What scriptures from the Bible did people have access to at the start of the Book of Mormon?

[Nathan6329]

It specifies in 2 Nephi that many Gentiles reject the Book of Mormon saying we need no more Bible. Did they know that the stories of the Bible were being written at that time? I looked up where the term Bible came from and it literally means "set of books" so it would make sense at the time they were writing the plates that they would get a message from the lord saying that their writings would be rejected based on the fact that one nations history was already being recorded, but did they know that at the time?

[SeattleTruthSeeker]

It specifies in 2 Nephi that many Gentiles reject the Book of Mormon saying we need no more Bible. Did they know that the stories of the Bible were being written at that time? I looked up where the term Bible came from and it literally means "set of books" so it would make sense at the time they were writing the plates that they would get a message from the lord saying that their writings would be rejected based on the fact that one nations history was already being recorded, but did they know that at the time?

They were Jews, so they would have access to the records that were already written. Since this was prior to the Hellinization period, they would have had the Hebrew rendering of the scriptures. Most likely Genesis this would include Isaiah.

[rameumptom]

The Nephites had the Plates of Brass, originally held by Laban. It was a record based upon the tribe of Joseph (as it contained the genealogy of that line). It is very possible that the Brass Plates were originally written in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and brought to Jerusalem just prior to the Assyrian destruction of Israel about 725 BC.

Internal contextual clues in the Book of Mormon show this may be the original source of "E" in the Documentary Hypothesis, as it is very pro-Moses while condemning of King David and Solomon. It also promotes the concept of non-Levitical priests performing sacrifices in the wilderness, something the pro-Davidic Levitical priest line would have opposed (as shown in P and D).

I've written on the Documentary Hypothesis in my blog and here at LDS.net on the Old Testament lessons.

Joel's Monastery: Search results for documentary hypothesis

[LDSChristian]

According to the beginning pages in the Book of Mormon they had Genesis-Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and I think about 2 or 3 more books.

[SeattleTruthSeeker]

The Nephites had the Plates of Brass, originally held by Laban. It was a record based upon the tribe of Joseph (as it contained the genealogy of that line). It is very possible that the Brass Plates were originally written in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and brought to Jerusalem just prior to the Assyrian destruction of Israel about 725 BC.

Internal contextual clues in the Book of Mormon show this may be the original source of "E" in the Documentary Hypothesis, as it is very pro-Moses while condemning of King David and Solomon. It also promotes the concept of non-Levitical priests performing sacrifices in the wilderness, something the pro-Davidic Levitical priest line would have opposed (as shown in P and D).

I've written on the Documentary Hypothesis in my blog and here at LDS.net on the Old Testament lessons.

Joel's Monastery: Search results for documentary hypothesis

Most Christians balk at the idea of the Documentary Hypothesis when they don't even understand the reality behind it. Thank you for that insightfulness there.

Are you suggesting that Lehi and his family followed the Eloist tradition where they believed in the Most High and that of the Lord (YHWH) of Israel? This would make sense in how the original 1830 was written and how it referenced an Eloist position.

[rameumptom]

According to Margaret Barker, the Deuteronomists changed many things in the temple, including removing the Tree of Life, and belief in angelic visitations, etc. Lehi and Nephi restored these things in the wilderness, with the vision of the Tree of Life, etc. In 1 Nephi 1, Lehi sees God on his throne (his ascension or theophany), and then sees the Son of God (Yahweh/Messiah/Angel of the Lord's Presence) descend with his 12 to earth. Lehi is given a book to read and prophesy from (something also done with Ezekiel, John's Revelation, and in the Ascension of Isaiah). These are all very powerful Eloist traditions.

Also, in the original Book of Mormon manuscript, it mentions that the Brass Plates contained the "book of Moses". The term "five books" was added later by Joseph Smith, as he followed the Bible's current traditional 5 books, not knowing about the Documentary Hypothesis.

In Genesis, Moses twice goes to Meribah, where he gets water from a rock. In one instance, an angel stands above the rock; and in the other, Moses is chastised for pride, losing his right to enter into the Promised Land. In the Book of Mormon, we only read the version where Moses is the hero.

IOW, contextually, the Book of Mormon is very supportive of the Documentary Hypothesis. This is the main reason why I believe in it, or at least a modified version of it. I do believe there was a Moses, who wrote at least one book. Not all DH scholars believe that.

LDS scholar John Sorensen went so far as to suggest that the Brass Plates may have been the source for "E" (the Eloist), as it began in the northern kingdom, and would have been brought to Jerusalem when the northern kingdom was carried off by Assyria. We see that the elders of Jerusalem consulted it a lot, even late at night (which is why it didn't seem strange to Zoram for Laban/Nephi to want to take the plates out late to the "brethren"), which would work well with the concept that sources for E and J (Yahwist) were combined into the original version of Genesis and writings of Moses (later P and D added).

Edited January 19, 2011 by rameumptom

[Justice]

1 Nephi 5:

10 And after they had given thanks unto the God of Israel, my father, Lehi, took the records which were engraven upon the plates of brass, and he did search them from the beginning.

11 And he beheld that they did contain the five books of Moses, which gave an account of the creation of the world, and also of Adam and Eve, who were our first parents;

12 And also a record of the Jews from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah;

13 And also the prophecies of the holy prophets, from the beginning, even down to the commencement of the reign of Zedekiah; and also many prophecies which have been spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah.

14 And it came to pass that my father, Lehi, also found upon the plates of brass a genealogy of his fathers; wherefore he knew that he was a descendant of Joseph;

[Traveler]

According to the beginning pages in the Book of Mormon they had Genesis-Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and I think about 2 or 3 more books.

Actually they had all the scriptures from Genesis to Isaiah and the Nephite scriptures were more complete and included, as a minimum, certain books not in the Old Testament of Isaiah going back to include Zenos and Zenock

The Traveler