I am Alma and am the high priest over the [churches 1|church ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRST] of God throughout the land
The 1830 typesetter replaced the plural churches with the singular church, undoubtedly because he expected the singular “church of God”. But elsewhere in the text there are ten
occurrences of the plural churches that refer to different congregations all belonging to the same organization (indeed to the true church, not different sects, as explained in Mosiah
25:22, cited below):
- Mosiah 25:19
- and it came to pass that king Mosiah granted unto Alma that he might establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla
- Mosiah 25:21
- therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies being called churches / every church having their priests and their teachers
- Mosiah 25:22
- and thus notwithstanding there being many churches
- they were all one church yea even the church of God
- Mosiah 25:22
- for there was nothing preached in all the churches except it were repentance and faith in God
- Mosiah 25:23
- and now there was seven churches in the land of Zarahemla
- Mosiah 25:23
- and it came to pass that whosoever was desirous to take upon them the name of Christ or of God they did join the churches of God
- Mosiah 27:3
- and there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no persecutions among them
- Alma 23:4
- Aaron and his brethren went forth from city to city and from one house of worship to another establishing churches and consecrating priests and teachers throughout the
land
- Alma 45:22
- and it came to pass that they did appoint priests and teachers throughout all the land over all the churches
- Alma 45:23
- after Helaman and his brethren had appointed priests and teachers over the churches ...
Note, in particular, that Mosiah 25:23 has the phrase “the churches of God”, just like originally in Alma 8:23. The use of church with the meaning ‘congregation’ is also found in the New
Testament, as in Romans 16:16 (“the churches of Christ salute you”) and 1 Corinthians 11:16 (“we have no such custom neither the churches of God”).
