Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon. IV

Hebrew Idioms and Analogies in the Book of Mormon.

BY THOMAS W. BROOKBANK.

IV.

The following sacred names occur in the Book of Mormon and are made:

(Class No. 3.)

Almighty Lord God Omnipotent Almighty God Lord Jesus Christ Beloved Lord of Hosts Christ Lord Omnipotent Comforter Maker Creator Mediator Eternal Father Messiah Everlasting Father Mighty God Father Mighty One God Most High God of Israel Most High God '

King Only Begotten Holy One Prince of Peace Holy One of Israel Redeemer Holy Ghost Savior Holy Spirit Shepherd Holy Messiah Son Lamb Son of God Lamb of God Son of Righteousness Lord Spirit Lord God Wonderful Counsellor Lord God Almighty

The next group includes words that, though common some-

HEBREW ANALOGIES IN THE BOOK OF MORMON. 419

times, or generally, have, for one reason or another, been made proper nouns in the Book of Mormon:

(Class No. 4.)

Bountiful Great Spirit Priesthood Chief Judge High Priest Scriptures ' Cherubim Judge Teacher Desolation New (Jerusalem) Tower Gentiles Priest Twelve Governor

Finally, a special list of names or parts of names, reserved for particular notice, is found in

(Class No. 5.)

Alpha Christ Omega Tower Anti Jew Red Sea Twelve Arch Hebrew New Wonderful Bible Mary

This last list shall be subdivided into (a) Those that are of Greek origin as, Alpha, Omega, Christ, Bible, Anti and Arch, (b) Those that are common translatable terms as New, Tower, Twelve, Wonderful, and Red Sea. (c) Gentile forms of certain proper names as Jew and Hebrew. In Class No. 1 of the general list there are several names that are compounded with the Greek "Anti," which in one or two in- stances was changed to "Ante," perhaps through a typographical error, or it may be the result of the substitution of one vowel sound for another, thus causing a variation that seems to have been quite common among the ancient Jews, and which grew out of their system of writing only the consonants of words, as, for example, b-r-d, which, in English might stand for bard, beard, bird, board, broad, brad or bred. Now, the presence of these few Greek words in the Book of Mormon instead of discrediting its authenticity in any degree, serves only to confirm its claims as a true historical record. When the colony under Lehi left Jeru- salem, Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Israel were all hoary with age, though Rome was still in her swaddling clothes. The Greeks had taken Troy 684 years, and Homer had lived two centuries at least

420 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

before the first line of the Book of Mormon history was written. Pour hundred years before Lehi's departure from his native land the people of God had attained to world-wide fame by the building of their fiist magnificent temple under Solomon, and by the wis- dom of their greatest king. The Jews and the Greeks were not very remote neighbors, and some traces of Greek in the Book of Mormon are to be expected. Indeed, if we found nothing what- ever of that language, in that book, it would be hard to explain how it transpires that the learned founder of the Nephite people knew no Greek; knew nothing of a people with whom they doubt- less had more or less literary and commercial intercourse.

Thus the occurrence of these Greek words in the Book of Mormon are perfectly consistent with what the record should dis- close. In the Nephite name "Ziff, " we find a Babylonian name copied outright, and this fact seems to link these two people also together at some time in neighborly association. In this connec- tion it is worthy of remark that the Nephite name"Antionah" is apparently compounded from the Greek "Anti," the Egyptian name "On," and the Hebrew termination "Ah." "Antiparah," another Nephite name, easily separates into the Greek "Anti," and "Parah" of the land of the Jews. Anti-on-um is doubtless derived from a Greek, an Egyptian, and a Hebrew source. The names Christ, Bible, (and Mary may be included here) were all

given to the Nephites by direct revelation; and the sacred use of the Greek Alpha and Omega was introduced among them by the Savior himself. [to be continued.] Flagstaff, Ariz.

The Dignity of Labor.

"We shall prosper in proportion as we learn to dignify and glorify common labor and put brains and skill in the common occupations of life; shall prosper in proportion as we learn to draw the line between the

superficial and the substantial, the ornamental gewgaws of life and the useful. No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem." — Up from Slavery.