Intertextuality of Sacrament Prayers

Intertextuality Between Moroni 4–5 and 3 Nephi 18

The formal prayers that the Nephites used in administering the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper are found in Moroni 4–5. Although these prayers were recorded centuries after Christ’s personal ministry among the Nephites, Moroni commented that the “elders and priests” of his time “administered it according to the commandments of Christ” in a manner that Moroni claimed was “true” (Moroni 4:1). As shown in the following chart,¹ textual analysis demonstrates that the prayers found in Moroni 4–5 indeed draw upon the teachings and prayers of Jesus, as recorded in 3 Nephi 18.

As assessed by John W. Welch, “The close relationship between the words of Jesus in 3 Nephi 18 and the basic terms of the sacrament prayers found in Moroni 4–5 is readily apparent. Virtually every component in the two sacrament prayers has a precise counterpart in the express words of Jesus himself.”²

Intertextuality between Moroni 4–5 and Mosiah 4–5, 18

Earlier records of Nephite covenant ceremonies also likely influenced the final form of these sacramental prayers, especially portions of the speech given by King Benjamin in Mosiah 4–5, as well as the baptismal covenant found in Mosiah 18. For example, five elements of the sacrament prayers—(1) a willingness to enter the covenant, (2) to stand as a witness of God, (3) the name of the Lord, (4) keeping God’s commandments, and (5) the reception of God’s Spirit—are concentrated in only two verses in Mosiah 18 (vv. 9–10).

King Benjamin’s speech, particularly the portions recorded in Mosiah 5, offer a similar clustering of covenant concepts and language. In this case, the parallels are collectively closer to the sacramental prayers in Moroni 4–5 than what is found in 3 Nephi 18.³ The following chart can help readers track further relationships among these texts.⁴

According to Welch,

These connections demonstrate one way in which Jesus took the old Nephite covenant text and made it new. The promises and allegiance to Christ remained basically the same, but the tokens of his resurrected body and atoning blood were presented as Jesus himself stood in their midst and provided the pattern that his repentant followers should observe from that time forth. The result would have appeared to the Nephites both marvelously familiar and revealingly innovative.⁵

Minor Changes in Wording

Although much of the wording in these accounts is similar, there are also minor differences, even in the more closely related passages in 3 Nephi 18 and Moroni 4–5. For example, “they” is used instead of “ye,” and Jesus’ references to himself (e.g., “me,” “my body,” “I have”) are changed to refer to Christ in the third person (e.g., “him,” “the body of thy Son,” “he hath”). These modifications are understandable, seeing that after Jesus departed, the prayers were directed to the Father on behalf of the congregation rather than remaining in the form of Jesus instructing the people directly.⁶

While many of the parallel words and phrases in 3 Nephi 18 are concentrated in verses 6–11, others come from scattered statements throughout Christ’s discourse. The sacrament prayers in Moroni 4–5 thus offer a remarkably compact repackaging of Christ’s more expansive teachings during his resurrected ministry among the Nephites. On these grounds as well, it is understandable—and perhaps even expected, considering how much time had elapsed—that minor variations would be present in the wording of these texts.

Conclusion

Nearly 80 pages of text (using the 2013 edition of the Book of Mormon) separate Christ’s teachings in 3 Nephi 18 from the formalized sacrament prayers found in Moroni 4–5. According to multiple witnesses, Joseph Smith did not use any notes or reference materials when he translated the Book of Mormon.⁷  This means he would have been forced to rely upon his memory alone if he had merely created a fictional set of sacramental prayers.

It should also be remembered that the original manuscript does not show any evidence of substantive revisions.⁸ Compactly blending so many statements under such constraining circumstances would be a challenging feat for almost any author, especially Joseph Smith who had limited education and literary experience at the time of the Book of Mormon’s translation.⁹

The way that Christ’s teachings themselves draw upon covenant statements made by King Benjamin and Alma the Elder, whose words and teachings had influenced the Nephites for generations, adds to the realism and authenticity of these textual developments. As Welch concluded,

The continuity and consistency from Mosiah [4–5, 18] to 3 Nephi 18 and to Moroni 4–5 reflects an inspired and detailed textual history, one that remarkably evinces precise usage of particular phrases over several centuries of religious experience, as well as several subtle transformations from earlier points of spiritual emphasis, by incorporating the words and symbols of Israelite and Nephite religious experience into the Nephite covenant-making texts.¹⁰

Book of Mormon Central, “Where did Moroni Get the Sacramental Prayers from? (Moroni 4:1),” KnoWhy 250 (December 12, 2016).

John W. Welch, “Benjamin’s Covenant as a Precursor of the Sacrament Prayers,” in King Benjamin’s Speech: “That Ye May Learn Wisdom,” ed. John W. Welch and Stephen D. Ricks (Provo, UT: FARMS, 1998), 295–314.

John W. Welch, “From Presence to Practice: Jesus, the Sacrament Prayers, the Priesthood, and Church Discipline in 3 Nephi 18 and Moroni 2–6,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies 5, no. 1 (1996): 119–139.

John W. Welch, “Our Nephite Sacrament Prayers,” in Reexploring the Book of Mormon: A Decade of New Research, ed. John W. Welch (Salt Lake City and Provo, UT: Deseret Book and FARMS, 1992), 286–289.

See charts.

See charts.