Abstract

As the title indicates, this thesis is a consideration of selected changes that have been made in major editions of the Book of Mormon. Much has been said recently about changes and modifications in this record but, unfortunately, most of it has been said by those who have been unfriendly toward both the book itself and the church which endorses it. Because this kind of bias is usually an obstruction to objective scholarship, this study has been undertaken by one firmly within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to document not only what changes have been made, but also when they were made, and, consequently who probably made them.

A detailed analysis of every change that has been made in the Book of Mormon since its initial publication in 1830 would be neither feasible nor rewarding as a Master's thesis. Therefore, although consideration has been given to every change, this study has been limited to "selected changes," defined as major modifications in format and the addition, deletion, or change of words within the text which could alter the meaning of the passage. For the most part, differences in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, verb forms, verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, pronoun forms, pronoun-antecedent problems, and other grammatical or stylistic revisions have not been considered. Nevertheless, some of these kinds of changes have been included in those isolated cases where they appear to influence the meaning of the verse.

Degree

College and Department

Religious Education; Church History and Doctrine

Rights

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