Book of Mormon, Introduction

“The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible.”

“The record is now published in many languages as a new and additional witness that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that all who will come unto Him and obey the laws and ordinances of His gospel may be saved.

Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

Gospel Topics, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Book of Mormon is another witness of Jesus Christ and confirms the truths found in the Holy Bible. Far from undermining the Bible, the Book of Mormon supports its testimony of Jesus Christ.”

“The Book of Mormon is a great blessing to God’s people today. It contains the words of Jesus Christ.”

Jeffrey R. Holland, “Safety for the Soul,” General Conference, October 2009

“Love. Healing. Help. Hope. The power of Christ to counter all troubles in all times—including the end of times. That is the safe harbor God wants for us in personal or public days of despair. That is the message with which the Book of Mormon begins, and that is the message with which it ends, calling all to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him.”

Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like Without It?” General Conference, October 2017 

“My dear brothers and sisters, I testify that the Book of Mormon is truly the word of God. It contains the answers to life’s most compelling questions. It teaches the doctrine of Christ.”

“When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.

My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.

Whenever I hear anyone, including myself, say, “I know the Book of Mormon is true,” I want to exclaim, “That’s nice, but it is not enough!” We need to feel, deep in “the inmost part” of our hearts, that the Book of Mormon is unequivocally the word of God. We must feel it so deeply that we would never want to live even one day without it.”

Mark L. Pace, “It is Wisdom in the Lord that We Should Have the Book of Mormon,” General Conference, April 2024

“Studying the Book of Mormon, as we are doing this year, always brings us closer to the Savior—and helps us stay close to Him.”

“As we study the Book of Mormon and follow the living prophet, there will be no personal apostasy in our lives.”

Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Chapter 5: “Use the Power of the Book of Mormon,” Handbooks and Callings, Mission Callings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“An arch is a strong architectural structure made from wedge-shaped pieces that lean against each other. The middle piece, or keystone, is usually larger than the other wedges and holds them in place.”

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon - Keystone of Our Religion,” General Conference, October 1986

“A keystone is the central stone in an arch. It holds all the other stones in place, and if removed, the arch crumbles.”

“The Book of Mormon is the keystone of testimony. Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. This is why they go to such great lengths to try to disprove the Book of Mormon, for if it can be discredited, the Prophet Joseph Smith goes with it. So does our claim to priesthood keys, and revelation, and the restored Church. But in like manner, if the Book of Mormon be true—and millions have now testified that they have the witness of the Spirit that it is indeed true—then one must accept the claims of the Restoration and all that accompanies it.”

Joseph Smith, History of the Church 2:52

“Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none.”

Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Chapter 5: “Use the Power of the Book of Mormon,” Handbooks and Callings, Mission Callings, Gospel Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Book of Mormon, combined with the Spirit, is your most powerful resource in conversion. This book is an ancient, sacred record written to convince all people that Jesus is the Christ.”

“It is also compelling evidence that God called Joseph Smith as a prophet and restored the gospel of Jesus Christ through him.”

“By gaining a testimony that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, we can know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Through him, God’s priesthood authority was restored by heavenly messengers. God also authorized Joseph to organize the Church of Jesus Christ. Revelation continues today through living prophets.”

“Encouraging people to seek a witness from the Holy Ghost about the Book of Mormon should be a central focus of your teaching. The Book of Mormon can change their lives forever.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction

“We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.

“Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah.”

Gospel Study Guide, “Book of Mormon,” Topics and Questions, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Those who sincerely read and study the book will feel the Holy Ghost and find answers to many of life’s most important questions. By reading the Book of Mormon, people can learn for themselves that God lives, that He loves them, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The proponents have to overcome this ingrained disbelief along with the specific criticisms. Yet they refuse to concede that the Book of Mormon is no more than inspiring sacred fiction. For them, the value of the book goes beyond the inspiration offered readers. Its historicity is the foundation for believing that Joseph Smith was commissioned by God. To put him in the category of devotional writer, reducing his work to the level of purely human achievement, rips the heart out of Mormon belief. With so much at stake, the proponents are as energetic and ingenious as the critics in mustering support for the historicity of the Book of Mormon.” Ch. 4

Jeffrey R. Holland, “Safety for the Soul,” General Conference, October 2009

“I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies.”

Ezra Taft Benson, “A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon,” 1988, pg. 4-5, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Brigham Young University

“We are to use the Book of Mormon in handling objections to the Church.”

“All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation. Here, then, is a procedure to handle most objections through the use of the Book of Mormon. First, understand the objection. Second, give the answer from revelation. Third, show how the correctness of the answer really depends on whether or not we have modern revelation through modern prophets. Fourth, explain that whether or not we have modern prophets and revelation really depends on whether the Book of Mormon is true.”

“Therefore, the only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true. For if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led today by a prophet receiving revelation. Our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively. We are not obligated to answer every objection. Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand.”

Jeffrey R. Holland, “True or False,” Liahona, June 1996

“Everything in the Church – everything – rises or falls on the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and, by implication, the Prophet Joseph Smith’s account of how it came forth… It sounds like a 'sudden death' proposition to me. Either the Book of Mormon is what the Prophet Joseph said it is or this Church and its founder are false, fraudulent, a deception from the first instance onward. 

Not everything in life is so black and white, but it seems the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and its keystone role in our belief is exactly that. Either Joseph Smith was the prophet he said he was, who, after seeing the Father and the Son, later beheld the angel Moroni, repeatedly heard counsel from his lips, eventually receiving at his hands a set of ancient gold plates which he then translated according to the gift and power of God—or else he did not. And if he did not, in the spirit of President Benson’s comment, he is not entitled to retain even the reputation of New England folk hero or well-meaning young man or writer of remarkable fiction. No, and he is not entitled to be considered a great teacher or a quintessential American prophet or the creator of great wisdom literature. If he lied about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, he is certainly none of those.”

“I am suggesting that we make exactly that same kind of do-or-die, bold assertion about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the divine origins of the Book of Mormon. We have to. Reason and rightness require it. Accept Joseph Smith as a prophet and the book as the miraculously revealed and revered word of the Lord it is, or else consign both man and book to Hades for the devastating deception of it all. But let’s not have any bizarre middle ground about the wonderful contours of a young boy’s imagination or his remarkable facility for turning a literary phrase. That is an unacceptable position to take—morally, literarily, historically, or theologically.”

Book of Mormon, Title Page of the Book of Mormon

“An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi

Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction

“The book was written by many ancient prophets by the spirit of prophecy and revelation. Their words, written on gold plates, were quoted and abridged by a prophet-historian named Mormon.”

“After Mormon completed his writings, he delivered the account to his son Moroni, who added a few words of his own and hid up the plates in the Hill Cumorah. On September 21, 1823, the same Moroni, then a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record and its destined translation into the English language.”

Gospel Topics, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Book of Mormon was brought forth by the gift and power of God. The book was originally recorded by ancient American prophets on metal plates. For centuries, they lay buried near Joseph Smith’s home in upstate New York in the United States, until a heavenly messenger, Moroni, showed Joseph Smith where to find them.”

Guide to the Scriptures, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Book of Mormon is a religious record of three groups of people who migrated from the Old World to the American continents. These groups were led by prophets who recorded their religious and secular histories on metal plates. The Book of Mormon records the visit of Jesus Christ to people in the Americas following His Resurrection. A two-hundred-year era of peace followed that visit of Christ.

Moroni, the last of the Nephite prophet-historians, sealed up the abridged records of these people and hid them in about A.D. 421. In 1823, the resurrected Moroni visited Joseph Smith and later delivered to him these ancient and sacred records to be translated and brought forth to the world as another testament of Jesus Christ.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Moroni spoke of gold plates buried in a nearby hill. On the plates was etched the record of an ancient people who once lived in the Americas. The record told of their origins and gave an account of Jesus Christ visiting them and teaching the fullness of His gospel.” Ch. 3

“Joseph set out immediately for the hill. During the night, Moroni had shown him a vision of where the plates were hidden, so he knew where to go. The hill, one of the biggest in the area, was about three miles from his house. The plates were buried beneath a large, round rock on the west side of the hill, not far from its summit.” Ch. 3

“Arriving at the hill, Joseph located the place he had seen in the vision and began digging at the base of the rock until its edges were clear. He then found a large tree branch and used it as a lever to raise the stone and heave it aside. Beneath the boulder was a box, its walls and base made of stone. Looking inside, Joseph saw the gold plates, seer stones, and breastplate. The plates were covered with ancient writing and bound together on one side by three rings. Each plate was about six inches wide, eight inches long, and thin. A portion of the plates also appeared to be sealed so no one could read it.” Ch. 3

Joseph Smith, History, circa Summer 1832, The Joseph Smith Papers

“And it came to pass when I was seventeen years of age I called again upon the Lord and he shewed unto me a heavenly vision for behold an angel of the Lord came and stood before me and it was by night and he called me by name and he said the Lord had forgiven me my sins and he revealed unto me that in the Town of Manchester Ontario County N.Y. there was plates of gold.”

Joseph Smith, Journal, 1835–1836, The Joseph Smith Papers

“Bishop Partrige & some others came in I then set down and taught <​related to​> them the history of the coming forth of the book the administration of the Angel to me the rudiments of the gospel of Christ.”

“When I was about 17 years old I saw another vision of angels, in the night season after I had retired to bed I had not been a sleep, when but was meditating upon my past life and experiance, I was verry concious that I had not kept the commandments, and I repented hartily for all my sins and transgression, and humbled myself before Him; <​whose eyes are over all things​>, all at once the room was iluminated above the brightness of the sun an angel appeared before me, his hands and feet were naked pure and white, and he stood between the floors of the room, clothed <​with​> in purity inexpressible, he said unto me I am a messenger sent from God, be faithful and keep his commandments in all things, he told me of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold.”

History, 1834–1836, p. 121, The Joseph Smith Papers

“All at once the room was illuminated above the brightness of the sun; An Angel appeared before me; his hands and feet were, naked, pure and white; he stood betwen the floors of the room, clothed with purity inexpressible. He said unto me I am a Messenger sent from God, be faithful and keep his commandments in all things. He told me also of a sacred record which was written on plates of gold.”

Joseph Smith, JS, History, 1838–1856, vol. A-1, created 11 June 1839–24 Aug. 1843. The Joseph Smith Papers

"He called me by name and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me and that his name was Nephi.”

Joseph Smith, History, circa June 1839–circa 1841 [Draft 2], p. 5, The Joseph Smith Papers

“He called me by name and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me and that his name was Nephi.”

Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, “To Subscribers,” Volume III, March 5, 1842

“This paper commences my editorial career, I alone stand responsible for it, and shall do for all papers having my signature henceforward.” 

Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, Volume III, 15 April 1842. The Joseph Smith Papers. Note: Joseph Smith was the editor of Times and Seasons, and claimed personal responsibility in the above quote. 

“He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi. That God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil, among all nations, kindreds, and tongues; or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.”

Joseph Smith, “Church History,” 1 March 1842, p. 707, The Joseph Smith Papers

“This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God sent to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled, that the preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in all its fulness to be preached in power, unto all nations that a people might be prepared for the millennial reign.

I was informed that I was chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God to bring about some of his purposes in this glorious dispensation.”

Joseph Smith, “Latter Day Saints,” 1844, p. 405, The Joseph Smith Papers

“This messenger proclaimed himself to be an angel of God, sent to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel was at hand to be fulfilled.”

Orson Pratt, Appendix: Orson Pratt, A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, 1840, p. 6, The Joseph Smith Papers

“This glorious being declared himself to be an Angel of God, sent forth, by commandment, to communicate to him that his sins were forgiven, and that his prayers were heard; and also, to bring the joyful tidings, that the covenant which God made with ancient Israel.”

Joseph Smith, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star Vol. 03, 4 August 1842. Digital Collections, Brigham Young University Library. 

"He called me by name and said unto me, that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi.”

"Again, when we read the history of our beloved brother, Joseph Smith, and of the glorious ministry and message of the angel Nephi, which has finally opened a new dispensation to man, and commenced a revolution in the moral, civil, and religious government of the world…”

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi.”

John C. Whitmer, 1878, in Andrew Jensen’s, “Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia,” Volume 1, p. 283, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1901

“I have heard my grandmother (Mary Musselman Whitmer) say on several occasions that she was shown the plates of the Book of Mormon by a holy angel, whom she always called Brother Nephi.”

Church History Topics, “Angel Moroni,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The earliest manuscript of the canonized account of Moroni’s visits (Joseph Smith—History 1:30–53) refers to the angel as “Nephi.”

“As a result, both “Nephi” and “Moroni” appeared in publications during the 1840s and 1860s. Brigham Young suspected the history contained a clerical error and assigned Church historians to research the issue. Reviewing Joseph Smith’s other accounts of the angel, they concluded that the name “Nephi” should be replaced with “Moroni” and wrote a correction.”

Book of Commandments 28:6, 1833, The Joseph Smith Papers

“Behold this is wisdom in me, wherefore marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you, on the earth, and with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world.”

Doctrine and Covenants 27:5, August 1835

“Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim.”

Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History (current version), 1:33

“He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction (1981 & 2013)

Moroni, then a glorified, resurrected being, appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and instructed him relative to the ancient record.

Gospel Topics, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“A heavenly messenger, Moroni, showed Joseph Smith where to find them.”

Guide to the Scriptures, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“In 1823, the resurrected Moroni visited Joseph Smith and later delivered to him these ancient and sacred records.”

Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “Lesson 1: The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Chapter 3: What do I Study and Teach? Handbooks and Callings, Mission Callings, Gospel Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Joseph Smith was directed by a heavenly messenger named Moroni to a hill where an ancient record had been buried for centuries.”

Oliver Cowdery, “Letter VI,” April 1835, History, 1834–1836, p. 120, The Joseph Smith Papers

“I believe that the angel Moroni, whose words I have been rehearsing, w[h]o communicated the knowledge of the record of the Nephites, in this age, saw also, before he hid up the same unto the Lord, great and marvelous things, which were to transpire when the same should come forth.”

Doctrine and Covenants 27:5, August 1835

“Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephraim.”

Gospel Topics, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“While the Bible details events in the Eastern Hemisphere, the Book of Mormon documents the lives of the inhabitants of the ancient Americas.”

Joseph Smith, “Church History,” 1 March 1842, p. 707, The Joseph Smith Papers

“I was also informed concerning the aboriginal inhabitants of this country, and shown who they were, and from whence they came; a brief sketch of their origin, progress, civilization, laws, governments, of their righteousness and iniquity, and the blessings of God being finally withdrawn from them as a people was made known unto me: I was also told where there was deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgement of the records of the ancient prophets that had existed on this continent.”

“In this important and interesting book the history of ancient America is unfolded, from its first settlement by a colony that came from the tower of Babel, at the confusion of languages to the beginning of the fifth century of the Christian era. We are informed by these records that America in ancient times has been inhabited by two distinct races of people. The first were called Jaredites and came directly from the tower of Babel. The second race came directly from the city of Jerusalem, about six hundred years before Christ. They were principally Israelites, of the descendants of Joseph. The Jaredites were destroyed about the time that the Israelites came from Jerusalem, who succeeded them in the inheritance of the country. The principal nation of the second race fell in battle towards the close of the fourth century. The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.” 

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“On going in, Samuel enquired of him, if he did not wish to purchase a history of the origin of the Indians. 

"I do not know," replied the host; "how did you get hold of it?" 

"It was translated," rejoined Samuel, "by my brother, from some gold plates that he found buried in the earth." Ch. 34

“By her request I gave her a brief history of the discovery and translation of the book. This delighted her, and when I mentioned that it was a record of the origin of the aborigines of America, she said, "How I do wish I could get one of your books to carry to my husband, for he is now a missionary among the Indians." Ch. 41

Joseph Smith, Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 January 1833, The Joseph Smith Papers

“The Book of Mormon is a reccord of the forefathers of our western Tribes of Indians, having been found through the ministration of an holy Angel translated into our own Language by the gift and power of God, after having been hid up in the earth for the last fourteen hundred years containing the word of God, which was delivered unto them, By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are desendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt, and that the Land of America is a promised land unto them, and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come.”

Orson Pratt, Appendix: Orson Pratt, A[n] Interesting Account of Several Remarkable Visions, 1840, p. 7, The Joseph Smith Papers

“He was informed, that he was called and chosen to be an instrument in the hands of God, to bring about some of his marvellous purposes in this glorious dispensation. It was also made manifest to him, that the “American Indians” were a remnant of Israel; that when they first emigrated to America, they were an enlightened people, possessing a knowledge of the true God, enjoying his favour, and peculiar blessings from his hand; that the prophets, and inspired writers among them, were required to keep a sacred history of the most important events transpiring among them: which history was handed down for many generations, till at length they fell into great wickedness.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“The revelation then called Oliver to go nearly a thousand miles to the western edge of the United States to preach the restored gospel to American Indians, who were remnants of the house of Israel.” Ch. 9

“The Delaware had recently moved to the territory after they were forced off their land by Indian removal policies of the United States government. Their leader, Kikthawenund, was an old man who had struggled for more than twenty-five years to hold his people together while settlers and the U.S. Army pushed them west. 

On a cold day in January 1831, Oliver and Parley set out to meet Kikthawenund. They found him sitting beside a fire in the center of a large cabin in the Delaware settlement. The chief shook their hands warmly and motioned for them to sit on some blankets. His wives then placed a tin pan full of steaming beans and corn in front of the missionaries, and they ate with a wooden spoon.

Aided by a translator, Oliver and Parley spoke to Kikthawenund about the Book of Mormon and asked for a chance to share its message with his governing council. Kikthawenund was normally opposed to letting missionaries speak to his people, but he told them he would think about it and give them his decision soon.

The missionaries returned to the cabin the next morning, and after some discussion, the chief called a council together and invited the missionaries to speak.

Thanking them, Oliver looked into the faces of his audience. “We have traveled the wilderness, crossed the deep and wide rivers, and waded in the deep snows,” he said, “to communicate to you great knowledge which has lately come to our ears and hearts.”

He introduced the Book of Mormon as a history of the ancestors of the American Indians. “The book was written on plates of gold,” he explained, “and handed down from father to son for many ages and generations.” He told how God had helped Joseph find and translate the plates so their writings could be published and shared with all people, including the Indians.

After he finished speaking, Oliver handed Kikthawenund a Book of Mormon and waited as he and the council examined it. “We feel truly thankful to our white friends who have come so far, and been at such pains to tell us good news,” the old man said, “and especially this new news concerning the book of our forefathers.”

But the severe winter weather had been hard on his people, he explained. Their shelters were poor, and their animals were dying. They had to build homes and fences and prepare farms for the spring. For now, they were not ready to host missionaries.

“We will build a council house and meet together,” Kikthawenund promised, “and you shall read to us and teach us more concerning the book of our fathers and the will of the Great Spirit.” Ch. 11

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“When required to offer a brief summary, they often called it a history of the Indians. Samuel Smith, Joseph’s brother, on a tour to win followers in 1830, tried to sell the book as “history of the origins of the Indians.” Joseph himself wrote a newspaper editor in 1833 that “the Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western Tribes of Indians.” Outsiders saw it the same way. Abner Cole described the end of the Nephites as the time when “God sent the small pox among them, which killed two thirds of them, and turned the rest into Indians.” Almost as frequently as the book was called a “gold bible” it was called a history of the Indians.” Ch. 4

“Among the welter of speculations in the 1820s, the lost tribes theory with which the Book of Mormon is associated stood out. According to this view, Indians descended from the lost ten tribes of Israel carried away by the Assyrians in the eighth century BCE.” Ch. 4

“The Book of Mormon has been universally thought of as an attempted history of the American Indians. One of the evidences, in the critics’ view, is its blatant racism. Not far into the story, the Lamanites, the presumed ancestors of the Indians, are marked with a dark skin: “The Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them.” This act resembles the curse of God on Cain in Genesis, the beginning, according to later Christian readings, of the black race. In the Book of Mormon, the curse comes because of the Lamanites’ stubborn adherence to a false tradition about Nephi’s usurpation of authority. These troublesome ideas about skin color are followed with stereotypical descriptions of Lamanite savagery. The Lamanites are “an idle people, full of mischief and subtlety, and did seek in the wilderness for beasts of prey.” Ferocious and bloodthirsty, half-naked and garbed in skins, they launch unprovoked attacks on civilized Nephite cities. These passages sound like the Jacksonian view of Indians common to most Americans in 1830.” Ch. 4

“All the derogatory descriptions of Lamanites notwithstanding, the Indians emerge as God’s chosen people. They are not viewed as a pathetic civilization moving inevitably toward their doom, as sympathetic observers in Joseph’s time depicted them. According to the Book of Mormon, the Lamanites are destined to be restored to favor with God and given this land, just as Jews are to be restored to the Holy Land. A similar ambivalence about Indians runs through all Christian missionary efforts in these years, but the Book of Mormon carries it to an extreme. While the Lamanites are cursed and degraded, they are also at times the most righteous of all the Book of Mormon peoples.” Ch. 4

“If the Gentiles fail to help Israel, they are doomed. After nourishing the remnant of Jacob, they must join Israel or perish. If they don’t choose Israel, the native peoples will terrorize the Gentiles. Christ tells the Book of Mormon people that “ye shall be among them, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces.” Ch. 4

“As one scholar puts it, the Book of Mormon is a “ruthlessly tragic narrative that chronicles the destruction of the white race and foresees the fruition of the dark race.” The Book of Mormon is not just sympathetic to Indians; it grants them dominance—in history, in God’s esteem, and in future ownership of the American continent.” Ch. 4

“Mormons talked up the Book of Mormon as an explanation of Indian origins, but the book does little to identify its peoples with Indian culture. The Lamanites are both a cursed and a chosen people. The Indians, targets of prejudice, are also the true possessors of the lands whom the Gentiles must join or perish.” Ch. 4

“The September revelations began at a logical starting point for believers in the Book of Mormon: missionary work to the Indians. The same revelation that directed Cowdery to subordinate himself to Joseph also commissioned Cowdery to go to the Lamanites. Peter Whitmer Jr. and two recent converts, Parley Pratt and Ziba Peterson, were called to join him. The Book of Mormon gave the missionaries ample reason for going: the book’s purpose was to recover the lost remnant of ancient Israel. Joseph translated the plates so that “through the knowledge of their fathers,” the doctrine of Christ would reach the “Lamanites, and the Lemuelites and the Ishmaelites, which dwindled in unbelief.” Ch. 5

“The mission to the Lamanites soon came to be seen as a part of a larger plan. In a covenant signed on October 17, Oliver Cowdery promised, in addition to teaching the Indians, “to rear up a pillar as a witness where the Temple of God shall be built, in the glorious New-Jerusalem.” Cowdery was to locate a site for the holy city prophesied in both St. John’s Revelation and the Book of Mormon. The New Jerusalem, the revelation said, was to be situated “on the borders by the Lamanites,” which they all knew was the western edge of Missouri, to which the federal government was forcibly removing the eastern states’ Indians. The foursome were to convert Indians, if possible, and to locate the place of the New Jerusalem along this frontier.” Ch. 5

“The conversion of the Indians, the building of the New Jerusalem, and the gathering of the elect came together in a single plan to prepare the world for the Savior’s Second Coming.” Ch. 5

“The chief meaning of “restoration” for this first generation of Mormons was the restoration of Israel. Wherever it was scattered, Israel was to return to its own land and regain the favor of God. The Book of Mormon message was directed to the Lamanites, the American branch of Israel, and another branch of Israel was lost in the north countries, presumably the ten lost tribes.” Ch. 23

W.W. Phelps, “Letter to Brigham Young,” 12 August, 1861, MA 4583, Church Archives

“The substance of a revelation by Joseph Smith Jun. given over the boundary, west of Jackson Co. Missouri, on Sunday morning, July 17, 1831, when Seven Elders, viz: Joseph Smith Jun. Oliver Cowdery, W.W. Phelps, Martin Harris, Joseph Coe, Ziba Peterson and Joshua Lewis united their hearts in prayer, in a private place, to inquire of the Lord who should preach the first sermon to the remnants of the Lamanites and Nephites, and the people of that Section, that should assemble that day in the Indian country, to hear the gospel, and the revelations according to the Book of Mormon.

Among the company, there being neither pen, ink or paper, Joseph remarked that the Lord could preserve his words as he had ever done, till the time appointed, and proceeded:

Verily, verily, saith the Lord your Redeemer, even Jesus Christ, the light and the life of the world, ye can not discerne with your natural eyes, the design and the purpose of your Lord and your God, in bringing you thus far into the wilderness for a trial of your faith, and to be especial witnesses, to bear testimony of this land, upon which the zion of God shall be built up in the last days, when it is redeemed.

Verily, inasmuch as ye are united in calling upon my name to know my will concerning who shall preach to the inhabitants that shall assemble this day to learn what new doctrine you have to teach them, you have done wisely, for so did the prophets anciently, even Enoch, and Abraham, and others: and therefore, it is my will that my servant Oliver Cowdery should open the meeting with prayer; that my servant W. W. Phelps should preach the discourse; and that my servants Joseph Coe and Ziba Peterson should bear testimony as they shall be moved by the Holy Spirit. This will be pleasing in the sight of your Lord.

Verily I say unto you, ye are laying the foundation of a great work for the salvation of as many as will believe and repent, and obey the ordinances of the gospel, and continue faithful to the end: For, as I live, saith the Lord, so shall they live.

Verily I say unto you that the wisdom of man in his fallen state, knoweth not the purposes and the privileges of my holy priesthood. but ye shall know when ye receive a fulness by reason of the anointing: For it is my will, that in time, ye should take unto you wives of the Lamanites and Nephites, that their posterity may become white, delightsome and Just, for even now their females are more virtuous than the gentiles.”

“About three years after this was given, I asked brother Joseph privately, how "we," that were mentioned in the revelation could take wives from the "natives"—as we were all married men? He replied instantly "In the same manner that Abraham took Hagar and Katurah; and Jacob took Rachel Bilhah and Zilpah: by revelation—the saints of the Lord are always directed by revelation.”

Wilford Woodruff, “Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” General Conference, 1898

“When we got together the Prophet called upon the Elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. When they got through the Prophet said, “Brethren, I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it.” I was rather surprised. He said, “It is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America—it will fill the world.” Among other things he said, “It will fill the Rocky Mountains. There will be tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints who will be gathered in the Rocky Mountains, and there they will open the door for the establishing of the Gospel among the Lamanites, who will receive the Gospel and their endowments and the blessings of God.”

Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation,” Compiled by Bruce R. McConkie, 1956. Bookcraft

“But, like their predecessors, they forgot the Lord; his Spirit was withdrawn, and the greater part of the people was destroyed. Their civilization perished. Those who remained became ferocious and bloodthirsty. In their decadence they lost their knowledge of agriculture, and the working of the metals, and became more or less nomadic tribes. Their descendants, the American Indians, were wandering in all their wild savagery when the Pilgrim Fathers made permanent settlement in this land.” p. 94

Spencer W. Kimball, General Conference Address, General Conference, October 1960

“The work is unfolding, and blinded eyes begin to see, and scattered people begin to gather. I saw a striking contrast in the progress of the Indian people today as against that of only fifteen years ago. Truly the scales of darkness are falling from their eyes, and they are fast becoming a white and delightsome people.”

“The day of the Lamanites is here! Young white missionaries throughout the Church are happy in the service, glad that they were called to this special mission, some planning to change their college majors when they return from their missions so they can work among the Indians.”

“At last the Indians are suitable. I heard them bear their witness, saw them shed tears of joy, heard them express their affection for loved ones. I saw Indian boys actually coming in to the president to offer their service as missionaries. That couldn’t have happened a decade ago. As we look into the future, surely we shall see thousands of Indian missionaries, for through our various agencies we are now training probably three thousand little Indian boys in our various departments who are growing toward missionary work. Very soon there will be an Indian boy paired off in missionary work with each white boy, and this will happen in the other Lamanite missions, I am sure. 

The day of the Lamanites is nigh. For years they have been growing delightsome, and they are now becoming white and delightsome, as they were promised. In this picture of the twenty Lamanite missionaries, fifteen of the twenty were as light as Anglos; five were darker but equally delightsome. The children in the home placement program in Utah are often lighter than their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the reservation.”

“Three lovely Lamanite sisters sang a trio in one of our meetings.”

“An Apache saddle maker, when he was given the Book of Mormon lessons, said: “I know that story. I know that it is true. My old people told me about it.” The Indians have legends which might be reminiscent of the three Nephites, of the creation, of the flood, of the coming of Christ to them. They are beginning to recognize the similarity between their distorted tradition stories and the truth which had been recorded.”

“The day of the Lamanites has come. The Indians of this country, particularly of the southwest, have many blessings which are theirs today but which were not theirs yesterday.”

“Not only the southwest Indians, but Lamanites in general, are facing an open door to education, culture, refinement, progress, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Church has spent its millions in Hawaii and New Zealand and other islands to provide schools for the young Lehites.”

“Hundreds of Lamanites are serving in missions fields in both Americas and in the islands of the sea. Lamanites are exercising their priesthood and rearing their families in righteousness. A new world is open to them, and they are grasping the opportunities. God bless the Lamanites and hasten the day of their total emancipation from the thraldom of their yesterday.”

