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Book of Mormon - Restored Covenant Edition


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One of the more interesting editions of the Book of Mormon in my library is the "Restored Covenant Edition" (RCE), published by the Zarahemla Research Foundation (ZRF).

My understanding is that the edition is largely the work of the late Shirley Heater, a scholar who was raised in the RLDS. The RCE can be read online at the ZRF's website. The following statement from the ZRF's homepage sheds some light on the rationale behind the RCE:

The Restored Covenant Edition (RCE) has been prepared because, according to our testimony, the Lord directed us to do it:

  • to restore the purity of the Book of Mormon-restoring words from the manuscripts that were either left out or changed,
  • to restore the main purpose of the Book of Mormon which is to restore a knowledge of the covenants,
  • to restore a knowledge of the underlying spiritual name of the Book of Mormon which is Book of the Restoration of the Covenant because "Mormon" means restoration of the covenant,
  • to restore the poetic nature of the text making it easier to read and to comprehend and making it easier to identify various types of Hebrew poetry and
  • to restore a natural versification (independent of verse numbers) by grouping like thoughts together through the use of blank lines thus making it easier to comprehend.

The print edition I have is a nice looking, bonded leather book, with two ribbon markers and gilt-edged pages. The edition is a "red-letter" one, with the words of Christ in red. The chapter/verse numbering system is the RLDS system, so it's a bit difficult to compare to the standard edition of the BoM published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The image copied below is not of my actual copy, but it is a picture of the same edition, so it gives you an idea of how the page layout looks.

I would love to hear others' thoughts about this edition, if you're familiar with it.

restored covenant edition | Book of Mormon Foundation

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10 minutes ago, caspianrex said:

One of the more interesting editions of the Book of Mormon in my library is the "Restored Covenant Edition" (RCE), published by the Zarahemla Research Foundation (ZRF).

My understanding is that the edition is largely the work of the late Shirley Heater, a scholar who was raised in the RLDS. The RCE can be read online at the ZRF's website. The following statement from the ZRF's homepage sheds some light on the rationale behind the RCE:

The Restored Covenant Edition (RCE) has been prepared because, according to our testimony, the Lord directed us to do it:

  • to restore the purity of the Book of Mormon-restoring words from the manuscripts that were either left out or changed,
  • to restore the main purpose of the Book of Mormon which is to restore a knowledge of the covenants,
  • to restore a knowledge of the underlying spiritual name of the Book of Mormon which is Book of the Restoration of the Covenant because "Mormon" means restoration of the covenant,
  • to restore the poetic nature of the text making it easier to read and to comprehend and making it easier to identify various types of Hebrew poetry and
  • to restore a natural versification (independent of verse numbers) by grouping like thoughts together through the use of blank lines thus making it easier to comprehend.

The print edition I have is a nice looking, bonded leather book, with two ribbon markers and gilt-edged pages. The edition is a "red-letter" one, with the words of Christ in red. The chapter/verse numbering system is the RLDS system, so it's a bit difficult to compare to the standard edition of the BoM published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The image copied below is not of my actual copy, but it is a picture of the same edition, so it gives you an idea of how the page layout looks.

I would love to hear others' thoughts about this edition, if you're familiar with it.

Basically no one who frequents this site is RLDS - there are a few lurkers. I didn't know this book existed, but I would say I am dubious of it. I have an original 1830 version of the Book of Mormon, and do not find it to be "more beautiful" in language or text. Actually, I consider the BoM to be somewhat stilted and awkward to read because I believe it is a rather direct translation from a Hebrew syntax. I do not know how anyone could claim to "restore" the BoM to anything beyond the 1830 version unless they are claiming to use the printer's manuscript. The 1830 version is the original printed version. How can one "restore" beyond that unless they are claiming to have some translation authority? They said they felt prompted to make this edition, but I proffer that they are without such authority.

i do agree that the modern LDS version of the BoM has thousands of changes from the 1830 edition, but I consider the vast majority to make the BoM more readable. They do tend to destroy some of the "Hebraic" character of the text, but I can live with that as long as I have the 1830 version. 

It is possible that this version restores a "natural versification." The LDS BoM was not versified until Pratt did it. This type of thing always involves interpretation, and I don't believe that the Church interprets all the BoM correctly. When Joseph Smith did his dictations/translations, it was always without punctuation or verse numbers, which got added by the scribes. For instance I somewhat disagree with the punctuation in our present D&C revelation about the Civil War. If it is punctuated and grouped differently, I think it makes more sense with history. I suppose the same might be said of various BoM verses, although I can't think of any right now.

