Book of mormon wordprint

They compared twentyfour book of mormon authors each. If he copied from someone, we should see that authors writing style likewise. The isaiah passages in the book of mormon a non aligned text the above title and link refers to a 2001 masters thesis. Comparing book of mormon names with those found in j. The term wordprint was coined by the larsen group to represent patterns. Another man heard in a college class that the ancient jews used a literary form called chiasmus. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship wikipedia. Is it possible that a single author wrote the book of mormon. Ive thus been a strong skeptic of wordprint studies back when they. Of course, wordprint analysis, while it can measure certain facts objectively, cannot prove the holiness of the book of mormon. With the exception of a couple of minor quibbles, it was a very readable, balanced, wellwritten introduction to the book of mormon from a pretty neutral perspective. The understanding that the book of mormon has a divine origin is obtainable only by byu studies 30, no.

Fields roper book of mormon wordprint study general. Book of mormon wordprints reexamined a look at the byu. Book of mormon wordprint studies in another post, there was a challenge to explain away a number of evidences of the book of mormon. A new wordprint study on the book of mormon breathes new life to a longchallenged theory for book of mormon authorship, the theory that its real author was solomon spalding secretly assisted by sidney rigdon. Kelter, a former presbyterian minister converted to the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, is currently a pro fessor in the byu department of church history and doctrine. Wordprints and the book of mormon book of mormon central. Modern computers have given birth to a new science of analyzing word patterns in documents whose authorship is disputed. He found a number of chiasms, most of which were created by two of the. Book of mormon evidences, part 3 presents further evidence supporting the book of mormon as an ancient document.

Spalding show conclusively that neither of these persons, authored the book, the scientists say. If the book of mormon was written by ancient authors, we should be able to see distinct writing styles among each different author. Since its on a byu site, im assuming that its there with permission. Using wordprint analysis, a method of determining idiosyncratic subconscious patterns in the writings of any author, they conclude that 1 the book of mormon was written by many authors, and that 2 no book of mormon passages resemble the writing of any of the commonly. Apr 21, 2007 mormon did not paraphrase, he quoted directly from the records he had in his possession. The critical question of whether any of the potential nineteenthcentury authors actually wrote the book of mormon cannot. The works of tolkien and the book of mormon have been compared in a variety of ways by multiple authors and researchers, but none have looked specifically at the unusual names found within both. Byu professors rencher and larson analyzed the voices in the book of mormon based on noncontextual usage.

The purpose of this post is to reintroduce my wordprint study, to. Three scholars from stanford recently completed another wordprint analysis of the book of mormon, the newest in a series of studies completed by various researchers over the past few decades. Here is what will probably be the first of several book of mormon wordprint analysis posts, based on a database i put together and curiosity ive. Book of mormon wordprint analysis lds church is true blog. Missionary explains book of mormon wordprint analysis.

At the age of 16, mormon begins an on againoff again role as leader of the nephite armies mormon 2, 12, lasting until 384ce mormon 26. These results yield strong statistical evidence that the wordprints of joseph smith, oliver cowdery, and solomon spaulding are not measurable in the book of mormon. Bom apologists have used a method of analysis, that they call wordprint, in an attempt to prove that the book of mormon was not written by joseph smith. Theres no way that you can emulate the wordprint of another individual. Ive read a number of the wordprint studies, so i responded to it. The book of mormon was not an ordinary translation. This study of this is called analyzing word patterns, wordprinting or stylometry. Barney, remains unconvinced of the validity of wordprint analysis. This article is brought to you for free and open access by the all journals at byu scholarsarchive.

Ive thus been a strong skeptic of wordprint studies back when they were so popular among apologists. Mar 01, 2018 theres a lot of subjectivity to most of these studies of the book of mormon. John hilton, update of wordprinting on the english isaiah texts and the book of mormon, f. Spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship. This volume features articles on hebraisms and chiasmus in the book of mormon, as well as articles discussing emendation of the text, naturalistic assumptions, wordprint analyses, variations between copies of the first edition, and more. In wordprint studies related to the book of mormon, hilton has analyzed the major authors and come up with some amazing insights. Impressed by previolls word print studies of the book of mormon. Jan 16, 2018 an analysis of wordprints, in book of mormon authorship.

