Description

One of the curious enigmas embedded in the original Book of Mormon text is the presence of Early Modern English (EME) constructions. The idiomatic usage of EME found in the Book of Mormon is not found in the KJV Bible and was out of use at least a century before Joseph dictated the text. Scholars such as Stanford Carmack insist that the usage of EME in the text disqualifies Joseph Smith as the author, while Royal Skousen asserts that the presence of EME proves Joseph was reading a foreign manuscript from within the hat. John Knight Lundwall explores another curious textual construction within the Book of Mormon along with EME—first-person dominant speech. In this presentation, Lundwall will propose the origin of EME and first-person narrative found in the Book of Mormon—where, how, and why it is employed in the text, and how Joseph Smith mastered this idiomatic rhetorical style.

John Knight Lundwall holds a doctorate from the Joseph Campbell school of comparative myth and religion, Pacifica Graduate Institute, out of California, where he teaches as an associate professor. Lundwall is also the project manager of the Utah Cultural Astronomy Project, and leads a group of researchers, including archeologists, in surveying rock art panels and shrines in the deserts of Utah and surrounds. He is a founding board member of the Utah Valley Astronomy Club, and partners with state and national parks in Utah to help run their astronomy programs.