The Two Bibles

THE TWO BIBLES.

The Bible is the sacred history of the twelve tribes of Israel, located in Palestine. The Book of Mormon is the sacred history of the Israelites of America—the Bible of the great western hemisphere. God inspired Prophets and Apostles to write the Bible of the East: He likewise inspired holy men to write the Bible of the West. The two Bibles originated from the same God, and were therefore, in their origin, equally sacred. The present condition of the two Bibles is very different. There are no original manuscripts of the Eastern Bible, known among men. The original of the Western Bible is still in existence, and has been seen and handled by men of the present age. The oldest manuscript copies of the Bible of the East, written in Hebrew, Greek, and other languages, differ from each other in almost every text, exhibiting many thousands of different readings. But the gold plates of the Bible of the West are the real originals made by Prophets, and written on by Prophets, and not copies, like the Jewish Bible, altered by numerous transcribers. The manuscripts from which the present English Bible was translated. were destroyed, so that they cannot be compared with the translation, neither can they be compared with the numerous manuscripts still existing. But the gold plates still exist, and will retain their brightness to the end of the world. All the translations made from the widely-differing manuscripts of the Bible of the East, have been accomplished by the learning of uninspired men. But the translation from the gold plates was given by the Almighty himself, through the Urim and Thummim. Uninspired translations must be more or less imperfect, as is demonstrated by the fact that no two translations agree. But an inspired translation is perfect, as the word was, when first revealed. There is no doubt that the uninspired English translations of the Bible of Palestine, are as perfect as human wisdom was able, under the circumstances, to render them. The translators spared no expense, and were well versed in the original languages; but learned as they were, they could not remedy the contradictions and imperfections introduced into the oldest manuscripts to which they had access. These errors were the accumulations of many long centuries, during which scribes and copyists must, either accidentally or designedly, have introduced some very great discrepancies. Translators were obliged to take these copies as they found them, and were not responsible for the alterations. When all the circumstances are considered, it is surprising that there are so few contradictions, and apparently so few errors.

The Israelites of America were in possession of a copy of the Eastern Bible from the creation down to six centuries before Christ, at which time they left Jerusalem. This ancient portion of the Eastern Bible was written on brass plates in ancient Egyptian characters. Many of the prophecies of Isaiah were copied from the brass plates upon the gold plates, and their English translation in the Book of Mormon shows a remarkable similarity to those found in the English Bible. It is true the two translations are not exactly alike, the inspired one being plainer, and easier to be understood, than that by human wisdom.

Learned writers, since the appearance of the Book of Mormon, have labored hard, to persuade themselves and others that the former nations of that continent had no alphabet or written language. But within the last six years, excavations into the ancient mounds of the country, have brought to light numerous evidences of a written language in the ancient Hebrew character, proving beyond all doubt that ancient America was colonised by Israelites. Since the Babylonish captivity of the Jews, the Hebrew alphabet, among the nations of the eastern hemisphere, has received some alterations, that is, slight alterations in the form of some of the ancient letters, besides the addition of final letters, also the addition of over a dozen new letters, together with many vowel points. It is a remarkable fact that the Hebrew, discovered in the ancient mounds of America, is destitute of all the additions and alterations, alluded to, since the period of the captivity, demonstrating the great antiquity of the Israelitish colony upon that continent. It is certain that they must have left Palestine before the captivity. This is another grand confirmatory evidence of the truthfulness of that wonderful history—the Book of Mormon. We copy from one of the exchange papers in the office the following

“Sacred Stones of Ohio.—From the year 1860 to 1865, a number of stones upon which Hebrew characters are engraven, have been found in ancient mounds in the State of Ohio. Some of these stones have been recently examined by learned Hebrew' scholars, and the conclusion arrived at is that they are genuine Teraphim, to which reference is frequently made in the books of Genesis, Judges, Samuel, and Zecharias.

The smallest of the above stones, which represents a human head cut close from the body, contains an inscription which, interpreted, means, “May the Lord have mercy on him, the untimely birth, (or deceased).” On another of the stones—white as limestone, is the figure of an animal like a dog or a panther, upon which are several illegible Hebrew characters. Upon turning the stone, several human faces are seen; on one of them are the Hebrew characters signifying “Almighty God.”

From other stones the following translations have also been made:—

“King of the earth” (Universe); “The law of the Lord;” “The word of the Lord;” “The Holy of Holies.”

The most remarkable discovery is that of a stone very nearly seven inches long, about three inches wide, and a trifle over an inch and a quarter in thickness. Nearly the whole of one side of this stone is depressed, upon which stands out in relief a carved human figure—a man of noble appearance, over whose head are the Hebrew characters signifying Moses; while on the remaining sides of the stone, and surrounding the figure in every direction, are the Ten Commandments carved in the Hebrew character.

The above stone was discovered in a stone box, cemented together, the cement being so hard that great exertion was required to break it in order to get the box asunder. The great antiquity of these relics is proven by the fact that in these inscriptions no final letters are used, they being the invention of a later date; and that fourteen characters now in use and not introduced until the return from Babel, are not found therein.

The fact is now considered as established beyond doubt, that at a very early period portions of the northern states, as well as Mexico and Peru, were colonized by a numerous tribe of Israelites.”

The stone, containing the Ten Commandments, and the carved human figure, was deposited, some five or six years ago, in the Ethnological Institute, at New York city. The learned secretary of that institution has exhibited this great curiosity to many of the most able professors of ancient languages, who find no trouble in translating these very ancient Hebrew inscriptions. While in New York, some few years ago, I had the pleasure, through the politeness of the secretary, of both seeing and handling this very curious relic. This was very gratifying to me as I knew, from the Book of Mormon, the history of the great people who formed those ancient mounds, which are now astonishing the world with their recently discovered contents.

The inscriptions upon the gold plates were not in the Hebrew character but in the Egyptian, reformed and altered from time to time by the American Israelites. Many of their records were also written in the Hebrew, which of course must also have been somewhat altered by so many centuries residence upon a continent, far from the locality of the rest of the tribes. There has no event transpired in latter ages, so wonderful and yet so important as the revelation of the Book of Mormon.