Documentary Hypothesis and the Book of Mormon

by Robert Rosskopf

There are several contradictions within the first five books of Moses, as the same events are often told twice. This has led some scholars to believe that the books were written by multiple authors many years after the time of Moses. The science of determining authorship is known as Documentary Hypothesis. There is evidence that the first five books of Moses were the results of combining two or more previous records - written by different authors - from the Kingdoms of Israel, and Judah. Presumably, whoever joined the source documents didn't know which was more correct, or if indeed either was, so they included both. The Book of Mormon is strong evidence of this dual authorship, for it contains all of the aspects of the Israelite version, and virtually none of the Jewish version. In the Israelite version we have the story of the brazen serpent. In the Jewish version we have the stories of the ark of the covenant. In the Israelite version, we have Elohim as the name of God - in the Jewish version we have Jehovah. The Israelite or "E" version emphasizes Moses as a hero. The Jewish or "J" version emphasizes Aaron as a hero. The "E" version shows the birthright given to Joseph's son Ephraim, while the "J" version shows it given to Judah. The "J" version prohibits only molten images, while the "E" version also prohibits graven images. There are several more differences...
It is also strong evidence for the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, as Lehi had the brass plates which contained the five books of Moses, and the words of many other prophets including some of Jeremiah's words. It came from the lineage of Joseph, who was an Israelite, as Lehi was descended from Joseph. Lehi's ancestor, like Jeremiah's, escaped Israel before its demise, and went and lived among the Jews. So the Book of Mormon emphasizes all of those things emphasized by the Israelite version, and virtually none of the Jewish version.(1)

(1) The first person to apply Documentary Hypothesis to the Book of Mormon was George Potter. A full treatment of this subject can be found in chapter 10 his book, "Ten More Amazing Discoveries".