Keywords

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, LDS, Book of Mormon, teachings, gospel, Jesus Christ, Resurrection, speech patterns, scriptures, bible

Abstract

While there are only a handful of primary speakers in the Book of Mormon, many voices are heard within its pages. The fact that multiple people speak in the text provides the opportunity to investigate whether these people have varying patterns of speech. The purpose of this study is to report on the word resurrection, which has unusual usage patterns by individual speakers in the Book of Mormon. For example, there are curious patterns in terms of who in the Book of Mormon employs (or does not employ) resurrection, how individuals in the Book of Mormon use this word, and how it collocates differently in the Book of Mormon than in the Bible. We will see that individuals in the Book of Mormon had various propensities for employing resurrection and used the word in distinctive ways. We will also demonstrate that patterns of usage in the Book of Mormon regarding resurrection differ from biblical usage, indicating that Book of Mormon prophets developed distinct ways of discussing the resurrection. All these points add to an overarching thesis that the Book of Mormon is a rich and complex work.

Original Publication Citation

John Hilton III and Jana Johnson. “Who Uses the Word Resurrection in the Book of Mormon and How Is It Used?” The Journal of Book of Mormon and Restoration Scriptures, 21 (2), pp. 30-39. (2012).