Although Moroni was likely the author of the Title Page of the Book of Mormon, he was heavily influenced by Nephi. Today, I walked through the Title Page, looking for phrases which also appear in the writings of Nephi. The table below contains all of the parallels I found, with the relevant phrases italicized. In many cases, Nephi is the only author who uses that phrase in the book.
| Title Page | Nephi |
|---|---|
| The Book of Mormon An account written by the hand of Mormon upon plates taken from the plates of Nephi | “The plates upon which I make a full account of my people I have given the name of Nephi; wherefore, they are called the plates of Nephi, after mine own name” (1 Nephi 9:2). |
| Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites— | “Behold, I make an abridgment of the record of my father” (1 Nephi 1:17). |
| Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; | “The things which shall be written out of the book [of Mormon] shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 28:2; see also 1 Nephi 19:24). |
| and also to Jew and Gentile— | “All are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile” (2 Nephi 26:33; see also 2 Nephi 10:16). |
| Written by way of commandment, | “And after I had made these plates by way of commandment…” (1 Nephi 19:3) |
| and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation— | “The words of Isaiah…are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy. But I give unto you a prophecy, according to the spirit which is in me” (2 Nephi 25:4). |
| Written and sealed up, | “They shall write the things which shall be done among them, and they shall be written and sealed up in a book” (2 Nephi 26:17; see also 2 Nephi 30:3, 2 Nephi 27:8, 1 Nephi 14:26). |
| and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God | “after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb” (1 Nephi 13:35). |
| unto the interpretation thereof— | “[The angel] said unto me: What desirest thou? “And I said unto him: To know the interpretation thereof—” (1 Nephi 11:10-11). |
| Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, | [see above] |
| to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile— | “[The knowledge of the gospel] shall come by way of the Gentiles” (1 Nephi 15:17). |
| The interpretation thereof by the gift of God. | [see above] |
| An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven | |
| Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; | “How is it that ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us” (1 Nephi 7:11; see also 2 Nephi 1:1). |
| and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, | From a sermon by Jacob: “My beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel” (2 Nephi 9:1; see also 1 Nephi 13:23, |
| that they are not cast off forever— | From a sermon by Jacob: “Let us remember [God], and lay aside our sins, and not hang down our heads, for we are not cast off” (2 Nephi 10:20). |
| And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations— | “And as I spake concerning the convincing of the Jews, that Jesus is the very Christ, it must needs be that the Gentiles be convinced also that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God; “And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Nephi 26:12-13). |
| And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, | |
| that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ. | “I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat” (2 Nephi 33:7). |
As I’ve pondered these connections, I’ve had the following thoughts:
- Moroni really knew the Book of Mormon well. He had studied it carefully and internalized its messages.
- Nephi’s purposes were identical to Mormon’s and Moroni’s. From the first author to the last, the intent and objectives of the book are consistent.
Today, I will be grateful for the unity of the word of God. As we prepare to study the Book of Mormon this year, I’ll remember that God can send us consistent messages through prophets who lived many years apart.
Great insights as always!! Thank you for inspiring my study!!
Thanks for the comment! I’m glad you enjoyed this post!
Although you are on to something, I think you rely a bit too heavily on word-for-word. The fact that we don’t know the original language of the plates always make me skittish about making strong claims that are tied to repetition of certain words or phrases. If you took a less verbatim approach, you could fill the empty cell next to ‘if there are faults’ with reference to 2 Nephi 33:1-3. There are also many close parallels between the concepts found on the title page and Mormon’s writings – which I think would be closer to Moroni’s heart and mind, and he took his direction from his father (Morm. 8:4 and elsewhere). I think of the naming of the Book as Moroni’s tribute to his father. That he says it’s written to the Lamanites – well, both Mormon and Moroni made a point in their concluding chapters to speak directly to the Lamanites. Mormon 6:6 = that’s an abridgment. Etc.
Excellent points, Frank! No doubt that some of the parallels with Nephi’s writings are stronger than others. The central message, that Jesus is the Christ, seems to be a very clear restatement of 2 Nephi 26:12-13, for example.
I had thought of the connection to 2 Nephi 33:1-3, and agree with you that a less verbatim approach might have allowed me to include connections like that one. Thanks for pointing that out!
No question that Mormon’s words were on Moroni’s mind as well. I didn’t intend to exclude that influence, just to show how strongly Nephi’s words influenced the Title Page.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post and send your thoughts. Much appreciated!
Paul