Continuing with more
of our reader’s comments and our responses, and information about Royal
Skousen’s Critical Test Project and Webster’s monumental dictionary. And continuing here with words that Skousen wants to change in the Book of Mormon scriptural record:
5. Pitch. “And they came down again that they might pitch battle against the Nephites” (Helaman 1:15).
Skousen: A pitched battle is a
planned military encounter on a prearranged battleground. Thus “they came down
again that they might arrange and get ready for battle.”
On the other hand,
Webster, in listing numerous definitions for “pitch,” also states it means “to
set in array; to marshal or arrange in order; used chiefly in the participle; as a pitched battle.” He
also states it means “to fall headlong, to plunge, as to pitch into battle, to
fall, as to fall upon the enemy.” Could also mean a point of battle, i.e.,
where a battle is to take place or took place; or the “thrusting down to or for
battle,” and also “to stop or light, as to stop and do battle.”
Skousen suggests that
“pitch” here means to set up both sides in array for battle before the battle
begins. However, since the word is used in a sequence of events, i.e., coming
down to the place, then arranging a battle, is out of sequence.
However, that is not
the term used in history.
Recorded in history as a "pitched
battle" at Nanshan in May 1904 when the Japanese attacked under the cover of a
thunderstorm while the Russian commander was away in Moscow consulting with
Tsar Nicholas II, leaving no direct orders for his ground and naval forces
Examples of “pitched
battles,” i.e., “a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of
a war,” of World War II, include the Battle of Nanshan, a vicious land battle
of the Russo-Japanese War in which Japanese forces landed on the Liaotung
peninsula, 60 miles from Port Arthur while the Russian Viceroy Alekseyev was
called to Moscow and not even at the battlefield. Certainly no prearranged
battle was known or expected as the Japanese attacked during a heavy
thunderstorm in May 1904; another “pitched battle,” defined as “a fierce
military engagement on close combat on the ground between two armies at war,
with both intending on fighting the other and not retreating or escaping before
the main engagement that constitutes the battle,” took place and called "a pitched battle" in history is that which occurred at Culloden in Scotland when Bonnie Prince Charlie and his
Jacobites were soundly defeated as they retreated from Derby in England heading
for Inverness in Scotland in August, 1745, and was a running battle against a
retreating army. Perhaps the largest “pitched battle,” was fought in the First
Punic War in 256 B.C., when Rome built 200 ships to carry its legions and
equipment to Carthage; however, having knowledge of the pending sailing, the
Carthaginians caught the Roman fleet (each ship with 300 rowers and 120 combat
troops) off guard at Cape Ecnomus (Licata, Sicily), in what is probably
considered the largest naval battle in history. However, the Roman fleet recovered
from their surprise in time and outmaneuvered the approaching Carthaginians and
after the battle set in to Sicily to rest the troops and repair their fleet. Throughout history, the term "pitched battle" is used not for a pre-arranged battle, but for all sorts of encounters, especially those that were fierce and the fight progressed to the end.
Examples in the
scriptural record show letters or epistles exchanged prior to many movement of
forces; however, many other times the Lamanites were on the march without
knowledge of the Nephites, and at times only an accidental spotting of
approaching Lamanite armies saved the Nephites from serious defeats.
6. Required. “Thy fathers have also required of me this thing” (Enos
1:18).
Two other uses of “required” are
also given:
1. “I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers
and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way” (Ezra 8:22);
2. Alma commanded that
the people of the church should impart of their substance, every one according
to that which he had; if he have more abundantly he should impart more
abundantly; and of him that had but little, but little should be required; and to him that had not should
be given” (Mosiah 18:27)
Skousen shows that the modern
meaning is “force, compulsory” and claims that the word “required” means to do
so by force, though he does admit that maybe in Mosiah 18:27 it just means
requested. If that is so there, then why
not in the others as well, i.e., to request of the Lord? Skousen goes on to
make a joking point of man requiring things of the Lord, i.e., “Lord, I require this of you!”
However, in 1828, Webster shows
the word “reguired” also meant “to ask as a favor, to request by
right and by authority.” Webster even quotes Ezra 8:22 (see above) showing in
this case it could have been rendered “I was ashamed to request the favor of
the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the
way.” In fact, the origin of the word is Latin “require,” means “to seek.”
Thus
what Enos said, “Wherefore,
I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I cried unto him
continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith,
believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it. And
I had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he
covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own
due time.
"And I, Enos, knew it would be
according to the covenant, which he had made; wherefore my soul did rest. And
the Lord said unto me: Thy fathers have also required of me this thing; and it
shall be done unto them according to their faith; for their faith was like unto
thine” (Enos 1:15-18). Obviously, Enos was continually asking (vs 15), which
the Lord agreed to do through a covenant (vs 16), Enos was thus satisfied (vs
17), and the Lord said, thy fathers have also asked this of me, and according
to their faith and that of Enos, it shall be done, i.e., the records will be
preserved.
Thus, once again, the original
word “required” was the correct word that Joseph Smith used and it was written
down by the scribe correctly.
7. Fraction. “behold,
we fear that there is some faction
in the government, that they do not send more men to our assistance”
In this case, the
original word transcribed by Joseph Smith and written down by the scribe was
“fraction,” but was changed during later revisions. However, the word fraction is actually more correct than faction
even though both have separate but acceptable meanings.
Skousen: Faction
means “a party or political society.”
Webster: Fraction
means “act of breaking or state of being broken especially by violence.”
In the case of not providing
assistance to the government, it was not just a part of the government (a
faction) that was impeding the sending of troops, but a complete breakdown (a
fraction) in the government—Pahoran, the Chief Governor, had fled to the land
of Gideon (Alma 61:5) during a rebellion against him and the government (Alma
61:3) that removed him from the judgment-seat (Alma 61:4). During this time Pahoran
sent a proclamation throughout the land and people were flocking to him daily
(Alma 61:6), though the insurgents had possession of Zarahemla and appointed a
king over them (Alma 61:8).
Through an exchange of letters, Moroni learns from Pahoran that the
government had been taken over by king-men and he was in hiding in Gideon
The point here is that the
Nephites were not just dealing with a faction or separate party—but of a
rebellion, a breaking down of the government through violence, i.e., the
government was broken “especially by violence,” not just divided in a
philosophy by a separate faction.
The word “fraction,” as
originally dictated by Joseph Smith and written by the scribe, was correct.
Faction, while a much softer term and not suggesting violent overthrow, which
was what happened, is an all right word—but not as correct as “fraction” despite
Skousen’s making fun of its original use.
(See the next post, “The
Critical Text Project or Webster’s 1828 Dictionary: An Interesting
Comparison-PtVIII,” for more of the reader’s comments and our responses, and
information about Royal Skousen’s project and Webster’s monumental dictionary)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment