Church History Issues

There are several issues in Church history that relate to the Book of Mormon, its origin and setting. The links below offer references and explanations.

For more in-depth discussion of certain topics, see https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/ 

There are several different editions of the Book of Mormon. For a list of corresponding chapters in various editions of the Book of Mormon, see https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/back/corresponding-chapters-in-editions-of-the-book-of-mormon?p=1 

Joseph Smith dictated the text of the Book of Mormon to scribes. The document they created is commonly referred to as the Original Manuscript. Most of the Original Manuscript was destroyed by water after it was placed in the cornerstone of the Nauvoo House in Nauvoo, IL. You can see all of the extant Original Manuscript, with a transcript, in the Joseph Smith Papers. The page that contains the earliest known handwriting by Joseph Smith is here:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/original-manuscript-of-the-book-of-mormon-circa-12-april-1828-circa-1-july-1829/145 

The image below shows Joseph's handwriting outlined in red. This is the transcript, with brackets providing the missing text:

yea in every citty throughout all [the land whic]h were <​was​> possessed by the people of Nephi and it came to pass t[h]at <​they​> did appoint priests and teachers 

In modern LDS editions, this passage is from Alma 45:22.

Oliver Cowdery made a complete copy of the Original Manuscript for the use of the printer. It is common referred to as the Printer's Manuscript. You can see the entire manuscript here:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/printers-manuscript-of-the-book-of-mormon-circa-august-1829-circa-january-1830/3 

See also the NO MORE CONTENTION blog