that the book was "sealed" in the sense that its contents were hidden or kept from public knowledge, The Voree plates were alleged to have been written by an ancient inhabitant of what is now, The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd, Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, List of references to seer stones in the Latter Day Saint movement history, List of plates (Latter Day Saint movement), Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), "History & Culture – Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail (U.S. National Park Service)", "They 'Shall Blossom as the Rose': Native Americans and the Dream of Zion,", "Dating the Restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood", "James Gordon Bennett's 1831 Report on 'The Mormonites, "Archaeological Work at the Smith Log House", "Scrying for the Lord: Magic, Mysticism, and the Origins of the Book of Mormon", Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, "Sacred Writing on Metal Plates in the Ancient Mediterranean", "Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon History", "Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Forty years Ago. Lawrence. [187] One set of plates to which the Book of Mormon refers was "sealed up" in the sense that they were written in a language that could not be read. [42] Within the Latter Day Saint movement there are several apologetic groups that disagree with the skeptics and seek to reconcile the discrepancies in diverse ways. [77], Another of Smith's former treasure-hunting associates, Samuel T. Lawrence, was also apparently aware of the approaching date to obtain the plates, and Smith was concerned that he might cause trouble. One of the more common recent arguments is the limited geography model, which states that the people of the Book of Mormon covered only a limited geographical region in either Mesoamerica, South America, or the Great Lakes area. During the 1870s, according to the Chicago Tribune, the LDS Church unsuccessfully attempted to buy it from Whitmer for a record price. [32] Today, the building in which the Book of Mormon was first published and sold is known as the Book of Mormon Historic Publication Site. [97] Church leaders have frequently restated Smith's claims of the book's significance to the faith. [112] The most prominent modern theory is that Smith composed the translation in response to the provincial opinions of his time,[113] perhaps while in a magical trance-like state. [168] [166] Smith's mother, who said she had "seen and handled" the plates, is quoted as saying they were "eight inches [20 cm] long, and six [15 cm] wide ... all connected by a ring which passes through a hole at the end of each plate". "[137] Many Latter Day Saints believe that the plates will be kept hidden until a future time, when the sealed part will be translated[138] and, according to one early Mormon leader, transferred from the hill to one of the Mormon temples. [18] Other accounts variously state that he used one or more seer stones placed in a top hat. [13] The Community of Christ, however, accepts the Book of Mormon as scripture but no longer takes an official position on the historicity of the golden plates. [14] Some adherents accept the Book of Mormon as inspired scripture but do not believe that it is a literal translation of a physical historical record, even in the more theologically conservative Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).[15]. Events of the Book of Mormon are the focus of several LDS Church films, including The Life of Nephi (1915), How Rare a Possession (1987) and The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd (2000). [71], The book delves into political theology within a Christian or Jewish context. [87], Once home in Manchester, he said he walked to Cumorah, removed the plates from their hiding place, and walked home through the woods and away from the road with the plates wrapped in a linen frock under his arm. In 2015, this remaining portion was published by the Church Historian's Press in its Joseph Smith Papers series, in Volume Three of "Revelations and Translations"; and, in 2017, the LDS Church bought the printer's manuscript for US$35,000,000.[133][134]. [133] There, Smith is said to have placed the plates on a table near "many wagon loads" of other ancient records, and the Sword of Laban hanging on the cave wall. In 2019, Oxford University published Americanist Approaches to The Book of Mormon. [27][31] The Book of Mormon went on sale at the bookstore of E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York on March 26, 1830. [67] The book also states that for nearly 200 years after Jesus' appearance at the temple in the Americas[68] the land was filled with peace and prosperity because of the people's obedience to his commandments. Camera. Mormon is said to have received the charge of taking care of the records that had been hidden, once he was old enough. 