhabitants of America.  In fact, “clues in its text hint at the presence of other groups” (“Book of Mormon and DNA Studies“).  The Book of Mormon only provides an account of one group among many throughout history who have discovered and migrated to the American continents.

Although there continue to be many myths circulating about the Book of Mormon, it continues to stand as an ensign to the world that it is as its name proclaims – Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

John M. Pontius was a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Africa from 1971–73. He describes the yearning for Afrikaans-speakers for a translation of the Book of Mormon

I attended the special conference in Johannesburg on May 14, 1972 when the new translation of the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (Die Boek van Mormon) was presented. It was an electric moment. People wept. Some had waited all of their lifetimes to read the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Many people had learned English for the sole purpose of reading this scripture. The Spirit was strong among us as we rejoiced. [3]

But this was not the only remarkable aspect of this conference. John Pontius and a fellow missionary were present on several occasions when the translator, Professor Felix Mynhardt, talked about the translation process. In his blogpost, Pontius recounts their collective recollections, including what Mynhardt said at the conference itself.

Prof. Mynhardt was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. Pontius recalls, “He said that he was fluent in over 60 languages. He was presently employed at Pretoria University as a language professor. He said he had been praying that the Lord would give him some task, some divinely important task, that would justify his having this gift of language from God.” He had been approached in 1970 by the Mission President, Harlan Clark and others to translate the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Pontius recalls:

He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religion studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it. However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convinced him. The message was something on the order of, “You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form of translating the Book of Mormon, and you declined.” Professor Mynardt said he could not sleep through the night because he knew that translating the Book of Mormon would get him into trouble with his university, which was owned and operated by the Dutch Reformed Church. When morning came he agreed to begin the translation immediately.

Once Mynhardt began translating, it was obvious that the Book of Mormon had not been written in English. Joseph Smith had therefore translated, not composed it. “It became immediately apparent that what I was reading was a translation into English from some other language. The sentence structure was wrong for native English. The word choices were wrong, as were many phrases.” Working on that assumption, Mynhardt knew he would have to find the original language to be able to make as accurate a translation into Afrikaans as possible. Pontius narrates,

He listed a half-dozen languages he tried, all of which did not accommodate the strange sentence structure found in the Book of Mormon. He said he finally tried Egyptian, and to his complete surprise, he found that the Book of Mormon translated flawlessly into . . . ancient Egyptian. He found that some nouns were missing from Egyptian, so he used Hebrew nouns where Egyptian did not provide the word or phrase. He chose Hebrew because both languages existed in the same place anciently.

Mynhardt had begun translating—illogically—in the middle of the book, so when he turned to the beginning to commence that translation,

Imagine my utter astonishment when . . . [I] came to verse two, where Nephi describes that he was writing in the language of the Egyptians, with the learning of the Jews! . . . I knew by the second verse, that this was no ordinary book, that it was not the writings of Joseph Smith, but that it was of ancient origin. I could have saved myself months of work if I had just begun at the beginning. Nobody but God, working through a prophet of God, in this case Nephi, would have included a statement of the language he was writing in. Consider, how many documents written in English, include the phrase, “I am writing in English!” It is unthinkable and absolute proof of the inspired origins of this book.

Mynhardt said that he was perhaps the only person at that time in South Africa who had the language skills necessary to make the Afrikaans translation, using as he did, ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, Afrikaans, and English. He had this to say about Joseph Smith:

I do not know what Joseph Smith was before he translated this book, and I do not know what he was afterward, but while he translated this book, he was a prophet of God! I know he was a prophet! I testify to you that he was a prophet while he brought forth this book! He could have been nothing else! No person in 1827 could have done what he did. [4] The science did not exist. The knowledge of ancient Egyptian did not exist. The knowledge of these ancient times and ancient Peoples did not exist. The Book of Mormon is scripture. I hope you realize this. . . . I declare that the Book of Mormon is of ancient origin, and is scripture of the same caliber as the Old Testament, or for that matter, the New Testament.

Pontius concludes his meaningful account by describing the effect on him of this testimony of the ancient origins of the Book of Mormon from someone who was not a member of the Church, “I know my memory of his exact words is wanting, but my memory of what I felt and what I knew and how potent it was to hear his testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is one of those things that I will never forget.”

From a personal standpoint, some time ago I had to edit a piece in English written by a German speaker that was very difficult to understand. The only way I could edit it successfully was by translating it back into German to see the idioms used, and then re-translating it into English. Unless you are a native speaker of both languages, in most cases it is extremely difficult to render an accurate translation. The unique skills that Prof. Mynhardt employed in translating the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (the translation is still in use today), were in my opinion divine gifts bestowed on him for this particular purpose.

This article was written by Alison Coutts, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

References:

1. Book of Mormon Reaches 150 Million Copies

2. Afrikaanns

3. Unless otherwise noted, information and quotes come from John Pontius’s blogpost

4. As far as is known, the translation process began in 1828.

brady