Mormons insert provided a transition from nephis small plates to mormons. This opening book in the book of mormon masterfully weaves together facts. The abridgments, quotations, and original writings of those book of mormon historians are displayed on. Sometimes, smith dictated to harris from upstairs or from a different room. Golden plates to book of mormon more about the plates the pages were thin sheets of metal. Most latterday saints know the essential story of the coming forth of the book of mormon, but there are scores of fascinating details of the saga that are seldom told. An outline of the textual structure of the book of mormon by j. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. Unfortunately, the book of mormon does not tell us how or when king mosiah received the brother of jareds interpreters. The plates were written in a language called reformed egyptian. The plates joseph received were written on directly by 11 different people. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be linked. They were reportedly returned to the angel moroni or to a secret cave hidden inside of hill cumorah.
Considered the oldest book in the history of mankind, it dates to 500 bc and perhaps even earlier. The sealed portion of the book of mormon brunson20. A true testimony of the book of mormon comes from reading it and, as counseled by moroni in a promise he left to us in moroni 10. Because the plates were written in a language comparable to hebrew, sjodahl had fourteen pages of the english book of mormon translated into hebrew and written out. Kimball in 1856 recorded that the book of mormon plates were returned into a depository cave or room. They wrote about jesus christ and about how to keep the commandments. The small plates of nephi and the words of mormon religious. And for this intent shall they gothat they may be persuaded that jesus is the christ, the son of the living god. How did joseph smith translate the plates from which the book. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which is believed to contain writings of ancient prophets who lived on american continent from approx. The king james quotations in the book of mormon, the history of the text of the book of mormon.
Book of mormon stories mormon writes on the golden. The book of lehi section of the plates deserves special consideration here. Four kinds of metal record plates are spoken of in the book itself. Brass plates 2 mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Brown connects many littleknown historical fragments with more familiar accounts to present the most complete narrative to date on the restoration and. How did joseph smith translate the plates from which the. Title page of the book of mormon submitted to the library of congress for registration. Since then, researchers have found several examples of ancient metal plates, gold plates, and plates with rings. Records on metal plates are becoming a fairly common archeological find. The abridgments, quotations, and original writings of those book of mormon historians are displayed on the lefthand and middle columns of this chart and are then shown in relation to the new set of plates produced by mormon and moroni that was delivered to joseph smith by the angel moroni. Of course, the words of other prophets and leaders were recorded on the plates by these 11.
We are assured the time will come for the sealed portion to be translated, but that day is not yet here. Its a common misconception by people outside the church that joseph smith was the only person who ever saw the golden plates. The book of mormon an account written by the hand of mormon upon plates. Mormon writes book of mormon stories on the golden plates many prophets wrote on the golden plates. The remaining plates are of a paper composite material colored gold but with no inscriptions.
Moroni burying the gold plates action figure deseret book. Does the church have a position on the rumor that someone. Some often joke derisively, oh if only joseph had thought to actually show someone else those plates instead of keeping them to himself, maybe we might believe him. The book of mormon comes forth presents a sharpened picture of an important segment of lds history. Check out book of mormon centrals new video, detailing the historical evidence for the existence of the book of mormon golden plates. The book of mormon claims that jesuss atonement provided for the immortality for all people. How did the book of mormon golden plates get to new york. Grandin, 1830, but is a different setting of type and lacks imprint statement. She recalled that they were pliable like thick paper but rustled with a metallic sound when they were moved. The book of mormon was translated and published in 1830. Finding records on plates in a specific area during a specific time frame is a little more challenging. Said another way, the book of mormon represents far less than half of what was recorded on the plates by moroni. After several unsuccessful attempts, smith said he dug up the gold plates on september 22, 1827. Sjodahl journal of book of mormon studies 101 2001.
As a member of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints studying the book of mormon at byu, i have learned many things concerning how to live a good life. This record was later abridged by mormon and inscribed onto gold plates from which joseph smith. Js may have created separate characters documents for different purposes. Jss history added that he was commanded not to show the plates to anyone. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of. The men who wrote on them referred to them as these plates, while referring to the large plates held by the kings as the other plates. Dec 07, 2017 first, it refers to the original writings on the plates. In the first book of the book of mormon, 1st nephi, there is a story concerning an individual, our prophet, lehi, and his sons nephi, laman and lemuel. Although the large plates were intended for the more secular history of the nephites, it is obvious from the version available in the book of mormon that there was a good deal of spiritual content as well. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian prophethistorians from around the year ad 400. According to the book of mormon, the plates of nephi, consisting of the large plates of nephi and the small plates of nephi, are a portion of the collection of inscribed metal plates which make up the record of the nephites. Two top plates are made of brass and imprinted with reformed egyptian characters. But many people forgot jesus christ and didnt follow him anymore.