Bruce R. McConkie, “Mormon Doctrine,” 1966, Deseret Book

“When Columbus discovered America, the native inhabitants, the American Indians as they were soon to be designated, were a people of mixed blood and origin. Chiefly they were Lamanites, but such remnants of the Nephite nation as had not been destroyed had, of course, mingled with the Lamanites. Thus the Indians were Jews by nationality, their forefathers having come out from Jerusalem, from the kingdom of Judah.” p. 25

“Since the days of the Spanish conquests and colonizations of Mexico and South America, there has been further dilution of the pure Lamanitish blood. But with it all, for the great majority of the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere, the dominant blood lineage is that of Israel. The Indians are repeatedly called Lamanites in the revelations to the Prophet, and the promise is that in due course they "shall blossom as the rose,” that is, become again a white and delightsome people as were their ancestors a great many generations ago.” p. 25

“When the gospel is taken to the Lamanites in our day and they come to a knowledge of Christ and of their fathers, then the "scales of darkness" shall fall from their eyes; "and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and delightsome people." Finally, before the judgment bar of God, all who have been righteous, Lamanites and Nephites alike, will be free from the curse of spiritual death and the skin of darkness.” p. 307

“In their latter end the Nephites (speaking now of the white skinned group and calling them Nephites from the standpoint of ancestry and nationality) became more corrupt and wicked than the Lamanites and were destroyed, as a people and nation, in the great continent-wide wars that came upon them. There were many Nephite groups, however, who were not destroyed in the final conflict, and these (with possible exceptions) have since mingled themselves with the Lamanites, the resulting peoples being known to the world as the American Indians.” p. 375

Harold B. Lee, “Youth of a Noble Birthright,” 1970, in Youth & The Church, Deseret Book, Salt Lake City 

“The Indians on the American continent are descendants of the tribes of Ephraim, Judah, and Manasseh, we are told by the Book of Mormon. Their dark skin was a curse put upon them because of their transgression, which in a day to come in their descendants will be lifted and they will become white and delightsome as they accept the Gospel and turn to the Lord.”

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“Let us have in our consciousness the Book of Mormon statement of origin. I say “statement of origin,” because to those who accept the Book of Mormon as of divine origin, it gives more than a theory of origin—it tells of the origin of American peoples.”

“But let that be as it may, when the Jaredites came to America the Book of Mormon account of them assumes throughout that there were no other inhabitants in all that land. Throughout their long occupancy of the land-about sixteen hundred years from their arrival a few years after their departure from Babel to the coming of Lehi’s colony, early in the sixth century B.C.—there is no mention or assumption of their coming in contact with any other people, or of their being any other people in all the land. They are sole possessors of it. Here they lived and developed their peculiar culture uninfluenced by contact with other people, either by reason of finding primitive inhabitants in the land, or by reason of infusion of other people among them.”

“The Nephite occupancy of the continents in succession to the Jaredites also assumes the presence of no other people upon the land except the Jaredites, and the second colony—Mulek’s—which left Jerusalem shortly after Lehi’s departure. It was Mulek’s colony which met the last and only survivor of the Jaredites. These are the only peoples that occupied the American continents, up to 420 A.D., according to the Book of Mormon; they speak of no other with whom they came in contact, or who immigrated into the land during their occupancy of it. If there was any infusion of other peoples into the American continents, such infusion, so far as the Book of Mormon is concerned, must have been subsequent to 420 A.D. Moreover, Lehi, in his day, declared it to be wisdom that the land to which he had been brought should be kept “as yet from the knowledge of other nations, for many nations would over run the land,” that there would be no place for an inheritance and therefore Lehi obtained a promise that only those whom the Lord should bring should come to the land, and that they “should be kept from all other nations that they may possess this land unto themselves” (II Nephi 1:8, 9).

“The question before us is, can this Book of Mormon account for the origin of the American peoples, and of such a culture as the Book of Mormon postulates among them be maintained against other theories of origin and of cultural postulates.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 1:8-9

“And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.”

Jeffrey R. Holland, “A Promised Land,” Ensign, June 1976

“Holy scripture records that “after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof.” (Ether 13:2.) Such a special place needed now to be kept apart from other regions, free from the indiscriminate traveler as well as the soldier of fortune. To guarantee such sanctity the very surface of the earth was rent. In response to God’s decree, the great continents separated and the ocean rushed in to surround them. The promised place was set apart. Without habitation it waited for the fulfillment of God’s special purposes.

With care and selectivity, the Lord began almost at once to repeople the promised land. The Jaredites came first, with stories of the great flood fresh in their memories and the Lord’s solemn declaration ringing in their ears: “Whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them.”

“But even as the last light flickered on Jaredite civilization, a bold new sun rose to illuminate a thousand years of Nephite-Lamanite experience on the same soil. Despite periods of war and rebellion, these people nevertheless had great moments of power and purity, including the personal ministry of the resurrected Christ, who walked and talked and prayed with these New World inhabitants for three indescribable days. There in the meridian of time the land enjoyed three generations of peace and perfection, which it would not know again until the Master’s millennial reign.”

“So, after a thousand years of preparation, the Spirit of God rested upon a young Italian sailing under the flag of Spain, and, as Nephi had seen in vision, “he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.” (1 Ne. 13:12.) This “Christian of almost maniacal devoutness” as Alistair Cooke calls him, this man with the zeal of Galileo, Don Quixote, and John the Baptist combined, was not to be denied.”

Book of Mormon, Ether 13:2-10

“For he truly told them of all things, from the beginning of man; and that after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof;

And that it was the place of the New Jerusalem, which should come down out of heaven, and the holy sanctuary of the Lord.

Behold, Ether saw the days of Christ, and he spake concerning a New Jerusalem upon this land.

And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city unto the Lord; wherefore, it could not be a new Jerusalem for it had been in a time of old; but it should be built up again, and become a holy city of the Lord; and it should be built unto the house of Israel—

And that a New Jerusalem should be built up upon this land, unto the remnant of the seed of Joseph, for which things there has been a type.

For as Joseph brought his father down into the land of Egypt, even so he died there; wherefore, the Lord brought a remnant of the seed of Joseph out of the land of Jerusalem, that he might be merciful unto the seed of Joseph that they should perish not, even as he was merciful unto the father of Joseph that he should perish not.

Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; and they shall no more be confounded, until the end come when the earth shall pass away.

And there shall be a new heaven and a new earth; and they shall be like unto the old save the old have passed away, and all things have become new.

And then cometh the New Jerusalem; and blessed are they who dwell therein, for it is they whose garments are white through the blood of the Lamb; and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “President Hinckley Visits South America, Florida, Washington, D.C.” Ensign. February 1997

“As I look into your faces, I think of Father Lehi, whose sons and daughters you are. I think he must be shedding tears today, tears of love and gratitude. … This is but the beginning of the work in Peru. This work of the Almighty will go on and grow and grow. It is God’s holy work. Let us live the gospel. Let us follow its divine truth. There is nothing you cannot do with the help of the Almighty.”

Church News Archives, “An outpouring of love for Prophet: Pres. Hinckley addresses 88,000 in Central America,” 1 February 1997, Church News, Deseret News

“In the first regional conference session, held at the La Pedrera soccer stadium, about 20,000 members in 17 outlying stakes and many districts attended. Sixty buses came from just the city of Quetzaltenango, about a 41/2-hour ride. The afternoon session was attended by 12 stakes in the Guatemala City metropolitan area, with more than 15,000 present.

In the morning sessions, President Hinckley thanked members for their sacrifice in coming. "I am pleased," he said, "to see so many of the sons and daughters of Father Lehi. I think if he could look down on this vast audience, there would be great tears in his eyes of gratitude.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction (1981)

“It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.”

“After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.”

Book of Mormon, Moroni 1:4

“I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord.”

Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:1-2

“Now I, Moroni, write somewhat as seemeth me good; and I write unto my brethren, the Lamanites; and I would that they should know that more than four hundred and twenty years have passed away since the sign was given of the coming of Christ.

And I seal up these records, after I have spoken a few words by way of exhortation unto you.”

Doctrine and Covenants 3:18-20

“And this testimony shall come to the knowledge of the Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who dwindled in unbelief because of the iniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their brethren the Nephites, because of their iniquities and their abominations.

And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people;

And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen.”

Doctrine and Covenants 10:48

“Yea, and this was their faith—that my gospel, which I gave unto them that they might preach in their days, might come unto their brethren the Lamanites, and also all that had become Lamanites because of their dissensions.”

Doctrine and Covenants 19:26-27

“And again, I command thee that thou shalt not covet thine own property, but impart it freely to the printing of the Book of Mormon, which contains the truth and the word of God—

Which is my word to the Gentile, that soon it may go to the Jew, of whom the Lamanites are a remnant, that they may believe the gospel, and look not for a Messiah to come who has already come.”

Doctrine and Covenants 28:8-9, 14

“And now, behold, I say unto you that you shall go unto the Lamanites and preach my gospel unto them; and inasmuch as they receive thy teachings thou shalt cause my church to be established among them; and thou shalt have revelations, but write them not by way of commandment.

And now, behold, I say unto you that it is not revealed, and no man knoweth where the city Zion shall be built, but it shall be given hereafter. Behold, I say unto you that it shall be on the borders by the Lamanites.”

“And thou shalt assist to settle all these things, according to the covenants of the church, before thou shalt take thy journey among the Lamanites.”

Doctrine and Covenants 30:5-6

“Behold, I say unto you, Peter, that you shall take your journey with your brother Oliver; for the time has come that it is expedient in me that you shall open your mouth to declare my gospel; therefore, fear not, but give heed unto the words and advice of your brother, which he shall give you.

And be you afflicted in all his afflictions, ever lifting up your heart unto me in prayer and faith, for his and your deliverance; for I have given unto him power to build up my church among the Lamanites.”

Doctrine and Covenants 32:1-2

“And now concerning my servant Parley P. Pratt, behold, I say unto him that as I live I will that he shall declare my gospel and learn of me, and be meek and lowly of heart.

And that which I have appointed unto him is that he shall go with my servants, Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer, Jun., into the wilderness among the Lamanites.”

Doctrine and Covenants 49:24

“But before the great day of the Lord shall come, Jacob shall flourish in the wilderness, and the Lamanites shall blossom as the rose.”

Doctrine and Covenants 52:1-2

“Behold, thus saith the Lord unto the elders whom he hath called and chosen in these last days, by the voice of his Spirit

Saying: I, the Lord, will make known unto you what I will that ye shall do from this time until the next conference, which shall be held in Missouri, upon the land which I will consecrate unto my people, which are a remnant of Jacob, and those who are heirs according to the covenant.”

Doctrine and Covenants 54:8

“And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri, unto the borders of the Lamanites.”

Doctrine and Covenants 109:61-67

“But thou knowest that thou hast a great love for the children of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time, in a cloudy and dark day.

We therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that Jerusalem, from this hour, may begin to be redeemed;

And the yoke of bondage may begin to be broken off from the house of David;

And the children of Judah may begin to return to the lands which thou didst give to Abraham, their father.

And cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the fulness of the everlasting gospel;

That they may lay down their weapons of bloodshed, and cease their rebellions.

And may all the scattered remnants of Israel, who have been driven to the ends of the earth, come to a knowledge of the truth, believe in the Messiah, and be redeemed from oppression, and rejoice before thee.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction

“In due course the plates were delivered to Joseph Smith, who translated them by the gift and power of God.”

Gospel Topics, “Book of Mormon,” Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Although Joseph Smith was only 23 years old and had little formal education, he translated the Book of Mormon into English at a rate of about eight pages per day. He had no understanding of ancient languages, and he did not use any notes. He completed the entire translation of the book in about 85 days. When people asked how he was able to translate, Joseph said simply that it was done “by the gift and power of God.”

Church History Topics, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Joseph Smith translated an ancient text “by the gift and power of God” to produce the Book of Mormon.”

Joseph Smith, History of the Church 6:74

“By the power of God I translated the Book of Mormon from hieroglyphics, the knowledge of which was lost to the world.”

Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, “Lesson 1: The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Chapter 3: What do I Study and Teach? Handbooks and Callings, Mission Callings, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 

“Joseph Smith translated this record by the gift and power of God.”

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“Joseph was translating by means of the Urim and Thummim.”

Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:62

“By this timely aid was I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father, in the month of December, and the February following.”

Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History 1:71*, Messenger and Advocate, vol. 1 (October 1834), pp. 14–16

“Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim.”

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“When pressed for specifics about the process of translation, Joseph repeated on several occasions that it had been done “by the gift and power of God” and once added, “It was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the book of Mormon.”

Nevertheless, the scribes and others who observed the translation left numerous accounts that give insight into the process. Some accounts indicate that Joseph studied the characters on the plates. Most of the accounts speak of Joseph’s use of the Urim and Thummim (either the interpreters or the seer stone), and many accounts refer to his use of a single stone. According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument.”

Emma Smith, “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” Saints’ Herald 26 (Oct. 1, 1879), 289–90.

“In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.”

“He had neither manuscript nor book to read from.”

“If he had had anything of the kind he could not have concealed it from me.”

“The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book.”

“I am satisfied that no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired; for, when acting as his scribe, your father would dictate to me hour after hour; and when returning after meals, or after interruptions, he could at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript or having any portion of it read to him. This was a usual thing for him to do. It would have been improbable that a learned man could do this; and, for one so ignorant and unlearned as he was, it was simply impossible.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Joseph had discovered two stones, one in 1822 while digging a well with Willard Chase a half mile from the Smith farm. The source of the other stone is uncertain. These stones were the keys that enabled Joseph to see things, as Lucy said, “invisible to the natural eye.” Emma Smith described one of them as “a small stone, not exactly black, but was rather a dark color.” In 1841 Joseph showed his other, whitish stone to the Council of the Twelve in Nauvoo and told them, Brigham Young reported, “that every man who lived on the earth was entitled to a seer stone and should have one, but they are kept from them in consequence of their wickedness.” In 1888, when Wilford Woodruff consecrated a seerstone upon a temple altar in Manti, Utah, he wrote that it was the stone “that Joseph Smith found by revelation some thirty feet under the earth (ground), and carried by him through life.” Ch. 2

“Though finally settled, Joseph had to learn how to “translate” the curious characters. He had told his friend Joseph Knight Sr. he wanted the plates translated, but now they were there before his eyes, how was he to begin? Developing a method took time. His mother said, “Joseph was very solicitous about the work but as yet no means had come into his hands of accomplishing it.” With Emma’s help, he began by copying off “a considerable number” of the intricate figures and translating “some of them.” Ch. 3

“Martin Harris was back in Harmony by mid-April 1828, and the translation began in earnest. For two months, from about April 12 to June 14, 1828, Joseph and Harris were hard at work. Joseph translated using the interpreters (also called the Urim and Thummim, crystals mounted on a breast plate), and Harris wrote down the text as it was dictated. A curtain divided the men to prevent Harris from seeing the plates.” Ch. 3

“Day after day,” Cowdery reported in 1834, “I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim.” When Martin Harris had taken dictation from Joseph, they at first hung a blanket between them to prevent Harris from inadvertently catching a glimpse of the plates, which were open on a table in the room. By the time Cowdery arrived, translator and scribe were no longer separated. Emma said she sat at the same table with Joseph, writing as he dictated, with nothing between them, and the plates wrapped in a linen cloth on the table. When Cowdery took up the job of scribe, he and Joseph translated in the same room where Emma was working. Joseph looked in the seerstone, and the plates lay covered on the table.” Ch. 3

“Neither Joseph nor Oliver explained how translation worked, but Joseph did not pretend to look at the “reformed Egyptian” words, the language on the plates, according to the book’s own description. The plates lay covered on the table, while Joseph’s head was in a hat looking at the seerstone, which by this time had replaced the interpreters.” Ch. 3

“Transcription theory gives us a Joseph with a miraculous gift that evolved naturally out of his earlier treasure-seeking. The boy who gazed into stones and saw treasure grew up to become a translator who looked in a stone and saw words.” Ch. 3

“The Book of Mormon contained an example of an inspired translator, King Mosiah, who deciphered the twenty-four gold plates of the Jaredites. Limhi, the king of a Nephite colony, who had discovered the plates, asked Ammon, a Nephite explorer, about translation. Ammon said he knew “a man that can translate the records: for he hath wherewith that he can look, and translate all records that are of ancient date.” Mosiah had “interpreters” like Joseph Smith’s. Ammon explained that a title went with the command to look in the interpreters. He who looked “the same is called seer… A seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater, can no man have.” In a curious refraction, the text Joseph was translating mirrored his act of translating.” Ch. 6

“The Book of Mormon helped Joseph to piece together a prophetic identity that included a peculiar form of translation as part of his divine call.” Ch. 6

“Sometimes Joseph translated by looking through the interpreters and reading in English the characters on the plates. Often he found a single seer stone to be more convenient. He would put the seer stone in his hat, place his face into the hat to block out the light, and peer at the stone. Light from the stone would shine in the darkness, revealing words that Joseph dictated as Oliver rapidly copied them down.” Ch. 6

“When he “translated” the Book of Mormon, he did not read from the gold plates; he looked into the crystals of the Urim and Thummim or gazed at the seerstone.” Ch. 15

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Buried with the plates, Moroni said, were two seer stones, which Joseph later called the Urim and Thummim, or interpreters. The Lord had prepared these stones to help Joseph translate the record. The clear stones were fastened together and attached to a breastplate.” Ch. 3

“Through the fabric, Lucy felt what seemed to be a large pair of spectacles. They were the Urim and Thummim, the seer stones the Lord had prepared for translating the plates.” Ch. 4

“He knew the interpreters were supposed to help him translate the plates, but he had never used seer stones to read an ancient language. He was anxious to begin the work, but it was not obvious to him how to do it.” Ch. 5

“Assisted by Emma, he copied many of the strange characters from the plates to paper. Then, for several weeks, he tried to translate them with the Urim and Thummim. The process required him to do more than look into the interpreters. He had to be humble and exercise faith as he studied the characters.” Ch. 5

“If some of the most educated men in America could not translate the book, Joseph had to do it. “I cannot,” Joseph said, overwhelmed by the task, “for I am not learned.” But he knew the Lord had prepared the interpreters so he could translate the plates.” Ch. 5

“With peace restored, Joseph and Martin translated quickly. Joseph was growing into his divine role as a seer and revelator. Looking into the interpreters or another seer stone, he was able to translate whether the plates were in front of him or wrapped in one of Emma’s linen cloths on the table. Throughout April, May, and early June, Emma listened to the rhythm of Joseph dictating the record.” Ch. 5

“Sometimes Joseph translated by looking through the interpreters and reading in English the characters on the plates. Often he found a single seer stone to be more convenient. He would put the seer stone in his hat, place his face into the hat to block out the light, and peer at the stone. Light from the stone would shine in the darkness, revealing words that Joseph dictated as Oliver rapidly copied them down.” Ch. 6

“Now that the translation was over and he had witnesses to support his miraculous testimony, Joseph no longer needed the plates. After the men left the woods and went back to the house, the angel appeared and Joseph returned the sacred record to his care.” Ch. 7

Isaac Hale, “Affidavit of Isaac Hale,” 20 March 1834, Susquehanna Register

“The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money diggers, with the stone in his hat, and his hate over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time his in the woods!” 

Joseph Smith Sr., in [La]Fayette Lapham, "Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Forty Years Ago. His Account of the Finding of the Sacred Plates," May 1870, p. 305-309

“Joseph and Harris returned to Harmony, and found the plates missing—the Lord had taken them also. Then Joseph put on the spectacles, and saw where the Lord had hid them, among the rocks, in the mountains. Though not allowed to get them, he could, by the help of the spectacles, read them where they were, as well as if they were before him.”

David Whitmer, “The Golden Tablets,” 7 August 1875, Chicago Times, p. 1 

“The plates were not before Joseph while he translated, but seem to have been removed by the custodian angel. The method pursued was commonplace but nevertheless effective. Having placed the Urim and Thummim in his hat, Joseph placed the hat over his face, and with prophetic eyes read the invisible symbols syllable by syllable and word by word, while Cowdery or Harris acted as recorder.”

David Whitmer, “Mormonism,” 1 July 1881, Saints’ Herald, p. 198, see also Kansas City Daily Journal, 5 June 1881

“He had two small stones of a chocolate color, nearly egg shaped and perfectly smooth, but not transparent, called interpreters, which were given him with the plates. He did not use the plates in the translation, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all light, and before his eyes would appear what seemed to be parchment, on which would appear the characters of the plates in a line at the top, and immediately below would appear the translation in English, which Smith would read to his scribe, who wrote it down exactly as it fell from his lips.”

Joseph Fielding McConkie and Craig J. Ostler, “Revelations of the Restoration,” p. 111, 2000

“We do not believe that Joseph Smith used a stone in a hat to translate the Book of Mormon. That is the stuff of folk magic, not the work of a prophet of God and the gift and power of God. Such a procedure is not consistent with the dignity, honor, and order of the process of revelation.”

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith, Compiled by Bruce R. McConkie, Volume 3, Bookcraft, Salt Lake City,  1954–56

“While the statement has been made by some writers that the Prophet Joseph Smith used a seer stone part of the time in his translating of the record, and information points to the fact that he did have in his possession such a stone, yet there is no authentic statement in the history of the Church which states that the use of such a stone was made in that translation. The information is all hearsay, and personally, I do not believe that this stone was used for this purpose. The reason I give for this conclusion is found in the statement of the Lord to the Brother of Jared as recorded in Ether 3:22–24. These stones, the Urim and Thummim which were given to the Brother of Jared, were preserved for this very purpose of translating the record, both of the Jaredites and the Nephites. Then again the Prophet was impressed by Moroni with the fact that these stones were given for that very purpose. It hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the Prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. It may have been so, but it is so easy for a story of this kind to be circulated due to the fact that the Prophet did possess a seer stone, which he may have used for some other purposes.”

Bruce R. McConkie, “Mormon Doctrine,” 1966, Bookcraft, Salt Lake City

“Peep Stones. See DEVIL, REVELATION, URIM AND THUMMIM. In imitation of the true order of heaven whereby seers receive revelations from God through a Urim and Thummim, the devil gives his own revelations to some of his followers through peep stones.”

Church History Topics, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Joseph and his scribes wrote of two instruments used in translating the Book of Mormon. One instrument, called in the Book of Mormon the “interpreters,” is better known to Latter-day Saints today as the “Urim and Thummim.” Joseph found the interpreters buried in the hill with the plates. The other instrument, which Joseph discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the plates, was a small oval stone, or “seer stone.” As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure. As he grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.”

Church History Topics, “Seer Stones,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith apparently used both of these instruments—the interpreters and his seer stone—interchangeably. They worked in much the same way, and the early Saints sometimes used the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer to the seer stone as well as the interpreters. The Prophet also received several of the revelations found today in the Doctrine and Covenants by means of these instruments of revelation.”

The Joseph Smith Papers, “Urim and Thummim.” Glossary, Interim Content

“JS explained that he used the pair of stones found with the plates in his translation of the Book of Mormon. Eyewitnesses reported that he also translated using a dark brown seer stone placed in a hat to exclude exterior light and that he used a seer stone for many of his early revelations. JS referred to the pair of stones found with the plates as “spectacles,” and he later referred to these stones and his other seer stones with the term “Urim and Thummim,” the name of the instrument used by the high priest of Israel in the Bible.”

The Joseph Smith Papers, “Seer Stone.” Glossary, Interim Content

“JS and other church members began referring to the instrument as the Urim and Thummim by 1832. The term was also applied to seer stones JS said he used to translate and to receive some of his early revelations. In April 1843, JS taught that the earth in its perfected state would become a Urim and Thummim where all things “will be manifest to those who dwell on it” and that those prepared for the celestial kingdom would receive their own Urim and Thummim.”

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The other instrument, which Joseph Smith discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the gold plates, was a small oval stone, or “seer stone.”18 As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure.19 As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.

Apparently for convenience, Joseph often translated with the single seer stone rather than the two stones bound together to form the interpreters. These two instruments—the interpreters and the seer stone—were apparently interchangeable and worked in much the same way such that, in the course of time, Joseph Smith and his associates often used the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer to the single stone as well as the interpreters.”

“Latter-day Saints later understood the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer exclusively to the interpreters. Joseph Smith and others, however, seem to have understood the term more as a descriptive category of instruments for obtaining divine revelations and less as the name of a specific instrument.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Joseph translated using the interpreters (also called the Urim and Thummim, crystals mounted on a breast plate), and Harris wrote down the text as it was dictated.” Ch. 3

“After 1828, Joseph could no longer see that magic might have prepared him to believe in a revelation of gold plates and translation with a stone. It did not occur to him that without magic his family might have scoffed at his story of Moroni, as did the minister who rejected the First Vision. Magic had played its part and now could be cast aside.” Ch. 3

“Joseph looked in the seerstone, and the plates lay covered on the table.” Ch. 3

“David Whitmer said Moroni did not return the Urim and Thummim in September. Instead Joseph used a seerstone for the remaining translation.” Ch. 3, footnote 46

“Neither his education nor his Christian upbringing prepared Joseph to translate a book, but the magic culture may have. Treasure-seeking taught Joseph to look for the unseen in a stone. His first reaction when he brought home the Urim and Thummim was delight with its divining powers. “I can see any thing,” he told his friend Joseph Knight. He knew from working with his own seerstone what to expect from the Urim and Thummim: he would “see.” Practice with his scrying stones carried over to translation of the gold plates. In fact, as work on the Book of Mormon proceeded, a seerstone took the place of the Urim and Thummim as an aid in the work, blending magic with inspired translation.” Ch. 6

Emma Smith, Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Emma Pilgrim, 27 Mar. 1870

“I always feel a peculiar satisfaction in giving all the information on that subject that I can Now the first part that my husband translated was translated by the use of the Urim and Thummim, and that was the part that Martin Harris lost. after that he used a small stone, not exactly black, but was rather a dark color.”

Oliver Cowdery, in “Journal of Reuben Miller,” 21 Oct. 1848. See also R. L. Anderson, “Reuben Miller, Recorder of Oliver Cowdery’s Reaffirmations,” BYU Studies 8 (1968):277

“I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet as he translated it by the gift and power of God by means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it is called by that book, holy interpreters. I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters. That book is true.”

Wilford Woodruff, December 27th, 1841, Wilford Woodruff journal, 1841 January-1842 December, Church History Catalog, Call Number MS 1352 

“I had the privilege of seeing for the first time in my day the URIM & THUMMIM.”

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966

“A Urim and Thummim consists of two special stones called seer stones or interpreters. The Hebrew words urim and thummim both plural, mean lights and perfections. Presumably one of the stones is called Urim and the other Thummim.”

“The Prophet also had a seer stone which was separate and distinct from the Urim and Thummim, and which (speaking loosely) has been called by some a Urim and Thummim.”

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, volume 3, p. 225

"We have been taught since the days of the Prophet that the Urim and Thummim were returned with the plates to the angel. We have no record of the Prophet having the Urim and Thummim after the organization of the Church. Statements of translations by the Urim and Thummim after that date are evidently errors. The statement has been made that the Urim and Thummim was on the altar in the Manti Temple when that building was dedicated. The Urim and Thummim so spoken of, however, was the seer stone which was in the possession of the Prophet Joseph Smith in early days. This seer stone is now in the possession of the Church."

Are the words of the Book of Mormon an exact translation of words on the ancient record, or did Joseph Smith receive a vision or impression that he described using his own language?

Church History Topics, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Some grammatical constructions more characteristic of Near Eastern languages than English appear in the original manuscript, suggesting the base language of the translation was not English.”

“According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and spoke aloud the English words inspired by the instrument.”

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“According to witnesses of the translation, when Joseph looked into the instruments, the words of scripture appeared in English.”

Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, “Firsthand Witness Accounts of the Translation Process,” in The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, edited by Dennis L. Largey, Andrew H. Hedges, John Hilton III, and Kerry Hull (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015), 61–79. Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat were assistant professors of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University when this was written.

“Harris claimed that he knew how Joseph was translating. He explained that by the “aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by [Martin], and when finished he would say, ‘Written,’ and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected.”

Harris was apparently an active participant in the translation, and his audible exchanges with Joseph made it apparent to him that words were appearing on the seer stone or stones in the hat. Harris believed that this process eliminated the possibility of any volition on the part of Joseph Smith. Joseph did not determine what was included in the text of the Book of Mormon; the translation apparently came directly from that which appeared on the seer stones.”

“David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, gave many interviews about the translation between 1878 and 1888. Though he never claimed to have actually seen the words on the stone himself, his statements often spoke of the words appearing on something resembling parchment.”

“Pulling together the accounts from witnesses and our understanding of the sacred instruments used for translation, we can now understand three components of Joseph Smith’s translation process. He explained that he translated (1) by the gift and power of God (like Mosiah), (2) by way of an instrument (the seer stones), (3) which functioned through “sight.”

“There is evidence in the Original Manuscript that Joseph sometimes spelled out proper names.” Footnote 30

“According to Royal Skousen, leading scholar of the text of the Book of Mormon, the original manuscript supports the idea that Joseph saw and dictated multiple words or phrases, one cluster at a time, and that unusual names seem to have been sometimes spelled out and corrected if necessary, as David Whitmer indicated. The English text would not disappear from Joseph’s view until he confirmed that what he heard from the scribe was correct.” Footnote 37

David Whitmer, 1887, David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness, ed. Lyndon W. Cook (Provo, UT: Grandin Book, 1991)

“A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear.”

“The first edition of the Book of Mormon carried numerous sentences with a plural subject and singular verb, and vice versa; it sometimes placed an idiomatic “a” before a participle (“a marching”) or an idiomatic “for” before an infinitive (“for to destroy them”); it regularly used “which” for the personal “who.” Such language clearly originated with the Prophet as he dictated, not with the secretary.”

Richard Lloyd Anderson, “By the Gift and Power of God,” Ensign, September 1977

“Since David Whitmer had not personally translated, his accuracy on details depends on whether he correctly understood what Joseph Smith told him in the first place, and whether he correctly remembered such details after that. This explanation has Joseph Smith simply read off the entire translation rather than formulate it.”

“Many anti-Mormons have seized on the implications of going further: that is, if Joseph Smith only dictated divinely given English from his viewing instrument, then God is the author of some bad grammar in the original.”

