I wrote the original essay “Die Boek van Mormon” a few months ago, and received a great deal of positive comment and some controversy. I withdrew the article for a while until I was able to hear from quite a few people who were also there, and who helped me refine my memory of those events. I have accordingly updated and corrected a few elements of the original article, the main difference being that the whole book was not necessarily translated into Egyptian, but that Mynhardt said that he determined that it was originally written in Egyptian and used that language as a “median language” in translating it into English.
If you pass this article along, please use the whole article.
I was searching through my books in storage a few days ago and came across a first edition of the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. I served a mission in South African from 1971 to 1973. It was an interesting and challenging experience.
I attended the special conference in Johannesburg on May 14, 1972 when the new translation of the Book of Mormon into Afrikaans (Die Boek van Mormon) was presented. It was an electric moment. People wept. Some had waited all of their lifetimes to read the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans. Many people had learned English for the sole purpose of reading this scripture. The Spirit was strong among us as we rejoiced.
Remembering back more than 40 years, I can still remember Professor Felix Mynhardt as he spoke of his experience in translating that sacred book. We also had a special Zone conference a few days prior where our Mission President, Harlan Clark, recounted his involvement and experience of the translation of the Book of Mormon. I had a good friend who was an Assistant to President Clark, and who later shared with me his experiences of being in meetings with Professor Mynhardt and Elder Clark several times. I can no longer remember who said what exactly, but I remember what I felt, and how it affected my newly-minted testimony as a young missionary. I will retell it as best I can recall.
Professor Mynhardt was invited to come to the stand and speak about his experience in translating the Book of Mormon. He recounted how he had been given a gift of languages from God from his youth. He said that he was fluent in over 60 languages. He was presently employed at Pretoria University as a language professor. He said he had been praying that the Lord would give him some task, some divinely important task, that would justify his having this gift of language from God.
He said in about 1970 that he had visited a group of Mormon leaders, including a Bishop Brummer, Mission President Harlan Clark and others, who sought to commission him to translate the Book of Mormon from English into Afrikaans. He said that he knew of the Book of Mormon from his religions studies, and his initial reaction was that he did not want to be involved in translating it.
However, that evening, as he prayed upon his knees, as was his habit, he said the Spirit of the Lord convicted him. The message was something on the order of, “You asked me for a great, divinely inspired task of translation, I sent it to you in the form of translating the Book of Mormon, and you declined.” Professor Mynardt said he could not sleep through the night because he knew that translating the Book of Mormon would get him into trouble with his university, which was owned and operated by the Dutch Reformed Church. When morning came he agreed to begin the translation immediately.
He stood at the pulpit and described the experience. He said something like, “I never begin translating a book at the beginning. Writing style usually changes through a book, and becomes more consistent toward the middle. Accordingly, I opened to a random place in the middle of the Book of Mormon, and began translating.” He said, “I was startled by the obvious fact that the Book of Mormon was not authored in English. He said, “It became immediately apparent that what I was reading was a translation into English from some other language. The sentence structure was wrong for native English. The word choices were wrong, as were many phrases.” He said, “How many times has an Englishman said or written, ‘And it came to pass?’” We all laughed, and knew he was right, of course.
He explained that when he realized this, he knew that he had to find either the original language or a median language then proceed to translate it into Afrikaans. He listed a half-dozen languages he tried, all of which did not accommodate the strange sentence structure found in the Book of Mormon. He said he finally tried Egyptian, and to his complete surprise, he found that the Book of Mormon translated flawlessly into Egyptian, not modern, but ancient Egyptian. He found that some nouns were missing from Egyptian, so he used Hebrew nouns where Egyptian did not provide the word or phrase. He chose Hebrew because both languages existed in the same place anciently.
He said had no idea at that time why the Book of Mormon was once written in Egyptian, but he said that without any doubt, the Book of Mormon had been authored in Egyptian or a language with very similar syntax. I heard him say this over and over. Then, he said, “Imagine my utter astonishment when I turned to chapter one, verse one and began my actual translation and came to verse two, where Nephi describes that he was writing in the language of the Egyptians, with the learning of the Jews!”
He said, “I knew by the second verse, that this was no ordinary book, that it was not the writings of Joseph Smith, but that it was of ancient origin. I could have saved myself months of work if I had just begun at the beginning. Nobody but God, working through a prophet of God, in this case Nephi, would have included a statement of the language he was writing in. Consider, how many documents written in English, include the phrase, “I am writing in English!” It is unthinkable and absolute proof of the inspired origins of this book.”
He noted that he was one of the few people in the world with any knowledge of old Egyptian writing. He was certainly the only person who was also fluent in Afrikaans and English. He indicated that when a verse would not translate directly into English, that he used Egyptian as a tool to arrive at a correct translation into Afrikaans.
Professor Mynhardt spoke of many other things regarding the translation of this book, and then said, “I do not know what Joseph Smith was before he translated this book, and I do not know what he was afterward, but while he translated this book, he was a prophet of God! I know he was a prophet! I testify to you that he was a prophet while he brought forth this book! He could have been nothing else! No person in 1827 could have done what he did. The science did not exist. The knowledge of ancient Egyptian did not exist. The knowledge of these ancient times and ancient Peoples did not exist. The Book of Mormon is scripture. I hope you realize this.”
“I have since been asked to translate the book you call the Doctrine and Covenants. I got part way through and set it down. It is not like the Book of Mormon. Anyone could translate it into Afrikaans. It is not scripture in the same sense that the Book of Mormon is scripture. I declare that the Book of Mormon is of ancient origin, and is scripture of the same caliber as the Old Testament, or for that matter, the New Testament.”
“I have taken this book of scripture, this Book of Mormon, and presented it to my Board of Regents, and urged them to embrace it as scripture. They declined, of course. I took it to the head of our Dutch Reformed Church and demonstrated why the Book of Mormon is scripture, and urged them to at least study it, even if they did not canonize it or even share it with the people of the church. I urged them to just think what having a new and profound book of scripture could mean to the church, to my church, the Dutch Reformed Church. I pointed out that they need not become Mormons, in the same way that they did not need to become Jews to embrace the Old Testament. They considered my presentation for a very few seconds and then rejected it. They next threatened me regarding my belief in the Book of Mormon, threatened my employment, and ejected me from their presence. I am deeply disappointed, but I am not deterred. I will keep promoting this book as scripture for the remainder of my life – simply because it is scripture, and I know it.”
He paused then added, “I am not a member of your church, and do not expect to become one. I have been asked why I have not joined your church many times, and my answer is because God has not directed me to join you. If He had, I would be standing here as a fellow Mormon. Perhaps my mission in life is better served outside of your church. I haven’t studied your doctrine or your history since Joseph Smith. The only thing I know about you is that you have authentic, ancient scripture in the Book of Mormon, and that all of the world should embrace the Book of Mormon as scripture. It simply can’t be denied. I believe every religion could embrace the Book of Mormon without becoming a Mormon. You probably disagree with that, but it is my present belief, and my message to anyone who will listen.”
