A Source Book for Book of Mormon Chronology
By Randall P. Spackman
B.A. History: Brigham Young University 1968
M.S. Public Administration: Brigham Young University 1970
Juris Doctor: Duke University School of Law 1974
B.A. History: Brigham Young University 1968
M.S. Public Administration: Brigham Young University 1970
Juris Doctor: Duke University School of Law 1974
Introduction
This source book has two purposes: first, to explain the ways in which the yearly chronology of the Book of Mormon appears to have been structured; and second, to propose the meanings implied by such structures. This source book is the record of an investigation, and its proposals are tentative. This book is written for the few who are interested in the structure and symbolism of Book of Mormon chronology.
What is the Book of Mormon?
In this book, the italicized title Book of Mormon refers to a library of small books and related writings that were published in 1830 CE in a single volume entitled "THE BOOK OF MORMON". In contrast, the non-italicized title Book of Mormon identifies a small book that appears near the end of the Book of Mormon. In both cases, when the article "the" precedes the title, it is neither italicized nor capitalized, except when the typeset form of the 1830 printed edition is discussed.
What is the yearly chronology?
In 426 chronological expressions, the extant text of the Book of Mormon uses the noun "year" or "years", or implies the use of the noun "year". These express and implied uses often are accompanied by numerical and calendrical adjectives that help create an ongoing chronology of years, in most cases ranging from about 597 BCE to about 415 CE. However, it appears quite clearly that the writers of the book were not using a proleptic Julian or Gregorian calendar to measure the years mentioned in the book.
What symbolic meanings are proposed?
Some structural components suggest calendric intervals, while others imply astronomical periods; still others infer the names of dates; and some contrast sources of community power. In a fundamental sense, the symbolism implies the totality and accuracy of the sky-watching and record-keeping recounted with the fulfillment of ancient, Messianic, temporal prophecies.
Chronologies
Like other chronologies, the ones proposed in this source book are works in progress. Some chronologies, of course, are more settled than others, but every chronology may be subject to revision when new sources of information come to light or traditional sources are more fully understood. This source book proposes that the nearly 200-year-old English chronological text of the Book of Mormon may be comprehended in much more detail than has been previously considered.
Introductory notes
his book is provided as an information source, a free educational tool. All views expressed in this book (whether my own or those of the authors I quote) are the views of the identified author and constitute that author's opinion. The copyrights noted on this website are mine, except for quoted materials, which remain the copyrights of their respective owners.
Nothing in the use or content of this website is intended to violate the law of any jurisdiction on earth or in the heavens. Your use of this website is entirely at your own risk.
This website has been hosted by Weebly, Inc. since 2010. However, I have been informed that Weebly, Inc. is now associated with Block, In. (formerly known as Square, Inc.). These organizations have published terms of service and privacy policies (accessible through weebly.com and squareup.com), which may apply to your use of this website. Personal information associated with visitors to this website may be collected by such organizations, but such information is neither collected nor accessed by me.
This source book is currently intended to consist, eventually, of the ten divisions identified in the Table of Contents. Within the divisions, various studies and related tables, charts, and figures appear in separate PDF files. The content of the files, while subject to copyright protection, may, without further permission from me, be reproduced and used without alteration, addition, or deletion, for any non-pecuniary or non-publishing purpose. The studies, tables, charts, and figures are the result of nearly four decades of my avocational study of the yearly chronology of the Book of Mormon. Since my retirement from the practice of law, my time to pursue these studies has increased.
Some divisions include several of my pre-2015 studies and charts, which appear in Arial font. Over time, my post-2017 studies and revisions of pre-2015 studies will be posted in their appropriate divisions, all in Times New Roman font to make the transitions clear. All the individual studies, figures, and tables are identified in the Table of Contents. That table concludes with an Errata and Amendments section, which lists the typo-fixes and other changes made since the most recent, previously posted, study or studies.