“Good translations typically strike a balance between the literalism of the first language and the idiom of the new one. Here the Book of Mormon measures up well. Some of the grammatical patterns changed after the first edition definitely match known Joseph Smith expressions of his early period. On the other hand, there seems to be a good deal of Semitic literalness in the translation as a whole, with a number of striking ancient patterns, emphasized in the research of Hugh Nibley.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“He saw the words in the stone as he had seen lost objects or treasure and dictated them to his secretary. The eyewitnesses who described translation, Joseph Knight, Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, who was in the house during the last weeks of translation, understood translation as transcription. Referring to the seerstone as a Urim and Thummim, Knight said: “Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkned his Eyes then he would take a sentance and it would apper in Brite Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it. Then that would go away the next sentance would Come and so on.” Joseph himself said almost nothing about his method but implied transcription when he said that “the Lord had prepared spectacles for to read the Book.” Close scrutiny of the original manuscript (by a believing scholar) seems to support transcription. Judging from the way Cowdery wrote down the words, Joseph saw twenty to thirty words at a time, dictated them, and then waited for the next twenty to appear.” Ch. 3

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Light from the stone would shine in the darkness, revealing words that Joseph dictated as Oliver rapidly copied them down.” Ch. 6

“He spoke slowly but clearly, pausing occasionally to wait for Martin to say “written” after he had caught up to what Joseph had said.” Ch. 5

Oliver B. Huntington, “Journal of Oliver B. Huntington,” p. 168, Utah State Historical Society

“Saturday Feb. 25, 1881, I went to Provo to a quarterly Stake Conference. Heard Joseph F. Smith describe the manner of translating the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith the Prophet and Seer, which was as follows as near as I can recollect the substance of his description. Joseph did not render the writing on the gold plates into the English language in his own style of language as many people believe, but every word and every letter was given to him by the gift and power of God. So it is the work of God and not of Joseph Smith, and it was done in this way.”

“The Lord caused each word spelled as it is in the book to appear on the stones in short sentences or words, and when Joseph had uttered the sentence or word before him and the scribe had written it properly, that sentence would disappear and another appear. And if there was a word wrongly written or even a letter incorrect the writing on the stones would remain there. Then Joseph would require the scribe to spell the reading of the last spoken and thus find the mistake and when corrected the sentence would disappear as usual.”

Emma Smith, in “A Visit to Nauvoo in 1856,” Journal of History, Volume 9

“When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it, as he dictated each sentence, word for word, and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out, and while I was writing them, if I made any mistake in spelling, he would stop me and correct my spelling, although it was impossible for him to see how I was writing them down at the time.”

Church History Topics, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Joseph and his scribes wrote of two instruments used in translating the Book of Mormon. One instrument, called in the Book of Mormon the “interpreters,” is better known to Latter-day Saints today as the “Urim and Thummim.” Joseph found the interpreters buried in the hill with the plates. The other instrument, which Joseph discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the plates, was a small oval stone, or “seer stone.” As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure. As he grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.”

Church History Topics, “Seer Stones,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“During the translation of the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith apparently used both of these instruments—the interpreters and his seer stone—interchangeably. They worked in much the same way, and the early Saints sometimes used the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer to the seer stone as well as the interpreters. The Prophet also received several of the revelations found today in the Doctrine and Covenants by means of these instruments of revelation.”

The Joseph Smith Papers, “Urim and Thummim.” Glossary, Interim Content

“JS explained that he used the pair of stones found with the plates in his translation of the Book of Mormon. Eyewitnesses reported that he also translated using a dark brown seer stone placed in a hat to exclude exterior light and that he used a seer stone for many of his early revelations. JS referred to the pair of stones found with the plates as “spectacles,” and he later referred to these stones and his other seer stones with the term “Urim and Thummim,” the name of the instrument used by the high priest of Israel in the Bible.”

The Joseph Smith Papers, “Seer Stone.” Glossary, Interim Content

“JS and other church members began referring to the instrument as the Urim and Thummim by 1832. The term was also applied to seer stones JS said he used to translate and to receive some of his early revelations. In April 1843, JS taught that the earth in its perfected state would become a Urim and Thummim where all things “will be manifest to those who dwell on it” and that those prepared for the celestial kingdom would receive their own Urim and Thummim.”

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The other instrument, which Joseph Smith discovered in the ground years before he retrieved the gold plates, was a small oval stone, or “seer stone.”18 As a young man during the 1820s, Joseph Smith, like others in his day, used a seer stone to look for lost objects and buried treasure.19 As Joseph grew to understand his prophetic calling, he learned that he could use this stone for the higher purpose of translating scripture.

Apparently for convenience, Joseph often translated with the single seer stone rather than the two stones bound together to form the interpreters. These two instruments—the interpreters and the seer stone—were apparently interchangeable and worked in much the same way such that, in the course of time, Joseph Smith and his associates often used the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer to the single stone as well as the interpreters.”

“Latter-day Saints later understood the term “Urim and Thummim” to refer exclusively to the interpreters. Joseph Smith and others, however, seem to have understood the term more as a descriptive category of instruments for obtaining divine revelations and less as the name of a specific instrument.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Joseph translated using the interpreters (also called the Urim and Thummim, crystals mounted on a breast plate), and Harris wrote down the text as it was dictated.” Ch. 3

“After 1828, Joseph could no longer see that magic might have prepared him to believe in a revelation of gold plates and translation with a stone. It did not occur to him that without magic his family might have scoffed at his story of Moroni, as did the minister who rejected the First Vision. Magic had played its part and now could be cast aside.” Ch. 3

“Joseph looked in the seerstone, and the plates lay covered on the table.” Ch. 3

“David Whitmer said Moroni did not return the Urim and Thummim in September. Instead Joseph used a seerstone for the remaining translation.” Ch. 3, footnote 46

“Neither his education nor his Christian upbringing prepared Joseph to translate a book, but the magic culture may have. Treasure-seeking taught Joseph to look for the unseen in a stone. His first reaction when he brought home the Urim and Thummim was delight with its divining powers. “I can see any thing,” he told his friend Joseph Knight. He knew from working with his own seerstone what to expect from the Urim and Thummim: he would “see.” Practice with his scrying stones carried over to translation of the gold plates. In fact, as work on the Book of Mormon proceeded, a seerstone took the place of the Urim and Thummim as an aid in the work, blending magic with inspired translation.” Ch. 6

Emma Smith, Emma Smith Bidamon, Nauvoo, IL, to Emma Pilgrim, 27 Mar. 1870

“I always feel a peculiar satisfaction in giving all the information on that subject that I can Now the first part that my husband translated was translated by the use of the Urim and Thummim, and that was the part that Martin Harris lost. after that he used a small stone, not exactly black, but was rather a dark color.”

Oliver Cowdery, in “Journal of Reuben Miller,” 21 Oct. 1848. See also R. L. Anderson, “Reuben Miller, Recorder of Oliver Cowdery’s Reaffirmations,” BYU Studies 8 (1968):277

“I wrote with my own pen the entire Book of Mormon (save a few pages) as it fell from the lips of the Prophet as he translated it by the gift and power of God by means of the Urim and Thummim, or as it is called by that book, holy interpreters. I beheld with my eyes and handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters. That book is true.”

Wilford Woodruff, December 27th, 1841, Wilford Woodruff journal, 1841 January-1842 December, Church History Catalog, Call Number MS 1352 

“I had the privilege of seeing for the first time in my day the URIM & THUMMIM.”

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1966

“A Urim and Thummim consists of two special stones called seer stones or interpreters. The Hebrew words urim and thummim both plural, mean lights and perfections. Presumably one of the stones is called Urim and the other Thummim.”

“The Prophet also had a seer stone which was separate and distinct from the Urim and Thummim, and which (speaking loosely) has been called by some a Urim and Thummim.”

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, volume 3, p. 225

"We have been taught since the days of the Prophet that the Urim and Thummim were returned with the plates to the angel. We have no record of the Prophet having the Urim and Thummim after the organization of the Church. Statements of translations by the Urim and Thummim after that date are evidently errors. The statement has been made that the Urim and Thummim was on the altar in the Manti Temple when that building was dedicated. The Urim and Thummim so spoken of, however, was the seer stone which was in the possession of the Prophet Joseph Smith in early days. This seer stone is now in the possession of the Church."

Church History Topics, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Some grammatical constructions more characteristic of Near Eastern languages than English appear in the original manuscript, suggesting the base language of the translation was not English.”

“According to these accounts, Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and spoke aloud the English words inspired by the instrument.”

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“According to witnesses of the translation, when Joseph looked into the instruments, the words of scripture appeared in English.”

Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, “Firsthand Witness Accounts of the Translation Process,” in The Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, edited by Dennis L. Largey, Andrew H. Hedges, John Hilton III, and Kerry Hull (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2015), 61–79. Michael Hubbard MacKay and Gerrit J. Dirkmaat were assistant professors of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University when this was written.

“Harris claimed that he knew how Joseph was translating. He explained that by the “aid of the seer stone, sentences would appear and were read by the Prophet and written by [Martin], and when finished he would say, ‘Written,’ and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear and another appear in its place, but if not written correctly it remained until corrected.”

Harris was apparently an active participant in the translation, and his audible exchanges with Joseph made it apparent to him that words were appearing on the seer stone or stones in the hat. Harris believed that this process eliminated the possibility of any volition on the part of Joseph Smith. Joseph did not determine what was included in the text of the Book of Mormon; the translation apparently came directly from that which appeared on the seer stones.”

“David Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, gave many interviews about the translation between 1878 and 1888. Though he never claimed to have actually seen the words on the stone himself, his statements often spoke of the words appearing on something resembling parchment.”

“Pulling together the accounts from witnesses and our understanding of the sacred instruments used for translation, we can now understand three components of Joseph Smith’s translation process. He explained that he translated (1) by the gift and power of God (like Mosiah), (2) by way of an instrument (the seer stones), (3) which functioned through “sight.”

“There is evidence in the Original Manuscript that Joseph sometimes spelled out proper names.” Footnote 30

“According to Royal Skousen, leading scholar of the text of the Book of Mormon, the original manuscript supports the idea that Joseph saw and dictated multiple words or phrases, one cluster at a time, and that unusual names seem to have been sometimes spelled out and corrected if necessary, as David Whitmer indicated. The English text would not disappear from Joseph’s view until he confirmed that what he heard from the scribe was correct.” Footnote 37

David Whitmer, 1887, David Whitmer Interviews: A Restoration Witness, ed. Lyndon W. Cook (Provo, UT: Grandin Book, 1991)

“A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear.”

“The first edition of the Book of Mormon carried numerous sentences with a plural subject and singular verb, and vice versa; it sometimes placed an idiomatic “a” before a participle (“a marching”) or an idiomatic “for” before an infinitive (“for to destroy them”); it regularly used “which” for the personal “who.” Such language clearly originated with the Prophet as he dictated, not with the secretary.”

Richard Lloyd Anderson, “By the Gift and Power of God,” Ensign, September 1977

“Since David Whitmer had not personally translated, his accuracy on details depends on whether he correctly understood what Joseph Smith told him in the first place, and whether he correctly remembered such details after that. This explanation has Joseph Smith simply read off the entire translation rather than formulate it.”

“Many anti-Mormons have seized on the implications of going further: that is, if Joseph Smith only dictated divinely given English from his viewing instrument, then God is the author of some bad grammar in the original.”

“Good translations typically strike a balance between the literalism of the first language and the idiom of the new one. Here the Book of Mormon measures up well. Some of the grammatical patterns changed after the first edition definitely match known Joseph Smith expressions of his early period. On the other hand, there seems to be a good deal of Semitic literalness in the translation as a whole, with a number of striking ancient patterns, emphasized in the research of Hugh Nibley.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“He saw the words in the stone as he had seen lost objects or treasure and dictated them to his secretary. The eyewitnesses who described translation, Joseph Knight, Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery, and David Whitmer, who was in the house during the last weeks of translation, understood translation as transcription. Referring to the seerstone as a Urim and Thummim, Knight said: “Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkned his Eyes then he would take a sentance and it would apper in Brite Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it. Then that would go away the next sentance would Come and so on.” Joseph himself said almost nothing about his method but implied transcription when he said that “the Lord had prepared spectacles for to read the Book.” Close scrutiny of the original manuscript (by a believing scholar) seems to support transcription. Judging from the way Cowdery wrote down the words, Joseph saw twenty to thirty words at a time, dictated them, and then waited for the next twenty to appear.” Ch. 3

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Light from the stone would shine in the darkness, revealing words that Joseph dictated as Oliver rapidly copied them down.” Ch. 6

“He spoke slowly but clearly, pausing occasionally to wait for Martin to say “written” after he had caught up to what Joseph had said.” Ch. 5

Oliver B. Huntington, “Journal of Oliver B. Huntington,” p. 168, Utah State Historical Society

“Saturday Feb. 25, 1881, I went to Provo to a quarterly Stake Conference. Heard Joseph F. Smith describe the manner of translating the Book of Mormon by Joseph Smith the Prophet and Seer, which was as follows as near as I can recollect the substance of his description. Joseph did not render the writing on the gold plates into the English language in his own style of language as many people believe, but every word and every letter was given to him by the gift and power of God. So it is the work of God and not of Joseph Smith, and it was done in this way.”

“The Lord caused each word spelled as it is in the book to appear on the stones in short sentences or words, and when Joseph had uttered the sentence or word before him and the scribe had written it properly, that sentence would disappear and another appear. And if there was a word wrongly written or even a letter incorrect the writing on the stones would remain there. Then Joseph would require the scribe to spell the reading of the last spoken and thus find the mistake and when corrected the sentence would disappear as usual.”

Emma Smith, in “A Visit to Nauvoo in 1856,” Journal of History, Volume 9

“When my husband was translating the Book of Mormon, I wrote a part of it, as he dictated each sentence, word for word, and when he came to proper names he could not pronounce, or long words, he spelled them out, and while I was writing them, if I made any mistake in spelling, he would stop me and correct my spelling, although it was impossible for him to see how I was writing them down at the time.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 17:5

“And we did come to the land which we called Bountiful, because of its much fruit and also wild honey; and all these things were prepared of the Lord that we might not perish. And we beheld the sea, which we called Irreantum, which, being interpreted, is many waters.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 9:9

“And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 11:3

“And he laid a tax of one fifth part of all they possessed, a fifth part of their gold and of their silver, and a fifth part of their ziff, and of their copper, and of their brass and their iron; and a fifth part of their fatlings; and also a fifth part of all their grain.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 11:5-19

“Now the reckoning is thus—a senine of gold, a seon of gold, a shum of gold, and a limnah of gold.

A senum of silver, an amnor of silver, an ezrom of silver, and an onti of silver.

A senum of silver was equal to a senine of gold, and either for a measure of barley, and also for a measure of every kind of grain.

Now the amount of a seon of gold was twice the value of a senine.

And a shum of gold was twice the value of a seon.

And a limnah of gold was the value of them all.

And an amnor of silver was as great as two senums.

And an ezrom of silver was as great as four senums.

And an onti was as great as them all.

Now this is the value of the lesser numbers of their reckoning—

A shiblon is half of a senum; therefore, a shiblon for half a measure of barley.

And a shiblum is a half of a shiblon.

And a leah is the half of a shiblum.

Now this is their number, according to their reckoning.

Now an antion of gold is equal to three shiblons.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 31:21

“Now the place was called by them Rameumptom, which, being interpreted, is the holy stand.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 37:38

“And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.”

Book of Mormon, Ether 2:3

“And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees, and all manner of that which was upon the face of the land, seeds of every kind.”

Book of Mormon, Ether 9:19

“And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.

Book of Mormon, Ether 15:8

“And it came to pass that he came to the waters of Ripliancum, which, by interpretation, is large, or to exceed all.”

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“The first step that he was instructed to take in regard to this work was to make a facsimile of some of the characters, which were called reformed Egyptian, and to send them to some of the most learned men of this generation and ask them for the translation thereof.”

“When Joseph had had a sufficient time to accomplish the journey and transcribe some of the Egyptian characters, it was agreed that Martin Harris should follow him—and that he (Martin) should take the characters to the East, and, on his way, he was to call on all the professed linguists, in order to give them an opportunity to display their talents in giving a translation of the characters.”

Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History, 1:63-65

“Sometime in this month of February, the aforementioned Mr. Martin Harris came to our place, got the characters which I had drawn off the plates, and started with them to the city of New York. For what took place relative to him and the characters, I refer to his own account of the circumstances, as he related them to me after his return, which was as follows:

“I went to the city of New York, and presented the characters which had been translated, with the translation thereof, to Professor Charles Anthon, a gentleman celebrated for his literary attainments. Professor Anthon stated that the translation was correct, more so than any he had before seen translated from the Egyptian. I then showed him those which were not yet translated, and he said that they were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic; and he said they were true characters. He gave me a certificate, certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct. I took the certificate and put it into my pocket, and was just leaving the house, when Mr. Anthon called me back, and asked me how the young man found out that there were gold plates in the place where he found them. I answered that an angel of God had revealed it unto him.

“He then said to me, ‘Let me see that certificate.’ I accordingly took it out of my pocket and gave it to him, when he took it and tore it to pieces, saying that there was no such thing now as ministering of angels, and that if I would bring the plates to him he would translate them. I informed him that part of the plates were sealed, and that I was forbidden to bring them. He replied, ‘I cannot read a sealed book.’ I left him and went to Dr. Mitchell, who sanctioned what Professor Anthon had said respecting both the characters and the translation.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“A few months later, Martin came to Harmony. He said he felt called by the Lord to travel as far as New York City to consult experts in ancient languages. He hoped they could translate the characters. Joseph copied several more characters from the plates, wrote down his translation, and handed the paper to Martin. He and Emma then watched as their friend headed east to consult with distinguished scholars.” Ch. 5

“When Martin arrived in New York City, he went to see Charles Anthon, a professor of Latin and Greek at Columbia College. Professor Anthon was a young man—about fifteen years younger than Martin—and was best known for publishing a popular encyclopedia on Greek and Roman culture. He had also begun collecting stories about American Indians. Anthon was a rigid scholar who resented interruptions, but he welcomed Martin and studied the characters and translation Joseph had provided. Although the professor did not know Egyptian, he had read some studies on the language and knew what it looked like. Looking at the characters, he saw some similarities with Egyptian and told Martin the translation was correct. Martin showed him more characters, and Anthon examined them. He said they contained characters from many ancient languages and gave Martin a certificate verifying their authenticity.” Ch. 5

“Let me see that certificate,” Anthon said. Martin reached into his pocket and gave it to him. Anthon tore it to pieces and said there was no such thing as ministering angels. If Joseph wanted the plates translated, he could bring them to Columbia and let a scholar translate them. Martin explained that part of the plates were sealed and that Joseph was not allowed to show them to anyone. “I cannot read a sealed book,” said Anthon. He warned Martin that Joseph was probably cheating him. “Beware of rogues,” he said.” Ch. 5

“Martin left Professor Anthon and called on Samuel Mitchill. He received Martin politely, listened to his story, and looked at the characters and translation. He could not make sense of them, but he said they reminded him of Egyptian hieroglyphics and were the writings of an extinct nation.” Ch. 5

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“In his 1832 account Joseph said that because of Harris’s righteousness “the Lord appeared unto him in a vision and shewed unto him his marvilous work which he was about to do and he imediately came to Su[s]quehanna and said the Lord had shown him that he must go to new York City with some of the caracters.” The vision may have confirmed a plan already agreed on, for Lucy Smith said Joseph had previously arranged with Harris to come to Harmony and take the characters east to a linguist.” Ch. 3

“Joseph Knight Sr., who from his home in nearby Colesville aided Joseph while the translation went on, said that Joseph and “his wife Drew of[f] the Caricters exactley like the ancient and sent Martin Harris to see if he Could git them Translated.” Lucy Smith gave the same reason. She said Joseph was instructed “to take off a facsimile of the characters composing the alphabet which were called reformed egyptian Alphabetically and send them to all the learned men that he could find and ask them for the translation of the same.” Ch. 3

“But when Harris spoke with the scholars, he asked if the translation was correct. The answer would interest Harris and the citizens of Palmyra. Perhaps Joseph wanted a check on his work too.” Ch. 3

“Charles Anthon was professor of classical studies at Columbia College from 1820 until his death in 1867. In February 1828, when Harris arrived, the scholarly work that was to establish Anthon as “the principal classical bookmaker of his time” lay ahead of him, but he was already noted for his 1825 edition of A Classical Dictionary, really an encyclopedia, first published by John Lempriere in 1788. Anthon added four thousand entries to the dictionary, and among the most notable were many on Egypt. In the preface he professed familiarity with the most eminent authorities on Egypt and cited Jean-François Champollion’s “elaborate treatise on Hieroglyphics of Egypt.” Anthon was probably as well equipped as anyone in America to answer Harris’s questions.” Ch. 3

“Harris said he showed Anthon both Joseph’s translation and the untranslated characters and received confirmation of both. According to Harris, Anthon then said that the characters were Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic, and gave Harris “a certificate certifying to the people of Palmyra that they were true characters, and that the translation of such of them as had been translated was also correct.” Ch. 3

“When he was told that an angel had revealed their location, he asked for the certificate and tore it up. Anthon wanted to see the plates themselves, but Harris said they could not be shown because part was sealed. “I cannot read a sealed book,” Harris reported Anthon saying. With that they parted.” Ch. 3

“That realization thrilled Joseph. When he began writing his history in 1832, he took the pen in his own hands to describe the Anthon incident in terms that made it an exact fulfillment of Isaiah 29:11–12. He wrote that Martin Harris took his Journy to the Eastern Cittys and to the Learned saying read this I pray thee and the learned said I cannot but if he would bring the plates they would read it but the Lord had forbid it and he returned to me and gave them to me to translate and I said cannot for I am not learned but the Lord had prepared spectacles for to read the Book therefore I commenced translating the characters and thus the Prophicy of Isaiaah was fulfilled which is writen in the 29 chapter concerning the book. At a time when Joseph’s prophetic identity was jelling, a reference in the Bible was far more important than a verification of the translation.” Ch. 3

“Yet uncertainty still beset Harris. The ever-lengthening manuscript and the tests to which he put Joseph did not quiet his doubts. He could not forget his wife’s skepticism or the hostile queries of Palmyra’s tavern crowd. Was Joseph making a fool of him? Was he the classic dupe, to be cheated of his money and farm when the fraud was complete? Lucy Smith said that Harris asked Joseph for a look at the plates, for “a further witness of their actual existance and that he might be better able to give a reason for the hope that was within him.” When that request was denied, he asked about the manuscript.” Ch. 3

“Anthon and Harris differed substantially in their accounts of their encounter. Anthon wrote letters in 1834 and 1841 to critics of the Mormons, denying that he had verified Joseph’s translation or the authenticity of the characters. Anthon claimed he saw through the hoax at once, feared that Harris was about to be cheated of his money, and warned the “simple-hearted farmer” to beware of rogues.” Ch. 3

“Anthon said that on the paper Harris showed him was a “singular medley” of Greek and Hebrew letters with other strange marks, with “sundry delineations of half moons, stars, and other natural objects, and the whole ended in a rude representation of the Mexican zodiac.” Ch. 3

Charles Anthon, “Charles Anthon to Thomas Winthrop Coit,” 3 April 1841, Early Mormon Documents, Volume 4, pg. 382-386

“I have often heard that the Mormons claimed me for an auxiliary.”

“A very brief examination of the paper convinced me that it was a mere hoax, and a very clumsy one too.”

“The conclusion was irresistible, that some cunning fellow had prepared the paper in question, for the purpose of imposing upon the country¬ man who brought it, and I told the man so without any hesitation. He then proceeded to give me the history of the whole affair, which convinced me that he had fallen into the hands of some sharper, while it left me in great astonishment at his own simplicity.”

“On my asking him by whom the copy was made, he gravely stated, that along with the golden book there had been dug up a very large pair of spectacles! so large in fact, that if a man were to hold them in front of his face, his two eyes would merely look through one of the glasses, and the remaining part of the spectacles would project a considerable distance sideways! These spectacles possessed, it seems, the very valuable property, of enabling any one who looked through them, (or rather through one of the lenses,) not only to decypher the characters on the plates, but also to comprehend their exact meaning, and to he able to translate them! My informant assured me, that this curious property of the spectacles had been actually tested, and found to be true. A young man, it seems, had been placed in the garret of a farm-house, with a curtain before him, and, having fastened the spectacles to his head, had read several pages in the golden book, and communicated their contents in writing to certain persons stationed on the outside of the curtain. He had also copied off one page of the book in the original character, which he had in like manner handed over to those who were separated from him by the curtain, and this copy was the paper which the countryman had brought with him. As the golden book was said to contain very great truths, and most important revelations of a religious nature, a strong desire had been expressed by several persons in the countryman’s neighbourhood, to have the whole work translated and published. A proposition had accordingly been made to my informant, to sell his farm and apply the proceeds to the printing of the golden book, and the golden plates were to be left with him as security until he should be reimbursed by the sale of the work. To convince him the more clearly that there was no risk whatever in the matter, and that the work was actually what it claimed to be, he was told to take the paper, which purported to be a copy of one of the pages of the book, to the city of New York, and submit it to the learned in that quarter, who would soon dispel all his doubts, and satisfy him as to the perfect safety of the investment.”

“On my telling the bearer of the paper that an attempt had been made to impose upon him, and defraud him of his property, he requested me to give him my opinion in writing about the paper which he had shown to me.”

Charles Anthon, “Charles Anthon to E. D. Howe,” 17 February 1843, Early Mormon Documents, Volume 4, pg. 377-381

“The whole story about my having pronounced the Mormonite inscription to be “reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics” is perfectly false.”

“Upon examining the paper in question, I soon came to the conclusion that it was all a trick, perhaps a hoax. When I asked the person, who brought it, how he obtained the writing, he gave me, as far as I can now recollect, the following account: A “gold book,” consisting of a number of plates of gold, fastened together in the shape of a book by wires of the same metal, had been dug up in the northern part of the state of New York.”

“Not a word, however, was said about the plates having been decyphered “by the gift of God.” Every thing, in this way, was effected by the large pair of spectacles. The farmer added, that he had been requested to contribute a sum of money towards the publication of the “golden book,” the contents of which would, as he had been assured, produce an entire change in the world and save it from rain. So urgent had been these solicitations, that he intended selling his farm and handing over the amount received to those who wished to publish the plates. As a last precautionary step, however, he had resolved to come to New York, and obtain the opinion of the learned about the meaning of the paper which he brought with him, and which had been given him as a part of the contents of the book.”

“On hearing this odd story, I changed my opinion about the paper, and, instead of viewing it any longer as a hoax upon the learned, I began to regard it as part of a scheme to cheat the farmer of his money, and I communicated my suspicions to him, warning him to beware of rogues.”

“I am thus particular as to the contents of the paper, inasmuch as I have frequently conversed with my friends on the subject, since the Mormonite excitement began, and well remember that the paper contained any thing else but “ Egyptian Hieroglyphics.”

“Some time after, the same farmer paid me a second visit. He brought with him the golden book in print, and offered it to me for sale. I declined purchasing. He then asked permission to leave the book with me for examination. I declined receiving it, although his manner was strangely urgent. I adverted once more to the roguery which had been in my opinion practised upon him.”

“I have thus given you a full statement of all that I know respecting the origin of Mormonism, and must beg you, as a personal favor, to publish this letter immediately, should you find my name mentioned again by these wretched fanatics.”

John A. Clark, “Letter to Dear Brethren,” 24 August 1840, in The Episcopal Recorded, Philadelphia, Volume 18, 5 September 1840, and Early Mormon Documents Volume 2, p. 261-269

“He was so much in earnest on the subject, that he immediately started off with some of the manuscripts that Smith furnished him on a journey to New York and Washington to consult some learned men to ascertain the nature of the language in which this record was engraven. After his return, he came to see me again, and told me that among others he had consulted Professor An thon, of Columbia College, who thought the characters in which the book was written very remarkable, but he could not decide exactly what language they belonged to. Martin had now become a perfect believer. He said he had no more doubt of Smith’s divine commission, than of the divine commission of the apostles.” 

Stanley B. Kimball, “The Anthon Transcript: People, Primary Sources, and Problems,” BYU Studies Quarterly, Volume 10, Issue 3, 1970, Article 8, Scholars Archive, Brigham Young University

“Many books had been published by 1828 containing facsimilies of Egyptian characters and Anthon and Mitchill could easily have been acquainted with at least the appearance of the various styles of Egyptian writing. Whatever they said respecting the correctness of the translations cannot be taken too seriously. Even a reincarnated Egyptian could not have translated the characters because the “reformed Egyptian” had been so changed that “none other people knoweth our language.”

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.”

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“That such power of imagination would have to be of a high order is conceded; that Joseph Smith possessed such a gift of mind there can be no question. The fact of it is first established by the testimony of the mother who bore him, Lucy Smith.”

“It must be remembered that the above took place before the young prophet had received the plates of the Book of Mormon: these were the evenings immediately following the first interviews with Moroni. Whence came his knowledge for these recitals of "the dress," "the mode of the ancient inhabitants of America of traveling," "the animals on which they rode," "their cities," "their buildings," "their mode of warfare," "their religious worship"? And all this given "with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them"? Whence indeed, since all this happened before even the second interview with Moroni had taken place, and between three and four years before the translation of the Book of Mormon began.”

“Whence comes the young prophet's ability to give these descriptions "with as much ease as if he had spent his whole life" with these ancient inhabitants of America? Not from the Book of Mormon, which is, as yet, a sealed book to him; and surely not from Moroni, since he had had but one day and night of interviews with him, during which there had be several interviews, it is true, but these had been occupied with other subject matter than the things enumerated by Lucy Smith. These evening recitals could come from no other source than the vivid, constructive imagination of Joseph Smith, a remarkable power which attended him through all his life. It was as strong and varied as Shakespeare's and no more to be accounted for than the English Bard's.”

King James Bible

1832 Account: Circa Summer 1832 History, First Vision Accounts, Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“At about the age of twelve years my mind become seriously imprest with regard to the all importent concerns for the wellfare of my immortal Soul which led me to searching the scriptures believeing as I was taught, that they contained the word of God thus applying myself to them and my intimate acquaintance with those of differant denominations led me to marvel excedingly for I discovered that they did not adorn their profession by a holy walk and Godly conversation agreeable to what I found contained in that sacred depository this was a grief to my Soul thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the sittuation of the world of mankind the contentions and divisions the wickedness and abominations and the darkness which pervaded the minds of mankind my mind become excedingly distressed for I become convicted of my sins and by searching the scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but they had apostatised from the true and liveing faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the new testament and I felt to mourn for my own sins and for the sins of the world for I learned in the scriptures that God was the same yesterday to day and forever that he was no respecter to persons for he was God.”