I have pondered that experience for half of a century now. I do not know if Professor Mynhardt ever joined the church. I know my memory of his exact words is wanting, but my memory of what I felt and what I knew and how potent it was to hear his testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon is one of those things that I will never forget.
Brother John
© March 2012, John M. Pontius, all rights reserved. Non-commercial reproduction permitted.
Just joined your blog a couple days ago on the advice of a friend. What a fabulous story!
I have heard similar stories about experts in Arabic finding truth in grammatical structures and such; but needing to translate the book into ancient Egyptian first is the most interesting translation story I’ve heard, by far.
It would be fun to collect all these linguists’ stories in one place, but i suppose we’d be tempted to substitute evidence for for the spiritual testimony so central to the book’s purpose… Heck, i’m gonna do it, anyway!
Bro. JJ
Welcome Bro. JJ. I say go for it – go for it all!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this amazing story!
That’s an awesome testimony! I don’t need this kind of evidence, but I sure don’t mind it. It’s confounding to me that the good professor didn’t join the Church; it seems to me that the Lord may have thought He shouldn’t have to direct in all things…
It was startling to me at the time too, a true irony. But, he was responsive to the Spirit in his life, and I can’t help but think that he eventually did join the church. It would be very curious to me to know the “rest of the story”, as I’m sure it would be to the whole UnBlog family.
JMP
It also reminds me of the story of Vincenzo di Francesca from the “How Rare a Possession” DVD. How he found the Book of Mormon and taught from it in his Protestant church.
Powerful!
Elder David Stroud? Hello from Elder Mark Brown
Elders Stroud and Brown? Hello from Elder Clark Richardson.
Thanks for your account, John.
Hoe gaan dit my broers??
Elder Calvin Wilkins
What a remarkable account in many ways. The B of M is so truly a marvelous work and a wonder, but how rare it is that the book and an objective and sincere individual of the caliber required to appreciate its wonder actually come together! So many disregard the B of M who really shouldn’t or wouldn’t except for the influence of darkness. It is ancient, it is true, it is God’s promises fulfilled to His people ancient and modern.
Another remarkable thing about this account was the professor’s perspective on Joseph Smith and our church. Reading it, I was thinking to myself, ‘pretty soon comes the part where he lauds Joseph as the Great Prophet of the Restoration and joins the Church’. But it didn’t turn out that way, at least at the time the account was given. He readily admitted Joseph was a true prophet; WHILE he was bringing forth the B of M, and that he KNEW the Book of Mormon was scripture… Yet he refrained from joining the Church, simply because he felt that God had not directed him to do so. This man’s integrity, humility, and devotion to God above all else was amazing to me. He didn’t de-ify Joseph. He gave all the glory to God. He only admitted he knew what he knew, and didn’t over-speculate; didn’t assume more than was given.
It became evident to me that we are so cultured as to what we should believe I wondered how many of our assumptions keep us from realizing the truth about ‘things as they really are’? I wonder how much we refrain from asking, because we are culturally pre-disposed not to question, because ‘that’s just the way things are’ and no one wants to be labeled ‘unstable in their faith’? Instead how would it be, if members of the church, combined with the faithful sincerity of heart this man possessed, assumed nothing but encouraged questioning and even skepticism until the sweet confirmation and pure intelligence of the Spirit enlightened us? How much more firm and confident would we stand in testimony of this great latter-day work? How much more power by faith to work righteousness?
His hesitation in joining the church could be considered as ‘dense’, however, I saw it as astoundingly sincere.
Agreed!
Amen. I loved that his view remained objective. He knew only what he knew as you say, and didn’t speculate further. We embrace the bible and are not Jews, though that’s where it came from. To me this story illustrates God’s patience with all the silly cultures of men. He sees only the individual children, and wants the best for all of us. He answers those who seek. He is not bound by our laws and our cultures, His wisdom transcends all that.
I used to wonder why God didn’t lead every honest in heart and sincere seeker, to the LDS Church; but I no longer wonder, because I have come to understand that God succors his children in the way that is best suited for each individual child, and wherever He places them, is exactly where they need to be at that point in time. This is not to say that the ordinances of the Church are not necessary for everyone, because they are. I feel however, that everyone who is pure in heart, will see God and in due time, will receive all the ordinances necessary for their exaltation, whether in this life or the next and whether or not they join the LDS Church while in mortality.
The professor is obviously a man who is sensitive to and follows the Light of Christ so I believe him when he says that the reason he has not joined the Church is because the Lord has not directed him to do so.
Thank you for this wonderful post.
I sat in a district conference in Minot,North Dakota in 1992, where I heard H. Burke Petersen say the Lord is keeping some of His most valiant children from joining the Church until the Church is ready for them.
How very interesting!
John,
A friend sent me your post on Die Boek van Mormon. I was grateful to receive it because I had forgotten much of what was said at that meeting. I have a brief notation in my journal and believe that I have the program of that stake conference somewhere among my mission papers. I do have my first edition copy given to me by a family that I had the opportunity to baptize shortly before that stake conference. I completed my service and returned home about two months later. I plan to forward this to several of the missionaries I am still in touch with.
Baie Dankie,
Todd Carlile
Dear Elder Carlile,
Wow, it is so nice to hear from you. It’s been a long time since 1972.
John Pontius
I guess I could be carried away with countless questions as to why the good professor did not join the Church immediately, but in doing so I think I would miss the most important principle, that this man recognized the Voice of the Spirit. The Lord’s ways are not always man’s ways. Based on Professor Mynhardt’s own words as quoted, I feel sure that the Lord is mindful of him.
Thank you for sharing this.
From the March 1973 Ensign, see about three quarters of the way down the article it references Felix Mynhardt and Bishop Brummer:
The Saints in South Africa
http://www.lds.org/ensign/1973/03/the-saints-in-south-africa?lang=eng
Thanks David,
I read this in preparation for the Un-Blog on the Afrikaans translation of the BoM. I inserted the reference rather than the whole article.
Thanks for pointing it out,
JMP
I just read and very much enjoyed your experience John. I was blessed to serve in that wonderful country as well; 10 years after you. This was my first to read of Bro. Mynhardt’s experience with the translation. I wish I knew this earlier. I’m glad I was forwarded this by a friend. Alles van die beste!!
Dieselfde aan jou
I very much enjoyed your info on the translation of the B of M into Afrikaans. Have you seen the article in the Mar 1973 Ensign regarding the same, called “The Saints in So Africa”. Very interesting. If you cannot access it, write me and I’ll e-mail to you.
Wow ! What a wonderful article, as i read it from our Cape Town South African home, forwarded to us by our daughter Jacqueline du Plessis, Provo, who have recently completed her studies at BYU and will be returning back to SA in Sept. I too served an afrikaans mission in SA (1982/83 under Pres Wood/Margetts)
I too was in that Johannesburg Stake Conference congregation in 1972 as a 12 year old boy when Louis P Hefer, an afrikaner, was called as the first Stake President on the African continent. Lanuages run in our family as i have a younger brother Jacques, teaching at the University of Wisconsin, with his own Afrikaans and open lanuages site called Afrikaans.us . He also taught afrikaans at the MTC in Provo for many years
Our 83 year old mother was recently personally involved in the retranslation of the Book of Mormon in Afrikaans again and currently working on the retranslation od the Doctrine and |Covenants in Afrikaans, under the direction of Matt Jorgensen in SLC.
