“Records Which Had Been Handed Down”

Church Educational System

There is a shift from the first person accounts of the early books in the Book of Mormon to the third person account in the book of Mosiah. The books of 1 Nephi through Omni were translated from the small plates of Nephi and are the works of the original writers; consequently, they were written in the first person. The books of Mosiah through 4 Nephi, however, all come from Mormon’s abridgement of the large plates of Nephi. These books are Mormon’s abridgement of the original authors’ records.

Book of Mormon Student Manual (2009 Edition)

References