It doesnt attempt to prove an ancient origin for the bom, and therefore it cannot do so. The complicated production of the book of mormon, from its original writing by nephi, mormon, moroni, and others to its most recent editings and printings, is a human process that has been well described. Transcribed only once, from ancient writings, this book is an. In this article, larsen and rencher report their findings from a statistical analysis of style in the book of mormon.

Contrary to the claims of our critics, there are impressive findings that make it difficult to explain away the book of mormon as a nineteenthcentury fraud from joseph smith. Religious studies center, brigham young university, 1982, 163. The hilton wordprint study of the book of mormon mormanity. Analyzing blocks of words from 24 of the book of mormons ostensible authors, along with nine nineteenthcentury writers including joseph smith. This book is a quick and enjoyable read about the book of mormon, how it orginated, how it has been received, and how it has been interpreted and valued throughout the years. So he decided to scan the book of mormon to see if it contained any chiastic verse. Book of mormon wordprint studies in 2020 lds church is.

The spaldingrigdon theory of book of mormon authorship is the theory that the book of mormon was plagiarized in part from an unpublished manuscript written by solomon spalding. Feb, 2010 it turns out that the book of mormon is internally consistent from the first page to the last. Wordprint analysis is a statistical analysis of the frequency of noncontext words we all use in writing. Book of mormon authorship, in book of mormon authorship revisited. Computational stylistics is based on the premise that all authors exhibit subtle, quantifiable stylistic traits that are equivalent to a litereray fingerprint, or wordprint. Wordprint studies are one tool used in author attribution research, but do authors use specific sounds more than others consciously or subconsciously when selecting or inventing names. Wordprint comparisons between the book of mormon and the known 19th century writings of joseph smith and mr. Ive taken a bit on an interest in wordprint studies. Check jeff lindsays response here, which notes some benefits and drawbacks to the new wordprint analysis. Mar 21, 2012 this book is a quick and enjoyable read about the book of mormon, how it orginated, how it has been received, and how it has been interpreted and valued throughout the years.

Serious study of the book of mormon by latterday saints is flourishing today as never before. This page is a continuation of book of mormon evidences, part one and part two. Dec 12, 2017 see hilton, on verifying wordprint studies, in book of mormon authorship revisited, 236. What can stylometry tell us about book of mormon authorship. Oct 08, 2005 the hilton wordprint study of the book of mormon i was pleased to find a copy of john hiltons article, on verifying wordprint studies. All the wordprint studies, understanding of olive culture, or reading of chiasmus will not convert anyone to a life of. Senior missionary explains book of mormon wordprint analysis. The second was a report on a wordprint analysis of the book of mormon.

Among those evidences was a reference to wordprints. The term wordprint is an unfortunate one since it reminds people of fingerprints. In every set comparing the book of mormon texts against these three writers, at least seven and often many more rejections were measured. I have always felt that the basis assumptions underlying book of mormon wordprint studies are. The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed sic, published in 1834 by e. Written by prophets to a people who lived in america long before white people ever came, some believe they were the beginnings of some native indian tribes. Evidence that the book of mormon, while good to have, is not the essential thing that will convert mankind to its truthfulness, or to the person the book of mormon is bearing witness of. Book of mormon wordprint studies in 2020 lds church is true. The 15 essays in book of mormon authorship revisited present the latest research by lds scholars on the question in an effort to demonstrate that the weight of. The second question was whether the wordprints found in the book of mormon match those of any nineteenth century authors, including joseph smith, sidney rigdon, and solomon spaulding, all of whom have been suggested by nonbelievers as possible authors of the book of mormon. Wordprint analysis is a statistical analysis of the. Two tests which deal with writing styles have produced some largely ignored results which our critics cannot explain.

I was pleased to find a copy of john hiltons article, on verifying wordprint studies. The first edition book of mormon is composed in a narrative, paragraph format, uninterrupted by verses and chapters, which many readers will find easier to digest. Jul 08, 2019 a number of scientific tests have been devised to examine the authenticity of the book of mormon. But the 1830 book of mormon contained 590 pages of text, the most important kind of evidence historians. This study used a generalized discriminant analysis which is an extension of the linear discriminant analysis used in the larsen study. This compilation of groundbreaking book of mormon articles is selected from over fifty years of lds scholarship published by byu studies. The initial book of mormon wordprint studies were carried out by larsen, rencher, and layton. The problems go well beyond the problem who who wrote what. Apr 23, 2020 book of mormon wordprint studies have been used by both critics and apologists to provide valuable insights into the text of the bom.