Joseph did not need the plates physically present to translate, since the translation was done by revelation. After the translation was completed, however, joseph reported. This led to a number of attempts to steal the plates from the smiths. A painting depicting gold plates by jerry thompson. They remained safe until moroni, as a heavenly messenger, returned in 1827 and delivered the sacred records to the prophet joseph smith. The title page of the book of mormon refers to its primary records as abridgments. Archaeological and historical evidence where are the. An outline of the textual structure of the book of mormon. Today, however, critics almost universally admit that there are numerous examples of ancient writing on metal plates.
But to achieve exaltation or godhood it is available only to mormons who obey the teachings specific to the book of mormon. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates also called the gold plates or in some 19thcentury literature, the golden bible are the source from which joseph smith claimed to have translated the book of mormon, a sacred text of the faith. Nephi made two sets of platesthe large plates and the small plates. But second, joseph is clarifying that this was the title page of the original book of mormon. The book of mormon setting is in or nearby new york.
These plates, unknown when the book of mormon was published since they were discovered n 1933, have long been held as proof of the plausibility of ancient records engraved on gold plates. Once we have lived up to the revelations we have now, it is far more likely we will be given more from those plates. Gold plates by jerry thompson what was mormons purpose in writing the book of mormon. Other metals were used to make tablets, plates, and scrolls for recording special histories or ceremonial events. According to the prophet joseph smith, the titlepage of the book of mormon is a literal translation, taken from the very last leaf, on the. Jul 20, 2018 i obtained them and the urim and thummim with them, by the means of which i translated the plates and thus came the book of mormon. He includes in his narrative the visit of the angel moroni.
Gold plates by jerry thompson what was mormons purpose. Language the language on the plates is called reformed egyptian. Because the plates were written in a language comparable to. The first part of our book of mormon, from first nephi through.
Book of mormon stories mormon writes on the golden plates. Nov 03, 2017 joseph smith claimed he translated the book of mormon from a set of golden plates that were given to him by an angel named moroni. Joseph smith claimed he translated the book of mormon from a set of golden plates that were given to him by an angel named moroni. The books within the book of mormon from the words of mormon to fourth nephi, are taken from mormons abridgment of the large plates.
The first part of our present book of mormon 1 nephi through the words of mormon comes from the small plates. If the book of mormon plates were made of tumbaga, they were probably between 8 and 12 carat gold and thus would have weighed between 53 and 86 pounds. Joseph smith himself wrote his own history, which is included in our scripturesjoseph smith history 1. Inspired to add the small plates of nephi to his own record, mormon. Mormons foresight in providing two different accounts of the same period of.
The plates are made of a coppergold alloy and are held together by three d. The various plates and records referred to in the book of mormon and used in making it are 1 the plates of brass. The various plates and records referred to in the book of mormon and used in. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates also called the gold plates or in some 19thcentury literature, the golden bible are the source from which joseph smith said he translated the book of mormon, a sacred text of the faith. The golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold the golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold, new era, july. Replica gold plates book of mormon book of mormon, book. The plates are made of a coppergold alloy and are held together by three dshaped rings, forming a sort of book. Dimensions according to joseph, the book was 6 x 8 x 6 and each plate was thinner than common tin. Emma smith on the physical characteristics of the book of mormon plates. Janne sjodahl discusses how the book of mormon would have taken up less space on the plates than in its current translated and printed form. These records were later abridged to create the plates of mormon, or the gold plates that joseph smith translated. This depository cave or room and the event of seeing and being inside this cave, according to heber c. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which joseph smith.
Text matches the title page of the first edition of the book of mormon, palmyra. A righteous man named ammaron hid the golden plates so they would be safe. The urim and thummim was preserved in a stone box, along with the gold plates, for over 1,500 years for the purpose of enabling joseph to. This agreement would come back to haunt smith when these men felt that they should have a share in the book of mormon gold plates. The fact that they were buried in stone boxes may also be compelling and significant. The book was discovered around 1943 in a tomb in the valley of the struma river in bulgaria. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the. The book of mormon is a sacred record of peoples in ancient america, and was engraved upon sheets of metal. The book of mormon an account written by the hand of. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian prophethistorians from around the year.