I have asked my mother to see if we can find out about the whereabouts of Felix Mynardt or his desendants, in the event he left a journal behind with more interesting facts
My afrikaner ancestry, mainly from the house of Ephriam, is a rich , interesting and stubborn one with a strong pioneering Spirit, similar to the earlier Saints who trekked over the plains to SLC. The Dutch Reformed Church has done so much for SA with so many wonderful pioneers in it. As so many things, it is at a cross roads today and if we can harness D&C 4:4, with the field white already to harvest, so much more good can come to our afrikaans brothers and sisters, my people.
Thanks you for this most inspiring story Bro John Pontius. The Spirit works wonders and you obeyed.
Hi to all my wonderful former missionary companions
Die Boek van Mormon is the word of God, of that i testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
Thank you Rocco. I loved hearing from you. I believe a gentleman Rocco DeVilliers taught me at the MTC in 1971. And I’m not sure about J your brother, but du Plessis is a name I remember from then.
God bless you and yours and that great land of South Africa. I still remember the people and the fruit! Nobody has fruit like South Africa.
Brother John
It’s Jacque, a good friend who taught me to speak Afrikaans many years ago.
David
Dear Bro John and David
Many thanks for your response. Yes the Rocco de Villiers you mention from 1971 is my dads cousin as my grandmother on fathers side was a de Villiers.
My brother Jacques also taught Afrikaans at the MTC from about 1985 for many years. What year did you serve a mission David and were you ever in Pretoria where we lived ?
Nice seeing Bro Swartzberg commenting, a true stalwart that has done so much for the church in the past, especially on the legal side, working very closely with the then Govt to allow more missionaries into SA. The same man that ordained me an Elder. Kind regards everyone – Andre
Wow, what a small world. I served in SA from 1971 – 1973. I never served in Pretoria, sorry.
I served 1980-82. I also knew and worked with Elders Roy Swartzberg and Andre Brummer. I met Jacques after my mission. Served mostly in English speaking areas so my speaking skills weren’t very good. I took Afrikaans after my mission at BYU from Jacques. No I was never in Pretoria. Served in Virginia, OFS; Plumstead, Cape Town; East London; Roodeport, Jo-berg; and finished up in Sandton.
I had Jacques out here (Colorado Springs, CO) two years ago as a guest lecturer at the Air Force Academy where I was teaching in the Pol Sci dept at the time. He was a fantastic speaker and thoroughly enjoyed by the cadets.
David
Dear Brother John
“Die Boek van Mormon”
I was there. I organized the white convers and have an autographed copy. You neet the copy of the “Redecation Prayer” by President Spencer W. Kimball. Contact me.
Ike Swartzberg
I was deeply impressed by the story, in fact it remindes me somewhat of one of the experiences described by Bro. Nibley of his finding an Arab speaker in Provo who told him the Book of Mormon was nearly perfectly representative of Arabic phrasing , grammer and experssions. dont think the Arab fellow ever joined the church either.
I have long postulated that many great souls, valiant in the testimony of Jesus and in His service (Msh 2:17) are restrained from joining the Church on earth in order that they may serve elsewhere. Gandhi and others have made wonderful contributions to the poor and needy that would have been impossible if they had been members of the Restored Church.
In Elder Anderson’s GC talk today, Sunday 1 Apr ’12, he mentioned many humble followers of Jesus Christ who are not members of the Church. What a sacrifice for a faithful spirit to agree to make for the benefit of the world! But one who brings a spiritual nature can get more guidance from the Spirit of Christ than some of us have over many years gotten from the Gift of the Holy Ghost which we have failed to receive.
One of the speakers today mentioned Mark Twain’s quip that, sans “And it came to pass”, the BoM would be a pamphlet, then the latter comment of one of the speaker’s academic aquaintances who noted that the phrase was one of the evidences of the antiquity of the book.
My wife and I have had a wonderful time exploring various excavated Mayan ruins throughout the Yucatan and have scratched the surface of the correlations between the 600BC-400AD Mayan culture and the BoM. There is a specific glyph in Palenque that non-LDS (I think) scholar Linda Schele identified as “And it came to pass”, pronounce u-ti. Our subsequent notes record the following:
Mayan u-ti proposed by Linda Schele
Hebrew wayehi 1,204 times in Bible
Egyptian Khpr-n dramatic texts
Book of Mormon over 1,000 instances
Such a marker was vital in ancient times when you had to kill a goat and tan the hide to get a piece of paper. No wasted space with paragraphs, punctuation or wide margins.
No man wrote that book. Either God or the Devil wrote it. I testify it is of God.
I agree, and I appreciate your testimony. I know the Lord is working through many people outside of this church. If it wasn’t for the great work they do, we would have no field all ready to harvest. I thank God that we are not alone.
Please forgive me for being skeptical (I am LDS and I served in South Africa from 1986-88, so I *want* to believe this), but I can’t find anyone to corroborate this story. Can we get “two or three witnesses” here?
Hi Darrin,
This story is according to my memory of those events (as I noted in the article). I haven’t found anyone else who was there, or who shares my recollection. You should regard it as a 40 year old memory rather than as a proof of the Book of Mormon.
I have read an earlier apostle say that it was sometimes God’s wisdom that people not join the Church, for they could do so much good outside of it. I have also heard Lamanites say they would not join it because of its culture. Perhaps when the time of the Gentiles is past and the time of Israel is come, then many will join who have not united with us in the past. Although I am unsure if they will be joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or the Church of the Firstborn, given what is written in D&C 77.
Thanks for the original post, John.
Steve
Thanks Steve
I am curious why people would have been offended at this post. It seemed inspiring to me – showing the preparation and hand of the Lord and the integrity/spirituality of those not members of the Church. Surely when they are called, they will make strong members of the kingdom. My 2 cents.
Hi John and Steve
Thanks for bringing back memories John, much appreciated
Surely the purpose of a Blog is exactly that, to add and enrich to the experience/memory of many individuals, not just one persons input.
Great week all
Rocco Andre du Plessis
It was a wonderful history! Brother Starks (a native of s. Africa himself) is currently in my Ward in PG Utah, and he knew Bishop Brummer (spelling?). He remembers that His sister was friends with some of those mentioned. Incidentally, His wife and he were just called to the south africa mission. He loved your testimony and so did I. Don’t be discouraged by naysayers. You will always get opposition when you build the testimony of the book of Mormon.
I for one am so grateful for the orginal article. I was a child when that meeting took place and all I remember is the joy of my grandparents that they would be able to read this precious book in their own language. I found your version of the “testimony” of the professor to be interesting and thought provoking even, but since I have a testimony of the Book of Mormon, did not need his (or your) “proof” to be100% accurate to feel the spirit of what you were relating. It was indeed the spirit of what happened that touched my soul and spoke to it.