Lastly, I am quite dubious of how a different version of the BoM would or could "restore" covenants, and I don't see a main purpose of the BoM as giving any new covenants. I currently see its main purpose as clarifying various Biblical prophecies, chronologically and otherwise. Now that could change in the future as I believe the sealed portion will deal much more with the visitation and teaching of Christ, but the BoM is not a book of covenants. Doctrine and covenants performs that function much moreso.  

I would like to change the subject for a minute because you've said that you lead a facebook group. Have you collected Catholic versions of the Bible, and does your group discuss differences between the Catholic Bibles and Protestant Bibles?

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RevTestament said: "I would like to change the subject for a minute because you've said that you lead a facebook group. Have you collected Catholic versions of the Bible, and does your group discuss differences between the Catholic Bibles and Protestant Bibles?"

We do occasionally cover Catholic Bibles, although the discussion rarely focuses on the differences between them and Protestant Bibles. A couple of my Admins/Mods are Catholic, and we have quite a few Catholic members, even some Eastern Orthodox members. (No LDS members of whom I'm aware, but you never know!) I have quite a few different Catholic translations in my collection: a Douay-Rheims that belonged to my grandmother, a Jerusalem Bible, a New Jerusalem Bible, and even a Revised New Jerusalem New Testament. I have several editions of the New American Bible, as well as several Bibles that are "ecumenical," that include the deuterocanonical books: HarperCollins Study Bible (NRSV), the New Interpreter's Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), and the New English Bible w/ Apocrypha are a few that I can name off the top of my head. I have a total of 250+ Bibles in my collection, so usually, if someone names a Bible, I've either heard of it, or have it in my library!

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Just for fun, here is my "Latter-day Saints collection," not including a few ebooks on Kindle...

  Title Description
Publication Date
1 [The Book of Mormon] (Deseret Alphabet version) Blue Paperback, transcribed by John H. Jenkins 2015
2 A Companion to Your Study of the Doctrines and Covenants Paperback, by Daniel H. Ludlow (Vols. 1 & 2) 1978
3 A Complete Concordance of the Book of Mormon Burgundy hardcover, by George Reynolds 1973
4 Book of Mormon Hardcover 1830 facsimile edition, from Nauvoo Mercantile
1830 (reprint)
5 Book of Mormon, Seminary Student Study Guide Paperback, prepared by the Church Educational System 2000
6 Book of Mormon, Student Manual Paperback (Religion 121 and 122) 1996
7 Book of Mormon: Authorized Version Black hardcover, published by RLDS 1992
8 Book of Mormon: Revised Authorized Version Black hardcover, published by RLDS (copyright renewed 1994) 1966
9 Church History in the Fulness of Times, Student Manual Paperack (Religion 341 through 343) 2003
10 Doctrine and Covenants, Student Manual Paperback 1981
11 Gospel Principles Paperback 2009
12 Holy Bible, King James Version Brown leather 1979
13 Holy Bible, King James Version Blue softcover 1983
14 Holy Bible, King James Version Brown leather, large print edition 1979
15 Holy Bible/The Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price Teal leather quad combo in matching case 1979
16 Holy Bible/The Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price Black imitation leather quad combo, 2013 version 2013
17 Holy Scriptures: Inspired Version Black hardcover, published by Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS) 1974
18 Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Green hardcover hymnal, second edition 1998
19 Revelations in Context Paperback 2016
20 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young Paperback 1997
21 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay Paperback 2003
22 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson Paperback 2014
23 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: George Albert Smith Paperback 2011
24 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley Paperback 2016
25 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: John Taylor Paperback 2001
26 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith Paperback 1998
27 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith Spiral bound 2007
28 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith Paperback 2007
29 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow Paperback 2012
30 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball Paperback 2006
31 Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Wilford Woodruff Paperback 2004
32 Teachings of Thomas S. Monson Paperback 2011
33 The Book of Mormon Burgundy softcover w/ Moroni on cover 1950
34 The Book of Mormon Blue hardcover 1987
35 The Book of Mormon Blue softcover 2013
36 The Book of Mormon Blue softcover w/ Moroni on cover 1978
37 The Book of Mormon Blue softcover 1981
38 The Book of Mormon Paperback, Penguin Classics version of 1840 edition 2008
39 The Book of Mormon Blue hardcover w/ Moroni on cover 1980
40 The Book of Mormon Blue hardcover, large print, illustrated 1962
41 The Book of Mormon (Red letter) Black leather edition, published by Bickertonites 2001
42 The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish Paperback, by Thomas R. Valletta 2015
43 The Book of Mormon: A Reader's Edition Paperback, 1920 text edited by Grant Hardy 2005
44 The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ Hardcover, Doubleday edition 2004
45 The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ Burgundy softcover pocket size edition ("Beware False Prophets!") 1990
46 The Book of Mormon: Maxwell Institute Study Edition Paperback, ed. by Grant Hardy 2018
47 The Book of Mormon: Restored Covenant Edition Black bonded leather, published by Zarahemla Research Foundation 2009
48 The Book of Mormon: Selections Annotated & Explained Paperback, annotations by Jana Riess, foreword by Phyllis Tickle 2005
49 The Book of Mormon: The Earliest Text Hardcover, edited by Royal Skousen 1999
50 The Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price Blue paperback, Triple combo, large print 1981
51 The Book of Mormon/Doctrine & Covenants/Pearl of Great Price Brown leather, triple combo 1981
52 The Timechart History of Mormonism Large fold-out book by Christopher Kendall Bigelow 2007

