Of course, i immediately thought of looking at which names are most disproportionately represented in utah and adjacent states, with the goal of identifying uniquely utah mormon names. Gideon in the book of mormon, gideon was a faithful leader of the church and an eventual enemy to the wicked king noah. Many lds assume that this is evidence that joseph smith could not have made up the book of mormon. Apr 17, 2006 a while back i stumbled upon this website that allows you to map the prevalence of a given surname, by state, in the united states for the years 1850, 1890, 1920, and 1990. Mormon was one of the last prophets to record his revelations from god, and also compiled the works of the other ancient prophets into one book. Mormon archaeological argument that proves the historical accuracy of b of m. One meaning is sea captain see john gee, four suggestions on the origin of the name nephi, in pressing forward with the book of mormon. Baby name world has a growing list of popular mormon baby names and name meanings for you to peruse. As early as 1831, eber howe, in his antimormon book mormonism unvailed, noted the use of names desolation and bountiful from pilgrims progress reappear in the book of mormon. However, those willing to look deeper find that not only do many of the names fit within patterns of ancient semitic languages but they can also have great personal meaning for each of us. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of.
Following are suggestions for pronouncing book of mormon names and terms. It can be found in the book, teachings of the prophet joseph smith. The book of mormon uses the biblical name of antipas and builds on it to form these book of mormon names. Most adherents to the latter day saint movement view the book as a work of inspired scripture. It has been claimed that the books of the apocrypha were a source for the book of mormon. Learn more about the names in the book of mormon and their ties to hebrew origins here. Of these 337 proper names, 188 are unique to the book of mormon, while 149 are common to the book of mormon and the bible. Origin of book of mormon names book of mormon central. These prophets lived in the americas between 2,000bc and 600ad.
Since the dates are somewhat flexible in language evolution, one may safely say that old english beginnings are contemporary with the alleged completion of the book of mormon by moroni, the son of mormon. We invite all men everywhere to read the book of mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask god, the eternal father, in the name of christ if the book is true. As mentioned above, the book of mormon is a book of scripture kept by the ancient inhabitants of north america and covers a span of 1,000 years. Angel moroni golden plates joseph smith oliver cowdery sidney rigdon book of mormon witnesses. Book of mormon origin and translation links below to visual presentations. Sariah f mormon possibly from an alternate reading of hebrew see seraiah. The most mormon families were found in the usa in 1880. There are several theories as to the origin of the book of mormon. The book of mormon claims to be a history of ancient peoples inhabiting central america until 421 a. Willes center for book of mormon studies book of mormon onomasticon. Many prophets in the americasnephi, ammon, alma, moroni, and otherswrote down their dealings with god. The book of mormon is literarily beautiful, doctrinally truthful, and everlastingly applicable. The list is merely a possible answer to the question lds come up with when they say, if the book of mormon isnt of ancient origin, where did joseph smith come.
The hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names stephen d. In addition, the book of mormon also contains proper names of other semitic languages. First published in 1829 by a penniless joseph smith jr. One summary lists 7 names from the book of mormon that are found in this book. The actual meaning of nephi and 3 other book of mormon names. The meaning of mormons name is a combination of two ancient egyptian words. Hebrew origin, a third of the books of the proper names that we find in the book of mormon are of hebrew origin. The surprising meanings of abish and 5 other book of mormon. This has been bothersome to many members of the church, because they want to be known as christians, and thats what the full name of the church implies. Some years after the publication of the book of mormon, joseph smith mentioned that mahonri moriancumer was the name of the brother of jared. In fact only two women march through the pages of ancient american religious history by name. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins author john e. In 1840 there were 4 mormon families living in indiana.
Readers of the book of mormon encounter hundreds of unique names not found elsewhere. The name sariah is unique to the book of mormon and is often considered a combination of the words sarah and mariah. Book of mormon, work accepted as holy scripture, in addition to the bible, in the church of jesus christ of latterday saints and other mormon churches. This guide is provided to assist the reader and is not intended as an authoritative source on how these names were pronounced originally. Mormonwho was named after the landwas a 4thcentury prophethistorian who compiled and abridged many records of his ancestors into the book of mormon. As with biblical names, some popular mormon names are derived from heroes or characters of the teachings or stories from the book of mormon, a religious text of the latter day saints.
Thanks mostly to the bible, hebrew names or variants thereof are known through much of the world. As well, many modern readers dont quite know what to do with a book that is more than 500 pages long but has only six named women sariah, abish and isabel in the book of mormon s own. Latter day saints believe the plates were the source material for the book of mormon. The original is a hot favorite among celebs, and going by the popularity of beckette, even the latter can follow suit. The book of mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the bible. In the first book of the book of mormon, first nephi, lehi and nephi lead their family out of jerusalem, and across the sea to the promised land the americas. Many book of mormon names are either biblical, formed from a rhyming pattern, changed by a prefix or suffix, or greek in etymology. Moroni revealed that smith had been selected to translate the book of mormon, a sacred text that was written around the 4th century and named after moronis father, mormon. The book of mormon names have a variety of, among these we have proper names that are of hebrew origin, a third of the books of the proper names that we find in the book of mormon are of hebrew origin.
The hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names. This book was available and advertised in joseph smiths neighborhood in 1823 1826. Jershon, zarahemla the hebrew origin of three book of mormon place names. According to some, sariah means princess of the lord, from the origin of. The mormon family name was found in the usa, the uk, and scotland between 1840 and 1920. Yet, these names have meaning in ancient languages andor have been found as actual names from ancient history. Mar 14, 2020 the book of mormon onomasticon entry provides a couple of options in addition to mentioning nibleys cenezzenez proposal, neither of which i find terribly compelling. To me, it seems most likely that the name is a combination of a prefix ze and the name enos, another name attested in the book of mormon. Why is the book of mormon named after mormon, who is he. The classic one is nephi, the name of the main book of mormon writer, and of no fewer than four characters in the book.
The meaning of the name of the book of mormon meridian magazine. In pressing forward with the book of mormon, edited by john w. More names are created by adding such endings as hah. If the textual passages common to the book of mormon and the bible are excluded, 53 names occur in both books. Mahonri m mormon in the book of mormon, the brother of jared is the most prominent person in the account given in the beginning chapters 16 of the book of ether. Indeed, the very script that mormon used in abridging the plates was, according to him, an egyptian script called amongst the nephite scribes reformed egyptian mormon 9. It may be significant that the names lachoneus and timothy, the only two names in the book of mormon that seem to be of greek origin, appear in the book of. Each list of mormon names can be sorted by mormon baby girl names or mormon baby boy names. To the lds faithful, the book of mormon is the true historical account of a group of ancient israelites who fled jerusalem prior to the babylonian captivity 600 b.
Buy it at any book store, or direct from the publisher. Joseph states that mormon is a compound word, meaning more good. In 1995, the church agreed to remove the names of all holocaust victims and survivors from its archives and to stop baptizing jews unless they were direct ancestors of a mormon or unless they had. The actual meaning of nephi and 3 other book of mormon names notes 1. Religious solutions from columbus to columbus to joseph smith vogel, dan on. Was this name or others like it in use around jerusalem in lehis day. A prophet, named mormon, organized the thousand years of history into a book. In addition to mormon baby names, at baby name world you will find thousands of other unique and popular male and female baby names and their meaning sorted by origin. These hits provide additional evidence that the book of mormon is indeed an ancient record. Melech in the bible becomes melek in the book of mormon. An egyptian linguistic component in book of mormon names.
Although the musical satirizes organized religion and the literal credibility of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, the mormons in the book of mormon are portrayed as. Many book of mormon names are not found in the bible, and were unknown to joseph smith. In particular, 2 maccabees includes the name nephi. They include such names as laban and jacob and joseph, and one other that i would like to share with you that i would wish to discuss in just a moment is sam. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints are often called mormons.
Names in the book of mormon were transliterated rather than translated and comprise a large portion of the small corpus of lexical items preserved in the original book of mormon language, from which we may derive a deeper understanding of the linguistics and culture of those people. Examples of authentic ancient book of mormon names abish. The book of mormon contains 337 proper names and 21 gentilics or. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins byu.
Hugh nibley among other lds apologists has spent his life digging for any scrap of ancient evidence that remotely resembles something mentioned in the book of mormon, and then he uses the few forced scraps that he thinks by twisting can coincidentally match to come to the conclusion that yes indeed, the book of mormon must be of ancient origin while he. Mormon is allegedly a prophethistorian who was the native american believed by mormons to have written the book of mormon the main religious text of the church of. Three that have drawn particular attention are the names cumorah jershon, and zarahemla. Ever since, when i have seen the word mormon used in the media to describe usin a newspaper or a magazine or book or whateverthere flashes into my mind his statement, which has become my motto. These book of mormon names stand as additional evidence that the book is of ancient origins and was brought forth by the gift and power of god. The surprising meanings of abish and 5 other book of. Dec 27, 2014 modern french names for baby boys beginning with letter j top of france duration. Beckette, a handsome name with a rich sound, is the mormon form of the name beckett and means bee cottage. Antinephilehi, antiomno, antion, antionah, antionum, antiparah and antipus. Jun 15, 2017 the book of mormon is an unusual proposition. Book of mormon names attested in ancient hebrew inscriptions. The most common belief of adherents is that promoted by joseph smith, who said he translated ancient golden plates inscribed by prophets. Four suggestions on the origin of the name nephi book of. Is there an explanation for the appearance of a greek name in the.
It is also borne by the hero of jonathan swifts novel gullivers travels 1726. The walker dictionary of biblical names in 1732 john walker published a book called critical pronouncing dictionary, listing hundreds of biblicallike names and how to pronounce them. Critics dismiss these names as gibberish or the creative invention of joseph smith. Fun fact while finding common mormon names to give joseph and zaylie for this pos mormons love oddball baby names. It is amusing i suppose for those familiar with mormon names to hear the variety of mispronunciations people come up with. Clark had circumstances permitted a marked grave for the slain prophet, a fitting headstone could have read, by joseph smith, junior, author and proprietor. There are visions of mary, beautiful above all, but not a single jaredite woman is named. The proper names of the book of mormon can provide information about the text and the languages used to compose it. By dividing the number of verses in the book, by the number of those names, she discovered that, on average, the savior is mentioned every 1. Critics believe joseph smith came up with all the names in the book of mormon, noting that joseph owned a king james bible with a table listing all the names used in the bible.
Examples of authentic ancient book of mormon names a. The only exceptions listed are for the book of mormon, the churchs sacred text, and historical names like the mormon trail, a governmentrecognized path that. Within weeks after the book of mormons first pages came off the press, critics promoted naturalistic explanationsso called because they are based on scientific observation or natural phenomenathat rejected the possibility of a divine, supernatural origin of the book of mormon. To subsequent nephite generations, it may even have suggested the deliverance of their own ancestors from jerusalem prior to its destruction or the anticipation of christs coming ricks, stephen d. According to smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill cumorah near smiths home in western new york. Roberts concluded that this book, originally published in poultney, vermont in 1823 7 years prior to the book of mormon was available to joseph smith and contained enough parallel material to the book of mormon so as to furnish a virtual groundplan for it. Joseph smith himself commented on the origin of the word. Origin of book of mormon names stephen ricks youtube.
According to the text of the book of mormon, the word mormon stems from the land of mormon, where the prophet alma preached the gospel and baptized converts. Some of the names found in english bibles also show up in the book of mormon, some hebrew names found in the book of mormon are not in the bible. Indiana had the highest population of mormon families in 1840. This article explores several book of mormon proper names that are attested from hebrew.
And, as we all know, our lives are guided in large measure by our perceptions. Religious solutions from columbus to columbus to joseph smith. Naturalistic explanations of the origin of the book of mormon. The place names cumorah, jershon, and zarahemla have possible hebrew origins. Smith claimed the angel moroni, a prophet in the book of mormon, directed him in the 1820s to a hill near his home in palmyra, new york where the plates were buried. The discovery of these hebrew names in ancient inscriptions provides remarkable evidence for the authenticity of the book of mormon and provides clear refutation of those critics who would place its origin in nineteenthcentury america. Four suggestions on the origin of the name nephi i, nephi.
Authentic egyptian names in the book of mormon the book of mormon claims a close tie to all things egyptian 1 nephi 1. If the book of mormon is a fiction novel, then the mormon religion is based upon fiction. We have read the previous version of this book and consider this to be the single most important book on the origin of the book of mormon, which is the foundation of the mormon religion. The critical pieces have now been put together into irrefutable proof that the names and people in the book of mormon were very real. Jan 04, 2019 learn more about the names in the book of mormon and their ties to hebrew origins here s. The hebrew origin of three book of mormon placenames. In the book of mormon this is the name of lehis wife. In addition, such postulations, if to be of any value, must be base on a knowledge of the possible linguistic origins of the names, such as iron age hebrew and egyptian for lehite and mulekite names. The book of mormon contains many religious themes, most notably those of faith and doubt. The meaning of the name of the book of mormon meridian. Its interesting that by using that same methodology, the savior is mentioned every 2.
Book of mormon names the encyclopedia of mormonism. The names of mormon and moroni have been found in lexicons of the ancient languages and in the carved stone of the maya. Brinnlee brielle anderson and other great utah names zion curtain said on february 4th, 2017 at 5. Mormon was the primary author, editor, and compiler of the book of mormon. Modern french names for baby boys beginning with letter j top of france duration. The mormon church the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. He tells us that he is a direct descendant of lehi through nephi, and that he was given the same name as his father mormon 1.
What evidence suggests that the book of mormon is of modern. This list is intended as a quick reference for individuals mentioned in the book of mormon. Lehi was an israelite of the tribe of manasseh, and father to nephi, another prominent prophet in the book of mormon. They include such names as laban and jacob and joseph, and one other that i. Top 10 embarrassments of the mormon religion listverse. Tvedtnes a number of scholars have discussed the possible hebrew meaning of some of the place names in the book of mormon. The hebrew origin of three book of mormon placenames they came down into the land which is called the land of zarahemla. The hebrew origin of some book of mormon place names by. Mormons believe the following about the book of mormon. The hebrew origin of three book of mormon place names they came down into the land which is called the land of zarahemla. Conversely, proper names that appear only in translation are not included, such as bountiful and desolation.
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