Did Mormon have the New Testament?

The Book of Mormon contains several lengthy quotations from the New Testament. For example, Moroni 7 quotes extensively from 1 Corinthians 13; and Moroni 10, from 1 Corinthians 12. These are generally seen as problematic, since it is assumed that the Book of Mormon peoples had no contact with the Old World after the 6th century BC and would therefore not have had any of the biblical books written after that time.

The one known exception to this is the second half of the Book of Malachi, which was written long after Lehi left Jerusalem, but which Jesus recited to the Nephites when he visited them (3 Ne. 24-25), explaining, "These scriptures, which ye had not with you, the Father commanded that I should give unto you" (3 Ne. 26:2). So we have at least once instance of Old World scripture being brought to the Nephites -- not by "contact" in the ordinary sense, but by a resurrected being for whom travel between continents is presumably not a problem.

Mormon lived in the 4th century AD, well after all the books of the Bible had been written. (In fact, the Council of Rome, which formally defined the Catholic canon and created "The Bible," occurred during Mormon's lifetime.) Is it possible that he had the New Testament, or at least parts of it, brought to him by resurrected or translated messengers?

I think the probability is high.

Just a few chapters after Jesus gives part of Malachi to the Nephites, Mormon has this to say about the Three Nephites -- the three disciples who were "transfigured" by Jesus so that they would not die.

[25] Behold, I was about to write the names of those who were never to taste of death, but the Lord forbade; therefore I write them not, for they are hid from the world.

[26] But behold, I have seen them, and they have ministered unto me.

[27] And behold they will be among the Gentiles, and the Gentiles shall know them not.

[28] They will also be among the Jews, and the Jews shall know them not.

[29] And it shall come to pass, when the Lord seeth fit in his wisdom that they shall minister unto all the scattered tribes of Israel, and unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, and shall bring out of them unto Jesus many souls, that their desire may be fulfilled, and also because of the convincing power of God which is in them.

[30] And they are as the angels of God, and if they shall pray unto the Father in the name of Jesus they can show themselves unto whatsoever man it seemeth them good.

Here we learn that the Three Nephites are apparently able to travel around the world at will (just like the resurrected Jesus?). They visit both Jews and Gentiles incognito -- but to Mormon they have "ministered" more openly, since he has seen them and knows their names.

In what did this "ministering" consist? In Webster's 1828 dictionary, one definition of the verb minister is "to afford supplies; to give things needful." Is it possible that one of the things they supplied Mormon with was scriptures? As we continue reading, I think Mormon drops a broad hint to that effect.

[31] Therefore, great and marvelous works shall be wrought by them, before the great and coming day when all people must surely stand before the judgment-seat of Christ;

[32] Yea even among the Gentiles shall there be a great and marvelous work wrought by them, before that judgment day.

[33] And if ye had all the scriptures which give an account of all the marvelous works of Christ, ye would, according to the words of Christ, know that these things must surely come.

[34] And wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and therefore he will not receive them at the last day;

Verse 33 strongly implies that Mormon believes he has special access to "all the scriptures which give an account of all the marvelous works of Christ" and "the words of Christ." This would surely include the New Testament. In context, the reference in v. 34 to "them whom [Jesus] hath chosen and sent among them" likely refers to the Three Nephites, and one of their roles is to deliver "the words of Jesus." If you put all the pieces together, I think Mormon is telling us that the Three Nephites, who travel freely among Jew and Gentile, have given him Christian scriptures to which he would not otherwise have access.

As if to underscore the connection, Mormon seems to draw on the New Testament in his account of the transfiguration of the Three Nephites earlier in 2 Ne. 28:

[12] And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger save it were the three who were to tarry, and then he departed.

[13] And behold, the heavens were opened, and they were caught up into heaven, and saw and heard unspeakable things.

[14] And it was forbidden them that they should utter; neither was it given unto them power that they could utter the things which they saw and heard;

[15] And whether they were in the body or out of the body, they could not tell; for it did seem unto them like a transfiguration of them, that they were changed from this body of flesh into an immortal state, that they could behold the things of God.

[16] But it came to pass that they did again minister upon the face of the earth; nevertheless they did not minister of the things which they had heard and seen, because of the commandment which was given them in heaven.

[17] And now, whether they were mortal or immortal, from the day of their transfiguration, I know not;

Compare this to Paul's language in 2 Corinthians 12:

[2] I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

[3] And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

[4] How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Is this deliberate -- telling the story of the Three Nephites using language delivered to him by the Three Nephites themselves?

The parallelism in Mosiah 9-10

Mosiah 10 repeats a large number of elements from Mosiah 9, mostly in the same order and often in nearly the same language. This was discovered by Ganesh Cherian, who discusses it on YouTube here, here, and here.

This is presented, particularly in the last video, as evidence against the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. The idea is that Joseph Smith had memorized "Mad Libs" style templates that he would use in dictating the text, and that in this case he used the same template twice in a row.

Of course, if only Mosiah 10 had repeated the elements in reverse order rather than in the same order as Mosiah 9, it would be an extended chiasmus, one of the apologists' favorite evidences for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. So I don't see why the repetition Cherian has found couldn't also be a form of literary parallelism used by the Nephites. In my mind, the fact the repeated series of elements comes immediately after the original makes the parallelism theory more plausible; if the two parallel series were in entirely different parts of the book, that would be more consistent with the Mad Libs theory.

