Additionally, the “Last Testimony of Sister Emma” is not without its own problems.Įmma claimed that Joseph “could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter” at the time he was dictating the Book of Mormon. Grandin’s print shop in 1829 (apart from the addition of punctuation), the original text of the book has not stood unedited. So while Joseph’s initial manuscript was published as delivered to E.B. The draft delivered to the printer in 1829 has since undergone many changes that reach far beyond spelling corrections – over 3,000 of them.

Much has been written about the many problems found in the Book of Mormon text, including structural mistakes, historical mistakes, and theological mistakes (Ms. For them, it is strong evidence that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. This, for both Emma Smith and Angela Hallstrom, makes the Book of Mormon “a marvel and a wonder” that cannot be ignored. “Joseph Smith…could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well-worded letter let alone dictating a book like the Book of Mormon…Your father would dictate to me hour after hour and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him… It would have been improbable for a learned man to do this and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.” Hallstrom’s understanding of the process Joseph Smith followed in producing the Book of Mormon is based on the “ Last Testimony of Sister Emma” which recounts an interview between Joseph’s son (Joseph III) and Joseph’s legal wife, Emma Smith Bidamon. And it only took Joseph Smith, a 24-year-old uneducated and inarticulate farm “boy” three months to produce. But the Book of Mormon was written and delivered to the printer without ever having had an outline, a rough draft, or edits and rewrites. She understands that good writing takes lots of time, lots of planning, and lots of correcting. Hallstrom understands the difficulties that are inherent in writing: the messiness of rough drafts, the necessity of nearly endless rewrites, the danger of plot holes and structural mistakes. In this essay, the LDS author explains that the very existence of the Book of Mormon is a “vital” and “foundational” aspect of her testimony of the validity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its founding prophet, Joseph Smith.Īs an author herself, Ms.

Last month (on ) LDS Living reprinted an essay from the book, “Know Brother Joseph,” by Angela Hallstrom. Teachings of the Presidents of the Church.Mormon Objections to Christian Evangelism.Doctrine and Covenants / Pearl of Great Price.

Book of mormon manuscript