THE 21 “SMOKING GUNS”

THE 21 "SMOKING GUNS" - unfootnoted alterations in the text and collation that exceed the prime directive limiting changes to spelling, capitalization and punctuation:

(These discrepancies were originally gathered by scholar Merit Horne, and comments are based upon the proposed footnotes that have been prepared by him.)

[1] Collation change: 1. The Foreword: As you can see, in the original 1955 printing of the Urantia Papers, the Foreword was placed as a foreword to Part I. From the second printing on, the Foreword was moved to precede the entire text.

[2]. Page 3: In perfection type number 5, the word "other" was removed from all printings after 1955.

[3]. On page 125: The 1955 printing used the singular "zone" here. In the second (1967) and subsequent printings, the plural was used. The plural does agree with the verb "are" and seems consistent with the sense of the paragraph.

PART II:

[4]. On page 413: The 1955 printing varies from all later printings in that it has the word "secondary," where all others read "tertiary." While both a secondary and a tertiary Circuit Supervisor are assigned to the supervision of a single local universe's circuits, only the tertiary Circuit Supervisor is located on the local universe headquarters sphere; the secondary Circuit Supervisor is located on the superuniverse headquarters. (See page 265). Therefore, "tertiary Universe Circuit Supervisor" does appear to be the correct description of Andovontia.

[5]. On page 449: In the seventh and later printings, "Adjusters" was changed to "Adjuster". It seems clear that "you" and "your" as used in this paragraph are plural pronouns (referring to the readers as a class: the ascending sons of God), and not singular (referring to the reader as an individual); therefore "Adjusters" must likewise be plural.

[6.] On page 460: The 1955 edition states "sixty thousand" while the second and subsequent printings have been changed to "forty thousand." Textual consistency does require "forty," as page 459 (Section 4, par. 1) states that our sun is about 1.5 times the density of water, or about .054 pounds per cubic inch, and 40,000 times this is about 2,160 pounds per cubic inch (which is also equivalent to 60,000 times the density of water).

[7]. On page 474: The 1955 edition placed a capital "Y" here-, it was replaced by "gamma" in all later printings. It is likely that the Greek letter "y" (gamma) was mistakenly transposed into "Y" at some point in the preparation of the text.

[8]. On page 477: Two changes from the 1955 edition were made in all subsequent printings. In the original, "less" was changed to "more," and "from two to three" was changed to "almost two:" "Each atom is a trifle over 1/100,000,000th of an inch in diameter, while an electron weighs a little (less) (changed to "more") than 1/2,000th of the smallest atom, hydrogen. The positive proton, characteristic of the atomic nucleus, while it may be no larger than a negative electron, weighs (from two to three) (changed to "almost two") thousand times more." The revised wording is more consistent with the statement in the paragraph following the subject paragraph (page 477), where the author states that a proton is "eighteen hundred times as heavy as an electron." This is also in accord with current scientific opinion which places the ratio at 1,836.109. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th edition, Chicago, 1977, Vol. 5, p. 80.)

[9]. On page 478: In all printings after the first, "well-nigh" was placed before "instantaneous." It is unclear how this addition would correct an earlier error.

[10]. On page 486: The 1955 printing reads "four thousand years," in all subsequent printings, "four" was changed to "forty." "Forty" does appear to be correct (see page 1316, section 7, par. 2).

[11]. On page 530: In the 7th (1981) and subsequent printings, "in charge of" was changed to "in the charge of." Though it is a less common construction than the active formulation, "in charge of" (without the article "the" inserted), may be used in this passive sense. Another instance of this construction occurs on page 827.

[12]. On page 608: In the second (1967) and following printings, "681,227" was changed to "681,217," presumably because of the reference on page 581: "Since the inception of the system of Satania, thirteen Planetary Adams have been lost in rebellion and default and 681,204 in the subordinate positions of trust." It does appear that one of the numbers is in error, but whether 681,227 should be reduced to 681,217, or 681,204 should be increased to 681,214 is not apparent from the text.

[13]. On page 636: In the third and subsequent printings, the plural form "entertain" was replaced with the singular "entertains." Both the 1934 Webster's International Dictionary and the 1933 Oxford English Dictionary attest that "none" as a pronoun commonly takes the plural verb.

PART III:

[14]. On page 806: After the 1955 printing, "sometime" was changed to "sometimes." The predictive "sometime" seems to be more consistent with the context. To paraphrase: "...philosophy eventually becomes the chief pursuit of the citizens of the ideal state," while "sometimes" conveys the impression that "...philosophy occasionally becomes the chief pursuit of the citizens of the ideal state."

[15]. On page 827: In the second (1967) and succeeding printings, "between" was changed to "among. The original is also correct because "between" can appropriately be used when more than two objects are related, especially if the relationship is to each object individually rather than in an indeterminate way to the group. Here, the relationship is the division of time between world capitals; it is immaterial that there are more than two capitals involved.

[16]. On page 883: The 1955 printing placed "west" at this location rather than "east." Because the term does not appear to be a title for the Western Hemisphere, "east" has been used in all subsequent printings.

[17]. On page 1182: In printings six through nine, due to an error in re-setting type, "eternity" was written "eternal." This error was corrected in the tenth printing.

[18]. On page 1317: The phrase "in the manger" was deleted in the second and all subsequent printings, leaving the sentence: "These men of God visited the newborn child." However, it is possible that Joseph and Mary might have taken the manger with them up to the room in the inn in order to continue to have a cradle for Jesus.

PART IV.

[19]. On page 1363: In the second and following printings, this was changed to: "Far to the east they could discern the Jordan valley and far beyond lay the rocky hills of Moab."

[20]. On page 1849.- The 1955 text stated that Lazarus remained at Bethany "until the day of the crucifixion of Jesus." This was changed to "until the week ..." in the second printing. The latter reading is consistent with the later narrative (at pages 1897 para 1, 1909 last para, and 1927 last para) which would place the time of Lazarus's flight between Tuesday at midnight (when his death was decreed by the Sanhedrin) and Wednesday evening (when "certain ones" at the camp "knew that Lazarus had taken hasty flight from Bethany") - two days before the crucifixion of Jesus.

[21]. On page 1943: In the second printing, "apostles" was substituted for the original "twelve" at this point. Because Judas had left earlier, there were only eleven apostles present for the establishment of the remembrance supper, so "apostles" seems more appropriate.