Coming Forth of the Book of Mormon
The official (LDS Church) Version
The
follow is the coming forth of the Book of Mormon using only Scripture (Pearl of
Great Price) and Primary, Sunday School, Seminary, and Institute Manuals. There
is no mention of a seer stone or the practice of placing it in a hat.
From the Pearl of Great Price:
The
Joseph Smith History (JSH) in the Pearl of Great Price is a 1838 account from
Joseph Smith. Joseph states an angle named Moroni appeared to him on September
21, 1823, and said (JSH 1:33-35):
God had a work for me [Joseph Smith] to
do… [and] there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an
account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence
they sprang. He also said that the fullness of the everlasting Gospel was
contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
Also, that there were two stones in
silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is
called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and
use of these stones were what constituted “seers” in ancient or former times;
and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.
Two
things were “deposited:”
1.
A
book written on gold plates which:
a. Gives an account of the former
inhabitants of this continent.
b. Contains the source from whence the former
inhabitants sprang.
c. Contains the fullness of the everlasting
Gospel as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants.
2. The Urim
and Thummim (two stones in silver bows fastened to a breastplate) for
translating the book. (Note: verses 52 and 59 seem to imply that the
breastplate was separate from the Urim and Thummim)
The
next day Joseph went to the place where the gold plates were deposited (JSH
1:50-51), having been shown in a vision where they were during Moroni’s visit
(JSH 1:42). They were located about three miles away in a hill of considerable
size in the village of Manchester, Ontario County, New York. (JSH 1:51). He was
not allowed to take the gold plate, but meet annually with Moroni where Joseph
“received instruction and intelligence…respecting what the Lord was going to
do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days”
(JSH 1:53-54).
Joseph
received the gold plates and Urim and Thummim on September 22, 1827 (JSH 1:59).
He was not allowed to show anyone the
plates or the Urim and Thummim (JST 1:42). Because people tried to take or
steal the gold plates and persecution, Joseph and Emma move to Pennsylvania
with the help of Martin Harris (JSH 1:60-61). Joseph copies some of the characters
and translates them with the Urim and
Thummim, gives them to Martin Harris who takes them to Professor Charles Anton
in New York. Anton says the characters and translation were correct, gives
Harris a certificate to this fact, but rips it up after learning the gold
plates were revealed by an angel. (JSH 1: 59-65)
Oliver
Cowdery arrives in April and translation of the BOM begins on April 7, 1829.
(JSH 1:66-67). They continue the work of translation under the threats of mobs
but protected by father-in-law with “divine providence” (JSH 1:75).
Oliver
Cowdery stated “Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his
[Joseph Smith] mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the
Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The
Book of Mormon.’" (JSH 1:71 footnote. See Messenger and Advocate, Vol. 1
[October 1834], pg. 14)
The
only words about the translation process is in JSH 1:62 and the footnote to
1:72:
“…I
[Joseph Smith] copied a considerable number of them [characters from the
plates], and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them…” ( JSH
1:62)
“Day
after day I [Oliver Cowdery] continued, uninterrupted, to write from his [Joseph Smith] mouth,
as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have
said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’"
(JSH 1:71 footnote)
From Primary 5: Doctrine and Covenants
Church History (1997):
From
Lesson 5: Joseph Smith Receives the Gold Plates, pg. 24:
“4.
Teach the children about the Urim and Thummim:
The
Urim and Thummim is a sacred tool given by God to help prophets receive
revelations from the Lord and translate languages (see Bible Dictionary, “Urim
and Thummim”).
Joseph
Smith described the Urim and Thummim as “two stones in silver bows . . .
fastened to a breastplate” (JS—H 1:35). The Prophet stated that when he was
humble and prayerful, he could look into these stones and read the strange
language on the gold plates. He could also look into these stones and get
Heavenly Father’s word about certain things he ought to know and do.
Help
the children find and discuss the following scriptures that refer to the Urim
and Thummim:
Exodus
28:30
Mosiah
28:11, 13
Ether
3:23–24, 4:4–5
Doctrine
and Covenants 17:1
5.
Write the following statements on separate pieces of paper:
•
Each gold plate was six inches wide and eight inches long.
