MCB wrote:...a closed mind
...
I'm not accusing anyone in particular of suffering from a
closed mind. However, for those promoting "historical and
textual analysis," we might begin to present a comprehensive
explanation of how the Book of Mormon text was constructed
and re-constructed, between 1826 and 1829.
For example, in her recent revision of "Joseph Smith's
Plagiarism," Sandra Tanner devotes considerable space to
the wherefore/therefore division in the Book of Mormon text -- and
yet, she does not provide a compelling reason for why
this change in phraseology occurred.
As I said previously ----
Mrs. Tanner appears to have been particularly impressed with the fact that Solomon Spalding did not write his Oberlin manuscript in the old-fashioned scriptural style. Since that narrative was supposed to sound like a report from a Roman officer from the time of Constantine, it of course was not composed in KJV gospel language. In a few instances Spalding briefly emulated archaic English, such as when he was supposedly quoting from ancient American scriptures. But for the most part, the language of the Roman story was purposefully composed in a style differing from the King James Bible. The results can be seen in how Spalding used the word
therefore. Two examples are: "It must
therefore be the height of folly..." and "it must
therefore be our duty to declare..." In both cases Spalding used "must therefore" as a modifier, and not just as a conjunction to connect phrases. Had he resorted to a biblical style, Spalding might have dropped
therefore and used a more archaic expression such as "it must needs be that they cannot dwell..." (1Nephi).
But the writer of
Joseph Smith's Plagiarism says "Neither the way Spalding used the word
therefore nor the number of times it is found in his manuscript conforms to the pattern we find in the Book of Mormon." And of course not -- Spalding's Roman story was not meant to emulate the KJV in the way that the Nephite record does. But that does not mean that Spalding never used
therefore as a conjunction. For example: "From this ground
therefore I conceive no objection..." Third Nephi provides two similar constructions: "...noble spirit in the field of battle;
therefore I write unto you," and "down until the present time;
therefore I do make my record." Compare also this Spalding construction: "
therefore it is an act of the greatest impiety..." with two excerpts from Alma: "...
therefore it is cast away," and "...
therefore it is expedient that there should be..."
It is
wrong to say that Spalding never used
therefore in a manner similar to how the Book of Mormon writers used the word; but it is true that his Roman story's language is not generally similar to their language. In order to isolate those parts of the Nephite record bearing the greatest similarity to the Roman story, the reader is referred to the "Record of Helaman" in Alma 44-59 (excluding chapters 45 and 54).
Mrs. Tanner appears happy that Spalding did not employ the word
wherefore in his Roman story. But again, what logical reason would there be for him to have done so? Are Roman officers in historical accounts more believable when they say
wherefore? The reader might more aptly expect to read "wherefore" in a lofty legal record or an even loftier reproduction of Divine revelation. And just so, that is what occurs at 3Nephi 13:30 -- "
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field..." Jesus Christ there is supposedly giving Divine instruction to the Nephites (as copied from Matthew 6:30, which reads the same). No matter that both texts also provide examples of
therefore in the same sermon -- the
wherefore must have caught the attention of the Book of Mormon writer(s). The word reappears in 3Nephi 14:20, in the continuation of Matthew's rendition of the Divine sermon. When the Book of Mormon writer(s) began relating the precepts leading up to the Christophany in Ether, the word reappeared in conjunction with "the everlasting decrees of God," (Ether 2:10). Again, in Ether 2:15, it is Jesus Christ who is speaking, when
wherefore makes another appearance. Finally, in Ether 3:20, the same Christ makes himself visible to the brother of Jared, pronounces a
wherefore, and exalts the prophet's previous faith to become the "perfect knowledge of God." From this point forward in Book of Mormon composition
wherefore begins to replace the previously employed
therefore, until the latter word disappears altogether before Ether ends.
Assuming that Oliver Cowdery's writing down pages of the Nephite record then moved over to 1st Nephi and 2nd Nephi, the question arises as to why some instances of
therefore are found in those late sections of Book of Mormon composition. Some of the occurrences thus encountered obviously arise from the reproduction of pre-existing texts. Could it be that a few of those instances are traceable to a pre-existing Solomon Spalding narrative? A thorough and careful application of authorship attribution methodology may help answer that question. It is very doubtful, however, that the results of any such future study will exclude Solomon Spalding as the original author of at least a significant portion of the book's
wherefore passages.
The therefore / wherefore distribution, the who/whosoever distribution, and the redundant "that" distribution in the "Nephite record" almost certainly represent the iceberg tip of a much more extensive language shift in Book of Mormon texts following the 3rd Nephi Christophany. Quite likely the writer(s) opted for a loftier, more majestic English, with which to relate the opening of the supposed "Sixth Dispensation" and the establishment of the "fulness of the Gospel" in the ancient Americas.
The language of Mosiah-Alma-Helaman is that of the late 18th century Appalachian dialect, interspersed with emulated phraseology from the King James Bible. The language of Moroni and of the "small plates" is that of Early Modern English, copied from some 16th century text. The transition between these two distinct varieties of pseudo-scriptural English begins in 3rd Nephi, but it did not become the textual standard until the middle of the book of Ether was being dictated. That is -- the enhancement of the narrative language began gradually and haphazardly with the 3rd Nephi Christophany, but reached its full scope in the Ether Christophany. From that point forward the discerning reader should be able to pick out a number of words and phrases rarely encountered in Mosiah, Alma, Helaman and the initial chapters of 3rd Nephi. And, as Mrs. Tanner points out, the same phenomenon can be discerned in Book of Commandments Ch. XII (dated June, 1829), in which "Jesus Christ the Son of the living God" employs that book's first wherefore in calling David Whitmer to help "bring forth the fulness of my gospel." There is no doubt that the motivation and the timing of BoC XII and Ether 3:20 were the same. Mrs. Tanner may wish to consult the latest wordprint results, in order to see to whom the authorship of these important texts might be assigned.
Uncle Dale