Why isn’t the Book of Mormon a history book?

Thomas R. Valletta

“Often the Book of Mormon is described as a history of some ancient inhabitants of the Americas. If it were called a spiritual history, that description might be appropriate but in the traditional use of the term it is incorrect to call the Book of Mormon a history. Neither the Book of Mormon itself nor the Doctrine and Covenants ever calls it a history book. In fact, the Book of Mormon goes to some length to say that it is not a history; the history of the Nephite people was engraved upon another set of plates, commonly referred to as the large plates of Nephi (Jacob 1:2–8; 1 Ne. 9:2–4)” (Nyman, Most Correct Book, 31).

The Book of Mormon Study Guide: Start to Finish

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