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“Mother, I do not wish to prevent your going to [church], or any of the rest of the family; or your joining any church you please; but, do not ask me to join them. I can take my Bible, and go into the woods and learn more in two hours than you can learn at meeting in two years, if you should go all the time.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 11:1-2

“And now, Jacob spake many more things to my people at that time; nevertheless only these things have I caused to be written, for the things which I have written sufficeth me.

And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah, for my soul delighteth in his words. For I will liken his words unto my people, and I will send them forth unto all my children, for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him.”

Bible Dictionary, “Isaiah,” Study Helps, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants quote from Isaiah more than from any other prophet. The Lord told the Nephites that “great are the words of Isaiah,” and that all things Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel and of the Gentiles would be fulfilled.”

Bible Dictionary, “Sermon on the Mount,” Study Helps, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“A discourse by the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples who were about to be sent forth on missions. The Lord gave the sermon soon after the calling of the Twelve.

The sermon is clarified by the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible and by a similar sermon recorded in 3 Nephi 12–14 that show that important parts of the sermon have been lost from the account in Matthew.”

Richard Lloyd Anderson, “By the Gift and Power of God,” Ensign, September 1977

“Since we know the Book of Mormon is correctly translated, why review how it was done? Because such a study can add further testimony of Joseph Smith’s great work.”

“In fact, the language in the sections of the Book of Mormon that correspond to parts of the Bible is quite regularly selected by Joseph Smith, rather than obtained through independent translation. For instance, there are over 400 verses in which the Nephite prophets quote from Isaiah, and half of these appear precisely as the King James version renders them. Summarizing the view taken by Latter-day Saint scholars on this point, Daniel H. Ludlow emphasizes the inherent variety of independent translation and concludes: “There appears to be only one answer to explain the word-for-word similarities between the verses of Isaiah in the Bible and the same verses in the Book of Mormon.” That is simply that Joseph Smith must have opened Isaiah and tested each mentioned verse by the Spirit: “If his translation was essentially the same as that of the King James version, he apparently quoted the verse from the Bible.”

Daniel L. Belnap, “The King James Bible and the Book of Mormon,” in Kent P. Jackson, The King James Bible and the Restoration, 2011, Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University

“The relationship between the KJV and the Book of Mormon in particular is complex, as the Book of Mormon includes large blocks of biblical text similar to equivalent passages in the Old and New Testaments and translated into King James English.”

“There are approximately twenty explicit textual passages in the Book of Mormon that are directly quoted from ancient Israelite scripture. Most prominent are the texts of the prophet Isaiah, but passages can be found similar to the KJV texts of Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Micah, and Malachi. Passages from the latter two books are found in 3 Nephi and are presented to the Nephites by Jesus during his Nephite ministry. 3 Nephi also contains material similar to Christ's New Testament teachings more commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount.” Footnote 1

“Yet because the Book of Mormon was originally written in King James language, we are confronted with the fact that the KJV, regardless of what Bible translation one reads, influences every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by virtue of its cadence, language, and terminology appearing in the original English Book of Mormon. In light of this fact, two questions arise concerning the presence of the King James English and text in the Book of Mormon: (1) Why does the Book of Mormon incorporate King James English? and (2) How did such English get into the Book of Mormon text?”

“More difficult to explain are the large blocks of biblical text that are in many places exactly the same, word for word, as the King James versions of the same passages. Though some have stressed that the Book of Mormon biblical texts feature many differences from the KJV versions, the reality is that most of the changes in the text are superficial in nature, meaning that they tend to modernize some of the more archaic renditions rather than changing the underlying biblical concept.”

“From this fact, one may be inclined to assume that Joseph Smith merely used the pertinent passages of the King James Bible when he came upon those passages while translating the Book of Mormon and made changes to the text when it was deemed necessary. The problem with this assumption is that of the accounts describing the translating process, none mention that he used a Bible, and in fact a few of the accounts state explicitly that Joseph did not use any biblical text during the translation process. Unfortunately, it is unclear what exactly the translating process was. Joseph himself declined to elaborate in 1831 when his brother Hyrum invited him to share details to the gathered congregation.”

“As was pointed out before, where all the accounts agree is that Joseph did not use another record. This only complicates the matters though, since, as Philip Barlow points out, the KJV influence is so extensive throughout the Book of Mormon. More than fifty thousand phrases of three or more words, excluding definite and indefinite articles, are common to the Bible and the Book of Mormon.”

“Some have tried to reconstruct the process and in so doing have established a theoretical spectrum ranging from a loose translation process to a tightly controlled translation process. The loose translation idea suggests that regardless of the physical action via the Urim and Thummim, the seer stone, or other means, the translation was ultimately a mental effort on the part of the Prophet, who, while given impressions as to the meaning of the text, had to discern the full meaning and then provide the English words that best fit the impressions received. In this theory, the KJV may have played an important role as Joseph utilized the King James English, primarily gathered through his own reading of the KJV, to arrive at the English translation. It is clear that KJV language is used throughout the Book of Mormon and not just in the biblical quotations.

The second theory, tight control, suggests that Joseph was shown words, clauses, or sentences of English text that are the result of the actual translation process being done in the divine realm.”

“As most readers are aware, the italicized portions of the KJV denote an English translation that is not necessarily reflective of the actual Hebrew or Greek text. Thus, concern over the italicized portions of the biblical text suggests that alignment of the Book of Mormon with the King James Bible was the concern in many places, rather than alignment with an original Hebrew or Semitic text.”

“Whether Joseph used an actual KJV text is unknown, though all of the witnesses state that he did not. If one assumes that he did not, whether he used loose or tight control of the translating process is unknown because evidence can be provided either way.”

Old Testament, Exodus 3:7-10

“And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 2:1-2, 19-20

“For behold, it came to pass that the Lord spake unto my father, yea, even in a dream, and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee, behold, they seek to take away thy life.

And it came to pass that the Lord commanded my father, even in a dream, that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness.”

“And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto me, saying: Blessed art thou, Nephi, because of thy faith, for thou hast sought me diligently, with lowliness of heart.

And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.”

Old Testament, Exodus 17:1-6

“And all the congregation of the children of Israel journeyed from the wilderness of Sin, after their journeys, according to the commandment of the Lord, and pitched in Rephidim: and there was no water for the people to drink.

Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? wherefore do ye tempt the Lord?

And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?

And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 16:33-39

“And it came to pass that we did again take our journey, traveling nearly the same course as in the beginning; and after we had traveled for the space of many days we did pitch our tents again, that we might tarry for the space of a time.

And it came to pass that Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called Nahom.

And it came to pass that the daughters of Ishmael did mourn exceedingly, because of the loss of their father, and because of their afflictions in the wilderness; and they did murmur against my father, because he had brought them out of the land of Jerusalem, saying: Our father is dead; yea, and we have wandered much in the wilderness, and we have suffered much affliction, hunger, thirst, and fatigue; and after all these sufferings we must perish in the wilderness with hunger.

And thus they did murmur against my father, and also against me; and they were desirous to return again to Jerusalem.

And Laman said unto Lemuel and also unto the sons of Ishmael: Behold, let us slay our father, and also our brother Nephi, who has taken it upon him to be our ruler and our teacher, who are his elder brethren.

Now, he says that the Lord has talked with him, and also that angels have ministered unto him. But behold, we know that he lies unto us; and he tells us these things, and he worketh many things by his cunning arts, that he may deceive our eyes, thinking, perhaps, that he may lead us away into some strange wilderness; and after he has led us away, he has thought to make himself a king and a ruler over us, that he may do with us according to his will and pleasure. And after this manner did my brother Laman stir up their hearts to anger.

And it came to pass that the Lord was with us, yea, even the voice of the Lord came and did speak many words unto them, and did chasten them exceedingly; and after they were chastened by the voice of the Lord they did turn away their anger, and did repent of their sins, insomuch that the Lord did bless us again with food, that we did not perish.“

Old Testament, Exodus 32:19

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 18:9

“And after we had been driven forth before the wind for the space of many days, behold, my brethren and the sons of Ishmael and also their wives began to make themselves merry, insomuch that they began to dance, and to sing, and to speak with much rudeness, yea, even that they did forget by what power they had been brought thither; yea, they were lifted up unto exceeding rudeness.”

New Testament, Hebrews 3:7-15

“Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.

Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end;

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 12:33-37

“But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;

Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.

And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.

And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity provoketh him that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first provocation, yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first.

And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word.”

New Testament, Hebrews 7:1-4

“For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 13:14-15, 19

“Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priesthood forever.

And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one-tenth part of all he possessed.”

“Now, there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention.”

New Testament, John 11:3-6, 25-27, 39-45

“Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was.”

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

“Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him, Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days.

Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.

And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.

And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.

And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.

Then many of the Jews which came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 19:4-5, 8-10, 12, 15

“And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

Therefore, if this is the case, I would that ye should go in and see my husband, for he has been laid upon his bed for the space of two days and two nights; and some say that he is not dead, but others say that he is dead and that he stinketh, and that he ought to be placed in the sepulchre; but as for myself, to me he doth not stink.”

“And he said unto the queen: He is not dead, but he sleepeth in God, and on the morrow he shall rise again; therefore bury him not.

And Ammon said unto her: Believest thou this? And she said unto him: I have had no witness save thy word, and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said.

And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.”

“And it came to pass that he arose, according to the words of Ammon; and as he arose, he stretched forth his hand unto the woman, and said: Blessed be the name of God, and blessed art thou.”

“Now, when the servants of the king had seen that they had fallen, they also began to cry unto God, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them also, for it was they who had stood before the king and testified unto him concerning the great power of Ammon.”

New Testament, Matthew 13:3-8

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 32:28-30, 38-40

“Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

But behold, as the seed swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, then you must needs say that the seed is good; for behold it swelleth, and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow. And now, behold, will not this strengthen your faith? Yea, it will strengthen your faith: for ye will say I know that this is a good seed; for behold it sprouteth and beginneth to grow.”

“But if ye neglect the tree, and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root; and when the heat of the sun cometh and scorcheth it, because it hath no root it withers away, and ye pluck it up and cast it out.

Now, this is not because the seed was not good, neither is it because the fruit thereof would not be desirable; but it is because your ground is barren, and ye will not nourish the tree, therefore ye cannot have the fruit thereof.

And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life.”

New Testament, Hebrews 6:17-19

“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”

Book of Mormon, Ether 12:3-4

“For he did cry from the morning, even until the going down of the sun, exhorting the people to believe in God unto repentance lest they should be destroyed, saying unto them that by faith all things are fulfilled—

Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”

New Testament, Hebrews 11:1, 33-36

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:”

Book of Mormon, Ether 12:6, 22-23

“And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”

“And it is by faith that my fathers have obtained the promise that these things should come unto their brethren through the Gentiles; therefore the Lord hath commanded me, yea, even Jesus Christ.

And I said unto him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them;”

New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13:2-8

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.”

Book of Mormon, Moroni 7:44-47

“If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”

New Testament, 1 Corinthians 12:4

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:8-17

“And again, I exhort you, my brethren, that ye deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.

For behold, to one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;

And to another, that he may teach the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

And to another, exceedingly great faith; and to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

And again, to another, that he may work mighty miracles;

And again, to another, that he may prophesy concerning all things;

And again, to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits;

And again, to another, all kinds of tongues;

And again, to another, the interpretation of languages and of divers kinds of tongues.

And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.”

View of the Hebrews

Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons 3:813-815

“If such may have been the fact, that a part of the Ten Tribes came over to America, in the way we have supposed, leaving the cold regions of Assareth behind them in quest of a milder climate, it would be natural to look for tokens of the presence of Jews of some sort, along countries adjacent to the Atlantic. In order to this, we shall here make an extract from an able work: written exclusively on the subject of the Ten Tribes having come from Asia by the way of Bherings Strait, by the Rev. Ethan Smith, Pultney, Vt., who relates as follows: "Joseph Merrick, Esq., a highly respectable character in the church at Pittsfield, gave the following account.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“At Dartmouth, where Hyrum Smith briefly attended Moor’s Charity School in the 1810s, many hypotheses about Indian origins were propounded by Professor John Smith, a distant relative of Joseph’s, but he came down against the Israelite theory. Smith told his students, “It is almost certain the aboriginal inhabitants of America are not the descendants of Jews, Christians, or Mahometans because no trace of their religions have ever been found among them.” 

Though not predominant, the lost tribes theory did appeal to religious thinkers eager to link Indians to the Bible. From the seventeenth century onward, both Christians and Jews had collected evidence that the Indians had Jewish origins. Jonathan Edwards Jr. noted the similarities between the Hebrew and Mohican languages. Such Indian practices as “anointing their heads, paying a price for their wives, observing the feast of harvest” were cited as Jewish parallels. Besides Edwards, John Eliot, Samuel Sewall, Roger Williams, William Penn, James Adair, and Elias Boudinot expressed opinions or wrote treatises on the Israelite connection.” Ch. 4

“The evidence compiled by the Israelite school was summarized in an 1823 volume, View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith, a Congregational minister in Poultney, Vermont. Since Oliver Cowdery’s family lived in Poultney, and Cowdery did not leave until after the book’s publication, critics have speculated that View of the Hebrews might have fallen into Joseph Smith’s hands and inspired the Book of Mormon. Both books speak of migrations from Palestine to America and of a great civilization now lost; both describe a division that pitted a civilized against a savage branch with the higher civilization falling to the lower; both books elicit sympathy for a chosen people fallen into decay. Even though Joseph Smith is not known to have seen View of the Hebrews until later in his life, the parallels seem strong enough for critics to argue that Ethan Smith provided the seeds for Joseph Smith’s later composition.” Ch. 4

“In the Saints’ eyes, all reports on the glories of ancient American civilization vindicated the Book of Mormon. Among the rest, they casually cited Ethan Smith’s work to prove the validity of the Hebrew connection.” Ch. 4

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“A number of years ago in my treatise on the Book of Mormon under the general title New Witnesses for God, I discussed the subject, “Did the Book of Mormon antedate works in English on American antiquities, accessible to Joseph Smith and his associates.” The object in considering the question at that time was to ascertain whether or not the alleged historical incidents of the Book of Mormon, and its subject matter generally, were derived from speculations regarding the origin, migrations, customs, religion, language, or other lore of the American race, published previous to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon; or if the Book of Mormon truly indicated the source of those American Indian traditions and antiquities. Of course the discussion recognized the fact that such publications must not only exist before the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, but must also be accessible to Joseph Smith or his associates, in order to be of any force in the supposition that such publications might have furnished the material from which the Book of Mormon was constructed, or its general outlines suggested.”

“It was also stated that the only available English source of information likely to be accessible to him or his associates would be:—First, the publications of the “American Antiquarian Society, Translations and Collections” published in the Archaeoligia Americana, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1820. This information was held to be so fragmentary that it could not have suggested material for the Book of Mormon, even if it could be proven that Joseph Smith was familiar with the collection. Second, the little book by Ethan Smith, View of the Hebrews or the Tribes of Israel in America, published in Vermont (first edition 1823).”

“It is now time to consider the book, View of the Hebrews: or The Tribes of Israel in America, by Ethan Smith. This book was published by Smith and Shute, Poultney, Vermont. The first edition was published 1823; the second edition in 1825. Mr. Ethan Smith was a pastor of a church in Poultney, Rutland County, Vermont, in the county adjoining on the west the county of Windsor, in which the Prophet Joseph was born, and in which he lived with his parents until he was about ten years of age, when the family removed to the state of New York and settled at Palmyra, and a little later in the township of Manchester. This study supposes that it is more than likely that the Smith family possessed a copy of this book by Ethan Smith, that either by reading it, or hearing it read, and its contents frequently discussed, Joseph Smith became acquainted with its contents.”

“The Smiths would most likely have interest enough in the book to obtain it in their new home. The book, then, was in existence—first and second editions respectively—seven and five years before the publication of the Book of Mormon, and was written and published by a man residing in a county adjoining that in which the Smith family lived—not more than fifty miles from Sharon, as the crow flies. It had a wide circulation in New England and in New York, running through two editions in a few years. Contact with it, and knowledge of its contents, by the Smiths, is in every way a great probability. And even if that were not so, as to this particular book—if the Smiths never owned the book, never read it, or saw it, still its contents—the materials of which it was composed—would be, under all the circumstances, matter of “common knowledge” throughout the whole region where the Smiths lived from the birth of Joseph Smith in 1805, to the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1829-30.”

“And yet it must be from that book that he would get his knowledge of the ancient inhabitants of America, unless he has caught suggestions from such common knowledge, or that which was taken for "knowledge," as existed in the community concerning ancient American civilization, and built by imagination from this and possible contact with Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews his description of the ancient inhabitants of the land, their life, religion and customs.” 

“Ethan Smith, in his Index to the second edition of his View of the Hebrews, informs us that pages 114 to 225—one hundred and eleven pages—will be devoted to “promiscuous testimonies”; that is, promiscuous testimonies to the main fact for which his book stands, namely, the Hebrew origin of the American Indians; and at the same place he adds this—”a few only of which (testimonies) shall be here noted:” indicating that many more existed. His testimonies for the Hebrew origin of the American Indians, however, really begin at page seventy-five; so that, in all, the space in his book devoted to that branch of the subject amounts to one hundred and fifty pages, or about one half of the book.” 

“In many ways, and at many points, as we shall see, Book of Mormon traits, in language, culture, the knowledge of and the use of metals, traditions, religion and even in the structure of the Book of Mormon—the material compiled in Ethan Smith’s book, might well be taken as suggesting many things in the Book of Mormon. Add also it would suggest the lost book buried in a Hill, by Prophet & High priest—lost art of reading etc.”

“It was published in such proximity to the home of the Smiths, where Joseph Smith spent his boyhood, that it is scarcely conceivable that he would escape having his attention called to it, though his family had in the meantime removed to the state of New York. View of the Hebrews represents the American race to be “the lost tribes of Israel,” hence of Hebrew origin.”

“The first chapter of View of the Hebrews opens with a treatise on the “Destruction of Jerusalem,” and the scattering of Israel—“until (quoting Isaiah 6:11-12) the cities be wasted without inhabitant; and the houses without men; and the land be utterly desolate; and the Lord have removed man far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.” To this 46 pages are devoted. The first chapter of the Book of Mormon also deals with the destruction of Jerusalem, and this scattering of Israel. The impending destruction of Jerusalem, prophetically made known to Lehi, the first of Book of Mormon prophets, becomes the incentive for his departure, with his family, from the doomed city, Jerusalem, and their ultimate arrival in the New World.”

“Ethan Smith quotes six different passages from Isaiah in support of the gathering of Israel and their restoration to their own lands, including among these passages the justly celebrated eleventh chapter of Isaiah, which was one of the passages quoted by the angel Moroni to Joseph Smith on that night of his three visits to the young prophet, September 23rd, 1823,4 when making known to him the existence of the Book of Mormon, and the events of which it would be precursor.”

“Both the Book of Mormon and Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews bring their people to the New World by migrations from the old.”

“In one respect, however, the migrations of the Jaredites and of Ethan Smith’s “lost tribes” are strikingly similar, and the fact is mentioned in both cases in language nearly identical—both people are brought into a land “where never man dwelt.” Ethan Smith adds “since the flood.”

“In taking leave of the Jaredites and this Book of Ether, one word more, this name “Ether.” Rather an unusual name, is it not? I do not find it among Bible names nor in any list of proper names of the unabridged dictionaries so far consulted. Could it be that it was a variation made from the “Ethan” of Mr. Smith’s name-author of the View of the Hebrews? Ethan = Ether! Not impossible, at least.”

“He points out that from Noah’s time and from Babel’s tower many people had doubtless lost knowledge of mechanic arts no less than these “lost tribes of Israel.” Then wishing to account for the loss of such arts among the tribes of Israel in America, he advances the supposition that the tribes when arriving in America had knowledge of, and used the mechanic arts, but having possession of a vast continent filled with an abundance of game of all sorts, they were lured to the life of hunting and its indolence. 

He assumes a division of the people, an adherence on the part of our division to maintain knowledge of and the use of the mechanic arts, to found cities, build temples, mounds, fortifications, pyramids, and other traits of civilization, the ruined monuments of which were found by the Europeans upon their arrival in the New World. The other division degenerated to savagery, with the result that a series of “tremendous wars” ensued between the savage and the civilized divisions resulting in the annihilation of the latter by the savage division, the destruction of civilization together with the people who produced it, thus leaving the continent in the grip of savagery, until the coming of the Europeans. 

One acquainted with Book of Mormon historical events will recognize in all this an outline of Book of Mormon “history,” what else there is would be merely detail.”

“Considering that Ethan Smith’s suggestion, as to the division of his “ten tribes” into two branches, one retaining, for some time at least, and perhaps for some centuries, civilization; and the other degenerating into barbarism, and finally utterly destroying both civilization and the civilizer—considering, I say, that this suggestion was made by Mr. Ethan Smith to account for the loss of the “mechanic arts,” for the loss of “the use of iron,” “loss of the knowledge of letters,” by having the barbarous division destroy the civilized division to extinction, the author of the Book of Mormon laid the foundation in this chapter of II Nephi and here quoted—it could be said, with good reason—for such a scheme of things and events.”

“Could an investigator of the Book of Mormon be much blamed if he were to decide that Ethan Smith’s book with its suggestion as to the division of his Israelites into two peoples; with its suggestion of “tremendous wars between them”; and of the savages overcoming the civilized division led to the fashioning of chiefly these same things in the Book of Mormon?”

“Could it be that Ethan Smith, influenced and misled by the reported discovery of the evidence of iron and its uses among the native Americans in ancient times, was innocently followed into this error by the author of the Book of Mormon? For there is nothing on which the later investigators of our American antiquities are more unanimously agreed upon than the matter of the absence of the knowledge of, and hence the non-use of, iron or steel among the natives of America.”

“All this leads one to the reflection, that if the purpose of the author of the Book of Mormon—let him be whom he may—was to place beyond the reach of modern knowledge the ancient language in which this book is said to have been written, and thereby place its translation beyond ordinary means of translation known to men; or when translated by the extraordinary means by which it is said to have been translated, beyond the possibility of criticism, or detection of fraud, then no more adroit scheme could have been invented by the wit of man, than the scheme disclosed in the passages considered above. It takes all beyond their depth, and the learned man is as helpless as the ignorant one in trying to solve this very sphinx of language problems. Dealing here with language, it may be fitting to inquire if Ethan Smith’s book affords any material that would suggest the Urim and Thummim to the author of the Book of Mormon, and the strange part it took in the alleged translation. There certainly is such material in Mr. Smith’s book.”

“Can there be any doubt, but what the things said in Ethan Smith’s book, on the matter of “Urim and Thummim,” “breast plates,” and “curious stones” and “attchments to breast plates”—all published from eight to five years before the Book of Mormon was, are sufficient to suggest the Urim and Thummim as described by Joseph Smith?”

“Only the Nephites kept records—part of the people—of ancient America; and these records were written in Egyptian hieroglyphics and kept with very great care by them. Moreover, the fact that hieroglyphical writing originated in Egypt is stated in Ethan Smith’s book, which may have suggested to the author of the Book of Mormon the idea of making Nephite records in his “reformed (or altered) Egyptian characters,” i.e., hieroglyphics.”

“But now to return from this momentary divergence to the main theme of this writing—viz., did Ethan Smith’s View of the Hebrews furnish structural material for Joseph Smith’s Book of Mormon? It has been pointed out in these pages that there are many things in the former book that might well have suggested many major things in the other. Not a few things merely, one or two, or a half dozen, but many; and it is this fact of many things of similarity and the cumulative force of them that makes them so serious a menace to Joseph Smith’s story of the Book of Mormon’s origin.”

“Can such numerous and startling points of resemblance and suggestive contact be merely coincidence?”

Ethan Smith, “View of the Hebrews,” Poulney, Vermont, 1823

“The probability then is this: that the ten tribes, arriving in this continent with some knowledge of the arts of civilized life; finding themselves in a vast wilderness filled with the best of game, inviting them to the chase; most of them fell into a wandering, idle, hunting life. Different clans parted from each other, lost each other, and formed separate tribes. Most of them formed a habit of this idle mode of living, and were pleased with it. More sensible parts of this people associated together, to improve their knowledge of the arts; and probably continued this for ages. From these the noted relics of civilization discovered in the west, and south, were furnished. But the savage tribes prevailed; and in process of time their savage jealousies and rage annihilated their more civilized brethren. 

And thus, as a holy, vindictive Providence would have it, and according to ancient denunciations, all were left in an ‘outcast’ savage state. This accounts for their loss of the knowledge of letters, of the art of navigation, and of the use of iron. And such a loss can no more operate against their being of the ten tribes, than against their being of any other origin. Yea, we cannot so well account for their evident degeneracy in any other way, as that it took place under a vindictive Providence, as has been noted, to accomplish divine judgments denounced against the idolatrous ten tribes of Israel. 

It is highly probable that the more civilized part of the tribes of Israel, after they settled in America, became wholly separated from the hunting and savage tribes of their brethren; that the latter lost the knowledge of their having descended from the same family with themselves; that the more civilized part continued for many centuries; that tremendous wars were frequent between them and their savage brethren, till the farmer became extinct.”

“These partially civilized people became extinct. What account can be given of this, but that the savages extirpated them, after long and dismal wars? And nothing appears more probable than that they were the better part of the Israelites who came to this continent, who for a long time retained their knowledge of the mechanic and civil arts, while the greater part of their brethren became savage and wild. No other hypothesis occurs to mind, which appears by any means so probable.”

“In resemblance of the Urim and Thummim, the American Archimagus wears a breast plate made of a white conch-shell, with two holes bored in the middle of it through which he puts the end of an otter skin strap, and fastens a buck horn white button to the outside of each, as if in imitation of the precious stones of the Urim.”

“Under its base in the center lay a skeleton on a platform of twenty feet, formed of bark; and over it a mat formed of some bark. On the breast lay a piece of copper; also a curious stone five inches in length, two in breadth, with two perforations through it, containing a string of sinews of some animal. On this string were many beads of ivory or bone. The whole appeared to have been designed to wear upon the neck as a kind of breast plate.”

“Long time ago, it was a good custom among his people to take but one wife, and that for life. But now they had become so foolish, and so wicked, that they would take a number of wives at a time; and turn them away at pleasure!”

“Dr. Boudinot gives it as from good authority that the Indians have a tradition ‘that the book which the white people have was once theirs. That while they had this book things went well with them; they prospered exceedingly; but that other people got it from them; that the Indians lost their credit; offended the Great Spirit, and suffered exceedingly, from the neighboring nations; and that the Great Spirit then took pity on them and directed them to this country.”

“The Indians have a tradition that as they once, away in another country, had the old divine speech, the Book of God; they shall at some time have it again, and shall then be happy.”

“Rev. Dr. West of Stockbridge gave the following information. An old Indian informed him that his fathers in this country had not long since had a book which they had for a long time preserved. But having lost the art of reading it, they concluded it would be of no further use to them; and they buried it with an Indian Chief.”

“And it is as natural an event that their brethren in the wilds of America, should place them in their silent hieroglyphical painting. Whence could they have derived the knowledge of the accurate hieroglyphical paintings, which this most learned author exhibits as found among some of the Indians, unless they had learned them from people to whom the knowledge of hieroglyphics had been transmitted from Egypt, its original source.”

Solomon Spaulding

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Hurlbut found a half dozen old-timers in Conneaut, Ohio, who thought the Book of Mormon resembled a novel written twenty years earlier by Solomon Spaulding, a Dartmouth graduate and former town resident. The Conneaut people swore that the Spaulding story described lost tribes of Israel moving from Jerusalem to America led by characters named Nephi and Lehi. One deponent remembered the names Moroni and Zarahemla.” Ch. 4

“Piecing together one surmise after another, he and Howe decided that Sidney Rigdon, the only Mormon with the wit to write the Book of Mormon, had obtained Spaulding’s non-extant second manuscript in Pittsburgh, where Spaulding had submitted his work for publication and where Rigdon had lived for a time. According to the theory, Rigdon transformed the novel into the Book of Mormon by adding the religious parts. He conveyed the manuscript to Smith without being detected, and then pretended to be converted when the missionaries brought the Book of Mormon to Kirtland in 1830.” Ch. 4

James Jeffery, Presbyterian Banner, Vol. LXX, No. 25 (February 13, 1884) cited in The Saints Herald, Vol. 31, No. 21. (May 24, 1884).

“Statement of James Jeffery.

I know more about the Mormons than any man east of the Alleghenies, although I have given no attention to the matter for twenty-five years. I did not know I was in possession of any information concerning the Book of Mormon unknown to others. I supposed that as Rigdon was so open with me, he had told others the same things.

Forty years ago I was in business in St. Louis. The Mormons then had their temple in Nauvoo, Ill. I had business transactions with them. Sidney Rigdon I knew very well. He was general manager of the affairs of the Mormons.

Rigdon, in hours of conversation told me a number of times there was in the printing office with which he was connected in Ohio, a manuscript of Rev. Spaulding, tracing the origin of the Indian race from the lost tribes of Israel; that this manuscript was in the office for several years; that he was familiar with it; that Spaulding had wanted it printed, but had not the money to pay for the printing; that he (Rigdon) and Joe Smith used to look over the manuscript and read it over Sundays.

Rigdon and Smith took the manuscript and said—"I'll print it," and went off to Palmyra, N. Y.

I never knew the information was of any importance—thought others were aware of these facts. I do not now think the matter is of any importance. It will not injure Mormonism. That is an "ism," and chimes in with the wishes of certain classes of people. Nothing will put it down but the strong arm of the law. Otherwise it will go on forever, like Tennyson's "Brook."

This is the substance of what I remember about the matter. James Jeffery. I hereby certify that I wrote the above paper at the dictation of Mr. James Jeffery, in the presence of Mrs. James Jeffery, and and Dr. John M. Finney. (Rev.) Calvin D. Wilson.”

