Reformed Egyptian
- Language used for Nephi's record described. (Small plates specifically, though it is presumed the same language was used for the other records, including the abridgement that became the Book of Mormon)
- 4) For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates; for he having been taught in the language of the Egyptians therefore he could read these engravings, and teach them to his children, that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time.
- 32) And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech.
- Nosmelone, "The Book of Mormon's elusive "reformed Egyptian" may not be so elusive after all", In the Cavity of a Rock, 2 August 2012
- WARD RADIO, "Book of Mormon Reformed Egyptian is Real and This Guy Translated it!", YouTube, 25 Mar 2024
- Information regarding a proposed translation.
- WARD RADIO, "Evidence for the Book of Mormon's 'Reformed Egyptian'!", YouTube, 26 Dec 2023
- Some discussion of the same book without the author.
- Jerry D. Grover, Jr., "Translation of the 'Caractors' Document: Revised and Updated", Book of Mormon Scientific and Linguistic Research
- “Appendix 2, Document 2a. Characters Copied by Oliver Cowdery, circa 1835–1836,” p. [1], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed March 16, 2025, http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-2-document-2a-characters-copied-by-oliver-cowdery-circa-1835-1836/1.
- A document containing Reformed Egyptian characters copied, with their translations. ("Book of Mormon" and "The Interpreters of Languages")
- “Appendix 2, Document 2b. Writings and Characters Copied by Frederick G. Williams, circa Early to Mid-1830s,” p. [1], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed March 2, 2018, http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-2-document-2b-writings-and-characters-copied-by-frederick-g-williams-circa-early-to-mid-1830s/1.
- A document containing Reformed Egyptian characters copied, with their translations. ("Book of Mormon" and "The Interpreters of Languages")
Notes
It is worth noting that, considering the amount of time and social/cultural upheaval that occurred during the time of the Book of Mormon, the Egyptian of Nephi and the Brass Plates is likely to have undergone some evolution and borrowing before Mormon wrote his abridgement. (Though, Mormon's record is likely enough to not be the common language of the Nephites, but rather, a scribal language for record keeping.) The term "Reformed Egyptian" is only used once, by Moroni, to describe the language which was used by he and his father, in creating the text on the gold plates. Nevertheless it would seem obvious that older records written in the Egyptian of Nephi and Lehi are the foundation of this linguistic record keeping tradition that became the Reformed Egyptian of Mormon and Moroni.
Samples
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Facsimile of the Caractors Document. -
A facsimile of characters very similar to the Caractors Document. The first two lines appear to be very substantially the same. The third line looks very substantially different. -
Writings and Characters Copied by Frederick G. Williams, circa Early to Mid-1830s. -
Characters Copied by Oliver Cowdery, circa 1835– 1836.
