Alpha and Omega

Perhaps one of the most serious mistakes made by the author of the Book of Mormon was that of having Jesus quote part of Revelation 21:6 to the Nephites. Below is a comparison of the way the words appear in the book of Revelation and the way they are found in the Book of Mormon.

3 Nephi 9:18 - I am the light and the life of the world. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Revelation 21:6 - And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

The words “Alpha” and “Omega” are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Mormon writer Bruce R. McConkie states: These words, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, are used figuratively to teach the timelessness and eternal nature of our Lord’s existence, . . . (Mormon Doctrine, 1966, p. 31)

The Greek language was used throughout the Roman Empire at the time of Christ; therefore, the New Testament was written in Greek and the words “Alpha” and “Omega” were well understood. The Nephites, however, were supposed to have left Jerusalem 600 years before the time of Christ, and therefore they would not have been familiar with these words. If Jesus had told the Nephites that he was “Alpha and Omega,” it would have had absolutely no meaning to them. When the author of the Book of Mormon took these words from the book of Revelation he evidently did not realize that they were from the Greek language. On May 15, 1843, Joseph Smith wrote a letter in answer to the charge that he had used a Greek word in the Book of Mormon. In this letter he made the following statement:

The error I speak of, is the definition of the word “Mormon.” It has been stated that this word was derived from the Greek word mormo. This is not the case. There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon. (Times and Seasons, vol. 4, p. 194)

J. N. Washburn makes this statement concerning the findings of another Mormon writer:

The Book of Mormon, he finds, does not contain any of the numerous words in the New Testament that are of Greek origin. (Contents, Structure, And Authorship of the Book of Mormon, p. 161)

This statement is certainly incorrect. As we have already shown, the words Alpha and Omega are definitely of Greek origin. The Book of Mormon also contains the name Timothy (3 Nephi 19:4). Timothy is a Greek name and never appears in the Old Testament. In the same verse that we find the name Timothy we also find the name Jonas. Jonas is the New Testament name for Jonah and is found in Matthew 12:39. The appearance of Greek words in the Book of Mormon— especially the words Alpha and Omega—is another evidence that it is not an ancient record, but rather a modern composition.