Book of Mormon Title Page
From Feast upon the Word (http://feastupontheword.org). Copyright, Feast upon the Word.
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To see the contents of the Book of Mormon Title Page click here.
Contents |
Questions
- Whose records did Mormon abridge when putting together the Book of Mormon? How should we interpret the phrase, "it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites"? Does the "record of the people of Nephi" refer to something that was produced by the Nephites, something that was about the Nephites, or both? Why is the word "record" used, rather than "records"? Was there just one record which contained the history of both the Nephites and the Lamanites?
- To whom is the Book of Mormon written? The opening sentence says that the Book of Mormon is written to the Lamanites, the Jews and the Gentiles. The Lamanites are described as "a remnant of the house of Israel." This seems to suggest that there are other remnants of the house of Israel. If there are other remnants, are they included amongst the Jews and Gentiles? If not, why are they not mentioned in the list of whom the Book of Mormon is written to?
- Who are the Jews? What is meant by the term "Jew" when referred to in the Book of Mormon?
- Who are the Gentiles? Does the prophecy that the Book of Mormon "would come forth in due time by way of the Gentile" only have reference to the book's translator? Does the word "way" modify the verb "come forth" or the noun "Gentile"?
- Convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ. Why are only the Jews and Gentiles listed in this phrase, and not the Lamanites? Is the phrase "Jew and Gentile" a shorthand for referring to the inhabitants of the entire world, as in D&C 57:4? Are the Lamanites included in the Jews and only singled out in the first paragraph for emphasis? Or could it be that the Lamanites are excluded here because the the account of the Jaredites, who might be considered Gentiles themselves, is particularly relevant to the Gentiles? If this is the case, why are the Jews also mentioned? Could it be that only the Lamanites, as a remnant of Israel, are still considered in good standing in the covenant and therefore do not need to be convinced that Jesus is the Christ (that is, the remnants of Israel have already been convinced that Jesus is the Christ by his appearance to them, but the Jews—who rejected Christ—and the Gentiles still need to be convinced)?
Lexical notes
- What is a "remnant"? Is the word "remnant" used only in the sense that the Book of Mormon will go to the Lamanites who are the remainder of Israel in the Americas? How accurate is it to say the Lamanite remnant in 1830 represented only a "small part" of Israel that once flourished on the American continent?
Exegesis
On the Jaredites
Scholars who have dedicated research to the title page (see links below) have sometimes concluded that both Mormon and Moroni must have contributed to it. If this is the case, there is the hint of a sort of disruption of the original title page text. This disruption might be felt strongest when there is first mention of the Jaredites. The phrasing ends up rather awkward, especially with the current paragraphing: it looks as if the story of the Jaredites were meant to show Israel the promises, though in the end, that cannot be the case. Something else must be at work here.
Another possibility might be read in terms of Ether 13. The message of Ether to the Jaredites there seems to be that, as Gentiles, they were about to have the opportunity to be drawn into Israel (Lehi's family was apparently just coming to the land when Ether was prophesying). If they would repent, then Lehi would be in their midst, and they could brought into the Abrahamic covenant, and all of the promises of Israel might be given them, among which the least is certainly not the promise of having seed to last until the day of the coming of Christ. When the Jaredites do not repent, they are killed to the last man, and the last lives only to see the coming of the others (the Mulekites, at least). It may well be that the Jaredite story is included in the Book of Mormon precisely for the Lamanites, to show them the promises made unto their fathers: the Jaredites may well be a foil for Israel. In other words, the Lamanites might learn from the Jaredites how the promises are obtained, how they can become extended to the Gentiles, how the Gentiles will not receive them if they do not repent, how the Israelites are, though wicked, sustained until they do receive the promises, etc., etc., etc. It may be that all of the scholarly pickings apart of the title page are misguided by misunderstanding Moroni's reason for including the Jaredite record.
On the "Purposes" of the Book of Mormon
The way that the purposes of the Book of Mormon are laid out on the title page is of capital interest. First, and apparently foremost, the purpose of the Book of Mormon is said to be "to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever." It is significant that it is only "also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations." Without downplaying the obvious importance of this latter purpose, it should be noted that the Book of Mormon understands itself to be, primarily, something for the binding of the children to the fathers. This is confirmed, perhaps, by the quotation of Malachi at the climax of the climax of the Book of Mormon: 3 Ne 24-25. At the very heart of the Book of Mormon—and making up its central message—is the idea of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. In fact, this title page alerts the reader to watch quite carefully for Abrahamic themes, for the idea of covenant given to Israel, and for the idea of sealing.
Related links
- Daniel H. Ludlow. "The Title Page." FNDF (ISBN 0884946479), p 19-33.
- David B. Honey. "Historiography of the Title Page." JBMS 3:1.
- Clyde J. Williams. "More Light on Who Wrote the Title Page." JBMS 10:2, ??.
- Eldin Ricks. "Book of Mormon Title Page." Encyclopedia of Mormonism (ISBN 002904040X), ??.
- Sidney B. Sperry. "Moroni the Lonely: The Story of the Writing of the Title Page to the Book of Mormon." JBMS 4:1, ??.
- Nate Oman. "A Brief Commentary on the Title Page of the Book of Mormon" (a post at Times & Seasons).
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