{"id":29406,"date":"2015-12-25T17:27:40","date_gmt":"2015-12-26T00:27:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/?p=29406"},"modified":"2015-12-27T14:54:52","modified_gmt":"2015-12-27T21:54:52","slug":"the-title-page-of-the-book-of-mormon-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/danpeterson\/2015\/12\/the-title-page-of-the-book-of-mormon-2.html","title":{"rendered":"BOM The Title Page of the Book of Mormon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"1841<\/a>
A copy of the 1841 (British) edition of the Book of Mormon, opened to the Title Page.
(Wikimedia Commons public domain)
Click on the image to enlarge it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still inspired by something that Elder David A. Bednar said roughly two years ago in\u00a0a speech<\/a>\u00a0at Brigham Young University, and in sync with the 2016 Gospel Doctrine curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints<\/a>, I\u2019m launching a project\u00a0to read through the Book of Mormon, one chapter each day, and to post something about each chapter on my blog.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

What I post will be very brief, with no pretense of being\u00a0exhaustive. \u00a0(If I try to do too much, if I over-promise, I won\u2019t be able to keep this up.) \u00a0I\u2019ll often simply choose a\u00a0single\u00a0verse or a single passage for comment. \u00a0And not necessarily the most obvious or most important verse or passage. \u00a0Perhaps I\u2019ll share a link to\u00a0a relevant article or book, or post an appropriate quotation from somebody else.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In turn, I\u2019ll invite anybody out there in the audience to post whatever comment he or she may like \u2014 derisive and mocking comments will likely be deleted, though sincere questions are welcome \u2014 on any aspect of that chapter. \u00a0I would appreciate shared insights, interesting cross references, extrascriptural quotations bearing on a topic in the chapter, favorite verses within the chapter (and reasons why they particularly speak to you), historical comments, links to helpful articles. \u00a0Whatever.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this way, perhaps some of us can read and learn about the Book of Mormon together.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And, of course, if this effort interests you, feel free (if you must or if you choose) to miss a day or a week or a chapter or a whole book and then to come back in. \u00a0I\u2019ll probably miss sometimes, too. \u00a0(That\u2019s why I\u2019m getting an early start, still in 2015.) \u00a0But the goal is one chapter a day. \u00a0Day after day. \u00a0This will, therefore, take the better part of 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I start, today, with\u00a0the Title Page of the Book of Mormon<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0I\u2019ll be quite a bit more long-winded with this entry\u00a0than I generally intend to be. \u00a0Tomorrow, I\u2019ll do 1 Nephi 1, and I\u2019ll work through the Book of Mormon in order, to its conclusion. \u00a0Then I may do the four gospels again. \u00a0Or the Doctrine and Covenants. \u00a0Or something else altogether. \u00a0Who knows?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

And now to today\u2019s text:<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish to mention here,\u201d said Joseph Smith, \u201cthat the title-page of the Book of Mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the left hand side of the collection or book of plates, which contained the record which has been translated; . . . and that said title-page is not . . . a modern composition, either of mine or of any other man who has lived or does live in this generation\u201d (History of the Church<\/i>\u00a01:71.).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Two of the things that impress me about the Title Page of the Book of Mormon:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The first is its declaration of the purpose of the Book of Mormon as whole, which, it declares, was\u00a0written \u201cto the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that\u00a0<\/span>Jesus<\/span>\u00a0is the\u00a0<\/span>Christ<\/span>, the\u00a0<\/span>Eternal God<\/span>, manifesting himself unto all nations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is, in other words, a thoroughly Christian and Christ-centered book. \u00a0In that light, as in many (any?) others, the common Evangelical announcement that Mormonism isn\u2019t Christian is plainly misleading, to say the best of it.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The second is its frank and candid disavowal of inerrancy: \u00a0\u201cAnd now, if there are faults\u201d \u2014 \u00a0and the author of the Title Page obviously allows for that possibility \u2014 \u201cthey are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

The disinclination to claim infallibility or inerrancy is followed by an exhortation to charity on the part of readers. \u00a0(This seems to have been a concern among the writers of the Book of Mormon. \u00a0Compare\u00a0Ether 12:23-28<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Posted from Richmond, Virginia<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 Still inspired by something that Elder David A. Bednar said roughly two years ago in\u00a0a speech\u00a0at Brigham Young University, and in sync with the 2016 Gospel Doctrine curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I\u2019m launching a project\u00a0to read through the Book of Mormon, one chapter each day, and to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1019,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nBOM The Title Page of the Book of Mormon<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"    Still inspired by something that Elder David A. 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