Anyway, however you interpret them, the parallels are indisputably there in the text. The purpose of this post is to document them in text form for ease of reference, since it appears Cherian's own work is all in video format. (I also identify the specific parallels somewhat differently from Cherian, though he deserves 100% of the credit for noticing them.)

[9:7] And he also commanded that his people should depart out of the land, and (A) I and my people went into the land that we might possess it.

[9:8] And we began to build buildings, and to repair the walls of the city, yea, even the walls of the city of Lehi-Nephi, and the city of Shilom.

[9:9] And we began to (B) till the ground, yea, even with (C) all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of (D) all manner of fruits; and (E) we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.

[9:10] Now it was the cunning and the craftiness of king Laman, to bring my people into bondage, that he yielded up the land that we might possess it.

[9:11] Therefore it came to pass, that after we had dwelt in the land for the space of twelve years that king Laman began to grow uneasy, lest by any means my people should wax strong in the land, and that they could not overpower them and bring them into bondage.

[9:12] Now they were a lazy and an idolatrous people; therefore they were desirous to bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors of our hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks of our fields.

[9:13] Therefore (F) it came to pass that king Laman (G) began to stir up his people that they should contend with my people; therefore there (H) began to be wars and contentions in the land.

[9:14] For, in the thirteenth year of my reign in the land of Nephi, away (I) on the south of the land of Shilom, when my people were watering and feeding their flocks, and tilling their lands, a numerous host of Lamanites (J) came upon them and began to slay them, and to take off their flocks, and the corn of their fields.

[9:15] Yea, and it came to pass that they fled, all that were not overtaken, even into the city of Nephi, and did call upon me for protection.

[9:16] And it came to pass that I did (K) arm them with bows, (L) and with arrows, (M) with swords, (N) and with cimeters, and with clubs, (O) and with slings, and with all manner of weapons which we could invent, and I and my people did (P1) go forth against the Lamanites to battle.

[9:17] Yea, (Q) in the strength of the Lord did we (P2) go forth to battle against the Lamanites; for I and my people did cry mightily to the Lord that he would deliver us out of the hands of our enemies, for we were awakened to a remembrance of the deliverance of our fathers.

[9:18] And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might; yea, we did (P3) go forth against the Lamanites, and in one day and a night we did slay three thousand and forty-three; we did slay them even until we had driven them out of our land. [. . .]

[9:19] And I, myself, with mine own hands, did help to bury their dead. And behold, to our great sorrow and lamentation, two hundred and seventy-nine of our brethren were slain.

[10:1] And it came to pass that we again began to establish the kingdom and (A′) we again began to possess the land in peace. And I caused that there should be weapons of war made of every kind, that thereby I might have weapons for my people against the time the Lamanites should come up again to war against my people.

[10:2] And I set guards round about the land, that the Lamanites might not come upon us again unawares and destroy us; and thus I did guard my people and my flocks, and keep them from falling into the hands of our enemies.

[10:3] And it came to pass that we did inherit the land of our fathers for many years, yea, for the space of twenty and two years. 

[10:4] And I did cause that the men should (B′) till the ground, and raise (C′) all manner of grain and (D′) all manner of fruit of every kind.

[10:5] And I did cause that the women should spin, and toil, and work, and work all manner of fine linen, yea, and cloth of every kind, that we might clothe our nakedness; and thus (E′) we did prosper in the land—thus we did have continual peace in the land for the space of twenty and two years.

[10:6] And (F′) it came to pass that king Laman died, and his son began to reign in his stead. And he (G′) began to stir his people up in rebellion against my people; therefore they (H′) began to prepare for war, and to come up to battle against my people.

[10:7] But I had sent my spies out round about the land of Shemlon, that I might discover their preparations, that I might guard against them, that they might not (J′) come upon my people and destroy them.

[10:8] And it came to pass that they came up (I′) upon the north of the land of Shilom, with their numerous hosts, men (K′) armed with bows, (L′) and with arrows, (M′) and with swords, (N′) and with cimeters, and with stones, (O′) and with slings; and they had their heads shaved that they were naked; and they were girded with a leathern girdle about their loins.

[10:9] And it came to pass that I caused that the women and children of my people should be hid in the wilderness; and I also caused that all my old men that could bear arms, and also all my young men that were able to bear arms, should gather themselves together to (P1′) go to battle against the Lamanites; and I did place them in their ranks, every man according to his age.

[10:10] And it came to pass that we did (P2′) go up to battle against the Lamanites; and I, even I, in my old age, did (P3′) go up to battle against the Lamanites. And it came to pass that we did go up (Q′) in the strength of the Lord to battle.

That's a series of 17 elements repeated in precisely the same order, with two additional elements (I and Q) only slightly out of order. The chance that this is a coincidence is, I think, negligible. And, as I have said, I think the theory that this is a Nephite literary form is more plausible than the Mad Libs theory. I think having to repeat so many elements in the same order, while at the same time moving the story forward rather than just repeating it, would have made the dictation harder for Smith, not easier. And the fact that the repetition comes immediately after the original makes this look more like a single coherent structure than like a case of self-plagiarism.

This is unlikely to be a one-off. I predict that other long repeated series can be found elsewhere in the book -- and that, as here, the repeated series will come immediately after the original. (If once can be found that is not immediately after the original, that would lend more credence to the Mad Libs theory.)