Sidney Rigdon’s Grandson, interview in “The ‘Golden’ Bible,” Salt Lake Tribune, April 15, 1888

“He studied the prophets and baptism, and of course he got 'rattled.' Daniel and Ezekiel and Revelations will 'rattle' any man who gives his whole mind to 'em—at any rate they did him, and he joined Alexander Campbell. Campbell then believed that the end of the world was nigh --his Millennial Harginger shows that they 'rattled' all who listened to them in Ohio and other places; then grandfather got disgusted and decided on a new deal. He found Joe Smith and they had a great many talks together before they brought out the plates. None of us ever doubted that they got the whole thing up; but father always maintained that grandfather helped get up the original Spaulding book. At any rate he got a copy very early and schemed on some way to make it useful. Although the family knew these facts, they refused to talk on the subject while grandfather lived. In fact, he and they took on a huge disgust at the whole subject.”

Lorenzo Saunders, “Letter to Thomas Gregg,” 28 January 1885, in Charles A. Shook, The True Origin of the Book of Mormon, and Early Mormon Documents, Volume 3, p. 176-177

“Dear Sir, I received your note ready at hand and will try (to) answer the best I can and give all the information I can as respecting Mormonism and the first origin.”

“I saw Sidney Rigdon in the Spring of 1827, about the middle of March. I went to the Smiths’ to eat maple sugar, and I saw five or six men standing in a group and there was one among them better dressed than the rest and I asked [Samuel] Harrison Smith who he was (and) he said his name was Sidney Rigdon, a friend of Joseph’s from Pennsylvania. I saw him in the Fall of 1827 on the road between where I lived and Palmyra, with Joseph.”

“Smith and Rigdon had an intimacy but it was very secret and still and there was a mediator between them and that was Cowdery. The Manuscript was stolen by Rigdon and modelled over by him and then handed over to Cowdery and he copied them and Smith sat behind the curtain and handed them out to Cowdery and as fast as Cowdery copied them, they was handed over to Martin Harris and he took them to Egbert Grandin, the one who printed them, and [John H.] Gilbert set the type.”

The Late War

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 4:11-14

“Now, there was a certain hypocrite whose name was Elijah, and he was a false prophet in the east, and led astray those of little understanding: moreover, he was an hireling, and preached for the sake of filthy lucre. 

And he rose up and called himself a preacher of the gospel, and his words were smooth, and the people marvelled at him; 

But he profaned the temple of the Lord, and he strove to lead his disciples into the wrong way.

And many wise men turned their back against him; nevertheless, he repented not of his sins unto this day.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 11:7

“Yea, and they also became idolatrous, because they were deceived by the vain and flattering words of the king and priests; for they did speak flattering things unto them.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 1:3-6

“And he had gone about among the people, preaching to them that which he termed to be the word of God, bearing down against the church; declaring unto the people that every priest and teacher ought to become popular; and they ought not to labor with their hands, but that they ought to be supported by the people.

And he also testified unto the people that all mankind should be saved at the last day, and that they need not fear nor tremble, but that they might lift up their heads and rejoice; for the Lord had created all men, and had also redeemed all men; and, in the end, all men should have eternal life.

And it came to pass that he did teach these things so much that many did believe on his words, even so many that they began to support him and give him money.

And he began to be lifted up in the pride of his heart, and to wear very costly apparel, yea, and even began to establish a church after the manner of his preaching.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 6:14

“And it came to pass, that a great multitude flocked to the banners of the great Sanhedrim.” 

Book of Mormon, Alma 62:5

“And it came to pass that thousands did flock unto his standard, and did take up their swords in the defence of their freedom, that they might not come into bondage.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 11:17

“And the army of Columbia went into winter quarters; for the earth was covered with snow, and the waters of the great lakes, on the borders of which they had pitched their tents, were congealed.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 51:32

“And it came to pass that Teancum and his men did pitch their tents in the borders of the land Bountiful; and Amalickiah did pitch his tents in the borders on the beach by the seashore.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 13:20

“Now when Carden heard these words, his heart leaped with joy, for he dreaded the frowns of the king. 

Book of Mormon, Alma 17:29

“Now when Ammon saw this his heart was swollen within him with joy; for, said he, I will show forth my power unto these my fellow-servants, or the power which is in me, in restoring these flocks unto the king.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 14:22

“The small band of Columbia fought desperately, and the slaughter was dreadful: and the pure snow of heaven was sprinkled and stained with the blood of men!”

Book of Mormon, Alma 57:19

“But behold, my little band of two thousand and sixty fought most desperately; yea, they were firm before the Lamanites, and did administer death unto all those who opposed them.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 17:3

“They hid themselves in the wilderness; they couched down as a lion; and, as a young lion, they watched for their prey.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 20:10

“And it came to pass that the battle became exceedingly sore, for they fought like lions for their prey.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 19:13

“And their weapons of war were of curious workmanship, and they sent forth balls of lead; such as were unknown to Pharoah when he followed the Children of Israel down into the red sea.”

Book of Mormon, Ether 10:27

“And they did make all manner of weapons of war. And they did work all manner of work of exceedingly curious workmanship.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 19:56-60

“But the rejoicings of the people were mingled with deep sorrow; for the brave were slain in battle.

Oh! Earth, how long shall thy inhabitants delight in warfare? When shall the old men cease to weep for their children?

Behold you lonely widows; they weep for their husbands and their children; but they shall see their faces no more! 

The fair daughters of Columbia sigh for the return of their beloved. Seest thou those little ones? 

They fly to their disconsolate mother, they leap with joy at the name of the father! But he shall never return!”

Book of Mormon, Mormon 6:16-20

“And my soul was rent with anguish, because of the slain of my people, and I cried:

O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!

Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss.

O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have fallen!

But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 20:11-15

“Now the land of Columbia is a most plentiful land, yielding gold and silver, and brass and iron abundantly. 

Likewise, all manner of creatures which are useful for food, and herbs and fruits of the earth: 

From the red cherry, and the rosy peach of the north, to the lemon, and the golden orange of the south. 

And from the small insect, that cheateh the microscopic eye, to the huge mammoth that once moved on the borders of the river Hudson; on the great river Ohio; and even down to the country of Patagonia in the south. 

Now the height of a mammoth is about seven cubits and a half, and the length thereof fourteen cubits; and the bones thereof being weighed were more than thirty thousand shekels; and the length of the tusks is more than six cubits.”

Book of Mormon, Ether 9:17-19

“Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things;

And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.

And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 26:1

“And it came to pass, on the fourth day of the seventh month, which is the birth day of Columbian Liberty and Independence.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 10:6

“Therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 26:21

“Now there were some amongst the tribes of the savages who had been instructed in the ways of God, and taught to walk in the path of righteousness; For the chief governor of the land of Columbia, and the great Sanhedrim of the people, had taken them under their care, And sent good men amongst them to preach the gospel, and instruct them in the sublime doctrine of the Saviour of the world. And they hearkened unto the preachers, and were convinced, and their natured were softened.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 24:7-8

“Now, these are the words which he said unto the people concerning the matter: I thank my God, my beloved people, that our great God has in goodness sent these our brethren, the Nephites, unto us to preach unto us, and to convince us of the traditions of our wicked fathers.

And behold, I thank my great God that he has given us a portion of his Spirit to soften our hearts, that we have opened a correspondence with these brethren, the Nephites.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 34:10-11

“But it came to pass, in the same year, that the people of Columbia were revenged of the evil; 

Andrew, whose sir-name was Jackson, a man of courage and valor, was chief captain in the South.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 50:37

“And it came to pass that in the same year that the people of Nephi had peace restored unto them, that Nephihah, the second chief judge, died, having filled the judgment-seat with perfect uprightness before God.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 35:5-6

“Immediately Jackson took two thousand hardy men, who were called volunteers, because they had, unsolicited, offered their services to their country, and led them against the savages. Now the men of war that followed after him were mostly from the state of Tennessee, and men of dauntless courage. 

Book of Mormon, Alma 53:18, 20

“Now behold, there were two thousand of those young men, who entered into this covenant and took their weapons of war to defend their country.”

“And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 35:34

“And their chief warriors gave up their instruments of destruction, and laid them at the feet of Jackson, the chief captain.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 52:38

“And it came to pass that when the Lamanites had heard these words, their chief captains, all those who were not slain, came forth and threw down their weapons of war at the feet of Moroni, and also commanded their men that they should do the same.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 44:21

“Therefore, let us go with all our might against their chief city, and make capture thereof.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 58:13

“And thus we did go forth with all our might against the Lamanites, who were in the city of Manti; and we did pitch our tents by the wilderness side, which was near to the city.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 47:2-5

“And the battle raged with great violence, and the men of Britain strove hard to pass over the river called Saranac; 

But the men of war of Columbia, who were upon the opposite side of the water, opposed them, and slew them with great slaughter. 

And the brave Grosvenor, and Hamilton, and Riley, and the gallant Cronk, drove them back from crossing the bridges. 

Likewise, many were slain in the river, so that the waters of the Saranac were dyed with the blood of the servants of the king.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 2:33-34

“But Alma, with his guards, contended with the guards of the king of the Lamanites until he slew and drove them back.

And thus he cleared the ground, or rather the bank, which was on the west of the river Sidon, throwing the bodies of the Lamanites who had been slain into the waters of Sidon, that thereby his people might have room to cross and contend with the Lamanites and the Amlicites on the west side of the river Sidon.”

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 50:28

“Now these wonderful torpedos were made partly of brass and partly of iron, and were cunningly contrived with curious works, like unto a clock; and as it were a large ball.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 16:10

“To his great astonishment he beheld upon the ground a round ball of curious workmanship; and it was of fine brass. And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way whither we should go into the wilderness.” 

Gilbert J. Hunt, “Late War, Between the United States and Great Britain,” 1819, 54:7

“Their polished steels, of fine workmanship, glittered in the sun, and the movement of their squadrons was as the waving of a wheat-field.”

Book of Mormon, Jarom 1:8

“And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel.”

Benjamin L. McGuire, “The Late War Against the Book of Mormon,” 2013, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, Volume 7, Article 11

“What does “influence” actually mean? Is it synonymous with reliance? By influence do the Johnsons mean that the Book of Mormon would not exist in the form it is today without the earlier book having been published?”

“It isn’t a particularly difficult feat to reconstruct the Book of Mormon using phrases found from many different sources. In the 1960s, Julia Kristeva coined the term intertextuality to describe this feature of all texts. They were, as she described them, a ‘mosaic of quotations’ all coming from other sources. Some of this is certainly due to textual influence and reliance. There is no doubt that the Book of Mormon owes a great deal of its contents to the King James text. But, as Harold Love points out, given a large enough body of literature, you can also find these phrases caused by coincidence. In the long run we note that there are some real similarities that can be found in the texts of these two books.”

Benjamin A. McGuire, “Finding Parallels: Some Cautions and Criticisms Part Two,” 2013, Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saints Faith and Scholarship, Volume 5, Article 4

“Discovering parallels is inherently an act of comparison. Through comparison, parallels have been introduced frequently as proof (or evidence) of different issues within Mormon studies. Despite this frequency, very few investigations provide a theoretical or methodological framework by which the parallels themselves can be evaluated. This problem is not new to the field of Mormon studies but has in the past plagued literary studies more generally.”

“Part of the problem is that, at least for early Mormonism, every single early Mormon (without exception) existed first in a non-Mormon context, including Joseph Smith. There is no line of demarcation that separates many of these texts related to Mormonism from that larger environment. That environment shaped Mormonism just as Mormonism in return contributes to that evolving environment.”

“Of course, longer strings of identical text (much more than two words) provide a self-evident demonstration of their relationship to each other.”

“Moving away from words and phrases, we encounter the notion of meaning. Thematic parallels are parallels in thought, in doctrine, or in practice that go beyond the mere words used to convey that thought.”

“Of course, we aren’t entirely concerned here with copying (genetic relationships), yet the point is valid for this discussion. Thematic parallels can occur naturally. As with words, we need to look at contexts—comparing the similarities we see with the differences—and in this way determine if we have a valid parallel or a superficial similarity that is not carried out by a more detailed analysis. Do the proposed thematic parallels work the same way in both places?”

“What does all of it mean? It should be quite obvious that Mormonism is a real movement, coming from a real historical period and from a recognizable environment. It seems reasonable that we should see environmental influences coming from that time and place within Mormonism. I repeat, this shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

Joseph Smith’s Life Experiences

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Indeed some scholars have reduced the book to almost pure autobiography. They account for virtually every character and every incident by locating precedents in Joseph’s personal history.” Ch. 4

“Still, in places, one can imagine Joseph seeing himself in the text, as a year later he was to discover himself in his revelations about Moses and Enoch. Did the prophet Jacob capture one of Joseph’s moods in saying the Book of Mormon migrants from Jerusalem felt like “a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers cast out from Jerusalem”? A later revelation said Enoch’s people “confessed they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” If Joseph felt lonesome and estranged like the people in his writings, his campaign for Zion could be interpreted as making a home for outcasts and wanderers—like his own struggling family.” Ch. 4

“Nephi, the leading character in its opening books, was, like Joseph, a strong younger brother, the one to have visions and teach the others. Joseph had no rival brothers like Nephi’s Laman and Lemuel, but Nephi did set a pattern for taking charge of a family in place of one’s father and older brother. Nephi was a model in his weakness too. He led his people through the wilderness, defended them against enemies, and eventually allowed them to make him a king, and yet lamented his inability to overcome his own sins.” Ch. 4

“We can only conjecture about how the Book of Mormon interacted with Joseph’s inner life, but the book does shed light on the struggle between Joseph the treasure-seeking magician of the neighbors’ reports and Joseph the earnest young Christian of his own autobiography.” Ch. 4

Lucy Mack Smith, The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, Complete and Unabridged First Edition, Liverpool, 1853, Latter-day Saints Book Depot

“Soon after arriving here, my husband received another very singular vision, which I will relate: 

"I thought," said he, "I was traveling in an open, desolate field, which appeared to be very barren.” 

“Of this stream, I could see neither the source nor yet the mouth; but as far as my eyes could extend I could see a rope, running along the bank of it, about as high as a man could reach, and beyond me was a low, but very pleasant valley, in which stood a tree such as I had never seen before. It was exceedingly handsome, insomuch that I looked upon it with wonder and admiration. Its beautiful branches spread themselves somewhat like an umbrella, and it bore a kind of fruit, in shape much like a chestnut bur, and as white as snow, or, if possible, whiter. I gazed upon the same with considerable interest, and as I was doing so, the burs or shells commenced opening and shedding their particles, or the fruit which they contained, which was of dazzling whiteness. 

I drew near and began to eat of it, and I found it delicious beyond description. As I was eating, I said in my heart, 'I cannot eat this alone, I must bring my wife and children, that they may partake with me.' Accordingly, I went and brought my family, which consisted of a wife and seven children, and we all commenced eating and praising God for this blessing.. We were exceedingly happy, insomuch that our Joy could not easily be expressed. 

While thus engaged, I beheld a spacious building standing opposite the valley which we were in, and it appeared to reach to the very heavens. It was full of doors and windows, and they were all filled with people, who were very finely dressed. When these people observed us in the low valley, under the tree, they pointed the finger of scorn at us, and treated us with all manner of disrespect and contempt. But their contumely we utterly disregarded. 

I presently turned to my guide and inquired of him the meaning of the fruit that was so delicious. He told me it was the pure love of God, shed abroad in the hearts of all those who love him, and keep his commandments.” 

“After feasting in this manner a short time, I asked my guide what was the meaning of the spacious building which I saw. He replied, 'It is Babylon, it is Babylon, and it must fall. The people in the doors and windows are the inhabitants thereof, who scorn and despise the Saints of God because of their humility.' I soon awoke, clapping my hands together for joy.” Ch. 14

Abner Cole, “Gold Bible, No. 6,” 19 March 1831, The Reflector, Palmyra New York, Volume 2, No. 16, 19th Century Publications about the Book of Mormon (1829-1844), Digital Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

“Smith and Harris gave out that no mortal save Jo could look upon it and live; and Harris declares, that when he acted as amanuensis, and wrote the translation, as Smith dictated, such was his fear of the Divine displeasure that a screen (sheet) was suspended between the prophet and himself.”

Martin Harris, in John A. Clark, “Gleanings by the Way, No. VI,” The Episcopal Recorder, 5 September, 1840 

“The way that Smith made his transcripts and translations for Harris was the following: Although in the same room, a thick curtain or blanket was suspended between them, and Smith concealed behind the blanket, pretended to look through his spectacles, or transparent stones, and would then write down or repeat what he saw, which, when repeated aloud, was written down by Harris, who sat on the other side of the suspended blanket. Harris was told that it would arouse the most terrible divine displeasure, if he should attempt to draw near the sacred chest, or look at Smith while engaged in the work of decyphering the mysterious characters. This was Harris’ own account of the matter to me.” 

Charles Anthon, “Charles Anthon to E. D. Howe,” 17 February 1843, Early Mormon Documents, Volume 4, pg. 377-381

“All this knowledge, however, was confined at that time to a young man, who had the trunk containing the book and spectacles in his sole possession. This young man was placed behind a curtain, in the garret of a farm house, and, being thus concealed from view, put on the spectacles occasionally, or rather, looked through one of the glasses, decyphered the characters in the book, and, having committed some of them to paper, handed copies from behind the curtain, to those who stood on the outside.”

Joseph Smith III, “Last Testimony of Sister Emma,” 1 October 1879, Saints’ Herald 26, p. 289–290

“In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.

Question: Had he not a book or manuscript from which he read, or dictated to you?       

Answer: He had neither manuscript nor book to read from.       

Question: Could he not have had, and you not know it?

Answer: If he had had anything of the kind he could not have concealed it from me.”

The Chicago Times Interview, in Richmond Conservator, 18 November 1881

“Mr. [David] Whitmer emphatically asserts, as did [Martin] Harris and Cowdery, that while Smith was dictating the translation he had no manuscript notes or other means of knowledge save the seerstone and the characters as shown on the plates, he being present and cognizant how it was done.”

William E. McLellin, “To My Dear Friends,” February 1870, Archives, Community of Christ Library

“I staid in Richmond two days and nights. I had a great deal of talk with widow Cowdry, and her amiable daughter. She is married to a Dr Johnson, but has no children. She gave me a certificate, And this is the copy. “Richmond, Ray Co., Mo. Feb 15, 1870— I cheerfully certify that I was familiar with the manner of Joseph Smith’s translating the book of Mormon. He translated the most of it at my Father’s house. And I often sat by and saw and heard them translate and write for hours together. Joseph never had a curtain drawn between him and his scribe while he was translating.”

Church History Topics, “Gold Plates,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“He worked on the translation between early 1828 and June 1829 after which he returned the plates to the angel.”

Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, volume 3, p. 225

"We have been taught since the days of the Prophet that the Urim and Thummim were returned with the plates to the angel.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Now that the translation was over and he had witnesses to support his miraculous testimony, Joseph no longer needed the plates. After the men left the woods and went back to the house, the angel appeared and Joseph returned the sacred record to his care.” Ch. 7

John W. Welch, “The Miraculous Translation of the Book of Mormon,” 2005, in Opening the Heavens: Accounts of Divine Manifestations, 1820-1844, Provo, UT, BYU Press, and Salt Lake City, Deseret Book

“At this time the translation was finished, and the plates were returned to the angel.”

Peter Bauder, “Joseph Smith Interview with Peter Bauder,” October 1830, in Early Mormon Documents, Volume 1, p. 17

“He says he was not allowed to let the plate be seen only by a few individuals named by the angel, and after he had a part translated, the angel commanded him to carry the plate into a certain piece of woods, which he did:—the angel took them and carried them to parts unknown to him.”

NHM

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Proponents are quick to note that a Book of Mormon archeological site in the Middle East has been tentatively located. The Book of Mormon describes Lehi’s journey down the Arabian peninsula and directly east to the Gulf of Arabia. Here Lehi’s people came upon a pocket of fertile land and bounteous food in an otherwise desert area. A site in Oman fulfills many of the Book of Mormon requirements. Along this route, a site has been located that bears the name “Nhm,” corresponding to the name Nahom given in the Book of Mormon as one stop on Lehi’s journey.” Ch. 4

Warren P. Aston, “Newly Found Altars from Nahom,” Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, Volume 10, Number 2, Article 9, 31 July 2001, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship, Scholars Archive, Brigham Young University

“Ancient altars in Yemen bear the inscription Nihm, a variant of the word Nahom. According to the Book of Mormon, one of the travelers in Lehi’s group, Ishmael, was buried at a place called Nahom. Because the altar has been dated to about the sixth or seventh century bc (the time of Lehi’s journey), it is plausible that the Nihm referred to on the altar could be the same place written about in the Book of Mormon. This article discusses the discovery site, the appearance of the altars, and the process of dating the altars, as well as the place-name Nahom in its Book of Mormon setting.”

“The temple structure was dedicated to the worship of the moon god Ilmaqah, although the names of two other Sabaean deities, Hawbas and Athtar, also appear in some engravings.”

“In simple terms, the inscription on altar 2 (reproduced below), which is essentially unchanged on altars 1 and 3, tells us that Bi>athar, clearly a man of wealth and importance and the grandson of Naw>um, member of the Nihm tribe, donated three altars to the temple.

Transliteration

(1) B-> t t r / b n/ ∞ w d m / b n / N w > m / N h m y

(2) n / h q [n y / ]< l m q h / F r > t / b-

(3) > t t r / w-b- / < l m q h / w-b- / D t - H m y m / w-b-

(4) Y d > -< l / w-b- / M > d k r b.

Translation

(1) Bi>athar son of Sawdum, son of Naw>um, the Nihmite,

(2) has dedi[cated] (to) Ilmaqah (the person) Fari>at. By

(3) >Athtar, and by Ilmaqah, and by Dhat-Himyam, and by

(4) Yada>-il, and by Ma>adi-karib.”

Kent S. Brown, “New Light: Nahom and the Eastward Turn,” Journal of Mormon Studies, Volume 12, Number 1, January 2003

“Nephi writes in the passive, “the place which was called Nahom,” clearly indicating that local people had already named the place. That this area lay in southern Arabia has been certified by recent Journal publications that have featured three inscribed limestone altars discovered by a German archaeological team in the ruined temple of Bar’an in Marib, Yemen. Here a person finds the tribal name NHM noted on all three altars.”

“In the view of one recent commentator, the discovery of the altars amounts to ‘the first actual archaeological evidence for the historicity of the Book of Mormon.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 16:13-14, 16, 33-34

“And it came to pass that we traveled for the space of four days, nearly a south-southeast direction.”

“And we did go forth again in the wilderness, following the same direction, keeping in the most fertile parts of the wilderness, which were in the borders near the Red Sea.”

“And we did follow the directions of the ball, which led us in the more fertile parts of the wilderness.”

“And it came to pass that we did again take our journey, traveling nearly the same course as in the beginning; and after we had traveled for the space of many days we did pitch our tents again, that we might tarry for the space of a time.

And it came to pass that Ishmael died, and was buried in the place which was called Nahom.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 17:1

“And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth.”

Old Testament, 1 Chronicles 4:19

“And the sons of his wife Hodiah the sister of Naham, the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.”

Old Testament, Nehemiah 7:7

“Who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.”

Old Testament, Nahum 1:1

“The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.”

Chiasmus

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The proponents are not searching for a single conclusive proof that the Book of Mormon is ancient; instead they draw attention to scores of details that resemble the local color and cultural forms of ancient Hebrew culture, many of them unknown even to scholars when Joseph Smith was writing. They find passages written in the Hebrew poetic form of chiasmus, where a series of statements reverses at a midpoint and repeats itself in reverse order.” Ch. 4

Daniel C. Peterson, “Mounting Evidence for the Book of Mormon,” Ensign, January 2000

“The recent discovery in the Book of Mormon of its characteristically ancient literary structure or technique known as chiasmus—a rhetorical device overlooked by biblical scholarship until decades after Joseph Smith’s death—is another powerful indicator of the record’s antiquity.”

John W. Welch, “What Does Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon Prove?” Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies

“Rarely in Book of Mormon studies has a concept captured the imagination and fascination of scholars and readers more than has the presence of chiasmus in that book. The basic concept of chiasmus is readily grasped, and in certain texts its presence can be easily and obviously demonstrated. Novice readers may spot the clear and simple examples of chiasmus without difficulty, although puzzling over the task of unraveling, digesting, and displaying the more complex and sometimes nebulous examples of chiasmus challenges even the most sophisticated literary analysts. Many people, in studying both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, have found the search for chiasms to be almost irresistible. Some people are intrinsically fascinated by the form and are propelled by the prospects of discovering some new aspect of their text, of uncovering some new insight into its meaning, or of adding some new level of appreciation for the possible organizing structures that lie embedded behind the words of its passages. Some people, of course, have gone overboard with this search, and caution must be employed; otherwise, it is possible to find chiasmus in the telephone book, and the effort becomes meaningless.”

“A general sense of fascination with exploration and discovery impels some readers to try to determine how many passages in the Book of Mormon or elsewhere may be chiastic. For some people, this search becomes something like a hunt for hidden treasure. One must be careful in this quest, however, to avoid the problems of the "hammer syndrome"—to the person holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail. To the person who knows only chiasmus and no other form of literary composition, everything may start looking like a chiasm. Fool's gold glitters, but it is not a treasure.”

James Strang, “The Book of the Law of the Lord, Being a Translation from the Egyptian of The Law Given to Moses in Sinai,” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), Saint James, Michigan, 1856

“Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, to whom this Book of the Law of the Lord shall come, that James J. Strang has the plates of the ancient Book of the Law of the Lord given to Moses, from which he translated this law, and has shown them to us. We examined them with our eyes, and handled them with our hands. The engravings are beautiful antique workmanship, bearing a striking resemblance to the ancient oriental languages; and those from which the laws in this book were translated are eighteen in number, about seven inches and three-eights wide, by nine inches long, occasionally embellished with beautiful pictures. And we testify unto you all that the everlasting kingdom of God is established, in which this law shall be kept, till it brings in rest and everlasting righteousness to all the faithful.”

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain:

thou shalt not usurp dominion 

as a ruler, for the Name of the Lord thy God

is great and glorious above all other names

he is above all

and is the only true God;

the only just and upright King

over all:

he alone hath the right

to rule, and in his name, only he to whom he graneth it:

whosoever is not chosen of him, the same is a usurper, and unholy:

the Lord will not hold him guiltless, and he taken his name in vain.”

Solomon Spaulding, “Manuscript Found,” Digital Collections, Brigham Young University

“There is an intelligent omnipotent being, who is self-existent and infinitely

good and benevolent matter eternally existed. 

He put forth his hand and formed it into such bodies as he pleased.

He presides over the universe and has a perfect knowledge of all things. 

From his own spiritual substance he formed seven sons.

These are his principal agents to manage the affairs of his empire.

He formed the bodies of men from matter. Into each body he infused a particle of his own spiritual substance , in consequence of which man in his first formation was inclined to

benevolence and goodness.

There is also another great, intelligent being who is self-existent and possessed of great power but not of omnipotence.

Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:255, Sahih International

“Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence. 

Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep. 

To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. 

Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission? 

He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, 

and they encompass not a thing of His knowledge except for what He wills. 

His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and 

their preservation tires Him not. 

And He is the Most High, the Most Great.”

Niles, John D. (1979). "Ring Composition and the Structure of Beowulf". PMLA. 94 (5): 924–35.

“One type of organization favored by the Beowulf poet is an ABC … X … CBA design capable of indefinite expansion. Ring composition of this type serves as a way of building up short verse paragraphs, as in Homer. It also underlies the composition of whole episodes. In addition, the entire narrative of Beowulf is knit together by an elaborate set of thematic parallels and verbal echoes ranged in pairs about a midpoint of mythic intensity, the fight with Grendel’s dam on the floor of the monsters’ pool. The consistency with which thesis is answered by antithesis in the design of Beowulf seems to be a special characteristic of the poet’s style and way of viewing the world.”

“Prologue

A: Panegyric for Scyld

B: Scyld's funeral

C: History of Danes before Hrothgar

D: Hrothgar's order to build Heorot

Epilogue

D': Beowulf's order to build his barrow

C': History of Geats after Beowulf ("messenger's prophecy")

B': Beowulf's funeral

A': Eulogy for Beowulf”

Ryken, Leland (2004). "Paradise Lost by John Milton (1608–1674)". In Kapic, Kelly M.; Gleason, Randall C. (eds.). The Devoted Life: An Invitation to the Puritan Classics. Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter-Varsity Press. pp. 138–151.

“A: Satan's sinful actions (Books 1–3)

B: Entry into Paradise (Book 4)

C: War in heaven (destruction) (Books 5–6)

C': Creation of the world (Books 7–8)

B': Loss of paradise (Book 9)

A': Humankind's sinful actions (Books 10–12)”

Lewis Carrol, “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” A Mad Tea Party, United Kingdom, 1865

“Your hair wants cutting,” said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.”

“The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he said was, “Why is a raven like a writing-desk?”

“Not the same thing a bit!” said the Hatter. “You might just as well say that 

‘I see what 

I eat’ is the same thing as 

‘I eat 

what I see’!”

“You might just as well say,” added the March Hare, “that 

‘I like what 

I get’ is the same thing as 

‘I get 

what I like’!”

“You might just as well say,” added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, 

“that ‘I breathe when 

I sleep’ is the same thing as 

‘I sleep

when I breathe’!”

“Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn’t much.”

“The Hatter was the first to break the silence.”

Jane Austen, “Pride and Prejudice,” United Kingdom, 1813

“To be fond

of dancing 

was

a certain step towards

falling in love.”

Nursery Rhyme, “Hickory Dickory Dock,” Iona and Peter Opie (1997). The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 185–186.

“Hickory dickory dock.

The mouse ran up the clock.

The clock struck one,

The mouse ran down,

Hickory dickory dock.”

Dr. Seuss, “Horton Hatches the Egg,” Random House, June 1940

“But he sat on the egg and continued to say:

“I meant what

I said

and 

I said

what I meant.

An elephant’s faithful One hundred percent!”

Dr. Seuss, “Green Eggs and Ham,” Random House, August 1960

“I am

Sam.

Sam

I Am.”

“I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.

I do not like green eggs and ham.

Would you like them here or there?

I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere.

