In 2011 I married into an LDS (
Latter-
Day
Saint) family.
Although I am not LDS, I support my new family's lifestyle.
This page is an (unfinished) sample of a project I might
undertake at some future time—going through the entire Book of Mormon verse-by-verse, putting
in explanations (from my incredibly knowledgeable husband Ray) for beginners (like me), and including comprehensive exercises. I definitely won't take on this project
until I finish my
Precalculus and
Calculus courses. I'm putting this prototype ‘out there’ in case someone finds the concept and/or
format useful, and wants to take on the project themselves!
In these lessons, ‘Church’ refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The
tooltips
used in this project are made possible by
Skinny Tip.
An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon
Upon Plates Taken From the Plates of Nephi
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Mormon was a prophet who lived about 345–385 AD.
This is the original title page that Mormon wrote; it still appears in
the current Book of Mormon. Since this title page was written, additional parts
have been added to the Book of Mormon by people other than Mormon.
‘Plates’ refer to gold plates that were engraved—a reliable way to
preserve information for many centuries. Nephi (about 600 BC) engraved plates; Mormon
abridged them onto new plates; Joseph Smith (1805–1844) translated Mormon's plates.
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Wherefore,
it
is an
abridgment
of the
record
of the
people of
Nephi, and
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There's a pronunciation guide on pages 532–535 in the Book of Mormon.
When in doubt, put long vowels on names in the Book of Mormon.
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also of the
Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a
remnant of the
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‘Lamanites’ refer to the descendants of Laman (LAY-mun). Both Nephi and Laman are central figures in the Book of Mormon. |
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house of Israel; and also to Jew and
Gentile—Written by way of
commandment,
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Jacob was an Old Testament prophet; God gave him the
name Israel. ‘House of Israel’ refers to Jacob's descendants.
Also, people baptized into the Church are adopted into the House of Israel.
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and also by the
spirit of prophecy
and of
revelation—Written and
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sealed up
, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To
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There was a metal band on a portion of the plates that Joseph Smith received. This band
prevented those plates from being read. This is much like a wax seal on a letter, which prevents the letter from being opened without destroying the seal.
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| come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof— |
another note |
| Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in |
another note |
| due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of |
another note |
| God. |
another note |