Confusion about the golden plates the book of mormon in. The golden plates are often confused with the brass plates, which while important to the book of mormon, are not the same thing. That is why it is so important to look at what the title page tells us was in the original book of mormon. Dec 31, 20 if the book of mormon plates were made of tumbaga, they were probably between 8 and 12 carat gold and thus would have weighed between 53 and 86 pounds.
Moroni finished the record of his father mormon 8 and 9, abridged the twentyfour gold plates of ether, wrote his own book, wrote part of the title page, and added a large amount which was sealed and not translated by joseph smith. Mar 09, 2010 the book of mormon setting is in or nearby new york. Book of mormon pronunciation guide retrieved 20120225, ipa ified from i. The plates that joseph smith received were the golden plates, the official record and history abridgement that was translated into what was published as the book of mormon. Much is made of the fact that joseph used a seer stone, which he placed in a hat, to dictate the text of the book of mormon without viewing the plates directly. Some witnesses described the plates as weighing from 30 to 60 pounds 14 to 27 kg, golden in color, and composed of thin metallic pages. Book of mormontranslationlocation of the plates fairmormon. In an 1879 interview, emma smith described the plates of mormon, which she had once felt beneath the linen cloth that covered them. The book of mormon tells how he hid the golden plates in the earth at hill cumorah. Mormon and moroni, the book says, had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of metal plates. In contrast, the book of lehi had been written by an entirely different line of record. How did the book of mormon golden plates get to new. Many ancient documents such as king benjamins speech or the plates of brass were quoted or abridged by the ancient authors who compiled the books found on the small and large plates of nephi. Witnesses of the golden plates and the book of mormon.
Replica gold plates book of mormon book of mormon, book of. The book of mormon plates religious studies center. Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is his translation of an ancient book written on gold plates that he found buried in a hill. Mar 01, 2011 the first third of the set contained two records. First, it refers to the original writings on the plates.
Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle. The video is the third in book of mormon centrals evidence video series, the two previous videos being one on the archaeological evidence for the place called nahom, mentioned by nephi 1 nephi 16. The book of mormon an account written by the hand of mormon. These include endowments, celestial marriage, and specific tithing. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon.
In the past critics of the book of mormon have attacked the alleged absurdity of the book of mormon having been written on golden plates and its claim of the existence of an early sixth century b. The book of mormon was written by many ancient prophets who recorded their words on different sets of metal plates. Taken from the plates of nephi hardcover antique books, 1920. According to the book of mormon, nephi was sent back to jerusalem after his family had travelled for three days. The plates from which joseph translated the book of mormon are called the gold plates and the golden plates interchangeably because it is unknown exactly what they were. Mormonthe chief editor of the book of mormon part 2 canada. Book of mormon title page markings i like this method of enhancing your study. Mormon abridged this record in his plates, and joseph smith translated it, but since it was lost by martin harris, very little is now known about it except what can be inferred from references in other texts brown, pp. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving.
Nephi, jacob, enos, jarom, omni, amaron, chemish, abinadom, amaleki, mormon, and moroni. In an 1879 interview, emma smith described the plates of mormon, which she had once felt. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be. The book is made of a set of twelve metal plates, each measuring six inches 15 cm in width, eight inches 20 cm in length approximately half an inch 1. Ancient metal plates book of mormon archaeological forum. Jan 05, 2015 said another way, the book of mormon represents far less than half of what was recorded on the plates by moroni. The small plates of nephi came down in a different line. Book of mormon plates and records book of mormon central. Most lds church members were taught that joseph smith used seer stones referred to as the urim and thummim nephite interpreters to translate the book of mormon bom 1 to various scribes. The entire agreement is reproduced in early mormon documents, vol. The following is from the introduction to the 1981 ed.
Joseph smith received with the breastplate and the plates of the book of mormon, the urim and thummim, which were hid up by moroni to come forth in the last days as a means by which the ancient record might be translated, which. Book of mormon the idea of an ancient record on gold plates was one of the most mocked claims of joseph smith. The abridgments, quotations, and original writings of those book of mormon historians are displayed on the lefthand and middle columns of this chart and are then shown in relation to the new set of plates produced by mormon and moroni. All we know is that he did have both items they were to be kept together in his possession before he received and translated the twentyfour plates.
1161 1563 614 679 232 121 1413 985 358 1282 1422 1229 1495 705 965 1217 658 697 860 1393 688 1270 969 346 1118 1159 401 12 1120 265 69 1181 577 1349 456