the one about the evidences of The Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon has been critiqued more than any other book in the world. Those who question the power of the book, look over and past, facts that are proof of its authenticity. The very text of the Book of Mormon manifests that it could not have been written by the uneducated Joseph Smith. The structure, the word use, and the word print are just a few of the evidences that testify that it is the word of God.

The prophets that wrote the Book of Mormon were educated and somewhat biblical scholars. They studied the scriptures and were familiar with the writings and the styles found in the Holy Scriptures. They patterned their own record from that of their favorite authors and prophets. Archeologists have discovered that psalms were one the many forms of poetry, especially in the ancient Near East. Nephi was taught this style of writing and we see it early on in the Book of Mormon. 2 Nephi 4 is probably the most well known psalm found in the Book of Mormon. Following the death of his father, Nephi, expresses his emotions within this form of poetry. “Nevertheless, notwithstanding the great goodness of the Lord, in showing me his great and marvelous works, my heart exclaimeth: O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh; my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities.”

            The psalms found in the Book of Mormon are just one structure of writing found. Chiasms within the Book of Mormon are also quite similar to those written in the Old Testament as well. A chiasmus is a form of poetry in which a principle or concept is repeated in reverse order in the same or a modified way. This literary form is Hebrew and emphasizes important ideas within the writing. In Exodus 6:2-8, the principle is taught that God is our Deliverer; this reiteration in the chiasmus is to stress the importance of the message. The famous King Benjamin uses this same style throughout his address. Within his address to his people, found in Mosiah 5:10-12, Benjamin focused on the Savior and His role in our repentance process after sin and transgression. It seems as though the authors from this specific time period recorded in chiasms more often than any other time period. This isn’t simply a skill Joseph Smith could have mastered in less than three months without education past the third grade. It is indeed evidence that the Book of Mormon couldn’t have been written by him.

            The structure isn’t the only thing that is unique about the text. The very choice of words used reveals it came from a world far different than that of the early nineteenth century. According to the Ensign article, “I Have a Question”, three examples of the text differences include construct state of sentences, prepositional phrases over adverbs, and cognate accusative. The construct state is when prepositional genitives are used instead of adjectives and noun phrases. This state is unusual and seems odd to modern day English speakers. The same is with prepositional phrases used to describe the action instead of using an adverb. For example, in Hebrew it is very common to use the phrase “with harshness” instead of using an adverb to describe it as “harshly.” Cognate accusatives are when the direct object is used to describe the verb with the same root word. “Judge righteous judgments.” in Hebrew turns into “judge righteously” in English. These and other examples are what testify to me that if Joseph Smith had written it, it would’ve been written in his own language and not copy after so many others in the different books of the Bible with his lack of knowledge in the subject. His wife Emma once said, he “could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well worded letter, let alone dictate a book like the Book of Mormon. … The larger part of this labor of translation was done in my presence and where I could see and know what was being done. … During no part of it did Joseph Smith have any manuscripts or book of any kind from which to read or dictate except the metallic plates, which I knew he had. If he had had anything of the kind he could not have concealed it from me.” It would have been absolutely impossible for Joseph Smith to do such a thing.

            In my eyes the best piece of evidence of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon is the text itself, which has proven to be written by many different authors. Similar to a fingerprint, each prophet and apostle has a different personal touch to their words and their records. By this, scientists and statisticians have been able to prove that a different person wrote each book. "Utilizing a computer to identify 'wordprints' or word use patterns that scientifically differentiate between individual writing styles, researchers have uncovered what they claim is conclusive evidence that the Book of Mormon is the work of many authors." Dr. Alvin C. Rencher, a professor of statistics at Brigham Young University once said.
          As I read the Book of Mormon I notice the differences of writing, ever so slightly at times, between each prophet or record holder.  I love being able to be touched by so many people’s actions as I read their exact words. It becomes so much more important to me to know each author individually, and to form of a relationship with them and their work. The evidence within the Book of Mormon’s text is plenty proof enough to touch and soften anyone’s heart, including my own. The unique imitation of the Old Testament writing style, the very usage of words and phrasing, and the knowledge that science has proven about multiple authors are all just a few of the proofs that God has given to us to know the truthfulness of His scripture. He has given us the Book of Mormon to guide and direct our lives and I know He will continue to do so, especially when we may find ourselves in a situation where witnesses are needed to stabilize our foundation. “The Church is true, the Book is blue.” This clever phrase that lives within our Mormon culture is perfectly accurate. The Book of Mormon is the word of God and there are many signs and evidences that prove of its authenticity.