MORMONS, Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, GREEK, LATIN and FRENCH WORDS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints MORMONS

GREEK, LATIN and FRENCH WORDS FOUND IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

GREEK, LATIN and FRENCH WORDS
FOUND IN THE BOOK OF MORMON

To the Editor of the Times and Seasons.

Sir: Through the medium of your paper, I wish to correct an error among men that profess to be learned, liberal and wise; and I do it the more cheerfully, because I hope sober-thinking and sound-reasoning people will sooner listen to the voice of truth, than be led astray by the vain pretentions [pretensions] of the self-wise. The error I speak of, is the definition of the word "Mormon." It has been stated that this word was derived from the Greek word mormo. This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God. translated the Book of Mormon. Let the language of that book speak for itself. In the 523d page, of the fourth edition, it reads: "And now behold we have written this record according to our knowledge in the characters, which are called among us the Reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech; and if our plates had been sufficiently large, we should have written in Hebrew: but the Hebrew hath been altered by us, also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold ye would have had no imperfection in our record, but the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also, that none other people knoweth our language; therefore he that prepared means for the interpretation thereof."

Here then the subject is put to silence, for "none other people knoweth our language," therefore the Lord, and not man, had to interpret, after the people were all dead. And, as Paul said, "the world by wisdom know not God," so the world by speculation are destitute of revelation; and as God in his superior wisdom, has always given his saints, wherever he had any on the earth, the same spirit, and that spirit, is John says, is the true spirit of prophesy, which is the testimony of Jesus, I may safely say that the word Mormon stands independent of the learning and wisdom of this generation.-Before I give a definition, however, to the word, let me say that the Savior says according to the gospel of John, "I am the good shepherd;" and it will not be beyond the common use of terms, to say that good is among the most important in use, and though known by various names in different languages, still its meaning is the same, and is ever in opposition to bad. We say from the Saxon, good; the Dane, god,; the Goth, goda; the German, gut; the Dutch, goed; the Latin, bonus; the Greek, kalos; the Hebrew, tob; and the Egyptian, mon. Hence, with the addition of more, of the contraction, mor, we have the word Mormon; which means, literally, more good.

Yours,
Joseph Smith.
-- Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 4. no. 13, May 15, 1843, pg. 194