The undergirding assumption of the ten proposed divisions is that the structure and potential meanings of chronological expressions that use or imply the use of the noun "year" in the Book of Mormon are fit subjects for close examination. For example, three studies and their tables in Division 2 of this source book (hundreds of pages) analyze all 29 year-related expressions in the seven major divisions of text (either "books" or "words") in the "small plates of Nephi" in the Book of Mormon. The three studies in Division 2 are neither jazzed-up fictional novellas, nor pretty picture books for the end tables of the insufficiently curious, nor dull repetitions of often problematic opinions published long ago. The studies are rational, detailed, textual examinations. The studies focus the reader's attention on old designs of ink on paper that are observable, understandable, describable, and reproducible. The number, placement, and implications of the year-related ink designs apparently were meant to be pondered by serious readers. That is, the Book of Mormon seems to have been intended, at least in part, to be a chronological textbook that testifies to the accuracy and fulfillment of ancient Messianic prophecies.
Quotations from the Book of Mormon published in this source book prior to 2019 usually relied on the diction, punctuation, and spelling of the 1981 edition published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Church of Jesus Christ" or simply the "Church"). Book of Mormon quotations in the studies placed in this source book after 2018 use the diction, punctuation, and spelling in Royal Skousen's volume, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009) unless otherwise expressly noted. Skousen's book represents the most accurate reconstruction of the original text yet available. In his reconstruction (often referred to in this source book as the "Yale text"), Skousen usually modified the nonstandard spelling of the various scribes who wrote the book's manuscripts, so that the spelling agrees with modern conventions. However, he kept the nonstandard (apparently Early Modern English) diction and grammar of the extant original and printer's manuscripts (see the "Editor's Preface" in The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text, xxxv-xxxix, xli.)
For a number of quotations, the studies in this source book use the diction, punctuation, and spelling of the original and printer's manuscripts from which the first (1830) printed edition of the Book of Mormon was typeset. Other quotations are based on the first printed edition itself. With respect to the manuscripts, the studies rely on the monumental labors of Skousen and his associates, which include but are not limited to the following publications:
Nothing in the use or content of this website is intended to violate the law of any jurisdiction on earth or in the heavens. Your use of this website is entirely at your own risk.
This website has been hosted by Weebly, Inc. since 2010. However, I have been informed that Weebly, Inc. is now associated with Block, In. (formerly known as Square, Inc.). These organizations have published terms of service and privacy policies (accessible through weebly.com and squareup.com), which may apply to your use of this website. Personal information associated with visitors to this website may be collected by such organizations, but such information is neither collected nor accessed by me.
This source book is currently intended to consist, eventually, of the ten divisions identified in the Table of Contents. Within the divisions, various studies and related tables, charts, and figures appear in separate PDF files. The content of the files, while subject to copyright protection, may, without further permission from me, be reproduced and used without alteration, addition, or deletion, for any non-pecuniary or non-publishing purpose. The studies, tables, charts, and figures are the result of nearly four decades of my avocational study of the yearly chronology of the Book of Mormon. Since my retirement from the practice of law, my time to pursue these studies has increased.
Some divisions include several of my pre-2015 studies and charts, which appear in Arial font. Over time, my post-2017 studies and revisions of pre-2015 studies will be posted in their appropriate divisions, all in Times New Roman font to make the transitions clear. All the individual studies, figures, and tables are identified in the Table of Contents. That table concludes with an Errata and Amendments section, which lists the typo-fixes and other changes made since the most recent, previously posted, study or studies.
The undergirding assumption of the ten proposed divisions is that the structure and potential meanings of chronological expressions that use or imply the use of the noun "year" in the Book of Mormon are fit subjects for close examination. For example, three studies and their tables in Division 2 of this source book (hundreds of pages) analyze all 29 year-related expressions in the seven major divisions of text (either "books" or "words") in the "small plates of Nephi" in the Book of Mormon. The three studies in Division 2 are neither jazzed-up fictional novellas, nor pretty picture books for the end tables of the insufficiently curious, nor dull repetitions of often problematic opinions published long ago. The studies are rational, detailed, textual examinations. The studies focus the reader's attention on old designs of ink on paper that are observable, understandable, describable, and reproducible. The number, placement, and implications of the year-related ink designs apparently were meant to be pondered by serious readers. That is, the Book of Mormon seems to have been intended, at least in part, to be a chronological textbook that testifies to the accuracy and fulfillment of ancient Messianic prophecies.
