The mormon churchs push toward transparency about its roots and beliefs took another step forward with the first published pictures of a small sacred stone it. Joseph smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and wellworded letter. Dear gramps, i would like to know the exact way the prophet joseph translated the book of mormon. Learn more about the life, writings, and legacy of joseph smith. How long did it take to translate the book of mormon. Joseph smith characterized the book of mormon as the keystone of mormonism, and claimed that it was the most correct of any book on earth. At the outset of his remarks, welch said it was the late elder neal a. A better question since smith didnt translate anything nor do anything like unto it with his magicrockinhat is how long had smith been working on the basic story in his. Who translated the book of mormon text into english for joseph smith to read. This was the date when he received the plates from. Lucy harris disposes of the first 116 pages of the book of mormon suggesting that if joseph actually had golden plates and the gift of translation that he could easily retranslate the work.
If joseph smith and oliver cowdery translated 10 words per minute, eight hours a day, how long would it take them to translate the 269,510 words in book of mormon. Could joseph smith have authored the book of mormon. According to witnesses of the translation, when joseph looked into the. Use opponent as authority tactic this is a popular tactic that some antimormons use. How did joseph smith translate the plates from which the. Recent research has shown more clearly than ever before that the book of mormon as we now have it was translated in a stunningly short amount of time. And, though i was an active participant in the scenes that transpired, and was present during the translation of the plates, and had cognizance of things as they transpired, it is marvelous to me, a marvel and a wonder, as much so as to any one else. Nothing is magical, and the urim and thummim, the seer stone, etc. Welch discusses the order of probable translationmosiah. It was this stone that joseph used to translate the book of mormon. Joseph smiths signature work of scripture is the book of mormon, which the prophet claimed to have translated from golden plates by the gift and power of god. It is a great miracle, and the proof of its truth can be found in its contents. Reuben clark law school and president of the foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. Welch, professor of law at brigham young universitys j.
Did joseph smith translate the book of mormon with a rock. Maxwell, 1 and building on my chapter in the second edition of opening the heavens, 2 this article strives to be as precise as possible about the timing of the events and progress of the book of mormon translation. Who translated the book of mormon text into english for. Joseph smith translated the book of mormon with the holy and divine power of the holy ghost using the urim and thummim. Book of mormon translation by joseph smith the encyclopedia of. The prophet joseph received these ancient metal records written in reformed egyptian from the heavenly messenger moroni 3 and translated them by the gift and power of god 4 into the book of mormon. One of the most amazing facts about the book of mormon is that it took joseph smith only about sixtyfive working days to translate a book that, in the current edition, is 531 pages long. This was accomplished while joseph smith was 24 years old with only a basic education in reading and writing and arithmatic. These plates were translated by the power of god and became the book of mormon. How long did it take joseph smith to translate the book of. Joseph smith said that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth. Joseph smiths response to skepticism, cites a personal interview emma smithbidamon gave to a committee of the reorganized church of jesus christ of latterday saints in 1879.
For example, an entry in joseph smith s journal under the date november 20, 1835 indicates the. How did joseph smith translate the book of abraham. Historical details about the time it took to translate the book are remarkably well preserved, and they are corroborated by the independently consistent statements of numerous witnesses. It was translated from april 7th of 1829 to june 30 of 1829. Almost all of the book of mormon as we now have it was translated between 7 april and 30 june 1829.
Joseph began translating again in 1829, and almost all of the present book of mormon text was translated during a threemonth period between april and june of that year. Members of the church have long held that its joseph smith. Coincidentally, the same historians who claim that joseph smith didnt share any details are also those who claim that joseph smith translated the book of mormon using a seer stone in a hat. Joseph fielding smith said it hardly seems reasonable to suppose that the prophet would substitute something evidently inferior under these circumstances. When did joseph smith start translating the book of mormon. Joseph smith translated the book of mormon from the golden plates in a time span of 85 days. Manchester, ny a team of archaeologists excavating a drumlin known as mormon hill or the cumorah, in western new york, have discovered a set of gold plates which they believe could be linked to the founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, joseph smith jr. How long did it take joseph smith to translate the book of mormon. How joseph smith translated the book of mormon issuu. What does the church teach investigators and members regarding the method by which the book of mormon was produced. When did joseph smith write the book of mormon answers. Brothers according to those contemporaries of joseph smith who observed the book of mormon translation process, joseph smith did not look at or read from the golden plates while translating the book of mormon. By the power of god, through the holy spirit, how else. He lived in new york and it was 1800s i am sure there was a copy or two about.
