THE PROPHETIC BOLDNESS OF JOSEPH SMITH

 

To the Editor of the Times and Seasons:

Sir,

Through the medium of your paper, I wish to correct an error among men that profess to be learned, liberal and wise: and I do it the more cheerfully, because I hope sober-thinking and sound-reasoning people will sooner listen to the voice of truth, than be led astray by the vain pretensions of the self-wise. The error I speak of, is the definition of the word ‘Mormon’. It has been stated that this word was derived from the Greek word ‘mormo’. This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. Let the language of that book speak for itself. On the 523d page, of the fourth edition, it reads: “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; therefore he hath prepared means for the interpretation thereof.”

Here then the subject is put to silence, for “none other people knoweth our language”, therefore the Lord, and not man, had to interpret, after the people were all dead. And as Paul said, “the world by wisdom know not God”, so the world by speculation are destitute of revelation; and as God in his superior wisdom, has always given his Saints, wherever he had any on the earth, the same spirit, and that spirit, as John says, is the true spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus, I may safely say that the word Mormon stands independent of the learning and wisdom of this generation.

Before I give a definition, however, to the word, let me say that the Bible in its widest sense, means good; for the Saviour says according to the gospel of John, “I am the good shepherd;” and it will not be beyond the common use of terms, to say that good is among the most important in use, and though known by various names in different languages, still its meaning is the same, and is ever in opposition to ‘bad’. We say from the Saxon, ‘good’; the Dane, ‘god’; the Goth, ‘goda’; the German, ‘gut’; the Dutch, ‘goed’; the Latin, ‘bonus’; the Greek, ‘kalos’; the Hebrew, ‘tob’; and the Egyptian, ‘mon’. Hence, with the addition of ‘more’ or the contraction, ‘mor’, we have the word ‘mormon’; which means, literally, ‘more good’.

Yours,

JOSEPH SMITH

(May 15, 1843) T&S 4:194

(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 299-300)

 

It makes sense, does it not,  if the Bible which testifies of Christ means good, the Book of Mormon which is the  second witness has to mean ‘more good’……the brilliance of Joseph Smith!!!!

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(ART: Joseph by Ken Corbett)

THE IMPERATIVE BOOK OF MORMON

 

 

A friend who was distancing herself from the Church  asked me: "why would Moroni lug around heavy gold plates for 20 years, hide them in the earth and have them discovered when they were hardly necessary?" I was shocked by this question because I presumed that everyone in the Church understood just how necessary the gold plates were that Joseph translated into the Book of Mormon.                                                                  

One has only to read the book of Enos to understand the 'why'. Enos prayed earnestly for preservation of the records that were handed down to him by his father Jacob (Jacob 7:27). So much did he cry to God about it that God COVENANTED with him that He would bring them forth in His own due time (Enos 1:16). Not only did Enos ask this of the Lord but his fathers also (Enos 1:18). So it goes without saying that everyone who wrote on the plates was desperate to have them preserved. Now this is the interesting bit. The Lamanites knew of these records and swore that they would destroy them and "all the traditions of the fathers" (Enos 1:14). And what were these traditions? In Nephi's words: "...we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ.."(2 Nephi 25:26). So what then was the purpose of the preservation? Jacob says so that their posterity would know that they believed in Christ (Jacob 4:1-5). Enos went one step further and pleaded with the Lord to preserve the records so that the Lamanites would one day, because of them, be brought unto salvation (Enos 1:13). Why? Because they testify of Christ.

Mormon was 10 years old when he was told of the plates by Ammaron (Mormon 1:1-3). Imagine being 10 years old and given such a charge to preserve the second testament of Christ that would prepare the world for the Second Coming. I am thinking that both Mormon and Moroni understood Jacob's admonition that all who reject Christ and the power of His redemption would one day 'stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of God' (Jacob 6:8-10). I am convinced both of these men read this and took it to heart.  Being men of God who themselves testified of Christ and having seen our day in visions, it was imperative to them that the Book of Mormon saw the light of day, at all cost. And I'm thinking this is why Moroni lugged the gold plates around for 20 years. Did he care how heavy they were? Did he care how long he had to do it? I am convinced his testimony of Christ far outweighed the gold that was in his hands:

"Behold.....I am alone. My father hath been slain in battle, and all my kinsfolk, and I have no friends nor whither to go...therefore I will write and hide up the records in the earth; and whither I go it mattereth not." (Mormon 8:4,5)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Moroni Travels by Katie Payne)