Joseph Smith asserted in his letter that he had an understanding of the Egyptian (Reformed Egyptian) language from which he said the Book of Mormon was translated by which he claimed justification for the definition of the word "Mormon" that he presented. Using the standard tactic of claiming ignorance on the part of others, but special knowledge on the part of himself, he presented a convoluted and unbelievable definition of the term based only on his own words, without any validation by use of examples from the golden plates or use of the golden plates themselves, which had disappeared and conveniently been removed from the ability of any person of education to examine them. His basic premise was that the word Mormon consists of the union of two words: MOR and MON. The word MON is said to be an Egyptian word meaning GOOD. The word MOR is said to be a contraction of the English word MORE, the contraction being formed by removing the ending E. Placed together, the word MORMON is formed, meaning MORE GOOD. The problem is obvious, because the word MORE (MOR) is a Middle English word derived from the Old English word, MARA. So, Joseph Smith claimed that the Middle English word MORE was combined with the Reformed Egyptian word MON in circa. 330 A.D. to form the word MORMON. Since Old English did not come into existence until circa. 400 A.D. (MARA) and Middle English did not come into existence until circa. 1100 A.D. (MORE), the use of the word MORE (MOR) in the Book of Mormon would have been impossible, since the word MORE (MOR) did not come into existence until approximately 770 years after the Nephite prophet Mormon is said to have existed. Joseph Smith said that the Book of Mormon spoke for itself, so he was referring to the book as it was translated by him, and he could only have been claiming that there were no Greek or Latin words in the translation. The original gold plates, from which Joseph Smith claimed to have translated the Book of Mormon, no longer exist, so it cannot be verified that there were no Greek or Latin words on them, or that there were actually any gold plates from which a translation was made. However, the Book of Mormon does exist which Joseph Smith claimed to have translated. What does the Book of Mormon say in relation to Greek and Latin words that Joseph Smith said were not contained on the original gold plates, and, by his challenge to allow the Book of Mormon to speak for itself, regarding the claimed lack of Greek and Latin words within its pages?
A PARTIAL LIST OF MANY WORDS	ORIGINS	A FEW OF MANY REFERRENCES	NUMBER OF OCCURENCES
ABOMINATION ABOMINATIONS ABOMINABLE	Latin: ab homine Old French: abominable Middle English: abhominable	Jacob 2:21 Alma 39:5	115
ADIEU	French: adieux Old French: a dieu => to God	Jacob 7:27	1
ALPHA	Greek: alpha First letter of Greek alphabet	3 Nephi 9:18	1
APOSTLE APOSTLES	Greek: apostolos Old French: apostle Old English: apostol Ecclesiastic Late Latin: apostolus	1 Nephi 11:34-35 Mormon 9:18	16
AUTHORITY	Latin: auctoritas Middle English & Old French: autorite	1 Nephi 10:22 Mosiah 18:13	47
BAPTIZE BAPTIZED BAPTISM	Greek: baptizein Late Latin: baptizare Old French: baptiser	1 Nephi 10:22 Mosiah 18:13	139
BIBLE	Greek: biblia Middle English, Old French Medeival Latin: biblia	2 Nephi 29:3-10	11
CHRIST CHRISTS	Greek: christos Ecclesiastic Late Latin: Christus Middle English, Old English: Crist	2 Nephi 10:3; 25:19	389
CHRISTIANS	Greek: christianos Ecclesiastic Late Latin: Christianus	Alma 46:13	4
CHURCH CHURCHES	Greek: kyriake Ecclesiastic Late Greek: kyrike Middle English: chirche, kirke Old English: cirice	1 Nephi 4:26 1 Nephi 14:10	259
COMMAND COMMANDED COMMANDS	Latin: com + mandare Vulgar Latin: commandare Middle English: commanden Old French: commander	1 Nephi 17:49	527
COVENANT COVENANTS	Latin: convenire	1 Nephi 15:18 Mosiah 5:5	145
CROSS	Latin: curvus, crucis, crux Middle English: crois Old French: crois	Jacob 1:8 3 Nephi 12:30	31
CRUCIFY CRUCIFIED	Latin: cucifigere, crucis, crux Ecclesiastic Late Latin: crucificare Old French: crucifier Middle English: crucifien	1 Nephi 19:13 2 Nephi 6:9	9
DISCIPLE DISCIPLES	Latin: discipulus Middle English: desciple Old English: discipul Old French: desciple	3 Nephi 5:13 1 Nephi 12:8	55
EPISTLE	Greek: epistole Latin: epistola, epistula Middle English: epistel Old English: epistol Old French: epistle	Alma 54:4	41
FAITH FAITHFUL FAITHFULNESS	Latin: fides, fidere Greek: peithein	1 Nephi 1:20 1 Nephi 2:1 1 Nephi 17:15	304
GENEALOGY	Greek: genealogia Late Latin: genealogia Middle English: geneogi Old French: genealogie	Alma 37:3	10
GENTILE GENTILES	Latin: gentilis French: gentil	Alma 54:4	146
GOSPEL	Ecclesiastic Late Latin: evangelium Middle English: godspell, gospel Old English: godspel	1 Nephi 10:14	41
GRACE	Latin: gratia	2 Nephi 2:6	33
INTERCESSION	Latin: intercessio	2 Nephi 2:9	4
JESUS	Greek: Iosus	2 Nephi 25:19	188
MARTYR MARTYRDOM	Greek: martyr, martys	Alma 14:9	2
MESSIAH	Ecclesiastic Greek: Mesias Aramaic: meshiha Ecclesiastic Late Latin: Messias	1 Nephi 1:19	32
OMEGA	Greek: o + mega Last letter of Greek alphabet	3 Nephi 9:18	1
OMNIPOTENT	Latin: omnipotens	Mosiah 3:5	6
ORDAIN ORDAINED	Latin: ordinare	Mosiah 25:19 1 Nephi 12:7	24
PASTORS	Latin: pastor	1 Nephi 21:1	1
PRAY PRAYED PRAYER PRAYERS PRAYING	Latin: precari, precarius, prex, precis	1 Nephi 7:21 1 Nephi 8:9 2 Nephi 4:24 Mosiah 3:4 Alma 15:17	178
PREACH PREACHER PREACHERS	Latin: praedicare	1 Nephi 8:37 Alma 1:26 Words of Mormon 1:16	135
PRIEST PRIESTS PRIESTHOOD	Greek: presbyteros	2 Nephi 18:2 2 Nephi 28:4	117
PROPHECY	Greek: propheteia	2 Nephi 25:1	34
PROPHET PROPHETS	Greek: prophetes	1 Nephi 10:4 1 Nephi 1:4	188
REDEEM REDEEMED REDEEMER REDEEMETH REDEEMING REDEMPTION	Latin: redimere, redemptio	2 Nephi 2:26 1 Nephi 20:20 1 Nephi 10:5 Mosiah 15:26 Alma 5:9 1 Nephi 1:19	158
RELIGION	Latin: religio	Alma 43:47	10
REPENT REPENTED REPENTANCE REPENTETH REPENTING	Latin: re + poenitere	1 Nephi 1:4 1 Nephi 18:20 2 Nephi 3:20 Mosiah 2:38 2 Nephi 31:13	360
RESTORATION	Latin: restauration	1 Nephi 15:19	19
RESURRECTION	Latin: resurrectus	Jacob 4:11	81
SACRAMENT	Latin: sacrare	Mormon 9:29	1
SAINT SAINTS	Latin: sancire, sacer Ecclesiastic Late Latin: sanctus	Mosiah 3:19 1 Nephi 13:5	29
SALVATION SAVE SAVED SAVETH SAVING	Latin: salvatus, salvare, salvus	1 Nephi 13:36 1 Nephi 2:4 1 Nephi 6:4 Moroni 8:15 Alma 26:30	392
SANCTUARY	Latin: sanctus, sanctuarium	2 Nephi 18:14	2
SCRIPTURE SCRIPTURES	Latin: scriptura	Alma 12:21 1 Nephi 19:23	45
TIMOTHY	Greek: Timotheos	3 Nephi 19:4	1

On Doctrine thanks Life After Ministries for the partial list of words posted here. For a more complete list of words, visit the Life After Ministries website where a longer list is posted, and a 130 page .pdf file can be requested containing a comprehensive list along with references.
www.lifeafter.org/greeklatin.asp

The etemology of the words in the above list was derived from "Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language," Second College Edition, The World Publishing Company.

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