I do not like green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-Am.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“In the half century since Brodie, all the critics have assumed that Joseph Smith wrote the Book of Mormon. They have pointed to the signs of its nineteenth-century production, on the one hand, and the lack of supporting archeological evidence in the supposed Book of Mormon lands, on the other. In one sense, the modern critics have perpetuated the older project of proving the fraudulence of the Book of Mormon by showing it is not the historical text it claims to be; in another sense, latter-day critics have broken with their predecessors.” Ch. 4

“They point to evidence in the book of the anti-Masonic agitation stirring New York in the years when it was being translated. In the doctrinal portions, they see anti-Universalist language and imitations of camp-meeting preaching.” Ch. 4

Animals

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Turning to archeology, they point out that archeological digs have produced no evidence of Nephite civilization, yielding no horse bones, for example, an animal named in the Book of Mormon.” Ch. 4

“In response to the absence of horse bones in Latin American archeology, the proponents point out that no archeological evidence of horses has been found in regions occupied by the Huns, a society dependent on horses.” Ch. 4

Science, “Melted Snow Uncovers Early Evidence of Horse Riding in Mongolia,” 28 June 2024, Archaeology, News, Science 

“3400-year-old trimmed hoof suggests world’s most renowned equestrian culture began using horses 2 centuries earlier than thought.”

“Archaeological and genetic evidence suggests horses were first domesticated some 4200 years ago in the Pontic-Caspian steppes of what is now the North Caucasus in southern Russia. But it was Mongolians’ excellence on horseback that indelibly reshaped the social and political landscape of East Asia. Horses accompanied Mongol riders in life, battle, and even death; some Mongol burial sites include hundreds of interred horses. Even today, there is a Mongolian proverb that translates to: “A Mongol without a horse is like a bird without wings.”

Kusliy, Mariya A., et. al. “Traces of Late Bronze and Early Iron Age Mongolian Horse Mitochondrial Lineages in Modern Populations,” 12 March 2021, Genes, Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute

“Here, we report nearly complete mitochondrial genome data obtained from five ancient Mongolian horse samples of the Khereksur and Deer Stone culture (late 2nd to 1st third of the 1st millennium BC) and one ancient horse specimen from the Xiongnu culture (1st century BC to 1st century AD) using target enrichment and high-throughput sequencing methods

Phylogenetic analysis involving ancient, historical, and modern mitogenomes of horses from Mongolia and other regions showed the presence of three mitochondrial haplogroups in the ancient Mongolian horse populations studied here and similar haplotype composition of ancient and modern horse populations of Mongolia.”

Daniel Strain, “Archaeologists Unearth one of Earliest Known Frame Saddles,” 12 December 2023, CU Boulder Today, University of Colorado Boulder

“In April 2015, looters sacked an ancient cave burial at a site called Urd Ulaan Uneet high within the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. When police apprehended the criminals, they uncovered, among other artifacts, an elegantly carved saddle made from several pieces of birch wood.

Now, in a new study, researchers from Mongolia collaborating with CU Boulder archaeologist William Taylor have described the find. The team’s radiocarbon dating pins the artifact to roughly the 4th century C.E., making it one of the earliest known frame saddles in the world.”

“The discovery also highlights the deep relationships between human and animals in Mongolia.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 18:25

“And it came to pass that we did find upon the land of promise, as we journeyed in the wilderness, that there were beasts in the forests of every kind, both the cow and the ox, and the ass and the horse, and the goat and the wild goat, and all manner of wild animals, which were for the use of men. And we did find all manner of ore, both of gold, and of silver, and of copper.”

Book of Mormon, Enos 1:21

“And it came to pass that the people of Nephi did till the land, and raise all manner of grain, and of fruit, and flocks of herds, and flocks of all manner of cattle of every kind, and goats, and wild goats, and also many horses.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 18:9-10

“And they said unto him: Behold, he is feeding thy horses. Now the king had commanded his servants, previous to the time of the watering of their flocks, that they should prepare his horses and chariots, and conduct him forth to the land of Nephi; for there had been a great feast appointed at the land of Nephi, by the father of Lamoni, who was king over all the land.

Now when king Lamoni heard that Ammon was preparing his horses and his chariots he was more astonished, because of the faithfulness of Ammon.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 20:6

“Now when Lamoni had heard this he caused that his servants should make ready his horses and his chariots.”

Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 3:22

“And it came to pass in the seventeenth year, in the latter end of the year, the proclamation of Lachoneus had gone forth throughout all the face of the land, and they had taken their horses, and their chariots, and their cattle, and all their flocks, and their herds, and their grain, and all their substance, and did march forth by thousands and by tens of thousands.”

Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 4:4

“And the Nephites being in one body, and having so great a number, and having reserved for themselves provisions, and horses and cattle, and flocks of every kind.”

Book of Mormon, Ether 9:16-19

“And in the space of sixty and two years they had become exceedingly strong, insomuch that they became exceedingly rich—

Having all manner of fruit, and of grain, and of silks, and of fine linen, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things;

And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.

And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.”

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“First then as to domestic animals, the horses, asses, oxen, cows, sheep, swine, and even goats. The Book of Mormon thoroughly commits us to their presence in America within historic times—within Book of Mormon times, which in their utmost limits extend from soon after the dispersion from Babel—2,247 B.C., according to the Usher Chronology of the Bible, to 400 A.D., a period of 2,647 years. Within these limits the Book of Mormon repeatedly asserts the existence of the domestic animals named as being in existence and in use by the people. It represents the Jaredites as having these domestic animals in the land to which they had been led. This within the first century of their occupancy of it—the land of America.”

“The foregoing unequivocally commits the Book of Mormon to the existence and use of the horse and the other domestic animals mentioned above—horses, asses, oxen, cows, sheep, goats, swine (the last, however, only among the Jaredites). 

And now what are the conclusions of those who speak with recognized authority of the fauna of the New World? Unhappily they are unanimously against us.”

“Other authorities, as we shall see, mention dogs as being in possession of the native Americans as domestic animals, but strangely enough no mention is made of dogs in possession or use of the Book of Mormon peoples.”

“The horse, it is said, was not known in America till the Spaniards introduced it from Europe, after the time of its discovery by Columbus.”

“Recently, when speaking to brethren with reference to domestic animals in America, and more especially about the horse, I have been surprised to find almost invariably that reference would be made to recent finds in California of skeletons of horses and other animals, such as the mastodon, large species of deer, lions, etc., as having changed in some way the positive and well nigh universal testimony about the absence of the horse from America within historic times. The finds referred to are placed in the Museum of History, Science and Art, of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, California. They were taken from asphalt pits, from Rancho La Brea, in the county above named, from 1913 to August 1915. Because these skeletons, among them some horses, are not “fossil,” but “the bone itself, preserved in the asphaltum in which they were imbedded,” it has apparently been concluded that the remains gave evidence of the existence of the horse in America within recent, that is to say within historic times.”

“But it must be remembered that before one accounts for his disappearance, one must establish the fact of his existence in America in recent, that is to say, within historic times; and that is precisely what has not been done, and is what constitutes our embarrassing problems. From no tumuli or mounds or burial places where might be expected the evidence of equine existence; in no native sculpture on temple walls, or tablets, or monuments—which give us abundant evidence of other forms of native American animal life—yet no representation of the horse anywhere has been found. The same is true as to the preserved pictoglyphs; also as to native story, or legend, or tradition—nowhere has the evidence for the existence of the horse in America within historic times been found.”

Smithsonian Institution, “Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon,” 1996, The Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

“The Book of Mormon is a religious document and not a scientific guide. The Smithsonian Institution has never used it in archeological research and any information that you have received to the contrary is incorrect.”

“Smithsonian archeologists see no direct connection between the archeology of the New World and the subject matter of the book.”

“One of the main lines of evidence supporting the scientific finding that contacts with Old World civilizations if indeed they occurred at all, were of very little significance for the development of American Indian civilizations, is the fact that none of the principal Old World domesticated food plants or animals (except the dog) occurred in the New World in pre-Columbian times. American Indians had no wheat, barley, oats, millet, rice, cattle, pigs, chickens, horses, donkeys, camels before 1492. (Camels and horses were in the Americas, along with the bison, mammoth, and mastodon, but all these animals became extinct around 10,000 B.C. at the time when the early big game hunters spread across the Americas.)”

Will Sullivan, “New Research Rewrites the History of American Horses,” 3 April 2023, Smithsonian Magazine

“After examining archaeological remains of horses, researchers suggest Indigenous peoples had spread the animals through the American West by the first half of the 1600s—before they encountered Europeans.

The findings align with oral histories from Indigenous groups, which tell of interactions with horses prior to colonizers arriving in their homelands. Meanwhile, written European texts from the 1700s and 1800s claimed that horses only spread through the area after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, a Native American uprising that temporarily expelled Spanish colonizers from much of modern New Mexico.“

“Horses evolved in the Americas around four million years ago, but by about 10,000 years ago, they had mostly disappeared from the fossil record, per the Conversation. Spanish settlers likely first brought horses back to the Americas in 1519, when Hernán Cortés arrived on the continent in Mexico. Per the new paper, Indigenous peoples then transported horses north along trade networks.”

“The researchers compared the ancient horses’ DNA with that of modern horses and found that the centuries-old equines had largely Spanish ancestry. Together, the findings suggest horses spread “from Spanish settlements in the American Southwest to the northern Rockies and central Great Plains by the first half of the 17th century,” per the paper.”

Daniel Johnson, “‘Hard’ Evidence of Ancient American Horses,” 2015, BYU Studies Quarterly, Volume 54, Issue 3, Brigham Young University

“Even though Joseph Smith made corrections and grammatical changes to subsequent editions published during his lifetime, he left the accounts of horses intact.”

“Archaeologists note that indigenous New World cultures had no draft animals or beasts of burden.”

“The hippopotamus got its name from Greeks who decided to call this strange animal a “water horse,” although no one today confuses the two. Did Nephi and subsequent record keepers simply do the same thing?”

“Such being the case, a likely candidate for Nephi’s “horse” has to be Baird’s tapir. It was the largest known land mammal native to Central America at the time of European contact. It is actually related to the primitive horse and known in Spanish as the anteburro. The tapir is the national animal of Belize, where it is also known as the mountain cow. In Mexican languages, it is called tzemen in Tzeltal; in Lacandón, it is called cash-i-tzimin, meaning “horse of the jungle.”

“All in all, this explanation may make some sense, but it does not win over many opponents of the Book of Mormon. A better challenge must be forthcoming if the critics are to take notice.”

“If no horses were here until European contact, when and how did the Native American first obtain the horse?”

Crops

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 9:9

“And we began to till the ground, yea, even with all manner of seeds, with seeds of corn, and of wheat, and of barley, and with neas, and with sheum, and with seeds of all manner of fruits; and we did begin to multiply and prosper in the land.”

Smithsonian Institution, “Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon,” 1996, The Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

“None of the principal Old World domesticated food plants or animals (except the dog) occurred in the New World in pre-Columbian times. American Indians had no wheat, barley, oats, millet, rice, cattle, pigs, chickens, horses, donkeys, camels before 1492.”

Kansas Wheat, “Coming to America: Wheat sailed with Columbus,” Recent News Stories, Kansas Wheat Commission and Kansas Association of Wheat Growers

“Until explorer Christopher Columbus landed in the West Indies, wheat was not known in the Americas, despite having first been planted around 8,000 BC.

Columbus was not the only explorer to introduce wheat in the New World. Spaniards brought wheat to Mexico in the early 1500s, where cultivation spread to the southwestern United States. Other explorers took grains of wheat to the eastern coast of the United States, where colonists —like President George Washington — grew it as one of their main cash crops.”

Mark Christensen, “Columbian Exchange,” Assumption College, Bill of Rights Institute

“For their part, Old World inhabitants were busily cultivating onions, lettuce, rye, barley, rice, oats, turnips, olives, pears, peaches, citrus fruits, sugarcane, and wheat.”

“The inhabitants of the New World did not have the same travel capabilities and lived on isolated continents where they did not encounter many diseases.

All this changed with Columbus’s first voyage in 1492. When he returned to Spain a year later, Columbus brought with him six Taino natives as well as a few species of birds and plants. The Columbian exchange was underway. On his second voyage, Columbus brought wheat, radishes, melons, and chickpeas to the Caribbean. His travels opened an Atlantic highway between the New and Old Worlds that never closed and only expanded as the exchange of goods increased exponentially year after year. Although Europeans exported their wheat bread, olive oil, and wine in the first years after contact, soon wheat and other goods were being grown in the Americas too. Indeed, wheat remains an important staple in North and South America.”

Global Precipitation Measurement Mission, “Expert Group- Growing Wheat,” The National Aeronautics and Space Administration

“More than 17,000 years ago, humans gathered wheat seeds from the plants and used them for food. Wheat is believed to have originated in the Tigris and Euphrates river valley, near what is now Iraq. This valley is sometimes referred to as the “Cradle of Civilization.”

“It was first introduced to America by the early English colonists and it quickly became the main cash crop of farmers.”

Metalworking

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 5:15

“And I did teach my people to build buildings, and to work in all manner of wood, and of iron, and of copper, and of brass, and of steel, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious ores, which were in great abundance.”

Book of Mormon, Jarom 1:8

“And we multiplied exceedingly, and spread upon the face of the land, and became exceedingly rich in gold, and in silver, and in precious things, and in fine workmanship of wood, in buildings, and in machinery, and also in iron and copper, and brass and steel, making all manner of tools of every kind to till the ground, and weapons of war—yea, the sharp pointed arrow, and the quiver, and the dart, and the javelin, and all preparations for war.”

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“Iron and Steel: The Book of Mormon thoroughly commits us to the fact of the use of iron and steel among Book of Mormon peoples; also to copper and brass; and to the existence of a civilization which comports with the use of such metals, and this even among the Jaredites, the most ancient of Book of Mormon peoples.”

“The authorities are against the Native Americans having knowledge or use of iron.”

“We are confronted with the undeniable fact that everywhere when found by Europeans, native American races lived in the stone age of civilization.”

“At the close of this review of the status of knowledge derived from works of authority on the subjects of domestic animals in America, iron and steel, the wheel, cimeters, and silk, we are again confronted with the question, as in the case of the difficulties about languages, what are to be our answers to the questions asked on these subjects. 

Can we in the face of the statements and deductions of the authorities here presented, say that the domestic animals, the horse, the cow and the ox, sheep, goats, and swine, were known and used by Americans within historic times, previous to the discovery of America? 

Can we successfully assert in the face of the statements of these authorities to the contrary, that it was an iron and steel age civilization, with its attendant higher culture of a written language, which obtained in America within historic times previous to the discovery of America by Columbus, rather than a stone age culture, with its lower stage of civilization? 

There can be no question but what the Book of Mormon commits us to the possession and use of domestic animals by both Jaredite and Nephite peoples; and to the age and civilization of iron and steel and of the wheel, and of a written language, by both these peoples. And they, with their descendants, constitute all the inhabitants of the New World, so far as the Book of Mormon informs us, except as to the Gentile races which by the spirit of prophecy it was foreseen would come in later times. 

What shall our answer be then? Shall we boldly acknowledge the difficulties in the case, confess that the evidences and conclusions of the authorities are against us, but notwithstanding all that, we take our position on the Book of Mormon and place its revealed truths against the declarations of men, however learned, and await the vindication of the revealed truth? Is there any other course than this? And yet the difficulties to this position are very grave. Truly we may ask “who will believe our report?” in that case. What will the effect be upon our youth of such a confession of inability to give a more reasonable answer to the questions submitted, and the awaiting of proof for final vindication? Will not the hoped for proof deferred indeed make the heart sick? Is there any way to escape these difficulties? 

Again I ask, is silence our best answer? And again the question comes, can we remain silent in our age of free inquiry? Can we ignore such questions as are submitted by Mr. Couch, and which are also being asked by our youth? Will not silence in relation to these matters, as in the case of the language difficulties, be a confession of defeat? 

These questions are put by me at the close of this division of the “study” not for self-embarrassment, surely, nor for the embarrassment of others, but to bring to the consciousness of myself and my brethren that we face grave difficulties in all these matters, and that if there is any way by which we may “find wisdom, and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures”—for I am sure that neither an appeal to the books written by men, nor even to the books of scripture now in our possession, will solve our present difficulties—then a most earnest appeal should be made to that source of wisdom and knowledge, and with a faith and persistence that will admit of no denial.”

Smithsonian Institution, “Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon,” 1996, The Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

“Iron, steel, glass, and silk were not used in the New World before 1492 (except for occasional use of unsmelted meteoric iron). Native copper was worked in various locations in pre-Columbian times, but true metallurgy was limited to southern Mexico and the Andean region, where its occurrence in late prehistoric times involved gold, silver, copper, and their alloys, but not iron.”

Rock & Gem, “The Minerals of Pre-Columbian America,” 9 April 2020

“The craftsmanship vested in pre-Columbian gold work is remarkable, considering that it was achieved without iron implements or any modern metallurgical knowledge. With materials limited to drafted charcoal furnaces, stone tools, ceramics, wax, blowpipes, and natural chemical reagents, the gold workers’ most valuable resource was an uncanny understanding of the nature of gold itself.”

Deutero Isaiah

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The critics complain that the Isaiah passages quoted by Nephi draw upon portions of the book now thought to be pseudepigrapha, composed long after the Nephites left Jerusalem.”

Y Religion, “Deutero-Isaiah in the Book of Mormon,” Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University

“About one third of the book of Isaiah is quoted in the Book of Mormon. A challenge can arise, however, with what is known as Deutero-Isaiah. This is a theory that there were additional authors who wrote portions of Isaiah after Lehi and his family fled Jerusalem with the brass plates. Because the Book of Mormon quotes from these portions, some have thought that these quotations are out of place.”

Klaus Baltzer, “Deutero-Isaiah: A Commentary,” 2001, Hermeneia, JSTOR

“Deutero-Isaiah is the name given in research to the anonymous author of Isaiah 40–55 and to his work. The Greek deuteros (δεύτερος) means “the second”–hence the designation “Second Isaiah,” which is also used.”

“With the prologue in chap. 40, Deutero-Isaiah begins his work. Here the book’s most important themes are announced: God’s sovereignty over the whole world, the election and redemption of Jacob/Israel, the renewal of Zion/Jerusalem, the dispute with the foreign gods and their images, the revealing of the divine word.”

Robert L. Cate, "Isaiah, Book of," in Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, ed. Watson E. Mills (United States: Mercer University Press, 1990)

“Unity of Isaiah. The Authorship and unity of the Book of Isaiah has been more seriously debated than that of any other biblical book. The passages that have been most frequently questioned as having come from the original author, or from the lips of Isaiah if he were not the original writer, are listed below.”

“Isa 40:1-55:13 is frequently called Deutero-Isaiah and 56:1-66:24 is identified as Trito-Isaiah. Sometimes both are considered to be one unit with the entire section, 40:1-66:24, being called Deutero-Isaiah.”

“Divisions of Isaiah. (1) The issues regarding unity can generally all be found, with only minor exceptions, in Isa 40-66. Those supporting the disunity point out that nowhere in these chapters is Isaiah ever identified as the author. Further, the attitude changes radically, with the first part of the book, i.e., Isa 1-39, being concerned with confrontation and rebuke, while the latter half deals with comfort and assurance. The mood of the first part is gloom while the mood of the second part of the book is hope and light. In addition, in the latter part of the book the destruction of Jerusalem is presupposed as an accomplished fact. Yet, this catastrophe is merely anticipated in the first part. Further, in the latter part both the prophet and his people are in Exile, while the Exile is far in the future in the first part.”

Elisha Kwabena Marfo, “Isaiah's Authorship and Methodology: A Historical Review,” 2018, Asia-Africa Journal of Mission and Ministry

“Following the Reformation Era, Isaiah authorship critics aroused and challenged the single authorship of Isaiah. They questioned the predictive qualities of Isaiah and claimed that the reason that an eighth century prophet would not have prophesied specific details regarding a future Persian king, Cyrus, cannot be substantiated. They, therefore, proposed multiple authorship of the book and also argued for a later date of composition of the book.”

Margaret Barker, “Isaiah,” 2003,  in Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible

“The book of Isaiah was not written by one person at one time and in one place; rather, it was the product of a long and complex history. Traditionally, we have read the final form of the text and allowed the words to make their own impact. The complex literary history of Isaiah has been unknown to most of its readers, but this has in no way diminished the value of the book or the power of the prophetic word. Nevertheless, the fruits of scholarship can greatly enrich any reading of Isaiah and enable an appreciation of the processes by which the words of the prophets, not just Isaiah, were preserved, transmitted, augmented, and interpreted as part of the living tradition of the faith community.”

“it was recognized that the book was not a unity. By the end of the eighteenth century, scholars had recognized a division at the end of ch. 39; then in 1892 Bernhard Duhm suggested that the two sections had originally been separate works, joined together after the time of the Chronicler. He also suggested a further division at the end of ch. 55. Chs. 40–55, he said, were the work of a prophet who lived and wrote in Phoenicia during the exile. Many, but not all, scholars adopted this new prophet, “Deutero-Isaiah” but most located him in Babylon as the prophet of the exile. The theory which eventually emerged was that the first section (chs. 1–39) consisted of the oracles of Isaiah in Jerusalem in the period 750–700 bc; the second (chs. 40–55, Deutero-Isaiah) came from an unknown prophet in the exile in Babylon, and the third (chs. 56–66, Trito-Isaiah) was a postexilic work. The date suggested for this final “Isaiah” varied between the late sixth century and the third century bc.”

Roger Norman Whybray, “The Second Isaiah,” 23 February 2004, Bloomsbury Academic

“Cyrus’s father was king of Anshan, a small vassal kingdom east of the Tigris and north of the Persian Gulf, an area which had once been part of the kingdom of Elam and is now part of south-west Iran. When he succeeded his father in 559 B.C. Cyrus immediately set out to free the Persians from Median control. Very soon he had united all the Persian tribes. Then came his alliance with Babylon, which he saw as an opportunity to attack the Medes. In 550 B.C., as has already been stated, he succeeded in his aim.”

“In 540 B.C. Cyrus returned to the west. He invaded Mesopotamia and, after winning a battle in southern Babylonia, burned down the city of Akkad. The Babylonian troops were not thoroughly demoralised, and after a further battle Babylon received him as a conqueror. 

The historical background outlined above makes it possible to determine within fairly narrow limits the period of the prophetical activity of Deutero-Isaiah, and also sheds light on the interpretation of some of his oracles. Cyrus’s name and reputation, and the danger which he represented to the Babylonian power, are unlikely to have been familiar to the ordinary inhabitants of Babylon, who included the Jewish exiles, before his victory over the Medes in 550 B.C. But after that date his name will have been a household word. From 550 onwards Deutero-Isaiah’s prediction of the imminent fall of Babylon and his glorification of Cyrus as a great conqueror and as the deliverer of the Jews, though extremely dangerous to the prophet’s personal safety, would have seemed increasingly realistic. His oracles must therefore have been delivered within the years 550-539 B.C., and probably towards the end of that period.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 1:4

“For it came to pass in the commencement of the first year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah, (my father, Lehi, having dwelt at Jerusalem in all his days); and in that same year there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent, or the great city Jerusalem must be destroyed.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 4: Chapter Heading

“Nephi slays Laban at the Lord’s command and then secures the plates of brass by stratagem—Zoram chooses to join Lehi’s family in the wilderness. About 600–592 B.C.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 19:22-23

“Now it came to pass that I, Nephi, did teach my brethren these things; and it came to pass that I did read many things to them, which were engraven upon the plates of brass, that they might know concerning the doings of the Lord in other lands, among people of old.

And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 20: Chapter Heading, 1

“The Lord reveals His purposes to Israel—Israel has been chosen in the furnace of affliction and is to go forth from Babylon—Compare Isaiah 48. About 588–570 B.C.”

“Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, yet they swear not in truth nor in righteousness.”

Old Testament, Isaiah 48: Chapter Heading, 1

“The Lord reveals His purposes to Israel—Israel has been chosen in the furnace of affliction and is to depart from Babylon—Compare 1 Nephi 20.

Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 7: Chapter Heading, 1

“Jacob continues reading from Isaiah: Isaiah speaks messianically—The Messiah will have the tongue of the learned—He will give His back to the smiters—He will not be confounded—Compare Isaiah 50. About 559–545 B.C.”

“To which of my creditors have I sold you? Yea, to whom have I sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”

Old Testament, Isaiah 50: Chapter Heading, 1

“Isaiah speaks as the Messiah—He will have the tongue of the learned—He will give His back to the smiters—He will not be confounded—Compare 2 Nephi 7.”

“Or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 14: Chapter Heading, 1

“Isaiah speaks messianically—The Messiah’s humiliation and sufferings are set forth—He makes His soul an offering for sin and makes intercession for transgressors—Compare Isaiah 53. About 148 B.C.

Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

Old Testament, Isaiah 53: Chapter Heading, 1

“Isaiah speaks about the Messiah—His humiliation and sufferings are described—He makes His soul an offering for sin and makes intercession for the transgressors—Compare Mosiah 14.

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”

Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 22: Chapter Heading, 1

“In the last days, Zion and her stakes will be established, and Israel will be gathered in mercy and tenderness—They will triumph—Compare Isaiah 54. About A.D. 34.

And then shall that which is written come to pass: Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child; for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.”

Old Testament, Isaiah 54: Chapter Heading, 1

“In the last days, Zion and her stakes will be established, and Israel will be gathered in mercy and tenderness—Israel will triumph—Compare 3 Nephi 22.

Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.”

DNA

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“Let us have in our consciousness the Book of Mormon statement of origin. I say “statement of origin,” because to those who accept the Book of Mormon as of divine origin, it gives more than a theory of origin—it tells of the origin of American peoples.”

Joseph Smith, “Church History,” 1 March 1842, p. 707, The Joseph Smith Papers

“The remnant are the Indians that now inhabit this country.”

Joseph Smith, Letter to Noah C. Saxton, 4 January 1833, The Joseph Smith Papers

“The Book of Mormon is a reccord of the forefathers of our western Tribes of Indians.”

“By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are desendants from that Joseph that was sold into Egypt.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction (1981)

“It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas.”

“After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians.”

Book of Mormon, Introduction (2013)

“It is a record of God’s dealings with ancient inhabitants of the Americas.”

“After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Most recently, an anthropological researcher has claimed that Native American DNA samples correspond to Asian patterns, precluding Semitic origins. In view of all the evidence, the critics believe defense of the book’s authenticity is hopeless.” Ch. 4

Smithsonian Institution, “Statement Regarding the Book of Mormon,” 1996, The Department of Anthropology, Smithsonian Institution

“The physical type of the American Indian is basically Mongoloid, being most closely related to that of the peoples of eastern, central, and northeastern Asia. Archeological evidence indicates that the ancestors of the present Indians came into the New World - probably over a land bridge known to have existed in the Bering Strait region during the last Ice Age - in a continuing series of small migrations beginning from about 25,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Present evidence indicates that the first people to reach this continent from the East were the Norsemen who briefly visited the northeastern part of North America around A.D. 1000 and then settled in Greenland. There is nothing to show that they reached Mexico or Central America.”

“There is a possibility that the spread of cultural traits across the Pacific to Mesoamerica and the northwestern coast of South America began several hundred years before the Christian era. However, any such inter-hemispheric contacts appear to have been the results of accidental voyages originating in eastern and southern Asia. It is by no means certain that even such contacts occurred; certainly there were no contacts with the ancient Egyptians, Hebrews, or other peoples of Western Asian and the Near East.”

Bodner, Martin, et. al. “Rapid Coastal Spread of First Americans: Novel Insights from South America’s Southern Cone Mitochondrial Genomes,” 22 May 2012, Genome Research

“It is now widely agreed that the Native American founders originated from a Beringian source population ∼15–18 thousand years ago (kya) and rapidly populated all of the New World, probably mainly following the Pacific coastal route.”

“To examine the pioneering peopling phase of the South American continent, we screened literature and mtDNA databases and identified two novel mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) clades, here named D1g and D1j, within the pan-American haplogroup D1.”

“Their age estimates agree with the dating of the earliest archaeological sites in South America and indicate that the Paleo-Indian spread along the entire longitude of the American double continent might have taken even <2000 yr.”

Ugo A. Perago, “The Book of Mormon and the Origin of Native Americans from a Maternally Inherited DNA Standpoint,” in Robert Miller, No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues, 2011, Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University

“The Book of Mormon tells that through divine guidance, relatively small groups of Old World migrants were led to the Western Hemisphere from time to time.”

“The notion that some, or all, American Indians are of Hebrew descent is still popular among Latter-day Saints.”

“Even in light of statements by individual Latter-day Saint Church leaders and scholars on this topic through the years, the Church advocates no official position on the subjects of Book of Mormon geography and the origins of Amerindian populations.”

“The Book of Mormon is not a volume about the history and origins of all American Indians. A careful reading of the text clearly indicates that the people described in the Book of Mormon were limited in the recording of their history to events that had religious relevance and that occurred in relatively close proximity to the keepers of the annals.”

Dallin H. Oaks, “Worthy of Another Look: The Historicity of the Book of Mormon,” 2012, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture

“I was introduced to the idea that the Book of Mormon is not a history of all of the people who have lived on the continents of North and South America in all ages of the earth. Up to that time I had assumed that it was. If that were the claim of the Book of Mormon, any piece of historical, archaeological, or linguistic evidence to the contrary would weigh in against the Book of Mormon, and those who rely exclusively on scholarship would have a promising position to argue.”

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon and DNA Studies,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Some have contended that the migrations mentioned in the Book of Mormon did not occur because the majority of DNA identified to date in modern native peoples most closely resembles that of eastern Asian populations.”

“Nothing is known about the DNA of Book of Mormon peoples.”

“In short, DNA studies cannot be used decisively to either affirm or reject the historical authenticity of the Book of Mormon.”

“The evidence assembled to date suggests that the majority of Native Americans carry largely Asian DNA. Scientists theorize that in an era that predated Book of Mormon accounts, a relatively small group of people migrated from northeast Asia to the Americas by way of a land bridge that connected Siberia to Alaska. These people, scientists say, spread rapidly to fill North and South America and were likely the primary ancestors of modern American Indians.”

