JST Mark 15:25 “And they bring him unto the place called Golgotha, which is, (being interpreted,) The place of a burial.”
KJV Mark 15:22 “And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.”
Oh what a tangled web we weave…
In an attempt to erase everything God had ever said, Joseph Smith tried his hand at rewriting the Bible, as well as the other items like the Greek Psalter, Kinderhook Plates, and some Egyptian Papyri…
Portions of Smith’s translation of the Bible (JST) can be found at the LDS website here. Adding to the bedlam of confusion this particular chapter isn’t provided, however, you can find all of it at the Community of Christ website (formerly known as the RLDS).
Lest I digress…back to the mistranslation of Golgotha…
The true transliteration for this comes from the Aramaic word, ‘Golgotha’. Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary defined it this way –
‘the skull; Golgotha, a knoll near Jerusalem :- Golgotha.’
Apparently the small hill is in the shape of a skull, hence its name. The word ‘Calvary’ means the same thing, and comes from the Latin Vulgate translators used.
Smith’s interpretation of Golgotha isn’t remotely close to truth! In addition to being wrong, no one is buried at Golgotha. If he was a true prophet, why didn’t he get this right?
This also makes us wonder why Joe Smith and friends didn’t follow through with the Mormon god’s mandate to rewrite the Bible –
D&C 73:3-4 “Now, verily I say unto you my servants, Joseph Smith, Jun., and Sidney Rigdon, saith the Lord, it is expedient to translate again; 4 And, inasmuch as it is practicable, to preach in the regions round about until conference; and after that it is expedient to continue the work of translation until it be finished.”
Stories abound as to whether or not Smith actually penned rewrites of the Bible, and there are even more stories about the LDS Church owning the copyright. For more info on this topic, you can find exhaustive historical references at Mormon Research Ministry, and MormonThink.
Please, share this truth with a Mormon, and lovingly ask for their opinion on this. If the correct interpretation of Calvary isn’t the focus of Christianity, what is?
With Love in Christ;