Thank you for your wonderful blogs. I look forward to each new one and they never fail to make me think about where I am on this long path and if I am still moving in the right direction. Since I began reading these blogs and also Bro Barkdull’s Zion series, I have felt a HUGE change in the way I view myself and the Gospel.
Thank you – Dankie – Totsiens
(from a chilly Johannesburg)
Thank you for this comment. I have noticed that hundreds of people in good old Suid Afrika are reading the UnBlog and wondered how the article you commented upon was touching them. I took it down because I was apparently remembering some details too glowingly, but I do remember the spirit of those meetings and what I felt and how amazed I was upon hearing those things. But, it was 40 years ago now, and memory is far from perfect.
God Bless,
John Pontius
It’s interesting that many here have viewed this presentation as “proof”. It is not. It is testimony, far more powerful than any proof of any kind.
Nancy T. Hyde April 27,2012 at 1:25 PM
How wonderful, So happy to have viewed this great testamony from this man of many languages. The Lord did give him this assignment that members could have scriptures in their own language. Truly a blessed gift.
Thank goodness for the power of viral. Your story just arrived in my inbox and I have already shared it with others. It is a powerful story.
I was more excited to find the author (the version I received had dropped the reference). It was simply a matter of validating its authenticity/source.
Regardless of how much grief you’ve gotten for your recollection, it is still your recollection and we are entitled to be inspired by it.
Thank you for those words. It was a hard decision to take it down because I still believe I heard those things just that way, but in all honesty, some people remember it differently, so I decided to err on the side of accuracy.
I just received the article last night from a friend at church and have already forwarded it on. I returned to the church just a year ago (received my Temple Recommend at Christmas 2011) so i’m still searching, learning and thrilled to read things like this. I don’t care if every detail is exactly correct. My sister and I remember details differently on our trip to Europe with our parents 50 years ago but it doesn’t change the fact that we had an amazing experience. On the main points we agree and the little details are unimportant to the overall event. As I read your story, I first got chills (Holy Ghost chills) but as I read further the strength of the chills increased dramatically! Now I can say that it was just the air conditioning but we all know that wasn’t it. Heavenly Father was speaking to my soul and I was listening. We both know that this is your recollection and not a transcription of the event. I would hope that you would keep it posted but as was said earlier, it has gone viral and you can’t stop something that is viral… either good or bad, and this is definitely one of the best viral items inhabiting the global Internet. God will do with your work what He intends. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for following your heart and allowing many people, myself included, to learn from your experiences.
Thanks for your thoughts, Karen. I agree: I don’t care if all the details are right. It was the main idea that interested me – that God works through His children answering their prayers to bless others.
Thanks, John. I understand your reasoning that you did not want to create contention. Your blog is quite different in this regard than some others. However, I am glad that it is still on the ‘Net so that it can bless the lives of others.
Steve
I always check for the authenticity of anything like this that comes to me in an email. For me, your testimony is enough to establish the origin, as far as whether or not it was something entirely made up. However, even if it had turned out to be a complete fabrication, it would have had to be a brilliant mind that did it.
The observation on the linguistics that it fits the form of ancient Egyptian and that The Book of Mormon came forth in a time that even the best scholars had only a rudimentary understanding of ancient Egyptian from the recently discovered Rosetta Stone. No scholar at that time could have written an entire paragraph, much less a book in that form.
Also, the point that the original writer specified the language he was writing in establishes that, at the very least it was someone in an ancient time who knew his book would endure to a time far in the future when that language was likely unknown. Who else but a prophet would anticipate that?
Also, for a long time I have already been reading the phrase “And it came to pass,” as being similar to writing a date at the head of a journal entry to indicate “this is what I wrote today,” or even page breaks or paragraph indentions. Considering the nature of heiroglyphics, it would be essential to have such an indicator for it to make any sense to the reader. Just my opinion.
For Joseph Smith, or any scholar that might possibly have advised him or even used him as a front, to know enough to write a book that met those conditions, was in complete harmony with the teachings of the Bible and is as readable as The Book of Mormon is would have required more than genius and knowledge. It would have to be either be divine inspiration or luck, or as Jack Sevy points out, “Either God or the Devil wrote it.”
It makes total sense for the devil to sponsor a book that would result in millions of people coming to a closer relationship with Jesus Christ, and inspire those people to be so diligent in doing good that it became their reputation. As we all know, the quickest path to Hell is being Christ-like. (sarcasm intended)
I have long since had a rock-solid testimony of the Book of Mormon and of the Prophet Joseph Smith, so this does nothing to change that testimony, but it is a fascinating story and I thank you for sharing it.
In San Diego at one of the museums in Balboa Park (perhaps the Museum of Man) I saw stellas from Central America with writings on them and translations given there. It caught my attention that one repeating symbol was translated as “and then it happened”. I was struck that it was so similar to the Book of Mormon translation of “and it came to pass”. It was described as a phrase that would connect the story and events over time. This too is to the best of my recollection from about 5 years ago. It did not convince me of the truth of the Book of Mormon, the Spirit did that years ago. But I found it very interesting and it made me smile.
I have a thought for those who say either God or the Devil wrote the book of Mormon.I believe that men wrote the Book of Mormon. To name a few: Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Mosiah, Alma, Heleman, Mormon, Ether,Moroni…and that Joseph Smith translated the writings of those prophets through divine inspiration.
I found the article interesting and informative. Your reasons for “retracting” the article are understandable, however your word usage is unfortunate. The article should have been “withdrawn”, not “retracted.” A retraction connotes an apology for the publication of factually inaccurate and potential harmful information. A withdrawal is more appropriate because you opted to remove the article (which was your recollection of events) from contention. However, your article remains significant and faith promoting regardless of its present status on the blog.
I have an early copy of “Die Boek van Mormon”
In it I wrote:
“Translated by Dr Felix Mynhardt from Pretoria.
He can read Latin, Greek, English, Afrikaans, Aramaic, Hebrew, German, French, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese.
See Ensign March ’73.”
“He can speak more than 30 languages. He has a working knowledge of more than 60,” C Kenneth Powrie
I was at the conference meeting where he spoke. I remember him saying that he couldn’t translate it from English to Afrikaans, that he had to translate it back into it’s original language and then into Afrikaans.
I am sorry you took your article off the web. I don’t remember the detail you put down. I remember the tender moments of this publication long in the hoping and working for. I hope you will re-consider and re-post it sometime in the future.
Judy (Powrie) Bray
In the mouth of two witnesses…
I wish Bro. Pontius had a “Like” button.
What a cute compliment. (I’m assuming you would “like” me if I did). Thanks!
How wonderful to hear from you Judy. You are the only person who has corroborated my memory of that day. I still believe what I wrote was right, but didn’t have another voice to agree with me. Do you remember anything else in more detail. Specifically, do you remember him mentioning Egyptian as the median language?
It would be helpful if you knew anyone else who had heard that talk who could also corroborate my memory. I would be happy to put it back up if I could be more sure that it was correct.