Quotations from the Book of Mormon published in this source book prior to 2019 usually relied on the diction, punctuation, and spelling of the 1981 edition published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the "Church of Jesus Christ" or simply the "Church"). Book of Mormon quotations in the studies placed in this source book after 2018 use the diction, punctuation, and spelling in Royal Skousen's volume, The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2009) unless otherwise expressly noted. Skousen's book represents the most accurate reconstruction of the original text yet available. In his reconstruction (often referred to in this source book as the "Yale text"), Skousen usually modified the nonstandard spelling of the various scribes who wrote the book's manuscripts, so that the spelling agrees with modern conventions. However, he kept the nonstandard (apparently Early Modern English) diction and grammar of the extant original and printer's manuscripts (see the "Editor's Preface" in The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text, xxxv-xxxix, xli.)
For a number of quotations, the studies in this source book use the diction, punctuation, and spelling of the original and printer's manuscripts from which the first (1830) printed edition of the Book of Mormon was typeset. Other quotations are based on the first printed edition itself. With respect to the manuscripts, the studies rely on the monumental labors of Skousen and his associates, which include but are not limited to the following publications:
- Royal Skousen, ed., The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Typographical Facsimile of the Extant Text, vol. 1 of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project (Provo, Utah: The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, Brigham Young University ["BYU FARMS"], 2001);
- Royal Skousen, ed., The Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Typographical Facsimile of the Entire Text in Two Parts, Part One, vol. 2 of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project (Provo, Utah: BYU FARMS, 2001); idem, The Printer's Manuscript of the Book of Mormon: Typographical Facsimile of the Entire Text in Two Parts, Part Two, vol. 2 of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project (Provo, Utah: BYU FARMS, 2001);
- Royal Skousen (with Stanford Carmack), The History of the Text of the Book of Mormon, vol. 3 of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, issued in two parts in 2016 and two parts in 2018 (Provo, Utah: BYU FARMS and BYU Studies); and
- Royal Skousen, Analysis of Textual Variants of the Book of Mormon, vol. 4 of the Book of Mormon Critical Text Project, issued annually in six parts (Provo, Utah: BYU FARMS, 2004-2009).
- Joseph Smith, Jr., The Book of Mormon (Palmyra, New York: E.B. Grandin, 1830), accessed at archive.org; and
- Joseph Smith, Jr., The Book of Mormon (Independence, Missouri: Herald Heritage Reprint, 1970).
Previous publications
Sometime in the late 1970s, John W. Welch, one of my long-time friends from law school, discussed with me his intention to begin a foundation which, at least initially, would gather and make available to interested persons copies of the extant scholarly articles and lectures regarding the Book of Mormon. He proposed calling it the Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies ("FARMS"). I told him that it seemed to be a huge, but worthwhile venture. He later went ahead with the organization and operation of FARMS. In 1980, he relocated from California to Utah, began his professorial career at Brigham Young University ("BYU"), which is owned by the Church, and FARMS became loosely associated with many other scholars and interested Church members. In 1982, I was called to teach an adult Sunday School class in my local ward of the Church. I held the calling for many years and I occasionally referred to materials gathered or produced and published by FARMS.
John L. Sorenson, one of the BYU scholars associated with FARMS, learned of my avocational study of Book of Mormon chronological issues and, in 1992, he requested that I prepare a summary (not more than 50 pages--no footnotes required) of my understanding of Book of Mormon chronology. Later, we communicated briefly, perhaps several times, on issues I thought should be included in the summary. In December 1992, I sent him my "complete" but still rough draft of the summary--my then-current issues list, with brief discussions of the issues as I then understood them. With my cover page, table of contents, and one-page preface, the draft was 78 pages long, to which I attached two appendices dealing with calendrical issues (11 pages) and a bibliography (another 11 pages) listing the articles and books that had influenced my views, mostly read after my calling as a Sunday School teacher.
