Comments on Life On Gold Plates: Nephi's scribal error?

The "/" marks between the lines represent Skousen'...

2009-09-19T15:51:44.050-06:00

The "/" marks between the lines represent Skousen's "sense-lines," which he used to break up the text as it might have been in a dictation and to avoid over-punctuating his text, since the original BoM manuscripts did not have punctuation.

I need to update this into the main text, but Skou...

2009-09-19T15:50:34.817-06:00

I need to update this into the main text, but Skousen's textual analysis should also be considered here. He depicts 1 Nephi 8:33-34 as follows:

And great was the multitude that did enter into that strange building./And after that they did enter into that building,/ they did point the finger of scorn at me/and those that were partaking of the fruit also,/but we heeded them not./Thus is the words of my father,/for as many heeded them had fallen away.

See Royal Skousen, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text, (Yale University Press 2009), p.23-24. I don't have the actual volume where Skousen makes the case for this reading, however, but this is what he believes the earliest dictation indicated, which I believe is closer to my and Hardy's position than Gardner's. When I get the chance I will add this to the blog post proper.

Me too. ;) I'll keep working on Brant. He'll come ...

2008-11-16T12:37:00.000-07:00

Me too. ;)

I'll keep working on Brant. He'll come around. hehe

I prefer your interpretation.

2008-11-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

I prefer your interpretation.

velska, you hit on one of my favorite things about...

2008-11-14T08:14:00.000-07:00

velska, you hit on one of my favorite things about Gardner's series. It makes you notice things in the Book of Mormon that you likely never noticed, and it does so over and over again. So even when I don't follow Gardner's conclusion he has made me see the text in a new way, or notice something I hadn't before. It really is a valuable series even for those who won't agree with his conclusions.

I don't like to "ditto" too much, but like jacob, ...

2008-11-14T01:50:00.000-07:00

I don't like to "ditto" too much, but like jacob, I have likewise always thought that the first-person piece in v.33 is explained by "these are the words of my father". If nothing else, Gardner's view serves as a warning against taking things for granted. Our own reading is always somewhat clouded by our own experience and the language we are used to.

Thanks for doing your reviews. I haven't had the opportunity to get Gardner in my own hands yet, but one of these days I'll have to get this book. You have really whetted my appetite...

Yes, I think the series is the best full commentar...

2008-11-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, I think the series is the best full commentary on the Book of Mormon to date. I did a series with Gardner here:

http://tinyurl.com/5usrur

My initial review of his series is here:

http://tinyurl.com/69szwm

I haven't read any reviews on Gardner's series. D...

2008-11-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't read any reviews on Gardner's series. Do you recommend his works?

Nice pull.

2008-11-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

Nice pull.

Good Q. I believe Mormon uses the phrase just befo...

2008-11-12T15:28:00.000-07:00

Good Q. I believe Mormon uses the phrase just before quoting Ammon in Alma 26 v.1:

And now, these are the words of Ammon to his brethren, which say thus: My brothers and my brethren, behold I say unto you, how great reason have we to rejoice; for could we have supposed when we started from the land of Zarahemla that God would have granted unto us such great blessings?

see:
http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/26/1#1

This would be differentiated by the fact that Nephi wrote his record redacting from Lehi while the Alma example is redacted by Mormon who is quoting from another source (among other things.)

I have always read that the way you suggest at the...

2008-11-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have always read that the way you suggest at the end of the post, but Gardner's idea is an interesting one that I had never considered. Looking at it again, the "These are the words of my father" line seems awfully suspicious. It can either apply to the verse before, which happens to shift to first person, or it refers to the second half of verse 34. I think it makes a lot more sense as referring to verse 33, since it not only explains the anomalous shift to first person, it also was a poor fit for vs 34 in the first place. Is there anywhere else in the BoM that has a quote preceeded by "these are the words of blah colon?