This assertion can mislead people into believing the book of mormon production process was nothing short of miraculous. Smith published the book of mormon in 1830 and shortly thereafter organized a small church of his first followers. The sacred writings chronicle gods dealings with his people in the western hemisphere centuries ago. It seems odd that joseph smith, who at that point had allegedly seen god and. The sacred writings chronicle gods dealings with his people in. Byu professors lecture examines the timeline of joseph. I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, yea. Book of mormontranslationurim and thummim fairmormon. Historians both in and out of the church agree that it took approximately 65 days to translate the book once joseph smith and his scribe oliver cowdery began. But thanks to scholars who assembled the joseph smith papers, my own experience typing the book of mormon and the pearl of great price, and recently by reading saints, the story of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, 18151846, i understand the word translate more clearly and i hope i. Concerning this record, the prophet joseph smith, who translated it by the gift and power of god, 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 see the introduction at the. A seer stone and a hat translating the book of mormon. Additionally, the plates were not always present during the translating process, and when present, they were always covered up.
Joseph smith used magic to translate book of mormon life. Joseph smithseer stonesrock in hat used for book of. Joseph smith mentioned several times that he translated the book of mormon record through the gift and power of god by means of the urim and thummim, but the term was used ambiguously. Joseph smith began translating the book of mormon from the golden plates on september 22, 1827. From the surviving portions of the original manuscript it appears that joseph dictated about a dozen words at a time. However, joseph smith did speak on the translation, and that his statements plainly contradict the seer stone hypothesis in every respect. His chief scribe during these months was oliver cowdery, a schoolteacher from vermont who learned about the book of mormon while boarding with josephs parents in palmyra. Mormon and moroni, the book says, had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of metal plates. Joseph smith, the first prophet of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, was an uneducated farm boy with no resources for research who translated ancient writings into the book of mormon, over 500 pages long, in under 65 days. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be. For most of my life i have been confused about how joseph smith translated the book of mormon. Recalled josephs wife emma, no man could have dictated the writing of the manuscripts unless he was inspired. How exactly did joseph smith translate the book of mormon. Joseph smith claimed to have translated the book of mormon from a language called reformed egyptian.
He studied the historical documents claiming that joseph smith translated the book of mormon using a seer stone in a hat and he concluded joseph smith did not use a seer stone to translate. Among the many amazing facts about the book of mormon is how little time it took for joseph smith to translate it. Title page translated by joseph smith long ago the lord declared. What a about our 10 president of the church, president joseph fielding smith. Did joseph smith use the nephite interpreters to translate. The mere existence of the book of mormon is one of the greatest miracles in history.
However, with in this time frame many other things occurred which. Joseph smith, american prophet and founder of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. The words urim and thummim did not appear in the book of mormon, early revelations, or. Later, joseph smith also translated some egyptian papyri into what is now known as the book of abraham in the pearl. That joseph smith had the book of mormon plates, and translated from them the book of mormon is confirmed by oliver cowdery, who acted as josephs scribe while the prophet dictated. Welch, foundation for ancient research and mormon studies farms. For instance, i read that at first he used a seer stone instead of the urim and thummim which he placed in his hat and buried his face. How did joseph smith translate the book of mormon answers. The use of objects in the translation were only to help focusing on the work. Archaeologists and egyptologists have found no evidence that this language ever existed. The following historical details are well worth noting.
How long did it take joseph smith to translate the bom. The urim and thummim was preserved in a stone box, along with the gold plates, for over 1,500 years for the purpose of enabling joseph to translate the writings on the. This was the daily method of procedure, as i have often heard father whitmer declare j. Before that, from 12 april to 14 june 1828, joseph had.
God gave joseph smith the gift and power to translate writings recorded centuries ago in a language of which joseph had no knowledge. Joseph smith used magic to translate book of mormon 03222020 by lifeafterministry that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. How long did it take joseph smith to translate the. Did joseph smith describe the book of mormon translation. Joseph smith used both the nephite interpreters and the seer stone, and both were called urim and thummim. Besides the book of mormon is mostly paraphrased passages of scripture. Did joseph fielding smith say that it was not reasonable for joseph smith to use a seer stone to translate the book of mormon. He as a church historian for 69 years and the president of the church. Thus the book of mormon was translated by the gift and power of god, and not by any power of man. Chapter 1 how long did it take to translate the book of mormon.
When i see the word translate, it means to me that a scribe read a manuscript written in one language e. Historical records show that it took only sixtyfive or less working days to translate the book of mormon. A study of the life of joseph smith and his associates bears this out. Called by god in a vision, cowdery traveled to harmony to meet joseph smith and investigate further. This paper aims to stimulate specific thinking about the intense and complex events during which the book of mormon was translated in 1829. Byu professors lecture examines the timeline of joseph smiths. According to mormon lore, smith claimed to receive the few plates from moroni in 1827 and from them translated the book of mormon. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which joseph smith said he translated the book of mormon. Most lds church members were taught that joseph smith used seer stones referred to as the urim and thummim nephite interpreters to translate the book of mormon bom 1 to various scribes. When smith once again raised the stone and attempted to retrieve the plates. Emma was once asked in a later interview if joseph had read from any books or notes while dictating.