2020 page 89. In striking the last man, Joseph said, he injured his thumb. [173] In 1831, a Palmyra newspaper quoted David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses, as having said that the plates were a "whitish yellow color", with "three small rings of the same metal". [citation needed], Sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ownership history: Book of Mormon printer's manuscript, Please expand the article to include this information. The book describes Jesus, prior to his birth, as a spirit "without flesh and blood", although with a spirit "body" that looked similar to how Jesus would appear during his physical life. [100] The translation took place mainly in Harmony, Pennsylvania (now Oakland Township), Emma's hometown, where Smith and his wife had moved in October 1827 with financial assistance from a prominent, though superstitious, Palmyra landowner Martin Harris. [181] Smith's wife Emma never estimated the weight of the plates but said they were light enough for her to "move them from place to place on the table, as it was necessary in doing my work". "Third European edition". [25] After the loss, Smith recorded that he had lost the ability to translate, and that Moroni had taken back the plates to be returned only after Smith repented. Harris later mortgaged his farm to underwrite the printing of the Book of Mormon. [33] The publisher charged $3,000 for the production cost (wholesale to the author Joseph Smith at 60 cents per book). Such films in Mormon cinema (i.e., films not officially commissioned by the LDS Church) include The Book of Mormon Movie, Vol. This is text book circular reasoning. [158] According to later statements ascribed to Martin Harris, he viewed the plates in a vision and not with his "natural eyes. However, DNA evidence shows no Near Eastern component in the Native American genetic make-up. "[110], At the 2007 Community of Christ World Conference, church president Stephen M. Veazey ruled out-of-order a resolution to "reaffirm the Book of Mormon as a divinely inspired record." [140] Apparently, Whitmer was aware of expeditions at Cumorah to locate the sealed portion of the plates through "science and mineral rods," which, he said, "testify that they are there. Smith reluctantly acceded to Harris's requests. & Rosenvall, David L. (ed)", "How the Guide to English Pronunciation of Book of Mormon Names Came About", "News of the Church: First Presidency Emphasizes Following Christ's Example", "Lights. Smith himself implied that he read the plates directly using spectacles prepared by the Lord for the purpose of translating. They run counter to the dominant literal interpretation of the text and contradict popular folklore as well as the clear pronouncements of all church presidents since the time of Joseph Smith", Joseph Smith stated that the "title page is not by any means a modern composition either of mine or of any other man's who has lived or does live in this generation. COLAVITO, J. Interspersed throughout the narrative are sermons and orations by various speakers, making up just over 40 percent of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is divided into smaller books, titled after the individuals named as primary authors and, in most versions, divided into chapters and verses. Mormon is eventually killed after having handed down the records to his son Moroni. The Book of Mormon; An Account Written By the Hand of Mormon Upon Plates Taken From the Plates of Nephi. But have you ever considered studying it theologically? The RLDS 1908 edition, RLDS 1966 edition, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot) edition, and Restored Covenant editions use the RLDS system while most other current editions use the LDS system. "[142], According to some sources, Smith initially intended that the first authorized witness be his firstborn son;[143] but this child was stillborn in 1828. For example, it has been theorized that the plates were fashioned by Smith or one of his associates,[16] that Smith had the ability to convince others of their existence through illusions or hypnosis,[17] or that witnesses were having ecstatic visions. Knocking the man down with a single punch, Joseph ran as fast as he could for about a half mile before he was attacked by a second man trying to get the plates. "Revised Authorized Version", based on 1908 Authorized Version, 1837 edition and original manuscript. [81] When citizens referred to as "king-men" attempted to overthrow a democratically elected government and establish an unrighteous king, the book praises a military commander who executed pro-monarchy citizens who had vowed to destroy the church of God and were unwilling to defend their country from hostile invading forces. [57] Jesus is described as "the Father and the Son". [19] During the translating process itself, Smith sometimes separated himself from his scribe with a blanket between them. If Lawrence attempted to leave, the elder Smith was to tell him that his son would "thrash the stumps with him" if he found him at the hill. Many other prophets in the book write of the reality of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The writings were said to describe a people whom God had led from Jerusalem to the Western hemisphere 600 years before Jesus' birth. [30] Smith said that he then returned the plates to Moroni upon the publication of the book. Emma said she "felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. The translation was completed at the Whitmer home. References to animals, plants, metals and technologies in the Book of Mormon that archaeological or scientific studies have found no evidence of in post-, This page was last edited on 12 February 2021, at 00:53. Smith enlisted his neighbor Martin Harris as a scribe during his initial work on the text. [66] Smith said he was told to return the following year (1825) with the "right person" but the angel did not tell Smith who that person might be. Smith reportedly told Harris that Smith "would go into the woods where the Book of Plates was, and that after he came