“The Book of Mormon provides little direct information about cultural contact between the peoples it describes and others who may have lived nearby. Consequently, most early Latter-day Saints assumed that Near Easterners or West Asians like Jared, Lehi, Mulek, and their companions were the first or the largest or even the only groups to settle the Americas. Building upon this assumption, critics insist that the Book of Mormon does not allow for the presence of other large populations in the Americas and that, therefore, Near Eastern DNA should be easily identifiable among modern native groups.

The Book of Mormon itself, however, does not claim that the peoples it describes were either the predominant or the exclusive inhabitants of the lands they occupied.”

“The 2006 update to the introduction of the Book of Mormon reflects this understanding by stating that Book of Mormon peoples were “among the ancestors of the American Indians.”

B.H. Roberts, “Studies of the Book of Mormon,” 1985, Signature Books, Salt Lake City

“They are sole possessors of it. Here they lived and developed their peculiar culture uninfluenced by contact with other people, either by reason of finding primitive inhabitants in the land, or by reason of infusion of other people among them.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 1:8-9

“And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.

Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of this land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever.”

Jeffrey R. Holland, “A Promised Land,” Ensign, June 1976

“Holy scripture records that “after the waters had receded from off the face of this land it became a choice land above all other lands, a chosen land of the Lord; wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof.” (Ether 13:2.) Such a special place needed now to be kept apart from other regions, free from the indiscriminate traveler as well as the soldier of fortune. To guarantee such sanctity the very surface of the earth was rent. In response to God’s decree, the great continents separated and the ocean rushed in to surround them. The promised place was set apart. Without habitation it waited for the fulfillment of God’s special purposes.”

Deemphasizing Scholarship in Establishing Historicity

Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon and DNA Studies,” Church History, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Although the primary purpose of the Book of Mormon is more spiritual than historical, some people have wondered whether the migrations it describes are compatible with scientific studies of ancient America.”

“Book of Mormon record keepers were primarily concerned with conveying religious truths and preserving the spiritual heritage of their people. They prayed that, in spite of the prophesied destruction of most of their people, their record would be preserved and one day help restore a knowledge of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Gordon B. Hinckley, “The Cornerstones of Our Faith,” General Conference, October 1984

“The evidence for its truth, for its validity in a world that is prone to demand evidence, lies not in archaeology or anthropology, though these may be helpful to some. It lies not in word research or historical analysis, though these may be confirmatory. The evidence for its truth and validity lies within the covers of the book itself. The test of its truth lies in reading it. It is a book of God. Reasonable men may sincerely question its origin; but those who have read it prayerfully have come to know by a power beyond their natural senses that it is true.”

Boyd K. Packer, “The Things of My Soul,” General Conference, April 1986

“The history in the Book of Mormon is incidental. There are prophets and dissenters and genealogies to move them from one generation to another, but the central purpose is not historical.”

Russell M. Nelson, “A Testimony of the Book of Mormon,” General Conference, October 1999

“Some authors have focused upon its stories, its people, or its vignettes of history. Others have been intrigued by its language structure or its records of weapons, geography, animal life, techniques of building, or systems of weights and measures.

Interesting as these matters may be, study of the Book of Mormon is most rewarding when one focuses on its primary purpose—to testify of Jesus Christ. By comparison, all other issues are incidental.”

“When Mormon abridged these records, he noted that he could not write a “hundredth part” of their proceedings. Thus, historical aspects of the book assume secondary significance.”

James E. Faust, “The Keystone of Our Religion,” First Presidency Message, Ensign, January 2004

“It is important to know what the Book of Mormon is not. It is not primarily a history, although much of what it contains is historical.”

M. Russell Ballard, “Is there Scientific Proof Authenticating the Book of Mormon?” 2007, Church Newsroom, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“You will not get to know it by trying to prove it archaeologically, or by DNA, or by anything else, in my judgment. Just pick it up, read it, and pray about it, and you will come to know. Religious truth is always confirmed by what you feel. That’s the way Heavenly Father answers prayers.” 

Dallin H. Oaks, “Worthy of Another Look: The Historicity of the Book of Mormon,” 2012, Journal of the Book of Mormon and Other Restoration Scripture, Volume 21, Article 7

“The historicity—historical authenticity—of the Book of Mormon is an issue so fundamental that it rests first upon faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, which is the first principle in this, as in all other matters.”

“I will approach the question of the historicity of the Book of Mormon from the standpoint of faith and revelation. I maintain that the issue of the historicity of the Book of Mormon is basically a difference between those who rely exclusively on scholarship and those who rely on a combination of scholarship, faith, and revelation.”

“In fact, it is our position that secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon. Its authenticity depends, as it says, on a witness of the Holy Spirit. Our side will settle for a draw.”

“God invites us to reason with him, but I find it significant that the reasoning to which God invites us is tied to spiritual realities and maturity rather than to scholarly findings or credentials.”

“Scholarship and physical proofs are worldly values. I understand their value, and I have had some experience in using them. Such techniques speak to many after the manner of their understanding. But there are other methods and values too, and we must not be so committed to scholarship that we close our eyes and ears and hearts to what cannot be demonstrated by scholarship or defended according to physical proofs and intellectual reasoning.”

“I am convinced that secular evidence can neither prove nor disprove the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.”

David A. Bednar, “In the Space of Not Many Years,” General Conference, October 2024

“The Book of Mormon is not primarily a historical record that looks to the past. Rather, this volume of scripture looks to the future and contains important principles, warnings, and lessons intended for the circumstances and challenges of our day.”

Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Volume 1, p. 54-55

“We heard a voice from out of the bright light above us, saying, 'These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear.”

Richard Lloyd Anderson, “By the Gift and Power of God,” Ensign, September 1977

“The 1883 interpretation is also contradicted by the optional “choice of words” that Joseph Smith himself displayed when he corrected hundreds of grammatical errors in the second edition of the Book of Mormon in 1837. In thus upgrading the correctness of Book of Mormon English, Joseph Smith proved that he operated from the premise that all the concepts in the book were accurate but that some could be more effectively expressed by slight modifications in language. This no more proves the Book of Mormon to be man-made than the constant new translations of the Bible disprove the inspiration of that book. There is a difference between word changes and idea changes.”

Book of Mormon, A Brief Explanation about the Book of Mormon

“Some minor errors in the text have been perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of God, after the manner of the flesh.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 11:18, Current

“And he said unto me, Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of God, even the Eternal Father!”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 11:21, Current

“And the angel said unto me, behold the Lamb of God, even the Son of the Eternal Father!”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Everlasting God, was judged of the world.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 11:32, Current

“And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the Everlasting God, was judged of the world.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that state of awful woundedness which thou beholdest that they are in.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13:32, Current

“Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 3, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“Shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Eternal Father and the Savior of the world.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 13:40, Current

“Shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and people, that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the world.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 6, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the Lord.”

Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 20:1, Current

“1 Hearken and hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, or out of the waters of baptism, who swear by the name of the Lord.”

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 12, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“And many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white and a delightsome people.

Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 30:6, Current

“And many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a pure and a delightsome people.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 9, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“King Benjamin had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings.”

Book of Mormon, Mosiah 21:28, Current

“King Mosiah had a gift from God, whereby he could interpret such engravings.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 17, 1830, The Joseph Smith Papers

“And now my son, these directors were prepared, that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake.”

Book of Mormon, Alma 37:24, Current

“And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might be fulfilled, which he spake.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“His fourteen-year-old sister, Katharine, helped him set the bundle on a table as the rest of the family gathered around him. Joseph could tell his father and younger brother William wanted to unwrap the plates, but he stopped them. “Can we not see them?” Joseph Sr. asked. “No,” Joseph said. “I was disobedient the first time, but I intend to be faithful this time.” He told them they could feel the plates through the cloth, and his brother William picked up the bundle.” Ch. 4

“Joseph let Martin heft the plates in the lockbox. Martin could tell something heavy was there, but he was not convinced it was a set of gold plates. “You must not blame me for not taking your word,” he told Joseph. When Martin got home after midnight, he crept into his bedroom and prayed, promising God to give all he had if he could know that Joseph was doing divine work. As he prayed, Martin felt a still, small voice speak to his soul. He knew then that the plates were from God—and he knew he had to help Joseph share their message.” Ch. 5

“Before long, Emma’s father demanded to see the gold plates, but Joseph said he could only show him the box where he kept them. Annoyed, Isaac picked up the lockbox and felt its weight, yet he remained skeptical.” Ch. 5

“Lucy was losing her hearing, and when she could not understand what people were saying, she sometimes thought they were criticizing her. She also had little sense of privacy. After Joseph refused to show her the plates, she started searching the house, rifling through the family’s chests, cupboards, and trunks. Joseph had little choice but to hide the plates in the woods.” Ch. 5

“And though he had served as Joseph’s scribe for two months, Martin had never seen the plates either and could not testify that he had.” Ch. 6

“Retiring to his bed, Oliver prayed privately to know if what he had heard about the gold plates was true. The Lord showed him a vision of the gold plates and Joseph’s efforts to translate them. A peaceful feeling rested over him, and he knew then that he should volunteer to be Joseph’s scribe.” Ch. 6

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Moroni warned him not to show the plates and the Urim and Thummim to anyone, and then the light began to gather around him until the room was dark except near his person.” Ch. 2

“From then on, Joseph’s life revolved around the plates: how to store the plates, how to protect them, how to translate them. Probably to forestall interference, Joseph did not bring the plates home on September 22. Lucy said he concealed them in an old birch log by cutting out a segment of bark, carving out the interior, depositing the plates, and replacing the bark. This interim hiding place also gave him time to have a box made.” Ch. 3

“When the curious Lucy Harris visited the Smiths, she pled for a glimpse of the plates and even offered payment. Joseph told her, as he had told all the villagers, that he was forbidden to show them.” Ch. 3

“Others in the village were more suspicious. Martin Harris heard that a mob planned to tar and feather Joseph unless he showed them the plates. Seeing that he would have no peace in Palmyra, Joseph wrote to Alva Hale, Emma’s brother, asking him to come up from Harmony with a wagon to take them back, and Harris gave him $50 to pay off his debts before leaving. Before Joseph departed, a few townsmen were determined to see the plates. Lucy Smith said a mob of fifty men asked Dr. Alexander McIntyre to lead them in an effort to get the “gold bible,” but he dismissed them as a “pack of devilish fools.” To avoid trouble, Harris advised Joseph to leave two days in advance of the announced departure day. They put the plates in a barrel one-third full of beans and topped it off.” Ch. 3

“The neighbors also pestered Joseph for a glimpse of the plates. To placate his father-in-law and escape the curious, Joseph hid the plates in the woods.” Ch. 3

“Harris wrote down the text as it was dictated. A curtain divided the men to prevent Harris from seeing the plates.” Ch. 3

“Was Joseph making a fool of him? Was he the classic dupe, to be cheated of his money and farm when the fraud was complete? Lucy Smith said that Harris asked Joseph for a look at the plates, for “a further witness of their actual existance and that he might be better able to give a reason for the hope that was within him.” When that request was denied, he asked about the manuscript.” Ch. 3

Book of Mormon, Introduction

“In addition to Joseph Smith, the Lord provided for eleven others to see the gold plates for themselves and to be special witnesses of the truth and divinity of the Book of Mormon. Their written testimonies are included herewith as “The Testimony of Three Witnesses” and “The Testimony of Eight Witnesses.”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Three faithful witnesses would see the plates in due time, the Lord said, and Martin could be one of them if he stopped seeking the approval of others.” Ch. 6

“As Joseph and his friends finished the translation, their minds turned to a promise the Lord had given in the Book of Mormon and in His revelations—to show the plates to three witnesses. Joseph’s parents and Martin Harris were visiting the Whitmer farm at the time, and one morning Martin, Oliver, and David pleaded with Joseph to let them be the witnesses. Joseph prayed and the Lord answered, saying that if they relied on Him wholeheartedly and committed to testify of the truth, they could see the plates.” Ch. 7

“Later that day, Joseph led the three men into the woods near the Whitmer home. They knelt, and each took a turn praying to be shown the plates, but nothing happened. They tried a second time, but still nothing happened. Finally, Martin rose and walked away, saying he was the reason the heavens remained closed. Joseph, Oliver, and David returned to prayer, and soon an angel appeared in a brilliant light above them. He had the plates in his hands and turned them over one by one, showing the men the symbols engraved on each page. A table appeared beside him, and on it were ancient artifacts described in the Book of Mormon: the interpreters, the breastplate, a sword, and the miraculous compass that guided Nephi’s family from Jerusalem to the promised land. The men heard the voice of God declare, “These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God. The translation of them, which you have seen, is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear.” Ch. 7

“Martin told him he had not yet received a witness from the Lord, but he still wanted to see the plates. He asked Joseph to pray with him. Joseph knelt beside him, and before their words were half-uttered, they saw the same angel displaying the plates and the other ancient objects.” Ch. 7

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The March revelation, while stalling Harris, hinted at the possibility that others might see the plates. Harris was to be patient and “if he will go out and bow down before me, and humble himself in mighty prayer and faith, in the sincerity of his heart, then will I grant unto him a view of the things which he desireth to know.” The translation coming along in these months also referred prophetically to future witnesses of the plates. Harris, Cowdery, and David Whitmer wondered if they might be the ones. Joseph was slow to respond to their inquiries. Previous requests had brought admonitions of patience. Finally the three solicited Joseph so ardently that he asked for a revelation, which promised them a view not only of the plates but of the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim, and two sacred objects accompanying the plates—the sword of Laban and the Liahona, the miraculous ball with a compass given to Lehi by the Red Sea to set his course.” Ch. 3

“The next morning after the usual daily religious services, reading, singing, and praying, Joseph stood, as Lucy recalled, and turned to Martin Harris. “You have got to humble yourself before your God this day, that you may obtain a forgiveness of your sins. If you do, it is the will of God that you should look upon the plates, in company with Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer.” Ch. 3

“The four men entered the nearby woods. They had agreed to take turns praying, first Joseph, then the other three. The first attempt brought nothing, and they tried again. Again nothing. Before they made a third attempt, Harris offered to leave, saying he was the obstacle. The remaining three knelt again and before many minutes, according to their account, saw a light in the air over their heads. An angel appeared with the plates in his hands. David Whitmer said the breastplate, Lehi’s Liahona, and the sword of Laban lay on a table. He heard the angel say, “Blessed is he that keepeth His commandments.” That was all Whitmer could remember him saying. Then a voice out of the light said, “These plates have been revealed by the power of God, and they have been translated by the power of God; the translation of them which you have seen is correct, and I command you to bear record of what you now see and hear.” Cowdery later said: “I beheld with my eyes. And handled with my hands the gold plates from which it was translated. I also beheld the Interpreters.” 

After the appearance to Cowdery and Whitmer, Joseph went searching for Harris, who had gone further into the woods. Harris asked Joseph to pray with him, and at length, they later reported, their desires were fulfilled. Joseph said he saw the same vision as before, and Harris cried out “in an ecstasy of Joy”: “’Tis enough; ’tis enough; mine eyes have beheld.” At the close of the vision he jumped up, shouted “Hosanna,” and blessed God. Harris later signed a statement with Cowdery and Whitmer saying that they had seen an angel and heard a voice commanding that “we should bear record.” 

Lucy Smith said Joseph seemed immensely relieved when they returned to the Whitmer house. He threw himself down beside her and exclaimed that “the Lord has now caused the plates to be shown to more besides myself.” “They will have to bear witness to the truth of what I have said, for now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people. . . . I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world.” Ch. 3

Book of Mormon, The Testimony of Three Witnesses

“Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That we, through the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, have seen the plates which contain this record, which is a record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, their brethren, and also of the people of Jared, who came from the tower of which hath been spoken. And we also know that they have been translated by the gift and power of God, for his voice hath declared it unto us; wherefore we know of a surety that the work is true.

And we also testify that we have seen the engravings which are upon the plates; and they have been shown unto us by the power of God, and not of man. And we declare with words of soberness, that an angel of God came down from heaven, and he brought and laid before our eyes, that we beheld and saw the plates, and the engravings thereon; and we know that it is by the grace of God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that we beheld and bear record that these things are true.”

“Oliver Cowdery

David Whitmer

Martin Harris”

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days, Volume 1, The Standard of Truth, 1815–1846, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah 

“Knowing the Lord had promised to establish His words “in the mouth of as many witnesses as seemeth him good,” Joseph went into the woods with his father, Hyrum, and Samuel, as well as four of David Whitmer’s brothers—Christian, Jacob, Peter Jr., and John—and their brother-in-law Hiram Page. The eight men gathered at a spot where the Smith family often went to pray privately. With the Lord’s permission, Joseph uncovered the plates and showed them to the group. They did not see an angel as the Three Witnesses had, but Joseph let them hold the record in their hands, turn its pages, and inspect its ancient writing. Handling the plates affirmed their faith that Joseph’s testimony about the angel and the ancient record was true.” Ch. 7

“In the back of the book were the testimonies of the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses, telling the world that they had seen the plates and knew the translation was true. Despite these testimonies, Lucy knew some people thought the book was fiction.” Ch. 8

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“A company of Whitmer and Smith men, including four Whitmer boys, Christian, Jacob, Peter Jr., and John, and their brother-in-law Hiram Page, plus Hyrum, Samuel, and Joseph Smith Sr., eight men in all, walked out to the place where the family went to pray. There Joseph showed them the plates, this time without an angel present. They turned over the leaves, examined the characters and the workmanship, and held the plates in their own hands. They later signed a statement saying what they had seen and testifying that they knew “of a surety, that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken.” Ch. 3

Book of Mormon, The Testimony of Eight Witnesses

“Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come: That Joseph Smith, Jun., the translator of this work, has shown unto us the plates of which hath been spoken, which have the appearance of gold; and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and of curious workmanship. And this we bear record with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shown unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen. And we lie not, God bearing witness of it.

Christian Whitmer

Jacob Whitmer

Peter Whitmer, Jun.

John Whitmer

Hiram Page

Joseph Smith, Sen.

Hyrum Smith

Samuel H. Smith”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“The testimonies of the three and eight witnesses appearing at the back of the first edition of the Book of Mormon were not a final answer to the unbelievers. The claims of the witnesses were nearly as incredible as the existence of the plates. Critics pointed out how many of the witnesses were members of the Smith and Whitmer families, implying that they signed out of loyalty or from a self-serving motive. Others have suggested the imagined scene was viewed only through “spiritual eyes,” or that Joseph pressured the witnesses into thinking they saw the angel and the plates. The witnesses were no substitute for making the plates accessible to anyone for examination, but the testimonies showed Joseph—and God— answering doubters with concrete evidence, a concession to the needs of post-Enlightenment Christians.”

Doctrine and Covenants 17:1-2

“Behold, I say unto you, that you must rely upon my word, which if you do with full purpose of heart, you shall have a view of the plates, and also of the breastplate, the sword of Laban, the Urim and Thummim, which were given to the brother of Jared upon the mount, when he talked with the Lord face to face, and the miraculous directors which were given to Lehi while in the wilderness, on the borders of the Red Sea.

And it is by your faith that you shall obtain a view of them, even by that faith which was had by the prophets of old.”

Oliver Cowdery

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Cowdery was open to belief in Joseph’s powers because he had come to Harmony the possessor of a supernatural gift alluded to in a revelation as the “gift of Aaron,” or “gift of working with the rod.” Most likely, Cowdery used a rod to discover water and minerals. The revelation spoke of divine power causing “this rod of nature, to work in your hands.” His family may have engaged in treasure-seeking and other magical practices in Vermont, and, like others in this culture, melded magic with Christianity. For a person with his cultural blend, an angel and gold plates had excitement and appeal. The revelation said nothing to discourage Cowdery’s use of his special powers. “Behold thou has a gift, and blessed art thou because of thy gift. Remember it is sacred and cometh from above.” Rather than repudiate his claims, the revelation redirected Cowdery’s use of his gifts. “Thou shalt exercise thy gift, that thou mayest find out mysteries, that thou mayest bring many to the knowledge of the truth.” Ch. 3

David Whitmer

David Whitmer, in Edmind C. Briggs, “Letter from Edmund C. Briggs to Joseph Smith III,” 4 June 1884, Saints’ Herald, 21 June 1884, p. 396

“The angel appeared in the light, as near as that young man (ithin five or six feet). Between us and the angel there appeared a table, and there lay upon it the sword of Laban, the Ball of Directors, the Record, and Interpreters. The angel took the Record, and turned the leaves, and showed it to us by the power of God. They were taken away by the angel to a cave, which we saw by the power of God while we were yet in the Spirit.”

Zenas Hovey Gurley Jr., “Interview with David Whitmer,” January 14, 1885

“1 - Do you know that the plates seen with the Angel (on the table) were real metal, did you touch them?

Ans - We did not touch nor handle the plates

2 Q - Was the table literal wood? Or was the whole a vision such as shown in the vision, in the glory of God.

Ans - The table had the appearance of literal wood as shown in the vision, in the glory of god.

3 Q - Did you see the Urim and Thummim, what was it?

Ans - I saw the “interpreters” in the holy [page torn] they looked like whitish stones [page torn] rim of a bow, looked like spectacles only much larger.”

David Whitmer, “Letter of David Whitmer to Anthony Metcalf,” 2 April 1887, in Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years Before the Mast, 1888, and Early Mormon Documents, Volume 5, p. 193

“Of course we were in the spirit when we had the view, for no man can behold the face of an angel, except in a spiritual view.”

“There in a vision, or in the spirit, we saw and heard just as it is stated in my testimony in the Book of Mormon.”

James Henry Moyle, “David Whitmer Interview with James Henry Moyle,” Journal, 28 June 1885, in Early Mormon Documents, Volume 5, p. 141

“Mr. Whitmer conversed and showe to me the papers for 2 1/2 hours. Was very kind but had trouble in keeping him on the point in issue. He was somewhat spiritual in his explanations he was not as materialistic in his descriptions as I wished.”

“Mr. D. Whitmer Sen did not handel the plates. Only seen them, says Martin Harris and Cowdry did so they say! 

Says he did see them and the angel and heard him speak. But that it was indiscribable that it was through the power of God (and was possibly [in the spirit] at least) he then spoke of Paul hearing and seeing Christ but his associates did not [Acts 9:7; 22:9]. Because it is only seen in the Spirit. 

I was not fully satisfied with the explanation. It was more spiritual than I anticipated.”

John Murphy, "David Whitmer Interview with John Murphy, June 1880," letter to the Editor, undated, Hamiltonian, 21 January 1881, in  Early Mormon Documents 5:63

“[Murphy]: "First of all, I heard you saw an angel. I never saw one. I want your description of [the] shape, voice, brogue and the construction of his language. I mean as to his style of speaking. You know that we can often determine the class a man belongs to by his language."

[Whitmer]: "It had no appearance or shape."

[Murphy]: "Then you saw nothing nor heard nothing?"

[Whitmer]: "Nothing, in the way you understand it."

[Murphy]: "How, then, could you have borne testimony that you saw and heard an angel?"

[Whitmer]: "Have you never had impressions?"

[Murphy]: "Then you had impressions as the quaker when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience, a feeling?"

[Whitmer]: "Just so."

Martin Harris

Stephen H. Hart, “Naked Truths About Mormonism,” November 1884, p. 3

“Martin, when closely questioned about the plates from which the “Book of Mormon” purports to have been taken, would say he saw the plates by the eye of faith. He often compared himself to Enoch, Elijah, Paul and other Bible persons. I never doubted that he was insane on Mormonism.”

Warren Parrish, “Letter to E. Holmes,” 11 August 1838, in The Evangelist, 1 October 1838, p. 226

“Martin Harris, one of the subscribing witnesses, has come out at last, and says he never saw the plates, from which the book purports to have been translated, except in vision, and he further says that any man who says he has seen them in any other way is a liar, Joseph not excepted.”

John A. Clark, “Letter to Dear Brethren,” 31 August 1840, in The Episcopal Recorded, Philadelphia, Volume 18, 12 September 1840, and Early Mormon Documents Volume 2, p. 269-271

“A gentleman in Palmyra, bred to the law, a professor of religion, and of undoubted veracity told me that on one occasion, he appealed to Harris and asked him directly,—“Did you see those plates?” Harris replied, he did. “Did you see the plates, and the engraving on them with your bodily eyes?” Harris replied, “Yes, I saw them with my eyes,—they were shown unto me by the power of God and not of man.” “But did you see them with your natural,—your bodily eyes, just as you see this pencil-case in my hand? Now say no or yes to this.” Harris replied,—“Why I did not see them as I do that pencil-case, yet I saw them with the eye of faith; I saw them just as distinctly as I see any thing around me,—though at the time they were covered over with a cloth.”

Stephen Burnett, “Leter, Stephen Burnett to Lyman E. Johnson,” 15 April 1838, Letterbook 2, p. 64, The Joseph Smith Papers

“I came to hear Martin Harris state in public that he never saw the plates with his natural eyes only in vision or imagination, neither Oliver nor David & also that the eight witnesses never saw them & hesitated to sign that instrument for that reason, but were persuaded to do it, the last pedestal gave way, in my view our foundations was sapped & the entire superstructure fell a heap of ruins.”

“M Harris arose & said he was sorry for any man who rejected the Book of Mormon for he knew it was true, he said he had hefted the plates repeatedly in a box with only a tablecloth or handkerchief over them, but he never saw them only as he saw a city through a mountain.”

“The witnesses whose names are attached to the Book of Mormon never saw the plates as Martin admits.”

“It is said on the 171 page of the book of covenants that the three should testify that they had seen the plates even as J S Jr & if they only saw them spiritually or in vision with their eyes shut - J S Jr never saw them in any other light way & if so the plates were only visionary.”

Anthony Metcalf, “Martin Harris Interview with Anthony Metcalf, Circa 1873-1874,” 1888, in Anthony Metcalf’s Ten Years Before the Mast, and Early Mormon Documents, Volume 2, p. 346-347

“He said, “I never saw the golden plates, only in a visionary or entranced state. I wrote a great deal of the Book of Mormon myself, as Joseph Smith translated or spelled the words out in English. Sometimes the plates would be on a table in the room in which Smith did the translating, covered over with a cloth. I was told by Joseph Smith that God would strike him dead if he attempted to look at them, and I believed it.”

“While praying I passed into a state of entrancement, and in that state I saw the angel and the plates.

Reuben Harmon, 16 December 1884, in “Naked Truths About Mormonism,” also in Early Mormon Documents 2:255

“I was well acquainted with Martin Harris, who was often at my house for days at a time. I have questioned him much about the plates from which the “Book of Mormon” purports to have been translated. He never claimed to have seen them with his natural eyes, only spiritual vision.”

David Whitmer, “Letter of David Whitmer to Anthony Metcalf,” 2 April 1887, in Anthony Metcalf, Ten Years Before the Mast, 1888, and Early Mormon Documents, Volume 5, p. 193

“Martin Harris, you say, called it “being in vision.”

John Gilbert, “Memorandum” 8 September 1892, Church History Catalog, MS 9223, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also  in “Mormon Leaders at Their Mecca,” June 25 1893, New York Herald, p. 12

“Martin was in the office when I finished setting up the testimony of the three witnesses (Harris, Cowdery, and Whitmer). I said to him, “Martin, did you see those plates with your naked eyes?” Martin looked down for an instant, raised his eyes up, and said, “No, I saw them with a spiritual eye.”

Doctrine and Covenants 5:11-15

“And in addition to your testimony, the testimony of three of my servants, whom I shall call and ordain, unto whom I will show these things, and they shall go forth with my words that are given through you.

Yea, they shall know of a surety that these things are true, for from heaven will I declare it unto them.

I will give them power that they may behold and view these things as they are;

And to none else will I grant this power, to receive this same testimony among this generation, in this the beginning of the rising up and the coming forth of my church out of the wilderness—clear as the moon, and fair as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.

And the testimony of three witnesses will I send forth of my word.”

Samuel Smith and Joseph Smith, Sr.

William Smith, “Wm. B. Smith’s Last Statement,” Zion’s Ensign, January 13 1894, Volume 5, Number 2, p. 6

“I did not see them uncovered, but I handled them and hefted them while wrapped in a tow frock and judged them to have weighed about sixty pounds.” 

“Father and my brother Samuel saw them as I did while in the frock. So did Hyrum and others of the family.”

“Father had just asked if he might not be permitted to do so, and Joseph, putting his hand on them said; 'No, I am instructed not to show them to any one. If I do, I will transgress and lose them again.' Besides, we did not care to have him break the commandment and suffer as he did before.”

John Whitmer

John Whitmer, History of the Church, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842], p. 913, The Joseph Smith Papers, also HC 3:306-307

“I now say, I handled those plates, there was fine engravings on both sides— I handled them.”

“They were shewn to me by a supernatural power.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“Joseph lost old friends and trusted supporters: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, Frederick G. Williams, William W. Phelps, Orson Hyde, Martin Harris, and Thomas B. Marsh all left him in 1838, worn down by failures and perceived missteps.” Ch. 21

Brigham Young, “Want of Governing Capacities Among Men - Elements of the Sacrament - Apostasy, etc.” Journal of Discourses, Volume 7, p. 164

“Some of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, who handled the plates and conversed with the angels of God, were afterwards left to doubt and to disbelieve that they had ever seen an angel. One of the Quorum of the Twelve - a young man full of faith and good works, prayed, and the vision of his mind was opened, and the angel of God came and laid the plates before him, and he saw and handled them, and he saw the angel, and conversed with his as he would with one of his friends; but after all this, he was left to doubt, and plunged into apostasy, and has continued to contend against this work.”

Doctrine and Covenants 17:5-9

“And ye shall testify that you have seen them, even as my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., has seen them; for it is by my power that he has seen them, and it is because he had faith.

And he has translated the book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true.

Wherefore, you have received the same power, and the same faith, and the same gift like unto him;

And if you do these last commandments of mine, which I have given you, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; for my grace is sufficient for you, and you shall be lifted up at the last day.

And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men. Amen.”