Very happy to hear from you,
JMP
Perhaps we can get hold of Johan Brummer and ask for his memories. He lives in Australia now. I will try and get his email address for you.
This post may be long and I hope it gets posted, but here goes… I, too, had seen this blog post in an email but had not seen the original source. I thought it interesting and decided to track down the original source to ensure that it was not a “faith promoting rumor” account of the kind sometimes bandied about by not-so-well-meaning critics of the Church for the purpose of ‘tripping up’ what they consider “the gullible faithful.” I was pleased to see that it originated here on a site of one who would be considered faithful rather than critical. I was also disappointed to see that it was removed.
I can understand the desire to remove it because of lack in points regarding memories from a period of decades ago. However, I, like some others here, would have liked to have seen it remain with a caveat mentioning the ‘fogginess’ of the details beforehand.
I think that your recollection regarding Egyptian may have been faulty and think Mynhardt may have referred to ancient Hebrew rather than Egyptian. I will admit from the outset that I was not there at the conference so I cannot write with any authority other than opinion as to what you remember correctly ow not. My reasons for thinking this, however, are as follows.
1. No one today really speaks or uses ‘modern’ Egyptian. The closest that anyone can come would be the Copts of Egypt, who use Coptic in their liturgical texts, which is a dialect of Late Egyptian heavily influenced by Greek. The spoken language of Egypt however, is Egyptian Arabic rather than Egyptian.
2. You mentioned in your original blog article that Mynhardt mentioned using modern and ancient variants of a language used in the same location. Modern Hebrew and ancient Hebrew, in my opinion, fit that bill. Both are used in Israel. There are differences between Modern Hebrew and ancient Hebrew as well, which would be recognized by those conversant with both forms of the language. It is important to realize that if a person wishes an Israeli to regard, or even to consider even thinking about the possibility of a religious text as scriptural, it must be translated into Biblical Hebrew rather than into Modern Hebrew. Texts purporting to be scripture are not well received as such if written in Modern Hebrew. This is the reason for so many failures in gaining acceptance of Hebrew New Testaments that hit the markets from time to time. Both dialects have a different ‘feel’ to them. Mynhardt also may well have referred to Hebrew and Aramaic, and filled in ‘missing details’ in the Hebrew from Aramaic, also used in Palestine over the centuries and which language Mynhardt also knew.
3. Egyptian is not listed as being one of the many languages known by Mynhardt.
The rest of your account may well be completely accurate in its substance, however, and it is believable enough, in my opinion, for you to justify reposting it at some future time. I think it valid and that the substance is true and accurate. I understand the desire to avoid things controversial.
In either case, seeing a Hebrew Book of Mormon written by Mynhardt would be just as interesting as seeing an Egyptian one, in my view. The one I have that was done by Hebrew Translations , Inc., is pretty awful, in my opinion, and I hate to admit it but this translation was a disapointment. It is good for what it is but it has the wrong ‘feel’ to it. I also do not like what they have done with the punctuation in a couple places, which changes the meaning from what the original would have said.
Yet, with all this said, I myself have found that as I study the Book of Mormon I have found several elements that make little sense from the perspective of Hebrew and seem to make more sense from the perspective of Egyptian because certain elements of the text have not been attested in Hebrew but are attested in Egyptian texts. I am of the opinion that scholars have spent so much time on the Hebraic elements in the Book of Mormon that they have in the main overlooked the Egyptian elements and internal evidences contained within that text.
One example is in that the Book of Mormon speaks of the Holy One of Israel being “the keeper of the gate.” You cannot find something like that in the Bible. But, in Egyptian thought you certainly find divine beings as keepers of gates. I was surprised and pleased at once to read a Pyramid text that reads something like, “Stand at the gates which bar the common people! The gatekeeper comes out to you. He grasps your hand (and) takes you into heaven….”
There are a number of genuinely Egyptian names in the Book of Mormon, as well, even beyond the two mentioned by William F. Albright in a personal letter to a critic of the Church. One of my favorites is the name “Anti.” Coming across a reference in an Egyptian lexicon while flipping through pages looking for something else, I noted an entry containing the name Anti-Set. I recalled the name Anti-Lehi-Nephi in the Book of Mormon and that name that made little sense to me before made sense thereafter.
Phrases such as “in other words” and “and so forth” (previous editions had “&c” and “etc.”) were difficulties for me since these were unattested in Biblical Hebrew. The brother of a man I knew actually left the Church over things like this. I am pleased to report that words and phrases meaning substantially these two things are attested in Egyptian. Egyptian ky ḏt (“otherwise said” or “others say”; in either case, not sure whether the fonts will come through correctly in my examples. but here is hoping) is used in texts like the phrase “in other words” is used in the Book of Mormon. Egyptian ḥm-t r also means “and so forth.”
I was even pleasantly surprised a few years or so ago to find a functional equivalent to ‘adieu’ in the Book of Mormon, which is Egyptian snb.ti, as Biblical Hebrew lacked such a thing (although ‘Shalom” can carry that sense in postbiblical Hebrew and even in Modern Hebrew).
But, another thing I found was of even more interest to me. I do not say that I am necessary correct on this last example I provide here, or even whether it will hold up on subsequent analysis and study, but it still is of interest enough to me to mention it. People have long looked into possible origins for the strange name Irreantum.
Critics have been quick to claim that it most certainly is not Egyptian, even though many scholars and writers in the Church have suspected for many decades that it is likely of Egyptian origin. Some few see in it a potential South Semitic origin–and it may well have such an origin as Lehi and family passed through the region where something like this may have occurred.
In my own studies and attempts, I saw in an Egyptian lexicon that there were Egyptian functional words and phrases that meant “more than” which were Irrj, Irry and Ir r. Try as I might I did not find the rest and gave up many years ago. Just a couple years ago, while flipping through a newer lexicon than the ones I had back before I gave up the search, I found a rare word which is not certainly identified as to meaning as of yet but which may yet remain a correct identification in meaning, was the Egyptian ntw, which roughly sounded would be something like entu or antu and roughly means “floodwaters.” That still left the ‘m’, which perplexed me, but which I later found attested in a text as carrying a meaning of “all”. It is also listed as one meaning in the newer lexicon I mentioned above.
Tentatively arranged together, one of these sets of words arranged into an Egyptian phrase would be Ir r ntw m. The putative meaning would be “more than all floodwaters”, which I think favorably agrees with Nephi’s interpretation “many waters” in the Book of Mormon text. Being a phrase it would be subject to a need for interpretation or rewording for future readers, as I am sure Nephi figured out when he committed it to writing on the plates.
At any rate, since the Book of Mormon has Nephi state that he used the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians in writing it, it should be expected that elements of both Egyptian and Hebrew would be found underlying the English of that great text. I believe that the Book of Mormon does just that and I also believe that it would be useful to see just how many elements of Egyptian can be found in the book rather than focusing exclusively on looking for just the Hebraic elements. Brian Stubbs has been said to have been finding elements of both Hebrew and Egyptian in Uto-Aztecan languages, so why should we ignore such things in the Book of Mormon?