For example, the studies that I am currently preparing for the first four divisions of this source book focus on a crucial textual issue that, in 1992, I had just begun to consider and that I called "year-end marking phrases". I introduced the issue with two short paragraphs on page 2 of my rough draft. I hoped that at least one of the scholars associated with FARMS might pick up on the "phrases" issue and investigate it. To my knowledge, no one in the past 30 years (other than me) has even considered it an issue worthy of examination. I also expected my delivery of the draft to Sorenson would continue the dialogue with him and perhaps involve others who were interested in Book of Mormon chronology. I thought the summary would be trimmed and polished over the following months--perhaps even a year or more--and then be publishable. That is the publication process I was familiar with after serving (as a student) on the Board of Editors of the Duke Law Journal and (as a practicing lawyer) on the Board of Editors of the first volume of the BYU Law Journal. Instead, FARMS published my draft in 1993 as a FARMS Preliminary Report and Sorenson published his response, "Notes and Communications: Comments on Nephite Chronology" in the FARMS publication, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (2/2 1993: 207-11).
Some four years later, Sorenson, who then was serving as Editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, asked me to produce and article about the calendar of the Book of Mormon. I explained to him that I was very busy with family, legal career, and Church duties (I was then serving in my fifth or sixth year as the Bishop of a single adult ward of the Church in Orange County, California). We briefly discussed my proposal in the 1993 FARMS Preliminary Report that the Book of Mormon actually appeared to employ two kinds of calendars: first, an ancient Old World (lunar) calendar and, after the Messiah's birth, an ancient Mesoamerican (solar) one. I agreed to see what resources I might pull together and to consider what sort of article I had time to write.
Some weeks later, he called to see how my article was coming. I explained that I had far too much material for a single Journal article and that I had no idea how to organize all my thoughts about the two ancient calendars. (The six Parts of Division 1 of this source book express many of my current thoughts about the textual foundation of Book of Mormon chronology, but the symbolism associated with that foundation will not be expressed until I have completed, insofar as I am able, the first four divisions of this source book.) We then discussed in detail what he wanted for the Journal and how he thought I might organize it. Based on that discussion, I wrote "The Jewish/Nephite Lunar Calendar", an introduction to an ancient Old World (lunar) calendar that I thought had been adapted and used by the Nephites for about 609 years. The article was subsequently published in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (7/1 1998: 48-59, 71).
That same year, I was asked by FARMS to review a large wall chart created by Thomas O. Moore and entitled A Detailed Chronology of the Book of Mormon. My review appeared in FARMS Review of Books (10/1 1998: 1-11). Five years later, I was asked to review Sorenson's little paperback entitled Mormon's Map. My review, "Interpreting Book of Mormon Geography", appeared in the retitled The FARMS Review (15/1 2003: 19-46). These publications from 1993 through 2003 all are currently accessible online at archive.bookofmormoncentral.org. Most weeks, I also get one, two, or sometimes more notices from academia.edu that the article or one of the reviews has been accessed on its website.
After the acquisition of FARMS by BTU and as I began to contemplate my eventual retirement, I started thinking about how my future studies might be published and even about creating my own publication outlet. About four years before my retirement, I began to create this website and to place some of my chronological studies in this online source book format. Since 2017, this source book has undergone a major transition. I began to understand how much more basic my approach to the chronological texts needed to be. I began with the two short paragraphs on page 2 of the 1993 FARMS Preliminary Report. The ten proposed divisions of this source book are now the outcome of that insight. Hopefully, despite my age, Deity will be willing for me to finish these divisions.
I sincerely invite you to enjoy studying the Book of Mormon as much as I do.
John L. Sorenson, one of the BYU scholars associated with FARMS, learned of my avocational study of Book of Mormon chronological issues and, in 1992, he requested that I prepare a summary (not more than 50 pages--no footnotes required) of my understanding of Book of Mormon chronology. Later, we communicated briefly, perhaps several times, on issues I thought should be included in the summary. In December 1992, I sent him my "complete" but still rough draft of the summary--my then-current issues list, with brief discussions of the issues as I then understood them. With my cover page, table of contents, and one-page preface, the draft was 78 pages long, to which I attached two appendices dealing with calendrical issues (11 pages) and a bibliography (another 11 pages) listing the articles and books that had influenced my views, mostly read after my calling as a Sunday School teacher.
