I was reading Topper's post on the woman who turned her brother into BYU's Honor Code office and saw this from them (Mosiah 18:9):

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Look at the middle lines. In a liturgical church (such as Catholic, Episcopal, or Lutheran) when the celebrant is preparing the Eucharist s/he says these words (with minor differences depending on denomination and times of the liturgical calendar): "it is indeed right, and our duty and joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to your holy name." Then the Sanctus is sung.

Coincidence?

Looks like Joseph paid extra attention to little details. The Boner



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2016 11:57PM by BYU Boner.

Sidney had been a pastor for awhile.

That's true, but Sidney, as a Campbellite, would eschew any traditional sacramental service as being "popery." I think Joseph picked this up as he was church-hopping. Who knows, could be coincidence--the BoM words just jumped out at me. Best wishes, Topper!

BYU Boner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like Joseph paid extra attention to little
> details.

Lazy Joe paid scant attention to similar minutia; his mind was far away in the realms of venery. After all, his cherished magic Jupiter talisman promised him an open door to Venus.

Sid, Cow-dairy and Pratt took care of needed text such as the above.

... that I first read about a couple of decades ago.

The Mormon version of the Eucharist ("sacrament") prayers read, in part:

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, to BLESS AND SANCTIFY this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat IN REMEMBRANCE of the body of thy Son ...." (Moroni 4:3)

And,

"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, to BLESS AND SANCTIFY this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it IN REMEMBRANCE of the blood of thy Son ...." (Moroni 5:2)

[Emphasis added]


From New Approaches to the Book of Mormon:

"The epiclesis was important in the British Anglican tradition. The 1790 American version which was used in Smith’s day—and likely the prayer used in St. John’s Episcopal Church in Canandaigua, New York, near Smith’s home—reads as follows: 'And we most humbly beseech thee, o merciful Father, to hear us; and, of thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to BLESS AND SANCTIFY, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine; that we, receiving them according to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ’s holy institution, IN REMEMBRANCE of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood' (Wigan 1964)." [Emphasis added]

http://signaturebookslibrary.org/a-rhetorical-approach-to-the-book-of-mormon-rediscovering-nephite-sacramental-language/


So, yeah, I think we can conclude that the author/s of the Book of Mormon were not ancient and borrowed heavily from their surroundings.

(The link referenced contains a lot more information on the Mormon sacrament/Eucharist and how it relates to the development and evolution of the Eucharist in other Christian traditions.)

[Title edited]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2016 06:21AM by lurking in.

During the Protestant Reformation, controversy quickly arose over the meaning of the Eucharist. In a well-known debate, Luther and Zwingli bitterly disagreed over how much of the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation was biblical. Eventually, two camps arose--conservative Protestants (Lutherans and Anglicans) who favored "real" presence in the bread and wine (This is my body...), in contrast to radical Protestants (Calvinists, Presbyterians, Anabaptists, Quakers, etc) who argued for the remembrance (Do this for the remembrance of me).

Mormonism grew out of the Calvinist revivals (and Joseph Smith's family involvement with Presbyterianism) during the Nineteenth Century; the LDS "sacrament" is clearly congruent with a remembrance tradition.

It's interesting to note that the Nephites were clearly Calvinists.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/07/2016 01:33AM by BYU Boner.