But, I also agree with you that we should not be out to try to prove the Book of Mormon true. I think the Spirit of the Lord does that well enough for the faithful. However, I also think it fun when we find things that add plausibility to the belief that it really was an ancient text written within a Hebrew and Egyptian linguistic milieu.
Given that Joseph Smith had zero access to Egyptian lexicons, and was helplessly clueless about Egyptian on his own, it makes it all the more interesting when such things as the above and other elements of Egyptian can be seen in the Book of Mormon.
I have received many comments similar to this one (though yours is the longest), asking me to leave the article up. I am collecting more documentation, and have received several other “witnesses” testimonies who were there in the auditorium who say they remember Maynhard saying he had to find a median language, and that it was at least in part based upon Egyptian.
As you mentioned, I don’t want to write inspirational fiction, even when it comes to me as a long-ago memory. I’m just waiting for the Lord to fill in the blanks.
Thanks, JMP
Looking forward to your post of a collaboration of first hand testimonies. Any chance you could track down Mr. Felix Mynhardt? His brother Siegfried Mynhardt is a successful actor listed on IMDB.
Professor Mynhardt is deceased.
Long, but informative and fascinating… thank you.
just joining your blog..as i am reading through your blogs and such…i have to say having a great joy in my heart …that the book of mormon would have to stand the test of time…isn’t GOD just more than great…He already knew what is being said…awesome
John,
I just had a friend send me your blog because he knew I had served a mission in South Africa. I have some recollections that I would like to share with you. btw, who was the Assistant to President Clark that you refer to?
Being as respectful as possible, but I am trying to find any reference to prof. Felix Mynhardt on Google to help validate your story but can’t see anything about him, his work, his studies…
References please?
The church published an article on him and the translation. http://www.lds.org/ensign/1973/03/the-saints-in-south-africa?lang=eng
A Google search for me brings up pages of information for and against my memory of the trauslation of the Boek van Mormon.
Good luck,
JMP
Thanks, John. I saw that article on him in the Ensign but that doesn’t really provide more than anecdotal references to Professor Mynhardt and my google searching does not find anything more concrete. I will keep searching, though.
Thanks again.
I know he wasn’t famous, and this was a long time before the Internet and “Brother Google”.
James,
Watch the spelling and be aware of alternate spellings of names between languages when searching for people and information about them. The actual spelling of Felix Mynhardt’s last name is Mijnhardt, although Mynhardt is an alternate spelling of the same name common among English speakers.
Also, I am aware of a scholarly translation of the Old Testament Apocrypha from Latin that he published some years ago. It is entitled “Apokriewe Van Die Ou Testament.” It is not easy to find these days, and I saw a copy of it sell for over $85.00 USD the other day, but I don’t really read Afrikaans all that well so it was not of much use to me to own a copy at the time. Now I wish I had purchased one years ago.
You can see information about that work at the following URLs (the latter two of which are in Afrikaans):
http://books.google.com/books/about/Apokriewe_Van_Die_Ou_Testament.html?id=spnZAAAACAAJ
http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/1997/04/14/10/3.html
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/19272868/Apokriewe_van_die_Ou_testament_Felix_Mijnhardt.html
Thanks so much Charles. I was not aware of the alternate spelling of his name, but I was aware that he had done a concordance and several other biblical studies. He was a very accomplished individual. His manner of speaking was very lecture hall, with dramatic inflections and some theatrical performance. Thank you for taking the time to look this all up.
JMP
James,
Here is another reference for you from the year 2004. It is a reference to and advertisement of a revised edition of the AFRIKAANSE BYBELKONKORDANSIE, edited, expanded with material incorporated from the 1983 revised edition of the Afrikaans version of the Bible, the Greek New Testament, etc., by Felix Mijnhardt. It’s on page 12 of the archived publication. Read about it here:
https://6bf1ee01-a-c9b98339-s-sites.googlegroups.com/a/vgk.org.za/kompas/Argief/jaargang13/2004-04.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7crfaBSwolai-dyVl8dt_uf36aUnkQa6NijthyNyVWZJ4tNP6Pp0xseE_PrHncdQuyhG25d1QzBA-RQCc19PPb4NZjdZC5PfDWIAXyjd5zIRaqwkcqvZjm0CkDQTq_gXUTqNZEf8-b7LgnoggEGOoKgK2TrrgN1iw4pJaNV-1MstBa-jdxfYD70Z6JbDZ4OhFqu30UjtnhGFXak6s436GhlGja1sTQxlpSY8hrO41MAQXYWHwj8%3D&attredirects=0
Looks like you got a later ‘confirmation’ of the existence of the story of Felix Mynhardt, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the meeting, in South Africa, at the time from someone who served there–which confirms at least that you did not make the story up (not that I believe that you made it up–because I don’t think you did–and what I have learned about the Egyptian elements in the Book of Mormon in my own studies over the years lends weight to the story for me). An independent blog entry reads:
“I served a mission to the South Africa Johannesburg Mission from May 19th, 1977 starting at the Language Training Mission (LTM – now the Missionary Training Center (MTC)) adjacent to the Brigham Young University campus in Provo, Utah. I spent two months at the LTM, then six months in Milnerton, a suburb of Cape Town (half English and half Afrikaans speaking), then four months in Pietersburg (entirely Afrikaans speaking), four months in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State (predominately Afrikaans speaking), then three months in Sandton within Johannesburg (mostly English) and then unexpectedly, unceremoniously, an in an unprecedented transfer, I flew back to the Cape to serve in Bellville (99 percent Afrikaans and a thirty-minute drive from Kaapstad). My first companion in Milnerton was Elder Stewart who while tracting, mentioned the name of Felix Mynhardt. He told me what he knew of the translation of The Book of Mormon from English into Egyptian into Afrikaans. He spoke of the meeting in Johannesburg where Professor Mynhardt all but testified “in the name of Jesus Christ” that The Book of Mormon and Die Boek van Mormon are books of scripture inspired of God and translated by the prophet Joseph Smith.”
http://smalltalkbillross.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/die-boek-van-mormon/
Dear Charles,
I had not seen this website or this comment, but it is interesting in that it confirms my memory of those times. Do you know who left this comment? I would very much like to correspond with them.
Thanks,
John Pontius
Thank you very much for getting it for me, and thank you for being a champion of truth.
Thank you, Charles, for the confirmation. Amazing what the Lord can do with members and non-members. They are all His children.
Steve
Thanks for sharing this highly inspirational piece. I would like to know more a out him. And would be delighted to see you again Patrick!
Hoe geseënd is ons Afrikaners nie!
I sincerely believe that if ‘our Missionaries’, did not initially address us in Afrikaans, we probably would not have joined the Church. Elders Don Hilton and Michael Rawlings ‘found’ our family, taught us and led us to baptism on Christmas day 25 December 1980, at Johannesburg Chapel.
When they first knocked on our door in Ridgeway, Johannesburg about three months prior to our baptisms, there was something compelling in the words of Elder Hilton as he spoke Afrikaans in an obvious Texas accent, saying words to the effect: ‘Ons het ‘n spesiale boodkap wat ons met julle wil deel’.
