Ok Kaztpur, this is one for you...Church" and "Synagogue"
The word "
church" first occurs in 1 Nephi 4:26, where a prophet named Nephi disguises himself as Laban, a prominent man in Jerusalem whom Nephi had slain:
And he [Laban's servant], supposing that I spake of the brethren of the church, and that I was truly that Laban whom I had slain, wherefore he did follow me. (
1 Nephi 4:26) This exchange allegedly happened in Jerusalem, around 600 B.C. What Reformed Egyptian phrase would have been translated as "brethren of the church"? The entire concept is unfamiliar to Judaism of that era.
A similar difficulty occurs with the word "
synagogue", found for example in Alma 16:13:
And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews. (
Alma 16:13) Most biblical scholars believe that synagogues did not exist before the destruction of the temple and the
Babylonian captivity, and hence would be unknown to the people of the Book of Mormon, said to have fled
Jerusalem around 600 B.C. Church" and "Synagogue"
Reference:
The Ultimate Church - American History Information Guide and Reference
Melissa G