back, Harris should follow his tracks in the snow, and find the Book, and examine it for himself"; after following these directions, however, Harris could not find the plates (, To qualify as a witness, Harris had to “humble himself in mighty prayer and faith” (, In June 1829, around the time these eleven additional witnesses were selected, Smith dictated a revelation commanding, According to Smith's mother, upon hearing news in June 1929 that Smith had completed the translation of the plates (, For instances of people testifying to having seen the golden plates, Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 27:7. [86], Additionally, European settlers viewed the impressive earthworks left behind by the Mound Builder culture and had difficulty believing that the Native Americans, whose numbers had been decimated over the previous centuries, could have produced them. [14] As of 2011, more than 150 million copies of the Book of Mormon had been printed. They were ... bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. [58] When Smith once again raised the stone and attempted to retrieve the plates, he said that he was stricken by a supernatural force that hurled him to the ground as many as three times. The themes of the dislocation and decentring are coming to greater relevance in a globalised world. The two most significant are the LDS system, introduced in 1879, and the RLDS system, which is based on the original 1830 chapter divisions.[135]. --> William agreed that the plates could be rustled with one's thumb like the pages of a book. Smith's description of these events recounts that he was allowed to take the plates on September 22, 1827, exactly four years from that date, and was directed to translate them into English. In 2011, a long-running religious satire musical titled The Book of Mormon, written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in collaboration with Robert Lopez, premiered on Broadway, winning nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. [171] When the Book of Mormon was published in 1830, the Eight Witnesses described the plates as having "the appearance of gold". [15] The 50 millionth copy was printed in 1990, with the 100 millionth following in 2000 and reaching 150 million in 2011.[15]. Some time in the early morning hours, he said that he retrieved the plates and hid them in a hollow log on or near Cumorah. In 2003, a South Park episode titled "All About Mormons" parodied the origins of the Book of Mormon.[160]. [111] That theory is repudiated by Smith's preeminent modern biographers. [61], In response to his question, Smith said the angel appeared and told him he could not receive the plates because he "had been tempted of the advisary and saught the Plates to obtain riches and kept not the commandments that I should have an eye single to the Glory of God" [sic]. [2] Some witnesses described the plates as weighing from 30 to 60 pounds (14 to 27 kg),[3] gold in color, and composed of thin metallic pages engraved with hieroglyphics on both sides and bound with three D-shaped rings.[4]. Translations into languages without a tradition of writing (e.g., Kaqchikel, Tzotzil) are available on audio cassette. Although 13 months elapsed, the actual translation time was less than 65 actual days of translating. (, In March 1829, Martin Harris returned to Harmony and wanted to see the plates firsthand. [15], According to Joseph Smith, he was seventeen years of age when an angel of God named Moroni appeared to him[16] and said that a collection of ancient writings was buried in a nearby hill in present-day Wayne County, New York, engraved on golden plates by ancient prophets. [162], The plates were said to be bound at one edge by a set of rings. [66] At another place, the faithful members of the church at the time of Captain Moroni (73 BC) were called "Christians" by their enemies, because of their belief in Jesus Christ. And historically accurate books to read and listen to. [36] Community of Christ, 2007. [71] In January 1827, Smith visited the hill and then told his parents that the angel had severely chastised him for not being "engaged enough in the work of the Lord,"[72] which may have meant that he had missed his annual visit to the hill in 1826. The first witnesses were a group of three: "The Mormon sources constantly refer to the single most troublesome item in Joseph Smith's history, the gold plates on which the Book of Mormon was said to be written.". The second phase began sporadically in early 1829 and then in earnest in April 1829 with the arrival of Oliver Cowdery, a schoolteacher who volunteered to serve as Smith's full-time scribe. The book's sequence is primarily chronological based on the narrative content of the book. The original 1830 publication did not have verse markers, although the individual books were divided into relatively long chapters. [68] For the visit on September 22, 1825, Smith may have attempted to bring his treasure-hunting associate Samuel T. Only close associates of Smith were allowed to become official witnesses to the plates; he invited no strangers to view them. Since its first publication and distribution, critics of the Book of Mormon have claimed that it was fabricated by Smith[8][9][10] and that he drew material and ideas from various sources rather than translating an ancient record. Its structure shows elaborate design, its narrative is spun coherently, and it demonstrates throughout a unity of purpose. (2003). For instance, although Martin Harris