I am however ashamed to confess that although I too have a white leather covered Boek van Mormon, and even though I have read the Afrikaans version a few times, being in predominantly English Stakes and Wards, it was easy for the English version of The Book of Mormon to become my primary and preferred study reference. Regrettably the Boek van Mormon took a backseat.
Just recently I was sensitised to a renewed and deepened (and repentant) appreciation of the importance of Die Boek van Mormon, after having been asked by Brother Hilton if I had any information on the original events that occurred in South Africa around the time of the translation of Die Boek van Mormon – which is the subject of this blog.
Having therefore been brought to a ‘rediscovery’ as it were of ‘Die Boek van Mormon’ by the same American Missionary who impressed me by speaking to me in Afrikaans, my testimony continues to grow ever stronger as I find new understanding in immersed study of these immortal words again in my mother tongue. What a blessing!
Brother Pontius, the Lord bless you and all those who had a role to play in bringing the gospel to the Afrikaans speaking peoples in South Africa – including the sincere efforts of that inspired man Felix Mynhardt and those great leaders such as Elder Clark, Louis Hefer, Johan Brummer, Ike Swartzberg, together with the many ‘ordinary’ but wonderful members who played an enormous part in my own growth, including Olav Taim, Malcolm Young, David Barnett, Ian Hamilton, Ken Powrie, Julian Snijman, Alma Donly, Alan Young, Hansie Brummer, Warner Molema, Peter Daubney, John Taljaard, Anton van der Riet, Alan van der Vyver, and the many South African serving Missionaries involved in laying those early foundations for lost souls like mine to receive the truth in Afrikaans here at the southern tip of Africa.
I am humbled by the legacy left by these men.
Dankie Broer Mynhardt. My getuienis sluit aan by joune dat Joseph Smith werklik ‘n profeet van God was en dat Die Boek van Mormon ware skrifture is. Mag ons wie reeds die boodskap ontvang het baie meer doen om alle Afrikaners wie nog nie weet nie, bewus te maak van hierdie wonderlike boek. Is dit nie inderdaad deel van ons missie en sending in hierdie laaste dae nie…..?
Dank U, onse Vader – alle eer aan U, in die naam van Jesus Christus, ons Verlosser, amen.
Frik (Isaac) van Rensburg
Thank you Brother Rensburg,
I am grateful for your testimony and for giving me a chance to read Afrikaans again. It’s been a long time, but it is still in there when I dig deep. My mission in South Africa still blesses my life, and set a vector of righteous service that will bless me forever. It is also refreshing to hear someone be grateful that we learned Afrikaans. It was very hard, especially in the light of being a bilingual nation. We were sent to some areas where we spoke English and our Afrikaans decayed. Then we went to an Afrikaans area and it was very hard to pick it up and begin the learning process again. It would have been much easier to just go into an Afrikaans area and stay there for two years. So, thank you for being grateful. It was a service I am grateful to have been a part of.
God Bless,
John Pontius
Bro. Pontius, Amazing story. Thanks for sharing. Only question I have is why would this story remain unshared for 40 years only to come to light this year? An article in the 1973 Ensign points to Professor Mynhardt’s involvement with the translation, but shares none of the same details in regards to the language exchange . Why would a faith-promoting story of this caliber remain unshared for 40 years? The Article says that prayer played a part in the translation, but says nothing about the use of Egyptian. A quick google on the subject brings up the article ; the conclusion is that “More research and better documentation would be needed to prove this faith-promoting story to be true.”
Certainly it is not my intention to question your faith or testimony regarding this amazing event; I do question why it has taken 40 years to share this event and that it only is from a single point of view without any additional references. Now many people are sending this viral around the internet as truth without regard for whether this has any additional basis.
Since publishing that article, I have heard from a half-dozen people who were there in that meeting, and who remember the same approximate statements. I recently just ran into a woman in Denver, who was there, and who very much corroborated my memory.
I have been telling this story for 40 years, but this is the first time I have had the means to share it with more than a few people in a room. I can’t even say why things are the way they are.
The final point I want to make is that I am not trying to prove the BoM is true. It is just a memory and a part of my testimony which I shared. It is not a doctrinal article, just a part of my life’s experience. If people want proof they are missing the point of the article and the BoM. Neither can be proved like a math theorem.
Thank you for taking the time to comment.
JMP
I found the ’73 Ensign article, too, which gave a little historical insight as to why the Afrikaan translation was so significant to those members back then. Thanks to the internet we are blessed to have this story now which I feel is even more relevant 40 years later, having been brought forth in God’s own due time thanks to Bro. John. Even if Prof. Mynhardt were alive today to give his story there would still be critics. Still, I would love to hear more from anyone who was there because it is an intriguing story.
I’ve had to vet emotionally charged chain emails that were a hoax. Can’t do that with this one… Ultimately, faith is a choice. One really has to read the Book of Mormon to gain a personal witness of it… and, study, ponder, and pray. Conversion is a process.
Hi Kelly,
I am really surprised this article has gone viral, and that there is so much feeling about it. I have received wonderful comments from people who loved it, people who were there and heard Mynhardt, and people who want to believe if I can give them “proof”, and people who hate the BoM and hate me for bearing testimony of it.
This is such an interesting world, so full of darkness and unbelief. From my perspective it is like bearing your testimony during Fast and Testimony meeting and then having someone in the congregation shout “Prove it!”. It’s just a testimony, not a proof of the BoM. In fact, the BoM cannot be proven by divine design because its only value to our lives is faith-based. Having an infallible proof would damage its mission. People would accept it with no ability to glean the true message, yet all of the culpability of knowing it’s true.
Thanks for your comment,
JMP
Sometimes, events are shared by word of mouth for long periods of time before they are committed to writing published in a public forum. Even at times the same thing happened with scripture–for example, much of the New Testament. The events recorded in the Gospels were written down in that form decades after the fact. Later writing does not necessarily make an earlier oral tradition untrue.
In addition, several people have come forward and recalled much of the same thing regarding this story. One example can be seen above of corroborative testimony. Yes, some details may be foggy (and may even be incorrect in one part of another) but, in the main, the experience is recollected by others.
It is evident that the story had been circulated for years after the event in South Africa (as evident by later, second-hand or third-hand corroborative testimony on the blog mentioned above) but did not make its way in writing over the Atlantic until now, triggered as a memory in one who was there when he found something important to him years later.
Why it did not get reported in the Ensign at the time is a matter of uncertainty at the present but there are those who are tracking down further details about this. I also have located a transcript of an interview with Professor Mijnhardt about the translation but have yet to read it or search for the original audio tape of the interview itself, which may still be extant.
I also have it on good authority that a relative of Professor Mijnhardt (Mynhardt) will have something to say further about this story. She has claimed that certain elements of the story are not correct and will share her version of the story sometime soon.
Let’s let all the details of the story come forth from several sources before we render final judgment on the story, shall we? Even then, it may not be possible to do so authoritatively.