 

 

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Mormon means “restoration of the covenant”?

Where does he get that idea from? Is there some obscure Joseph Smith quote that I am not familiar with or something?  Or is this simply “according to his testimony”

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6 minutes ago, pogi said:

Mormon means “restoration of the covenant”?

Where does he get that idea from? Is there some obscure Joseph Smith quote that I am not familiar with or something?  Or is this simply “according to his testimony”

I'm not sure how they came up with it. Probably some kind of twisted Hebrew translation?

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20 minutes ago, pogi said:

Mormon means “restoration of the covenant”?

Where does he get that idea from? Is there some obscure Joseph Smith quote that I am not familiar with or something?  Or is this simply “according to his testimony”

Well, it's a pretty weird bit of twisting and turning, but I think this brief article by David Lamb (of the Zarahemla Research Foundation) gives a clue as to how they reached that notion.

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35 minutes ago, pogi said:

Mormon means “restoration of the covenant”?

Where does he get that idea from? Is there some obscure Joseph Smith quote that I am not familiar with or something?  Or is this simply “according to his testimony”

Just looked it up on the internet, and David Lamb of ZRF says that it is symbolic: 

"In Third Nephi 5:12 [LDS] he give us a clear indication that the name Mormon is symbolically synonymous with the restoration of the covenant which took place in the land of Mormon by Alma and his people."  http://www.ancientamerica.org/library/media/HTML/xt34o1ps/41.THE MEANING OF THE NAME MORMON.htm?n=0 .

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25 minutes ago, caspianrex said:

Well, it's a pretty weird bit of twisting and turning, but I think this brief article by David Lamb (of the Zarahemla Research Foundation) gives a clue as to how they reached that notion.

I agree, it is a bit of twisting and turning.  I especially liked this part:

Quote

Tradition has taught us over many years that the Book of Mormon was so named for Mormon, the main abridger. While this is a logical assumption, it does raise an interesting question. Why would God’s holy word be named after a man? The Holy Scriptures were not named after any one author nor was the Doctrine and Covenants called the “Book of Joseph Smith.” Why then would the Book of Mormon be the exception to the rule and bear the name of a man

I feel like singing him a song that goes like this - “First and second books of Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni...”

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38 minutes ago, SettingDogStar said:

I'm not sure how they came up with it. Probably some kind of twisted Hebrew translation?

No.  It is supposedly symbolic.  The actual etymology and its uses are suggested by Matt Bowen, “’Most Desirable of All Things’: Onomastic Play on Mary and Mormon in the Book of Mormon,”  Interpreter, 13 (2015):27-61, online at http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/most-desirable-above-all-things-onomastic-play-on-mary-and-mormon-in-the-book-of-mormon/

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2 hours ago, caspianrex said:

One of the more interesting editions of the Book of Mormon in my library is the "Restored Covenant Edition" (RCE), published by the Zarahemla Research Foundation (ZRF).

