My spiritual convictions are strengthened by the miracle of the origin of the Book of Mormon. The book is remarkably complex. Its literary characteristics include:

• Word count: 269,320
• Number of sentences: 6,852
• Average sentence length: 39.3 words
• Reading level: eighth grade
• Dialect: Early English
• Punctuation: none
• Unique words: 5,903
• College level vocabulary words (not found in the Bible): dozens
• Invented proper nouns: 170
• Parallel phraseology— chiasms: 367
• Parallel phraseology—alternates: 400
• Poetic literary forms (other): 911
• Stylometric consistencies: at least 4 different authors
• Bible intertextuality: 100s of similar phrases and integrations
• Named characters: 208
• Socio-geographic groups: 45
• Genealogies greater than twenty generations: 2
• Names for primary protagonist: over 100
• Geographical references (Old World): at least 15
• Geographical locations described (Promised Land): over 150
• Geographical references (Promised Land): over 400
• Ecological references: 2,065
• Monetary system weights: 12 distinct values
• Chronological references: over 100
• Storylines: 77 major plus more minor
• Flashbacks and embedded storylines: 5
• Sermons: 68 major, more minor.
• Sermon topics: dozens
• Sermon commentary: often intricate and multifaceted
• Formal headings to chapters and books: 21
• Editorial promises: at least 121
• Internal historical sources quoted: at least 24
• Subjects discussed with precision: at least 3 (e.g. olive tree husbandry, biblical law, and warfare tactics)

What is even more impressive to me is that this content was not first written, but dictated as a word stream of nearly 7000 sentences that were so precisely constructed that none needed re-sequencing prior to publication.

Historical documents describe how Joseph Smith, a 23-year-old farmer, is the source of all the words. They also describe him without any remarkable cognitive, oratory, storytelling, rhetorical, or writing abilities. Joseph claimed the Book of Mormon came through the “gift and power of God.”

It is easy for me to see God was involved because of the huge gap in the literary skills required to produce such a lengthy complex text and the skills Joseph had developed by 1829. Latter-day Saints are promised that “signs follow those that believe” (D&C 63:9) and I see the creation of the Book of Mormon as such a sign, which strengthens my spiritual beliefs. It is a miraculous book for what it says and for how it was created.

See https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/blog/2021/03/01/come-follow-me-week-9-doctrine-and-covenants-20-22?fbclid=IwAR1NpOQWykxPnd2N0Xq6ruPaDPAIsCBat79wLuErVizu4GVIv2scmUissRg.

Posted March 2021