Hilton, on verifying wordprint studies, in book of mormon authorship revisited, 241. Among the antibook of mormon references, likely the most extensive work provoked by the larsenrencherlayton study was an attempt at a wordprint measurement by ernest h. Im not a statistician or an expert in word print studies, so my studies will need to be validated by an expert. An analysis of wordprints, in book of mormon authorship. The article is essentially the same as chapter 9 of one of my favorite books, book of mormon authorship revisited, ed. The book of mormon presents a very different problem for josephs detractors than does the first vision. No single individual, modern or ancient, could have written the book of mormon. The wordprint analysis by wayne larson and alvin rencher questions once again the theory that sidney rigdon or solomon spaulding authored the book of mormon pp. For those interested in experiencing the original book of mormon, this high quality reprint will make a. Book of mormon wordprint analysis three voice hypothesis posted by churchistrue this is an introduction to a series of posts that i will be making to define the three voice hypothesis for book of mormon authorship attribution, developed from analyzing book of mormon wordprint data. Foundation for ancient research and mormon studies. Theres a lot of subjectivity to most of these studies of the book of mormon. Wordprint analysis and the book of mormon deseret news.

They compared twentyfour book of mormon authors each having at least 1,000 words to each other, and concluded on the basis of three separate statistical tests that these authors were distinct from each other and oliver cowdery, joseph smith, jr. It has been accepted for inclusion in byu studies quarterly by an authorized editor of byu. Does wordprint prove the book of mormon is the real deal. Joseph smiths translation of the book of mormon was a literal translation. See hilton, on verifying wordprint studies, in book of mormon authorship revisited, 236. By wordprint analysis, it is now possible with a high degree of certainty to tell which suspected authors. The reports now available provide far more information than can be summarized briefly. They have no secondary witnesses, nor do they leave obvious historical artifacts that require explanation. About a year ago, i put together a database, splitting up the book of mormon electronic text, and spent some time doing computer wordprint analysis. However, the comment got buried, so i thought id bring the discussion to its own thread. A number of scientific tests have been devised to examine the authenticity of the book of mormon.

The theory first appeared in print in the book mormonism unvailed, published in 1834 by e. Every few years a critic does a wordprint study and i remain critical for the same reasons. Book of mormon authorship new light on ancient origins. Book of mormon wordprint or word pattern studies parent page. Wordprint studies of the book of mormon fairmormon. Kjv isaiah in the book of mormon why the lds church is. If joseph smith wrote the book of mormon, we should be able to see his literary style across the entire book. Evidence of the truthfulness of the book of mormon lds. Book of mormon wordprint analysis three voice hypothesis. It is the science of identifying authorship by measuring the words and phrases a person unconsciously uses. Using the nsl model to explain other bom wordprint studies. Howe, holds that sidney rigdon concocted the book of mormon by plagiarizing a novel written by one solomon spaulding, then used joseph. I saw a video that came from the book of mormon central team that showed a chart from the fields roper book of mormon wordprint study project. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints view the book of mormon as scripture written by ancient prophets, while critics believe that it is a 19thcentury fraud.

In a recent article appearing in byu studies, 1 wayne larsen, alvin rencher, and tim layton, specialists in statistics at brigham young university, used some highly sophisticated, computerized statistical techniques to examine wordprints of authors in the book of mormon. The book of mormon is another testament of jesus christ. The theory is that a spalding manuscript was stolen by sidney rigdon, who used it in collusion with joseph smith. It turns out that the book of mormon is internally consistent from the first page to the last.

In fact, the bibles poetry had been largely unnoticed until a scott reported it in the 1840s, long after the book of mormon came out in 1830. Dec 09, 2008 a new wordprint study on the book of mormon breathes new life to a longchallenged theory for book of mormon authorship, the theory that its real author was solomon spalding secretly assisted by sidney rigdon. Book of mormon wordprint studies have been used by both critics and apologists to provide valuable insights into the text of the bom. Book of mormon wordprints reexamined a look at the byu study. In another post, there was a challenge to explain away a number of evidences of the book of mormon. I guess the study is not published yet, but they are presenting on this in a few months. Mormon did not paraphrase, he quoted directly from the records he had in his possession.