My understanding is that the edition is largely the work of the late Shirley Heater, a scholar who was raised in the RLDS. The RCE can be read online at the ZRF's website. The following statement from the ZRF's homepage sheds some light on the rationale behind the RCE:

The Restored Covenant Edition (RCE) has been prepared because, according to our testimony, the Lord directed us to do it:

  • to restore the purity of the Book of Mormon-restoring words from the manuscripts that were either left out or changed,
  • to restore the main purpose of the Book of Mormon which is to restore a knowledge of the covenants,
  • to restore a knowledge of the underlying spiritual name of the Book of Mormon which is Book of the Restoration of the Covenant because "Mormon" means restoration of the covenant,
  • to restore the poetic nature of the text making it easier to read and to comprehend and making it easier to identify various types of Hebrew poetry and
  • to restore a natural versification (independent of verse numbers) by grouping like thoughts together through the use of blank lines thus making it easier to comprehend.

The print edition I have is a nice looking, bonded leather book, with two ribbon markers and gilt-edged pages. The edition is a "red-letter" one, with the words of Christ in red.

The Hocking & Meldrum, Annotated Edition, is also red letter for Jesus, and has gilt edges.  The page layout is also very nice.   They may have taken their cue from the RCE.

2 hours ago, caspianrex said:

The chapter/verse numbering system is the RLDS system, so it's a bit difficult to compare to the standard edition of the BoM published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The image copied below is not of my actual copy, but it is a picture of the same edition, so it gives you an idea of how the page layout looks....................

restored covenant edition | Book of Mormon Foundation

The paper is high quality, and the readability is the same as for the New Jerusalem Bible and the Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV.  I like the wide margins for notes, in addition to the helpful notes they placed in the margins.  That all greatly enhances the reading experience.

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1 hour ago, caspianrex said:

RevTestament said: "I would like to change the subject for a minute because you've said that you lead a facebook group. Have you collected Catholic versions of the Bible, and does your group discuss differences between the Catholic Bibles and Protestant Bibles?"

We do occasionally cover Catholic Bibles, although the discussion rarely focuses on the differences between them and Protestant Bibles. A couple of my Admins/Mods are Catholic, and we have quite a few Catholic members, even some Eastern Orthodox members. (No LDS members of whom I'm aware, but you never know!) I have quite a few different Catholic translations in my collection: a Douay-Rheims that belonged to my grandmother, a Jerusalem Bible, a New Jerusalem Bible, and even a Revised New Jerusalem New Testament. I have several editions of the New American Bible, as well as several Bibles that are "ecumenical," that include the deuterocanonical books: HarperCollins Study Bible (NRSV), the New Interpreter's Study Bible, the New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV), and the New English Bible w/ Apocrypha are a few that I can name off the top of my head. I have a total of 250+ Bibles in my collection, so usually, if someone names a Bible, I've either heard of it, or have it in my library!

Thank you. Is there some source you would recommend which discusses differences beyond the additional chapters of Daniel and the additional books(of apocrypha)?

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10 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

No.  It is supposedly symbolic.  The actual etymology and its uses are suggested by Matt Bowen, “’Most Desirable of All Things’: Onomastic Play on Mary and Mormon in the Book of Mormon,”  Interpreter, 13 (2015):27-61, online at http://www.mormoninterpreter.com/most-desirable-above-all-things-onomastic-play-on-mary-and-mormon-in-the-book-of-mormon/

Even in light of the article by Bowen, it seems like a pretty circuitous route to interpret the name "Mormon" as meaning "restoring of the covenant." Through most of the article, Bowen repeatedly gives the etymology of "Mormon" as "desire/love is enduring." Only towards the end of the article does Bowen make the transition from "desire/love" to "covenant obedience." The key (in both the Bowen article and the Introduction to the RCE) seems to be "the waters of Mormon" (Mosiah 18), and how Mormon (the prophet) was named after the land where the people renewed their covenant at the waters of Mormon.

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1 hour ago, RevTestament said:

Basically no one who frequents this site is RLDS - there are a few lurkers. I didn't know this book existed, but I would say I am dubious of it. I have an original 1830 version of the Book of Mormon, and do not find it to be "more beautiful" in language or text. Actually, I consider the BoM to be somewhat stilted and awkward to read because I believe it is a rather direct translation from a Hebrew syntax. I do not know how anyone could claim to "restore" the BoM to anything beyond the 1830 version unless they are claiming to use the printer's manuscript. The 1830 version is the original printed version. How can one "restore" beyond that unless they are claiming to have some translation authority? They said they felt prompted to make this edition, but I proffer that they are without such authority.

