Over the years, several scholars have been working on names in the Book of Mormon, or the onomasticon. The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies has created a website to disseminate the information currently collected, as well as that which might be added as research continues.
by Administration | Jun 29, 2013 | 3 comments
by Administration | Jun 29, 2013 | 3 comments
Categories: News & Events; Tags: Book of Mormon, names, onomasticon; Scriptures:
This is a very useful resource, to which any knowledgeable reader can contribute further information. What is striking are the direct etymologies available for some words which seem to be defined in the text, such as rameumptom and Rabbanah, or for words which invite word-play in the text, such as Jershon. And I recall the late David Noel Freedman telling me in 1984 about the Book of Mormon name Mulek, as a son of King Zedekiah of Judah, “If Joseph came up with that one, he did pretty good!” Those are Hebrew in origin, but we also have clear-cut examples of Egyptian etymologies, as in the case of Paanchi and Pahoran — about which the great William F. Albright commented in writing in 1966, “when the Book of Mormon was written, Egyptian had just begun to be deciphered and it is all the more surprising that there are two Egyptian names, Paanch and Pahor(an) which appear together in the Book of Mormon in close connection with a reference to the original language as being ‘Reformed Egyptian’.” In fact, Albright had noted that Egypticity already around seventeen years earlier in another written statement responding to published assertions by Hugh Nibley.
Putting it all together seems like a good idea to me. I believe that the names in the Book of Mormon are ones of the stronger internal evidences of its authenticity as an ancient document. Of course, my opinion on the matter is useless as I have no training in the field.
Glenn
Lol. Went to her site and she lost me at the first paragraph in the Preface. I’m sure it is well done but, for a uneducated individual as myself, I don’t feel like looking up every other word in the dictionary.