For example, the studies that I am currently preparing for the first four divisions of this source book focus on a crucial textual issue that, in 1992, I had just begun to consider and that I called "year-end marking phrases". I introduced the issue with two short paragraphs on page 2 of my rough draft. I hoped that at least one of the scholars associated with FARMS might pick up on the "phrases" issue and investigate it. To my knowledge, no one in the past 30 years (other than me) has even considered it an issue worthy of examination. I also expected my delivery of the draft to Sorenson would continue the dialogue with him and perhaps involve others who were interested in Book of Mormon chronology. I thought the summary would be trimmed and polished over the following months--perhaps even a year or more--and then be publishable. That is the publication process I was familiar with after serving (as a student) on the Board of Editors of the Duke Law Journal and (as a practicing lawyer) on the Board of Editors of the first volume of the BYU Law Journal. Instead, FARMS published my draft in 1993 as a FARMS Preliminary Report and Sorenson published his response, "Notes and Communications: Comments on Nephite Chronology" in the FARMS publication, Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (2/2 1993: 207-11).
Some four years later, Sorenson, who then was serving as Editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, asked me to produce and article about the calendar of the Book of Mormon. I explained to him that I was very busy with family, legal career, and Church duties (I was then serving in my fifth or sixth year as the Bishop of a single adult ward of the Church in Orange County, California). We briefly discussed my proposal in the 1993 FARMS Preliminary Report that the Book of Mormon actually appeared to employ two kinds of calendars: first, an ancient Old World (lunar) calendar and, after the Messiah's birth, an ancient Mesoamerican (solar) one. I agreed to see what resources I might pull together and to consider what sort of article I had time to write.
Some weeks later, he called to see how my article was coming. I explained that I had far too much material for a single Journal article and that I had no idea how to organize all my thoughts about the two ancient calendars. (The six Parts of Division 1 of this source book express many of my current thoughts about the textual foundation of Book of Mormon chronology, but the symbolism associated with that foundation will not be expressed until I have completed, insofar as I am able, the first four divisions of this source book.) We then discussed in detail what he wanted for the Journal and how he thought I might organize it. Based on that discussion, I wrote "The Jewish/Nephite Lunar Calendar", an introduction to an ancient Old World (lunar) calendar that I thought had been adapted and used by the Nephites for about 609 years. The article was subsequently published in the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies (7/1 1998: 48-59, 71).
That same year, I was asked by FARMS to review a large wall chart created by Thomas O. Moore and entitled A Detailed Chronology of the Book of Mormon. My review appeared in FARMS Review of Books (10/1 1998: 1-11). Five years later, I was asked to review Sorenson's little paperback entitled Mormon's Map. My review, "Interpreting Book of Mormon Geography", appeared in the retitled The FARMS Review (15/1 2003: 19-46). These publications from 1993 through 2003 all are currently accessible online at archive.bookofmormoncentral.org. Most weeks, I also get one, two, or sometimes more notices from academia.edu that the article or one of the reviews has been accessed on its website.
After the acquisition of FARMS by BTU and as I began to contemplate my eventual retirement, I started thinking about how my future studies might be published and even about creating my own publication outlet. About four years before my retirement, I began to create this website and to place some of my chronological studies in this online source book format. Since 2017, this source book has undergone a major transition. I began to understand how much more basic my approach to the chronological texts needed to be. I began with the two short paragraphs on page 2 of the 1993 FARMS Preliminary Report. The ten proposed divisions of this source book are now the outcome of that insight. Hopefully, despite my age, Deity will be willing for me to finish these divisions.
I sincerely invite you to enjoy studying the Book of Mormon as much as I do.
Randall P. Spackman
June 2023
June 2023
Table of Contents
| table_of_contents.pdf |
© 2010-2023 Randall P. Spackman