continued to testify to the truth of the Book of Mormon even when he was estranged from the church, at least during the early years of the movement, he "seems to have repeatedly admitted the internal, subjective nature of his visionary experience. Whenever he found his speech growing too modern -- which was about every sentence or two -- he ladled in a few such Scriptural phrases as "exceeding sore," "and it came to pass," etc., and made things satisfactory again. ", "Katharine Smith Salisbury's Recollections of Joseph's Meetings with Moroni", Elders' Journal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, "One of the Three Witnesses: Incidents in the Life of Martin Harris", "Review of Little Known Evidences of the Book of Mormon by Brenton G. Yorgason", "Mormonism: Authentic Account of the Origin of The Sect from One of the Patriarchs", "Martin Harris: Mormonism's Early Convert", "An Address to All Believers in Christ By A Witness to the Divine Authenticity of the, "An Old Mormon's Closing Hours: David Whitmer, One of the Pioneers of That Faith, Passing Away", "Trying to Be Saints—Treasures of the Everlasting Hills—The Hill Cumorah—Obedience to True Principle the Key to Knowledge—All Enjoyment Comes from God—Organization—Duties of Officers—Final Results", List of Reorganized Restorationist churches, Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) history, Doctrine and Covenants (Book of Commandments), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golden_plates&oldid=1005437213, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2009, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2008, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 February 2021, at 17:29. Harris followed the directions but could not find the plates. Smith said that the plates were engraved in an unknown language, and he told associates that he was capable of reading and translating them. [108], As of October 2020, the LDS Church has published more than 192 million copies of the Book of Mormon.[109]. The following versions are published online: Although some earlier unpublished studies had been prepared, not until the early 1970s was true textual criticism applied to the Book of Mormon. [130] The manuscript was imaged in 1923 and was recently made available for viewing online. [70] The Book of Mormon claims this meant that the Nephites and other remnants of the lost tribes of Israel throughout the world were to be visited by Jesus after his resurrection. In addition, Smith once believed in the authenticity of a set of engraved metal plates called the Kinderhook plates,[204] although these plates turned out to be a hoax by non-Mormons who sought to entice Smith to translate them in order to discredit his reputation. One aspect of that effort entailed digitizing the text and preparing appropriate footnotes, another aspect required establishing the most dependable text. The LDS Church produced Book of Mormon Videos for YouTube. [69], Smith said that he visited the hill "at the end of each year" for four years after the first visit in 1823,[70] but there is no record of him being in the vicinity of Palmyra between January 1826 and January 1827, when he returned to New York from Pennsylvania with his new wife. [152] The four also said they heard "the voice of the Lord" telling them that the translation of the plates was correct, and commanding them to testify of what they saw and heard. [206], Some Latter Day Saints, especially those within the Community of Christ, have doubted the historicity of the golden plates and downplayed their significance. (2013). [81] At the same time, Smith said he received a pair of large spectacles he called the Urim and Thummim or "Interpreters," with lenses consisting of two seer stones, which he showed his mother when he returned in the morning. Exceptions include the Words of Mormon and the Book of Ether. [114] As a matter of faith, Latter Day Saints generally view the translation process as either an automatic process of transcribing text written within the stone[115] or an intuitive translation by Smith, assisted by a mystical connection with God, through the stone. The Book of Mormon has occasionally been analyzed in a non-religious context for its literary merits. [129], In early June 1829, the unwanted attentions of locals around Harmony necessitated Smith's move to the home of David Whitmer and his parents in Fayette, New York. Part 5: Mike gives Nabeel a book to read, More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. [139], David Whitmer is quoted as stating that he saw just the untranslated portion of the plates sitting on the table with the sword (and also a breastplate). This small book, said to be written in AD 385 by Mormon, is a short introduction to the books of Mosiah, Alma, Helaman, Third Nephi, and Fourth Nephi. The Book of Mormon is often read chronologically, historically, or doctrinally. The Zarahemla Research Foundation publishes a 48-page booklet titled "Book of Mormon Chapter & Verse: RLDS–LDS Conversion Table" to enable readers of an LDS edition to find references from an RLDS edition and vice versa. 1: The Journey (2003) and Passage to Zarahemla (2007). [149] During the second half of June 1829,[150] Smith took Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer (known collectively as the Three Witnesses)[151] into woods in Fayette, New York, where they said they saw an angel holding the golden plates and turning the leaves.

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