John, Thank you for the recollection of a special time and event that has prompted this line of comments.
I was sent a copy of your original essay on the translation of the Boek van Mormon by my sister two months ago. I found the story very intriguing as I served in the Johannesburg, South Africa mission right on your heels. I was “in country” from October 1973 through August 1975.
In my first area, Krugersdorp just outside of Johannesburg, I was told early on by the members of the translation of the Boek van Mormon as it had just been published a little over a year earlier. The Afrikaans speaking members were thrilled. My own recollection was that the book was translated from English into ancient Hebrew then into Afrikaans. This is why I had found your recollection enlightening, your having been in that well remembered Stake Conference.
The important factor to me was the idea of using a mediating language that helped Prof. Mijnhardt understand the core concepts and writing style to get at the root of the message as he translated. The idea that he recognized the Book of Mormon text as being, itself, a work of translation is a fascinating observation.
If, as Nephi states, the work was written in Egyptian script, due to it’s shorthand form, according to the language and learning of the Jews the translation work would, indeed, be greatly helped by having a working knowledge of both ancient languages.
Lehi was a learned man; a man of travel, of education, of business and of understanding different peoples and cultures in the middle East. Prof. Hugh Nibley suggested that an evidence of Lehi’s cosmopolitan influence was in the naming of his sons. He suggests that Laman and Lemuel were names of Arabic origin, Jacob and Joseph were very Hebraic names, and that Nephi and Sam were of Egyptian origin. Lehi, as any of the Lord’s prophets, ancient and modern, was raised up and given life experiences that would enable him to do the great work he was called to do.
The point of this is that the translation of the Boek van Mormon from English to Afrikaans was, indeed, inspired and performed by one, though learned in the languages of man, was not learned in the ways of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ; one who was able to do the work of translation with an objective perspective and create a work that has opened the eyes and the doors to a group of God’s children who longed to hear the Lord’s word in their mother language. This pattern echoed the original translation work of the one who, though not learned in the ways of the Lord’s dealing with His ancient people, nor in the ways of the world, was able to objectively translate the work from it’s ancient origins into English.
The personal impact of your sharing your story to me has been to pick up my own first edition copy of the Boek van Mormon and rediscover the beauty of the story in an inspired language that has caused me to slow down as I read, and ponder, skoolwoordeboek Afrikaans dictionary in lap, and savor the words and lives of men who knew who they were and could speak with power and authority to an unseen generation who wouldn’t be born for nearly 2000 years when their testimony of the risen Redeemer would be so sorely needed in order to give that generation the strength of conviction and personal testimony to prepare them to receive that Redeemer when He comes again.
Thank you for the story and testimony that provided the motivation to open the boek again.
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate hearing from you.
Thank you, Bro. John, for sharing your testimony, for enduring the viral response, and for maintaining this forum. It’s especially delightful to hear from others who have a personal connection to the Boek van Mormon. Though, you’ve also received many other enlightening comments as well. I appreciate the updates, and look forward to learning more. Thanks again.
Dear brother John M. Pontius
I have encountered your Testimony and the ones that witnessed such experience very interesting and peculiar to me. I have read the original, the current version, all the comments. Just to give you an idea of what has influenced my perspective of seeing things – I was born in Mexico, had French Gran Father, with Swiss, Dutch, Spanish and Aztec blood and currently living in the country called America.
This is how I see what happened in South Africa related to the advent of the Boek Van Mormon to them in Afrikaans language:
“The lord sent the gentiles under Ephraim’s wings, to preached his word to Ham’s children, but used his instructed son Felix to provide the spirit of their own language and custom”
Blessings,
Juan Zurcher Tellez
Elder Pontius
Nice to know you are still “true to the faith”. I was not in attendance at the meeting where he spoke but I had the priviledge of attempting to teach Brother Mynhardt in the months following when he gave the talk. I also have an original printing of Die Boek Van Mormon that is autographed by him.
Elder Ray Ellison
Elder Ellison, I hope you will share experiences of your time with Bro. Mynhardt here on the UnBlog. Having just learned that Bro. John’s deteriorating health is nearing him to passing on, it would be wonderful if you could follow up with whatever else you may recall. Thanks.
Elder Ellison, What a great privilege that must have been. More amazing is to watch as history is brought together for recall via this blog post.
It is wonderful that you removed your account from the net, and also that you have put it back on. Your intellectual integrity shines. It is more brilliant when compared to its absence in all the anti-Mormon (as well as the little anti-Masonic and anti-Catholic) literature I’ve read over the years.
A fellow I worked with one day said, “Reality is a myth.” Then he explained himself: our brains are hardwired (reticular activating system) to select, from the billions of bits of information we are bombarded with, those few that are important to us. So, ten people witness an accident, and you get 11 stories. Each is based on what actually happened, so each person considers it “reality.” But in fact, my story is an attempt to connect the dots that I really don’t understand — definition of a myth.
So, I realize and accept that even if your heart is absolutely pure, your memory will be faulty. The hard part is accepting that this applies to my memory, too!
One comment above is about 40 years not hearing about the things you remember. Well, in about 1966 we had a young apostle attend our district conference here in the southern interior of British Columbia. Even from the back of the room where we teenagers were sitting, he was an impressive man, and an excellent, polished speaker. Thomas S. Monson. I left this valley for 30 years after high school, and returned in 1998. Since then I have asked several long-time members here if they remember Elder Monson’s visit. Only one out of about 8 do.
I just stumbled upon the above mentIoned recollection by John M. Pontius. I voraciously read everything I could then I stumbled over his obituary. It appears that he passed away on Dec 10, 2012. It appears that this is the same John Pontius who served in So. Africa. Anyone with differing info, please correct. I hope I’m wrong.
This is the same John Pontius that served in South Africa. He did indeed pass on in December 2012.
I am so grateful hat we can still share in his wonderful way of conveying gospel principles even tough he has passed on. I regularly go back and re-read blogs that help me to focus again and ponder anew. I do miss his return comments . We miss you Brother John.
On February 12, 2013 I received a note from my friend Tom Rogers, one of three current LDS patriarchs to Eastern Europe (mainly Russia and Ukraine) referring to the story of John Pontius re Die Boek van Mormon.
At 12:29 PM, Tom wrote:
The young actor who a few years ago played the lead role in the Dixie College production of Huebener just sent me the following. Let those dismissive skeptics who deep down have an axe to grind and are, in addition, so certain of themselves weigh it with the rest–not that it will change their minds.
Or, in the words of Justice Learned Hand, “The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.” That spirit applies in all directions–to the ultra pious and as well as their detractors.
I replied:
Foma [Russian transliteration for 'Tom'], I’m eager to know if you can comment/answer the two points I make below regarding your young actor friend’s report. Note also Bob Rees’ comment.
1. Is there anything available written by Felix Mynheart about his translation efforts from English -> Egyptian –> Afrikaans?
2. Does the Church have his Egyption translation?
Is Mynheart still alive?
Ж
I see that my final question has been answered in this blog, but the first two remain unanswered. Does anyone have “further light and knowledge”?