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Book of Mormon Central / Archive / KnoWhy #78 - Why is “Words of Mormon” at the End of the Small Plates? (Words of Mormon 1:3)

KnoWhy #78 - Why is “Words of Mormon” at the End of the Small Plates? (Words of Mormon 1:3)

TitleKnoWhy #78 - Why is “Words of Mormon” at the End of the Small Plates? (Words of Mormon 1:3)
Publication TypeKnoWhy
Year of Publication2016
Corporate AuthorsBook of Mormon Central Staff
PublisherBook of Mormon Central
Place PublishedSpringville, UT
KeywordsEarly Church History; Structure; Subscriptio; Translation
Abstract

The Words of Mormon provides introductory information regarding the small plates of Nephi, yet was placed at the end of the record by Mormon. The Title Page of the Book of Mormon, too, was on the “last leaf” of the book of plates, according to Joseph Smith. This is consistent with the practice of subscriptio, a practice in the ancient Near East of placing the introductory information at the end of a text, rather than the beginning.
URLhttps://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/why-is-%E2%80%9Cwords-of-mormon%E2%80%9D-at-the-end-of-the-small-plates
Citation Key1735

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Scripture Reference

Words of Mormon 1:3