Literary Problems in the Book of
Mormon involving 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and Other New
Testament Books Sidney B. Sperry Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, 1995. Pp. 166–74 The views expressed in this article are the views of the author and do not represent the position of the Maxwell Institute, Brigham Young University, or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. |
Literary Problems in the Book of Mormon involving 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and Other New Testament Books
The Gifts of the Spirit
For the sake of convenience in comparison we also quote herewith the passage in 1 Corinthians:
That more than a casual connection exists between these two scriptures is apparent to everyone. To be sure, great differences can be found between the two texts, but great likenesses also exist. It is only natural that critics of the Book of Mormon should call our attention to these facts, and explain them by saying that Joseph Smith simply "lifted" the ideas from the New Testament and used them to suit himself. The concept that Moroni, living on this continent about AD 421 (Moroni 10:1), and far removed from copies of the New Testament, would have access to Paul's writings seems unworthy of their serious consideration. We grant readily enough the existence of a problem, and we shall attempt a reasonable explanation of it. Critics of the Book of Mormon should remember that one of its premises is that the resurrected Christ came to the ancient Nephites, taught them the gospel in person, and established his Church among them. It is inconceivable that he would fail to instruct them concerning the gifts of the Spirit. To be sure, the Savior makes no mention of spiritual gifts in his reported sermons in 3 Nephi 11–28. But it should be kept in mind that 3 Nephi reports only "the lesser part of the things which he taught the people" (3 Nephi 26:8). Any mention of the gifts of the Spirit by the Savior might have been withheld for good and sufficient reasons (see 3 Nephi 26:12). That our Lord did emphasize these gifts would seem to be indicated by the following statement of Mormon:
Moreover, Moroni exhorts us that "every good gift cometh of Christ" (Moroni 10:18). We make these points clear in order to drive home another: Moroni doubtless had immediate access to the Savior's teachings concerning the gifts of the Spirit and used them in the manner found in Moroni 10:8–17. The critic may admit that our explanation of the appearance of these teachings in this scripture is reasonable and logical enough, looking at it purely from the Book of Mormon standpoint. That is to say, the Book of Mormon is consistent within itself. However, most critics do not agree with the Book of Mormon contention that Christ did appear in person and teach on this continent. What then? We cannot, of course, force men to believe anything, whether fact or fancy. But we can point to the strong possibility that Paul was not the exclusive author of the ideas contained in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 concerning spiritual gifts. Isn't it reasonable to believe that the great apostle adapted an important body of teachings common to the early Christian Church to suit his needs in dealing with the Corinthians? It would seem to me that Jesus was far more likely to have been the original author of the doctrines concerning spiritual gifts than was Paul. According to this view the latter simply drew on the teachings of Jesus in much the same way that Moroni did. Paul and Moroni were expositors and teachers of a gospel common to both. Moroni, like Paul, might well have said, "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). It should be emphasized that we are attempting here to give only a reasonable answer to the problem raised; absolute proof is wanting. We cannot prove beyond doubt that Jesus preached a sermon on spiritual gifts either to the Nephites or to his Palestinian followers, records of which could be drawn on by Moroni and Paul. However, it is a very attractive and reasonable presumption that he did. In saying this we are entirely aware that many scholars in recent years have based discussions of the origin of Christianity upon the teachings of the apostle Paul. To such critics we point out that even if Paul did not have a discourse on spiritual gifts by Jesus on which to draw, there is left the possibility that he received a revelation on the subject. Notice Paul's words:
Revelation was not unknown to Paul. He may well have received a revelation on spiritual gifts as did Joseph Smith on one occasion. The latter's revelation is recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 46:8–27 and is strikingly original, differing in many respects from 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 and Moroni 10:8–17, though its spirit is the same. I recognize the possibility that Moroni and Paul may have received their knowledge of spiritual gifts by revelation; perhaps they received instructions both from leaders of the Church and from scriptures which gave the very words of Jesus on the subject. Sermon on Faith, Hope, and Charity
With this may be compared the parallel in 1 Corinthians:
The reader must notice several obvious differences as well as the likenesses in these texts. The word "and" appears several times in the Nephite text, whereas it is absent in Corinthians. The clauses "charity vaunteth not itself" and "doth not behave itself unseemly" are conspicuously absent from Mormon's version. With all due respect to the readings in 1 Corinthians, it must be admitted that the Book of Mormon text has a certain freshness in its presentation that merits consideration. Nevertheless, many phrases are word for word the same as in the King James Version. Here I frankly admit the possibility that Joseph Smith used the familiar version as he translated Mormon's words; whenever the two versions differed substantially he inserted the Nephite reading. And, again, we point to the probability that Paul and a Nephite prophet had access to a common body of teaching. Christ was the original author of the great teachings on faith and charity; Mormon and the great apostle to the Gentiles simply adapted the teachings of our Lord common to the Nephites and Jews as seemed good to them. Many sincere persons may be shocked at the suggestion that Paul was not the author of the great ideas underlying 1 Corinthians 13. I recognize that Paul may be credited with a certain originality in presenting them but believe that much, even of the exact phraseology, is due to our Lord who taught the same great doctrines in America and Palestine. Nephite Parallels with the New Testament
A parallel to this passage is found in Matthew 7:13–14:
A second example is found in Mosiah 5 where, in speaking of Christ, King Benjamin says:
This scripture has a parallel in Acts 4:
For a third and last example we offer the following from Mosiah 16:
The parallel to this teaching is, of course, the familiar passage in 1 Corinthians 15:
Common Christians Teachings through the
Ages
This quotation emphasizes a common Latter-day Saint teaching to the effect that the doctrines of Jesus were given to men from the earliest ages. Christianity was in the world from the beginning. Consequently, many of the teachings of inspired men were bound to be similar to those of Christ in the New Testament. Certain early scriptures containing Christian teachings, which we do not at present have, were apparently available to Paul. In the citation from 1 Corinthians 15:54 (see above) it will be noticed that he says, "Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written." The "word" or "saying" then follows. No single passage of scripture in our possession contains all of this saying. I am aware that most scholars attribute it to Paul's combining Isaiah 25:8 and Hosea 13:14. However, the possibility exists that Isaiah and Hosea were both quoting from a still earlier prophecy unknown to us which had the saying substantially as quoted by the apostle. Even if this supposition is incorrect, we can point to the fact that both the Nephite prophets and Paul agree in their use of Isaiah and Hosea. We emphasize here the fact that different prophets may have somewhat similar inspiration in dealing with a given subject. This inspiration may be expressed in very similar language. In considering the Book of Mormon we have to take the translator into account. When the Prophet Joseph Smith came to a passage which contained statements that reminded him of similar ones in the New Testament, he was doubtless influenced by their wording and used them whenever it was possible to do so. Notes This originally appeared as chapter 16 on pages 191–98 of Our Book of Mormon. |