Shirley Heater and her RLDS colleagues did a brilliant job of enhancing this new edition.  Shirley herself spent years examining the Original and Printer's Manuscripts  of the BofM and ascertaining the best readings.  Similar to what Stan Larson, I, and Royal Skousen did for the LDS community -- Royal's Earliest Text being published by Yale in 2009.

1 hour ago, RevTestament said:

i do agree that the modern LDS version of the BoM has thousands of changes from the 1830 edition, but I consider the vast majority to make the BoM more readable. They do tend to destroy some of the "Hebraic" character of the text, but I can live with that as long as I have the 1830 version. 

It is possible that this version restores a "natural versification." The LDS BoM was not versified until Pratt did it. This type of thing always involves interpretation, and I don't believe that the Church interprets all the BoM correctly. When Joseph Smith did his dictations/translations, it was always without punctuation or verse numbers, which got added by the scribes. For instance I somewhat disagree with the punctuation in our present D&C revelation about the Civil War. If it is punctuated and grouped differently, I think it makes more sense with history. I suppose the same might be said of various BoM verses, although I can't think of any right now.

Same as with the New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic) and the Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, NRSV, we get much better readability when we get rid of cramped double-column pages.  There is no reason not to make the same improvements in the BofM which are made in various editions of the Bible.

1 hour ago, RevTestament said:

Lastly, I am quite dubious of how a different version of the BoM would or could "restore" covenants, and I don't see a main purpose of the BoM as giving any new covenants. I currently see its main purpose as clarifying various Biblical prophecies, chronologically and otherwise. Now that could change in the future as I believe the sealed portion will deal much more with the visitation and teaching of Christ, but the BoM is not a book of covenants. Doctrine and covenants performs that function much moreso.  

..............................

The Book of Mormon emphasizes covenant, even having formal covenant ceremonies -- as in Mosiah 5:1 - 6:2.

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3 minutes ago, caspianrex said:

Even in light of the article by Bowen, it seems like a pretty circuitous route to interpret the name "Mormon" as meaning "restoring of the covenant." Through most of the article, Bowen repeatedly gives the etymology of "Mormon" as "desire/love is enduring." Only towards the end of the article does Bowen make the transition from "desire/love" to "covenant obedience." The key (in both the Bowen article and the Introduction to the RCE) seems to be "the waters of Mormon" (Mosiah 18), and how Mormon (the prophet) was named after the land where the people renewed their covenant at the waters of Mormon.

I agree.  I think The Book of Enduring Love would have been better. 

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5 minutes ago, RevTestament said:

Thank you. Is there some source you would recommend which discusses differences beyond the additional chapters of Daniel and the additional books(of apocrypha)?

Perhaps the best book I know of would be F.F. Bruce's book The Canon of Scripture. He goes into quite a bit of detail on the development of the canon, from the Hebrew Bible onward. It's been awhile since I read it, but I'm pretty sure he covers all of the biggest issues of the differences among Jewish, Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant versions of the canon. I don't recall if he mentions the King James Bible, but lots of folks are not aware that the King James was originally published with the Apocrypha in the middle. It was primarily when the various missionary societies formed by Protestants began circulating the King James that the Apocrypha was removed. (I've read somewhere that some of that decision was based on making it cheaper to print. But I don't remember where I read that, so don't quote me...)

That reminds me, the Norton Critical Edition of The English Bible: The New Testament and the Apocrypha (King James Version) has excellent essays on each apocryphal book. So, although I don't think it goes into much detail about the disagreements between Catholics and Protestants, I think it may give a good deal of background about each of the "extra" books.

If I think of other resources, I will let you know.

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34 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

The Hocking & Meldrum, Annotated Edition, is also red letter for Jesus, and has gilt edges.  The page layout is also very nice.   They may have taken their cue from the RCE.

The paper is high quality, and the readability is the same as for the New Jerusalem Bible and the Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV.  I like the wide margins for notes, in addition to the helpful notes they placed in the margins.  That all greatly enhances the reading experience.

One of these days, I may invest in that Hocking & Meldrum Annotated Edition, but it's fairly pricey. I see it's the 1920 edition (public domain) of the text, which is not necessarily a bad thing; Grant Hardy used the same text in his Reader's Edition. Meanwhile, it looks like that Annotated Edition is lavishly illustrated, and quite high quality.

