tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5334555691625052192.post1621823882297035253..comments2023-03-09T10:35:45.703-08:00Comments on InterpreterPeerReviews: Skousen on witnesses - Part 4jonathan3dhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05379975395372054926noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5334555691625052192.post-62079778689582733322021-09-08T23:13:32.382-07:002021-09-08T23:13:32.382-07:00Brother Jonathan,
Thank you for your insightful r...Brother Jonathan,<br /><br />Thank you for your insightful review.<br /><br />I do have a small, off-topic, concern, though. That is, the correlation of glyphs to words and/or sentences. The idea that a character can represent more than one letter or word, I think, should be considered. The main reason being the length of the text of the English Book of Mormon.<br /><br />For example, in the Book of Ether, Moroni recounts that he has not included all of the information to be found in the 24 plates. He stated that he omitted the history previous to the Tower of Babel, for instance. And yet, he states that he has included about a 100th of what was contained on the plates. His abridgement of the Book of Ether runs from page 488 to page 518 in the current edition. Thirty pages.<br /><br />Moroni's concern about "the placement of words" and his description of Reformed Egyptian versus Hebrew as the abridging language also suggest that glyphs might represent a word or more. Hebrew being a word-based script and Egyptian more glyphic.<br /><br />There are those who have tried to estimate the number of plates that made up the stack that Joseph brought from the Hill, but no one has ever suggested that there were hundreds and hundreds of plates (that I know of).<br /><br />Yet we have a lengthy document. What we have doesn't include the sealed portion (a third? - Sorry, I'm writing with out notes in the middle of the night, while I'm at work...).<br /><br />Of course, I haven't seen the plates. I have only seen images of the "Caracters" document. That is, at best, a poor representation of what the plates contained. It doesn't suggest how small the actual characters are, nor how densely packed the glyphs might have been.<br /><br />Still, I have a tough time thinking that each glyph only represented one word.<br /><br />Have there been any studies along these lines? That is, the number of plates vis-a-vis the length of the Book of Mormon?<br /><br />Thanks again for all you do!<br /><br />Your friend,<br /><br />Stephen D. RobisonKinseekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05991385630140341994noreply@blogger.com