If The Book of Mormon is false then why does the Bible make reference to it?

A Seemingly Strange Story Illuminated
Review of The Book of Mormon and Other Hidden Books: by John A. Tvedtnes
Reviewed By: Kevin L. Barney
Provo, Utah: FARMS, 2001. Pp. 1—20
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Finley would like to be able to follow Torczyner in taking deleth in Ostracon IV.3 merely as a sheet of papyrus or parchment, precisely as the term is used in Jeremiah 36:23.22 But the scholarly literature forces him to acknowledge the view of many scholars, based on Uga ritic and Phoenician parallels, that deleth here may refer to some sort of writing tablet.23 Finley does not seem to fully appreciate that the conclusion of the scholarship he cites is the very basis of Nibley's conjecture. He concludes this part of his argument, "It is unlikely that the wax notebooks used by the ancient scribes ever amounted to anything like an �ancient codex form' with �joined pages of wood, ivory, or metal.'" Here, though, he simply displays his ignorance of the construction of ancient wooden writing tablets. Such tablets were indeed joined together by leather or metal hinges (and in fact were put together very much like doors). The outer edge of the boards was raised so that the wax writing surface on the face of the boards would not be affected when the leaves were brought together into the closed position (precisely the way one would close a modern book along its spine). And while it is true that most such writing tablets were made of wood, they could also be made of ivory or metal, as Nibley indicates.24 I would freely concede that Nibley's argument is based on "scant evidence" and is a "speculation," as he himself stated. Never the less, Nibley's argument remains a distinct possibility, and Finley's failure to fully grasp Nibley's argument seems to have been based on his own fundamental ignorance of ancient writing tablets.25

22. In my view, Finley is correct (contra Nibley's tentative suggestion) that a scroll is involved in the Jeremiah text. Three or four columns were cut from the scroll at a time, which then burned in the fire; this does not suggest anything other than a papyrus or parchment roll (notwithstanding Nibley's focus on the use of a knife to do the cutting). Conversely, I believe that Nibley (contra Finley's preference) is correct that deleth in Lachish Letter IV.3 most likely refers to some sort of writing tablet. Note in this case that the writing was "on the deleth" (>al ha-deleth), which does not work if deleth means "column" here. There would be no reason to call a roll of papyrus or parchment itself a deleth; the word only works in that context if it is a reference to one or more columns. Finley cites A. Baumann as taking deleth as "columns of a scroll" for Jeremiah but a "slate" or "board covered with writing" for the Lachish Letter; I agree with the distinction in usage Baumann draws here.

23. In addition to the sources noted by Finley, note also that Semitic deleth comes into Greek as deltos, "writing tablet." The triangular capital letter delta was in the shape of a certain type of ancient writing tablet.

24. For a basic explanation of the construction of wooden writing boards, see Keith Meservy, "Ezekiel's &#65533;Sticks,'" Ensign (September 1977): 22-27, and "Ezekiel's Sticks and the Gathering of Israel," Ensign (February 1987): 4-13. Brian E. Keck, "Ezekiel 37, Sticks, and Babylonian Writing Boards: A Critical Reappraisal," Dialogue 23/1 (1990): 126-38, rejects both (1) the Septuagint tradition that translates the Hebrew word >&#65533;ts in Ezekiel 37 with Greek rabdos ("rod"), as well as (2) the targumim, which translate that word with Ara maic luha< ("tablet, writing board"). Keck would take >&#65533;ts in that passage as literally referring to a "stick" one would pick up off the ground, seeing this as a highly symbolic action. While I would agree with Keck's rejection of Meservy's Akkadian linguistic argument, I nevertheless would follow the targumic tradition as a much more meaningful symbol of the reunification of the divided kingdoms (i.e., the folding together of the leaves of a wooden writing board). This would enable the two sticks actually to become "one stick" [le>&#65533;ts <ECHÅD]< i>in Ezekiel's hand in the presence of the people. No similarly symbolic effect would be possible with two twigs.

25. Finley writes, "My understanding is that the &#65533;notebooks' to which he refers were covered with wax." While this is a correct statement, it is hardly controversial, so his qualification with the words "my understanding" appears to reflect some uncertainty on his part as to how these tablets worked and were assembled. Finley quotes Baumann, who described "the common folded double boards" as being "very similar in appearance to a double door." Finley was apparently unable to conceptualize what Baumann was describing, which was no doubt the basis for Nibley's allusion to the "ancient codex form."

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