Joseph Smith, “The Prophet's Communication To The Saints From Liberty Prison,” 16 December 1838, History of the Church, Volume 3, p. 231

“In fine, we have waded through an ocean of tribulation and mean abuse, practiced upon us by the ill bred and the ignorant, such as Hinkle, Corrill, Phelps, Avard, Reed Peck, Cleminson, and various others, who are so very ignorant that they cannot appear respectable in any decent and civilized society, and whose eyes are full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin. Such characters as McLellin, John Whitmer, David Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris, are too mean to mention; and we had liked to have forgotten them.”

Oliver Cowdery

J.H. Johnson, “For the Times and Seasons: The Wise Shall Understand,” July 15 1841, Poetry, Times and Seasons, Volume 2, p. 482

“Amazed with wonder! I look round

To see most people of our day,

Reject the glorious gospel sound,

Because the simple turn away.

Or does it prove there is no time, 

Because some watches will no go?

But does it prove there is no crime

Because not punished here below?”

“Or prove that Christ was not the Lord

Because that Peter cursed and swore?

Or Book of Mormon not his word

Because denied, by Oliver?

Or prove, that Joseph Smith is false

Because apostates say tis so?

Or prove that God, no man exalts

Because from priests such doctrines flow?

G.J. Keen, “Statement to Arthur B. Deming,” 14 April 1885, in Early Mormon Documents, Volume 2, p. 504

“In a few years Mr. Cowdery expressed a desire to associate himself with a Methodist Protestant Church of this city. Re. John Souder and myself were appointed a committee to wait on Mr. Cowdery and confer with him respecting his connection with Mormonism, and the ‘Book of Mormon.’ We accordingly waited on Mr. Cowdery at his residence in Tiffin, and there learned his connection, from him, with that order, and his full and final renunciation thereof. 

We then inquired of him if he had any objection to making a public recantation. He said that he had objections; that, in the first place, it could do no good; that he had known several to do so and they always regretted it. And, in the second place, it would have a tendency to draw public attention, invite criticism, and bring him into contempt. 

“But,” said he, “nevertheless, if the church require it, I will submit to it, but I authorize and desire you and the church to publish and make known my recantation.” 

We did not demand it, but submitted his name to the church, and he was unanimously admitted a member thereof. At that time he arose and addressed the audience present, admitted his error and implored forgiveness, and said he was sorry and ashamed of his connection with Mormonism.

He continued his membership while he resided in Tiffin, and became superintendent of the Sabbath-school, and led an exemplary life while he resided with us.”

Oliver Cowdery, “Minutes of a Meeting of the Male Members of the Methodist Protestant Church of Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio, held Pursuant to Adjournment,” 18 January 1844

“The meeting came to order by appointing Rev. Thomas Cushman Chairman, and Oliver Cowdery Secretary.”

“Resolved. That the first meeting of the Trustees of this Society, elected by this meeting, be held at the office of O. Cowdery on Tuesday, the 23rd inst., at half past 6 o’clock p.m.”

John Hanson Beadle, “Jackson County: The Early History of the Saints and Their Enemies,” 6 October 1875, The Salt Lake Daily Tribune, Volume 9, No. 147

“Oliver Cowdery, first witness of the Book of Mormon, after being "cut off for lying, counterfeiting and immorality," turned his attention to law and real estate in which his success was only average. It was a favorite practice with him when half drunk to preach a Mormon sermon. When visited by any of the Saints, or a stranger, he invariably asserted the truth of his "testimony;" but among his friends privately he admitted that it was "all a bottle of smoke." He died in Richmond, Ray county, and Elizabeth, his wife, afterward married an old farmer, with whom she is living up in Iowa -- "fair, fat and sixty," and not caring much about Mormonism.”

Andrew Jensen, “Cowdery, Oliver,” 1901, in Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

“He (Oliver Cowdery) was considered no longer a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After his excommunication, Oliver Cowdery engaged in a law business and practiced for some years as a lawyer in Michigan, but he never denied the truth of the Book of Mormon. On the contrary he seems to have used every opportunity to bear testimony of its divine origin. 

While practicing law in Michigan, a gentleman, on a certain occasion, addressed him as follows: “Mr. Cowdery, I see your name attached to this book (Book of Mormon). If you believe it to be true, why are you in Michigan?” The gentleman then read the names of the Three Witnesses and asked, “Mr. Cowdery, do you believe this book?” “No, Sir,” was the reply. “Very well,” continued the gentleman, “but your name is attached to it, and you declare here (pointing to the book) that you saw an angel, and also the plates, from which the book purports to be translated; and now you say you don’t believe it. Which time did you tell the truth?” 

Oliver Cowdery replied with emphasis, “My name is attached to that book, and what I there have said is true. I did see this; I know I saw it, and faith has nothing to do with it, as a perfect knowledge has swallowed up the faith which I had in the work knowing, as I do, that it is true.” 

“Oliver Cowdery died March 3, 1850, at Richmond, Ray county, Mo. Elder Phineas H. Young, who was present at his death, says: “His last moments were spent in bearing testimony of the truth of the gospel revealed through Joseph Smith, and the power of the holy Priesthood which he had received through his administrations.”

Sampson Avard, Orrin Porter Rockwell, Hyrum Smith, and others “Appendix 1: Letter to Oliver Cowdery and Others,” circa 17 June 1838, The Joseph Smith Papers

“To Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, John Whitmer, William W. Phelps, and Lyman E. Johnson, Greeting Whereas the Citizens of Caldwell County have borne with the abuses received from you at different times and on different occasions until it is no longer to be endured, neither will they endure it any longer, having exhausted all the patience they have.”

“Out of the County you shall go and no power shall save you, and you shall have three days after you receive this our communication to you including twenty-four hours in each day for you to depart with your families peaceably which you may do undisturbed by any person But in that time if you do not depart we will use the means in our power to cause you to depart for go you shall.”

“We have solmnly warned you and that in the most determined manner, that if you did not cease that course of wanton abuse of the Citizens of this County that vengence would overtake you sooner or later, and that when it did come it would be as furious as the Mountains torrent and as terible as the beating tempest.”

“Vengince sleeps not neither does it slumber; and unless you heed us this time, and attend to our request, it will overtake you at an hour where you do not expect it and at a day when you do not look for it. For you there shall be no escape; for there is but one decree for you which is depart depart or else a more fatal calamity shall befall you.”

“We wish to remind you that Oliver Cowdry and David Whitmier [Whitmer] were among the principal of those who were the means of geathering us to this place by their testimony which they gave concerning the plates of the book of Mormon, that they were shown to them by an Angel which testimony we believe now as much as before you so scandalously disgraced it.”

“Oliver Cowdry David Whitmier and Lyman E Johnson united with a gang of counterfiters thieves, liars, and Blacklegs of the deepest die to deceive, cheat and defraud the Saints out of their property.”

“We will put you from the County of Caldwell So help us God.”

David Whitmer

David Whitmer, “An Address to All Believers in Christ, By A Witness to the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon,” p.27, Richmond, Missouri, 1887, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University

“If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon; if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens, and told me to separate myself from among the Latter-day Saints, for as they sought to do unto me, so should it be done unto them.” 

In the spring of 1838, the heads of the church and many of the members had gone deep into error and blindness. I had been striving with them for a long time to show them the errors into which they were drifting, and for my labors I received only persecutions. 

In June, 1838, at Far West, Mo., a secret organization was formed, Doctor Avard being put in as the leader of the band; a certain oath was to be administered to all the brethren to bind them to support the heads of the church in every thing they should teach. All who refused to take this oath were considered dissenters from the church, and certain things were to be done concerning these dissenters, by Dr. Avard's secret band.”

“Suffice it to say that my persecutions, for trying to show them their errors, became of such a nature that I had to leave the Latter Day Saints; and, as I rode on horseback out of Far West, in June, 1838, the voice of God from heaven spoke to me as I have stated above I was called out to hold the authority which God gave to me.”

Minutes, 13 April 1838, Far West, The Joseph Smith Papers

“Sir I received a line from you bearing date the 9th inst, requesting me as a High Priest to appear before the High Council and answer to five several charges on this day at 12 o’clock.

You sir with a majority of this Church have decided that certain Councils were legal by which it is said I have been deprived of my office as one of the Presidents of this Church I have thought and still think they were not agreeable to the revelations of God, which I believe and by my now attending this Council, and a[n]swering to charges as a High Priest, should be acknowledgeing the correctness and legality of those former assumed Councils, which I shall not do.

Believing as I verily do, that you and the leaders of the Councils have a determination to persue your unlawful course at all hazards, and bring others to your standard in violating of the revelations, to spare you any further trouble I hereby withdraw from your fellowship and communion— choosing to seek a place among the meek and humble, where the revelations of Heaven will be observed and the rights of men regarded.

David Whitmer.”

“The councellors then made a few remarks in which they spoke warmly of the contempt offered to the Council in the above letter, therefore, thought he was not worthy a membership in the Church.

When Prest Marsh made a few remarks and decided that David Whitmer be no longer considered a member of the Church of Christ of Latter day Saints.”

James Henry Moyle, “David Whitmer Interview with James Henry Moyle,” 28 June 1885, in Early Mormon Documents, Volume 5, p. 141

“D[avid]. Whitmer Severed him self from the Church in 1838 Because Joseph and the body of the people had departed from the first principals and had gone into Banking and land speculation &c. and was making new innovations.”

Andrew Jenson, “Whitmer, David” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 265-270

“He acted as one of the leading Elders of the church in Missouri, ans after the location at Far West, in Caldwell county, Mo., he was sustained as president of the Saints there; but falling into transgression, he was rejected as such, in a general conference held in Far West, Feb 5, 1838, and finally he was excommunicated from the Church by the High Council, at Far West, April 13, 1838, the following charges having been sustained against him: “1st. For not observing the Word of Wisdom. 2nd For unchristianlike conduct in neglecting to attend meetings, in uniting with and possessing the same spirit as the dissenters. 3rd. In writing letters to the dissenters in Kirtland, unfavorable to the cause, and to the character of Joseph Smith, jun. 4th. In neglecting the duties of his calling, and separating himself from the Church, while he had a name among us. 5th. For signing himself President of the Church of Christ, after he had been cut off from the Presidency, in an insulting letter to the High Council.” 

“David Whitmer has reorganized the ‘Church of Christ’ with six Elders and two priests, after the pattern of the first organization, the two priests, as we suppose, representing Joseph and Oliver as holding the Aaronic Priesthood from the hand of John the Baptist. David and John Whitmer were two of these six Elders, four others, viz. John C. Whitmer, W. W. Warren, Philander Page and John Short, having been ordained by David and John.”

“David Whitmer explained at considerable length wherein he differed in his religious belief with the Saints in Utah. He denounces polygamy and other advanced doctrines. David Whitmer died at his residence in Richmond, Ray county, Mo. Jan. 25, 1888, aged 83 years and 13 days.”

David Whitmer, “Letter to Oliver Cowdery,” 8 September 1847, in Ensign of Liberty, Volume 1, May 1848, p. 98

“Now I say it is your duty to prepare so fast as God will open the way before you to cut loose from the world—and lay hold of the work of God, and assist in building up the church, even the church of Christ. I would give you a detail of the whole matter but have only time to say that we have established, or commenced to establish the church of Christ again, by laying aside our dead works, and being re-ordained to our former offices of President and Counsellor, as formerly—and it is the will of God that you be one of my counsellors in the presidency of the church. Jacob and Hiram have been ordained High Priests, and W.E. McLellin President, to stand in relation to me as you stood to Joseph, &c. &c. Now you behold that THE TIME HAS COME, to clear away the old rubbish, and build again those principles which constitute the church of Christ. Brother McLellin has still to continue his work in exposing the man of sin, &c. &c. I am your brother in the new Covenant,

DAVID WHITMER.”

David Whitmer, “A Proclamation,” circa March 1881, Saints Herald, Volume 28, 1 June 1881, p. 168

“And that no one may be deceived or misled by this statement, I wish here to state: that I do not indorse polygamy or spiritual wifeism. It is a great evil, shocking to the moral sense, and the more so, because practiced in the name of religion. It is of man and not of God, and is especially forbidden in the BOOK OF MORMON itself. I do not indorse the change of the name of the Church, for as the wife takes the name of her husband so should the Church of the Lamb of God, take the name of its head, even Christ himself. It is the Church of Christ. As to the High Priesthood, Jesus Christ himself is the Last Great High Priest, this too after the order of Melchisedec, as I understand the Holy Scriptures. Finally—I do not indorse any of the teachings of the so-called Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, which are in conflict with the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as taught in the Bible and Book of Mormon; for the same gospel is plainly taught in both of these books as I understand the word of God.

Martin Harris

Doctrine and Covenants 5:25-27

“And then he shall say unto the people of this generation: Behold, I have seen the things which the Lord hath shown unto Joseph Smith, Jun., and I know of a surety that they are true, for I have seen them, for they have been shown unto me by the power of God and not of man.

And I the Lord command him, my servant Martin Harris, that he shall say no more unto them concerning these things, except he shall say: I have seen them, and they have been shown unto me by the power of God; and these are the words which he shall say.

But if he deny this he will break the covenant which he has before covenanted with me, and behold, he is condemned.”

Richard Lloyd Anderson, “The Certainty of the Skeptical Witness,” Improvement Era, March 1969, Church History Catalog, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“But the trials of Job descended upon the Latter-day Saint community of Kirtland, and the witness was affected. The first steps toward plural marriage rankled him, and unlike Job he felt that the loss of property in the failure of the Church bank was inconsistent with divine favor. Consequently, as he explained in 1855, he "lost confidence in Joseph Smith" and "his mind became darkened."

“He and other prominent dissenters in the Church were formally excommunicated in the last week of December 1837.”

“His constant and vocal testimony to scores of visitors is all the more remarkable in the light of the psychology of the man in this period. Social pressure should have worked against his bearing testimony at all.”

“The foregoing tendencies explain the spiritual wanderlust that afflicted the solitary witness at Kirt- land. In this period of his life he changed his religious position eight times.”

“Every affiliation of Martin Harris was with some Mormon group, except when he was affiliated with the Shaker belief, a position not basically contrary to his Book of Mormon testimony because the foundation of that movement was acceptance of personal revelation from heavenly beings. One may well ask, since religious instability is so much in evidence, why Martin Harris did not abandon his signed testimony.”

“Some two years after Joseph Smith's death the unstable Kirtland branch was largely converted to the pretensions of James J. Strang to Mormon leadership. Apparently a disciple, the Book of Mormon witness embarked for England with the Strangite leader Lester Brooks.”

“Interviewed by Utah editors, listened to attentively by thousands in two Tabernacle speeches in Salt Lake City, and by hundreds in talks in wards and private conversations, the aged Harris never tired in repeating his story.”

Millennial Star, “Sketches of Notorious Characters,” 15 November 1846, Church History Catalog, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Martin Harris. One of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, yielded to the spirit and temptation of the Devil a number of years ago - turned against Joseph Smith and became his bitter enemy. He was filled with the rage and madness of a demon. One day he would be one thing, and another day another thing. He soon became partially deranged or shattered, as many believed, flying from one thing to another, as if reason and common sense were thrown off their balance. In one of his fits of monomania, he went and joined the “Shakers” or followers of Anne Lee. He tarried with them a year or two, or perhaps longer, having had some flare-ups while among them; but since Strang has made his entry into the apostate ranks, and hoisted his standard for the rebellious to flock too, Martin leaves the “Shakers,” whom he knows to be right, and has known it for many years, as he said, and joins Strang in gathering out the tares of the field. We understand that he is appointed a mission to this country, but we do not feel to warn the Saints against him, for his own unbridled tongue will soon show out specimens of folly enough to give any person a true index to the character of the man.”

Phineas H Young, J. Knight, Hiram Winters, Ira Tuft, “Letter to Brigham Young,“ December 31, 1844, Kirtland Ohio, Historical Department Journal History of the Church, 1830-1849, 1844 July-December, p. 629-630, Church History Catalog, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“Beloved Brethren: In as much as an important cricis is at hand, in relation to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its future destiny, we the undersigned, feeling a great desire for the prosperity of Zion feel it a duty to apprize you of the situation of the church in this part of the Lords vineyard.”

“There are in this place all kinds of teaching, Martin Harris is a firm believer in Shakerism, says his testimony is greater than it was of the Book of Mormon. Luman Heath is running after them continually. Hiram Kellog, the presiding officer here is a Rigdonite and says Sidney is the man God has called to lead his people, that Bro. Joseph was cut off for transgression and the Twelve are carrying out his principles; and if we follow them, we shall all be cut off.”

Revelations in Context, “Leman Copley and the Shakers: D&C 49,” Doctrine and Covenants Study, Gospel Library, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

“The many similarities between Shaker and Latter-day Saint doctrines no doubt appealed to Copley: The two faiths shared a belief in a general apostasy, modern prophecy, the agency of man, and the ideal of a communal life. They differed dramatically, however, on other important points.

Shakers did not consider baptism—or any other ordinance—essential for salvation. They believed Jesus Christ had already made His Second Coming in the form of Mother Ann Lee (1736–84), an early Shaker leader. Some practiced vegetarianism. Latter-day Saints and Shakers also diverged in their views of marriage and sexual relations; devout Believers (as Shakers called themselves) insisted upon absolute celibacy, which they referred to as “taking up the cross.”

Martin Harris, “Copy of Power of Attorney,” 4 September 1846, Martin Harris Legal Documents, L Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University 

“Know all men by these presents that I Martin Harris am about to leav[e] this Continut [Continent] and expect to go to Europe and remain there one year or more I therefore constitute Jacob Bump and Preserved Harris my lawful agents to transact all my business in my name and I do further mor[e] giv[e] the said Bump and Harris the full care and controll of my farm and all my personal property in the township of Kirtland and for the benefit of my family and the Church of Christ of which I am a member.”

William E. McLellin, “The Name of the Church,” April 1847, The Ensign of Liberty, Volume 1

“At a conference of the church held in Kirtland, Ohio, on the 23d January, 1847, after many remarks by those present, it was motioned by W. E. McLellin, and seconded by Martin Harris, that this church take upon them the name of the Church of Christ, and wear it henceforth—shorn of all appendages or alterations. The motion was put by Elder Leonard Rich, the chairman, and carried with much feeling and spirit, in the affirmative— without a dissenting voice.”

William E. McLellin, “Our Tour West in 1847,” 10 February 1847, The Ensign of Liberty, Volume 1, August 1849

“Yea, let my servant William [McLellin] baptize and confirm, and then re-ordain my [servant] Martin [Harris]. And thus shall he confirm his authority upon him by the laying on of hands and saying, Brother Martin I lay my hands upon you in the name of Jesus Christ, and I re-ordain you, and confirm upon you the office of high priest in the church of Christ, after the holy order of the Son of God. And I pray God in the name of Jesus, his son, to give unto you in your calling, all the gifts and blessings and powers thereof, and keep you faithful unto the end, amen. 

And then let my servant Martin administer unto my servant William [McLellin] in the same manner, according to the same pattern. And then let my servant Leonard [Rich] likewise receive the same ministration. Yea, let my servants William and Martin and Leonard, do as the spirit of truth now directs them.”

Martin Harris, Leonard Rich, and Calvin Beebe, “The Successor of Joseph, the Seer: Testimony of Three Witnesses,” December 1847, Ensign of Liberty, of the Church of Christ

“We cheerfully certify, to all whom it may concern, that we attended a general conference, called at the instance of Joseph Smith, in Clay county, Mo., on the 8th day of July, 1834, at the residence of Elder Lyman Wight. And while the conference was in session, Joseph Smith presiding, he arose and said that the time had come when he must appoint his Successor in office. Some have supposed that it would be Oliver Cowdery; but, said he, Oliver has lost that privilege in consequence of transgression. The Lord has made it known to me that David Whitmer is the man. David was then called forward, and Joseph and his counselors laid hands upon him, and ordained him to his station, to succeed him. Joseph then gave David a charge, in the hearing of the whole assembly. Joseph then seemed to rejoice that that work was done, and said, now brethren, if any thing should befal me, the work of God will roll on with more power than it has hitherto done. Then, brethren, you will have a man who can lead you as well as I can. He will be Prophet, Seer, Revelator, and Translator before God.

MARTIN HARRIS

LEONARD RICHARD

CALVIN BEEBE.”

Joseph Smith, Elders Journal, August 1838, Far West, Missouri, p. 59

“Granny Parrish had a few others who acted as lackies, such as Martin Harris, Joseph Coe, Cyrus P Smalling, etc., but they are so far beneath contempt that a notice of them would be too great a sacrifice for a gentleman to make.”

Emma Smith, in “A Visit to Nauvoo in 1856,” Journal of History, Volume 9

“He [Martin Harris] was an honest man, but not naturally as noble and firm in his mind as some.”

John A. Clark, “Letter to Dear Brethren,” 24 August 1840, in The Episcopal Recorded, Philadelphia, Volume 18, 5 September 1840, and Early Mormon Documents Volume 2, p. 261-269

“As I subsequently learned, Mr. Harris had always been a firm believer in dreams, and visions, and supernatural appearances, such as apparitions and ghosts, and therefore was a fit subject for such men as Smith and his colleagues to operate upon.”

“This was the substance of Martin Harris’ communication to me upon our first interview. He then carefully unfolded a slip of paper, which contained three or four lines of characters, as unlike letters or hieroglyphics of any sort, as well could be produced were one to shut up his eyes and play off the most antic movements with his pen upon paper. The only thing that bore the slightest resemblance to the letter of any language that I had ever seen, was two upright marks joined by a horizontal line, that might have been taken for the Hebrew character ה. My ignorance of the characters in which this pretended ancient record was written, was to Martin Harris new proof that Smith’s whole account of the divine revelation made to him was entirely to be relied on.”

John A. Clark, “Letter to Dear Brethren,” 31 August 1840, in The Episcopal Recorded, Philadelphia, Volume 18, 12 September 1840, and Early Mormon Documents Volume 2, p. 269-271

“No matter where he went, he saw visions and supernatural appearances all around him. He told a gentleman in Palmyra, after one of his excursions to Pennsylvania, while the translation of the Book of Mormon was going on, that on the way he met the Lord Jesus Christ, who walked along by the side of him in the shape of a deer for two or three miles, talking with him as familiarly as one man talks with another.”

Anthony Metcalf, “Martin Harris Interview with Anthony Metcalf, Circa 1873-1874,” 1888, in Anthony Metcalf’s Ten Years Before the Mast, and Early Mormon Documents, Volume 2, p. 346-347

“Martin Harris asked me to look on his face and see how it was wrinkled with old age. I never knew his correct age, but I understood him to be about ninety years old at that time. He then read that part of the prophet Isaiah, which speaks of some man “whose visage was so marred, more than any other man’s, so shall he sprinkle many nations [Isa. 52:14].” Harris said, “I am that man,” and that the vigor of youth would yet return to him, and that he would yet lead the faithful of all the Latter Day Saints back to Zion, in Jackson County, Missouri, and “I know it will come to pass, as well as I know that Mormonism is true.” About two years later Harris died. Harris never believed that the Brighamite branch of the Mormon church, nor the Josephite church, was right, because, in his opinion, God had rejected them.”

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“James J. Strang, who was baptized only in February 1844, claimed that Joseph had written a letter commissioning him to lead the Church. Although the letter proved to be counterfeit, Strang leveraged his slight claim to authority by recording new revelations, using a seerstone, and saying an angel ordained him in direct imitation of Joseph. Strang practiced baptism for the dead, instituted an endowment ceremony, restored the order of Enoch, and prospered until he began polygamy. Charismatic and colorful, Strang attracted two thousand followers, among them Martin Harris, and John C. Bennett, whose dreams of a religious empire persisted despite his opposition to Joseph. Strang imitated Joseph in death as in life. In 1856, he was assassinated by dissenters and non-Mormons.” Epilogue

Christian Whitmer

Andrew Jenson, “Whitmer, Christian,” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 276

“He settled temporarily in Clay county, where he was chosen as one of the High Councilors of the Church in Missouri, July 3, 1834. This position he occupied until his death, which occurred in Clay county, Nov. 27, 1835.”

Jacob Whitmer

Andrew Jenson, “Whitmer, Jacob,” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 276-277

“He severed his connection with the church in 1838, after which he settled near Richmond, Ray county, where he remained until his death, which occurred April 21, 1836.”

Peter Whitmer, Jun.

Andrew Jenson, “Whitmer, Peter, Junior” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 277

“He took sick and died on a farm about two miles from Liberty, Clay county, Sept. 22, 1836, and was buried by the side of his brother Christian, who died about ten months previously.”

John Whitmer

John Whitmer, History of the Church, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842], p. 913, The Joseph Smith Papers, also HC 3:306-307

“I cannot read it, and I do not know whether it is true or not.”

Andrew Jenson, “Whitmer, John,” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 252

“At a conference held at Far West, Nov. 7, 1837, objections were made to John Whitmer as one of the assistant presidents of the Church in Missouri, but after he had made confessions he was temporarily sustained in his position. He was finally rejected, however, together with David Whitmer and Wm. W. Phelps, the other two presidents of the Church in Missouri, Feb. 5, 1838. John Whitmer was excommunicated from the Church by the High Council at Far West, March 10, 1838, “for persisting in unchristianlike conduct,” for (in connection with David Whiter and Wm. W. Phelps) having kept $2,000 of Church funds, which had been subscribed and paid in by members of the Church for building the Lord’s House in Far West, etc. After his excommunication from the Church, John Whitmer refused to deliver up the Church documents in his possession to the proper authorities which gave occasion for quite a severe letter from Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. The records, however, have never been obtained; they are still in the custody of the Whitmers or their relatives, who reside in Richmond, Ray county, Mo.”

“He never joined the church again after his excommunication in 1838.”

John Whitmer, in Westergren, From Historian to Dissident, 194-95.

“God knowing all things prepared a man whom he visited by an angel of God and showed him where there were some ancient Record hid, and also put in his heart to desire of Smith to Grant him power to establish a stake of Zion in Wisconsin Territory, whose name is James J. Strang. Now at first Smith was unfavorably disposed to grant him this request, but being troubled in spirit and knowing from the things that were staring him in the face that his days must soon be closed therefore he enquired of the of the [sic] Lord and behold the Lord said, Appoint James J. Strang the Prophet, Seer <&> Revelator unto my church. . .Strangs Reigns in the place of Smith the author and proprietor of the Book of Mormon.”

Hiram Page

Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

“When Joseph arrived in Fayette in September, the Whitmers and Cowdery were studying the revelations of Hiram Page, the husband of David Whitmer’s sister Catherine. He had a “roll of papers,” as Newel Knight reported it, full of revelations through a stone. Joseph had put aside his seerstone after completing the Book of Mormon, and David Whitmer thought this a big mistake. Only the seerstone revelations received through June 1829 were trustworthy in Whitmer’s view. He may have believed Page because he used a stone when Joseph had stopped. 

Joseph had suppressed the previous criticism of his revelation by force of argument. This time he “thought it wisdom not to do much more than to converse with the brethren on the subject,” and wait for the conference scheduled for September 26. Joseph recognized the danger of the competing revelations. Acknowledging every visionary outburst could splinter the church. Newel Knight, who came up for the conference, found Joseph “in great distress of mind.” The two of them occupied the same room before the conference, and Newel said that “the greater part of the night was spent in prayer and supplication.” Rather than face the brethren individually and risk another outburst later, Joseph turned to the Church to settle the matter for good. Joseph brought a new revelation dealing with Hiram Page to the conference, but it was not by revelatory power that Joseph prevailed. He insisted rather that Page’s revelations “were entirely at variance with the order of Gods house, as laid down in the New Testament, as well as in our late revelations.” He turned the question into a constitutional issue: did Hiram Page have the authority to promulgate revelation? The new revelation emphasized that the reception of revelation for the Church had “not been appointed unto him, neither shall anything be appointed unto any of this church contrary to the church covenants.” The Articles and Covenants now proved their usefulness. They laid out procedures and leadership structure that inhibited erratic claims, the downfall of other charismatic religious groups. “For all things must be done in order,” the revelation insisted, “and by common consent in the church, by the prayer of faith.” Joseph had Cowdery read the Articles and Covenants to the conference, and then Joseph explained their meaning. After the investigation “Brother Joseph Smith Jr. was appointed by the voice of the Conference to receive and write Revelations & Commandments for this Church.” Charisma was to be focused, not left free to run wild.” Ch. 5

“The Prophet alone was to inscribe scripture. To leave no question, Cowdery was told not to “command him who is at thy head, and at the head of the church,” for only Joseph had the “keys of the mysteries, and the revelations.” Ch. 5

Andrew Jenson, “Page, Hiram” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 278

“He came in possession of a stone by which he obtained certain revelations concerning the order of the Church and other matters, which were entirely at variance with the New Testament and the revelations received by Joseph Smith. This happened at a time when Joseph was absent, and when he heard of it, it caused him much uneasiness, as a number of the Saints, including Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family, believed in the things revealed by Hiram Page. At a conference held in September 1830, when Joseph presided,  this matter was given close attention, and after considerable investigation Hiram Page, as well as all the other members who were present, renounced everything connected with the stone. The Lord also said in a revelation that the things which Hiram Page had written from the stone were not from him. (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 28.)”

“In 1838 he severed his connection with the Saints and subsequently removed to Ray county, where he remained until the end of his earthly career. 

Hiram Page, “Letter to William McLellin,” February 1848, Community of Christ Library-Archives

“When we speak of David as prophet we do not speak of him as mere prophet; but as prophet, seer, and revelator, the three terms being combined in one becaus[e] this was the way which he was ordained. . .he was appointed at the head of the church legally as well as Joseph (cov. 7 verse) David Claims that office he holds that office. . .David is the man whom the Lord has appointed to fill this office; that is; to be the head of the church in all spiritual matters as a man possessed of all the necessary gifts for the church of Christ at this time.”

Samuel H. Smith

Andrew Jenson, “Smith, Samuel Harrison” 1901, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, The Andrew Jensen History Co., Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, p. 282

“He was enabled to reach Carthage in safety, from whence he went to Nauvoo in company with the bodies of his martyred brothers, Joseph and Hyrum. He was soon after taken sick of billious fever, and died July 30, 1844, aged 36 years.”