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Who Wrote the Book of Mormon? An Analysis of Wordprints

TitleWho Wrote the Book of Mormon? An Analysis of Wordprints
Publication TypeBook Chapter
Year of Publication1982
AuthorsLarsen, Wayne A., Alvin C. Rencher, and Tim Layton
EditorReynolds, Noel B.
Book TitleBook of Mormon Authorship: New Light on Ancient Origins
Chapter7
Pagination157-188
PublisherReligious Studies Center
CityProvo, UT
KeywordsBook of Mormon Authorship; Stylometry; Wordprint
Abstract

In this article, Larsen and Rencher report their findings from a statistical analysis of style in the Book of Mormon. Using “wordprint analysis,” a method of determining idiosyncratic subconscious patterns in the writings of any author, they conclude that (1) the Book of Mormon was written by many authors, and that (2) no Book of Mormon passages resemble the writing of any of the commonly suggested nineteenth-century authors. The clear yet hitherto unnoticed characteristics of the Book of Mormon discovered by Larsen and Rencher strongly support Joseph Smith’s account of the book’s origin.

URLhttps://rsc.byu.edu/book-mormon-authorship/who-wrote-book-mormon