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12 minutes ago, Robert F. Smith said:

Shirley Heater and her RLDS colleagues did a brilliant job of enhancing this new edition.  Shirley herself spent years examining the Original and Printer's Manuscripts  of the BofM and ascertaining the best readings.  Similar to what Stan Larson, I, and Royal Skousen did for the LDS community -- Royal's Earliest Text being published by Yale in 2009.

Same as with the New Jerusalem Bible (Catholic) and the Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha, NRSV, we get much better readability when we get rid of cramped double-column pages.  There is no reason not to make the same improvements in the BofM which are made in various editions of the Bible.

The Book of Mormon emphasizes covenant, even having formal covenant ceremonies -- as in Mosiah 5:1 - 6:2.

I am not saying the BoM cannot be made more readable or understandable, but I remain dubious of the claims of "restoring" covenant, etc. Did you claim to be "restoring" a knowledge of covenants? I am all for producing a study version of the BoM which has notes and explains (possible) meanings of the text and discusses different versions. I plan to do something like that myself, but I don't see that as "restoring" covenant. I see that as different from interpreting or helping to understand. I kind of feel the description of this book is a bit of a marketing ploy. Of course I haven't not seen it, so maybe I am being unfair. But those are my suspicions. Now I like the Oxford Annotated Bible, but I don't think it "restores" a knowledge of covenants that I otherwise lack.

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5 hours ago, RevTestament said:

I am not saying the BoM cannot be made more readable or understandable, but I remain dubious of the claims of "restoring" covenant, etc. Did you claim to be "restoring" a knowledge of covenants? I am all for producing a study version of the BoM which has notes and explains (possible) meanings of the text and discusses different versions. I plan to do something like that myself, but I don't see that as "restoring" covenant. I see that as different from interpreting or helping to understand. I kind of feel the description of this book is a bit of a marketing ploy. Of course I haven't not seen it, so maybe I am being unfair. But those are my suspicions. Now I like the Oxford Annotated Bible, but I don't think it "restores" a knowledge of covenants that I otherwise lack.

Pretentious claims about a so-called "restored covenant edition" may be an affectation of the group putting it out, but that has nothing to do with the actual content or presentation of the work.  In fact it is irrelevant.  The work should be judged on its own merits.

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5 hours ago, caspianrex said:

One of these days, I may invest in that Hocking & Meldrum Annotated Edition, but it's fairly pricey. I see it's the 1920 edition (public domain) of the text, which is not necessarily a bad thing; Grant Hardy used the same text in his Reader's Edition. Meanwhile, it looks like that Annotated Edition is lavishly illustrated, and quite high quality.

You are well-acquainted with the various editions to the degree that you seem to be a connoisseur.  All the more reason to read the BMC review which I cited on the Hocking-Meldrum volume.

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6 hours ago, Robert F. Smith said:

You are well-acquainted with the various editions to the degree that you seem to be a connoisseur.  All the more reason to read the BMC review which I cited on the Hocking-Meldrum volume.

Was that the review by Stephen Smoot at the Interpreter website? I'm currently reading that one right now! Very thorough...

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3 hours ago, caspianrex said:

Was that the review by Stephen Smoot at the Interpreter website? I'm currently reading that one right now! Very thorough...

Wow, Smoot is not very fond of that Annotated Edition, is he?  He raises a LOT of valid concerns about the way the editors handle archaeology. This statement at the end of his review makes his position pretty clear: "The Book of Mormon deserves much better than the treatment it is given by Hocking and Meldrum. Latter-day Saints and other interested readers also deserve better in their study of this sacred text. I must, therefore, urge them to look elsewhere besides the Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon for a reliable guided tour through the Nephite record."  

Still, someday I may try to acquire this edition. The production quality looks good, and when I look at my Bible collection, I do have a few study Bibles that have content with which I completely disagree, but they are still interesting artifacts.

Meanwhile, for anyone following this thread, here is the article @Robert F. Smith shared with me (I think he may have shared it on a different thread): https://interpreterfoundation.org/blog-a-review-of-the-annotated-edition-of-the-book-of-mormon-part-1/  It's a review by Stephen Smoot of the Annotated Edition of the Book of Mormon, David R. Hocking and Rodney L. Meldrum, eds., a very thorough critique of the edition.

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The critical text (Yale, 2009) has 300 fewer guesses in it than the current LDS text.

It has dozens of correct readings that the current LDS text doesn't have.

It also has many readings not occurring in any other editions, readings that are high on the reliability scale because they're the result of careful internal and external textual comparison.

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