•
Joseph Smith described each plate as “not quite so thick as common tin.”
•
Three rings bound the book of plates together.
•
The whole book was about six inches thick.
•
The plates had small characters engraved on them.
•
A portion of the book was sealed and could not be translated.
•
Joseph Smith was told that the sealed part would be translated at a future
time.
Give
each piece of paper to a child, and have the children read the statements out
loud to help the class members understand what the gold plates were like (see
History of the Church, 4:537).”
From
Lesson 6: Joseph Smith Begins to Translate the Gold Plates, pg. 26-27:
“Explain
that usually translators need to understand both of the languages they work
with. Joseph Smith, however, had had very little schooling and could not speak
or read languages other than English. The reformed Egyptian characters on the
plates were very strange to him. He had to rely on the Spirit of the Lord, not
his own knowledge, to help him translate the characters on the plates into
English…"
Once
Joseph and Emma Smith were settled in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Joseph began to
translate the gold plates. At first Joseph spent a lot of time becoming
familiar with the plates and the language in which they were written. As he
studied and prayed, the Urim and Thummim helped him understand the characters
on the plates. Joseph learned that the process of translation requires faith,
hard work, worthiness, patience, and obedience…"
Joseph
and Martin suffered greatly because of the loss of the translation. Joseph returned
to Harmony, where he prayed for forgiveness. The angel Moroni took the gold
plates and the Urim and Thummim for a while. Later, because of Joseph’s sincere
repentance, the Lord forgave Joseph, and Moroni returned the plates and the
Urim and Thummim…”
From
Lesson 7: Joseph Smith Translates the Gold Plates, pg. 31+:
“As
Joseph continued the translation, he found that he did not have time to take
care of his family and farm and still translate as fast as he wanted to. The
work of translation was also slowed because Joseph had no scribe to write for
him as he translated. Martin Harris was no longer allowed to be Joseph’s
scribe. Emma sometimes served as scribe, but she had other work to do also…When
Oliver [Cowdery] arrived, Joseph realized the Lord had sent Oliver to help with
the translation of the Book of Mormon…With Oliver assisting, the translation of
the Book of Mormon went faster.
Explain
that when Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, he said the words out
loud, and his scribe wrote the words down. Sometimes Joseph and the scribe were
separated by a divider and could not see each other.”
Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s
Manual (1999):
From
Lesson 1: “The Keystone of Our Religion”, pg 3.
“2.
Many witnesses have testified of the Book of Mormon.
If
you are using the pictures of Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith and of Joseph
Smith receiving the gold plates, display them now. Have the assigned class
member summarize the events recorded in the Testimony of the Prophet Joseph
Smith. Then explain that after Joseph Smith had finished translating the Book
of Mormon, other people were privileged to see the plates. Have the assigned
class members present their summaries of the Testimony of the Three Witnesses
and the Testimony of the Eight Witnesses.”
Doctrine and Covenants and Church History
Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual (2003):
From
Lesson 4: “Remember the New Covenant, Even the Book of Mormon”, pg. 18-19, 22:
“As
Joseph translated the Book of Mormon, he learned that the Lord would permit
three witnesses and a few others to view the plates (see the references to
these witnesses in 2 Nephi 27:12–14 and Ether 5:1–3). Who were the Three
Witnesses? (See “The Testimony of Three Witnesses,” Book of Mormon.) What were
they commanded to do? (See D&C 5:11–15, 24–25; 17:3, 5.)
Why
was their testimony important? (See Ether 5:4; D&C 5:16–18; 17:4.)
Explain
that in addition to the Three Witnesses, eight others were shown the gold
plates (“The Testimony of Eight Witnesses,” Book of Mormon). All of the Three
Witnesses and three of the Eight Witnesses later left the Church. Only a few
returned, but none ever denied his testimony of what he saw."
4.
“Translated by the gift and power of God” (D&C 135:3)
Joseph
Smith completed the translation of the Book of Mormon in about 65 working days
(“I Have a Question,” Ensign, Jan. 1988, 46–47). Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the
Quorum of the Twelve commented on the speed of this process:
“One
able LDS translator in Japan, surrounded by reference books, language dictionaries,
and translator colleagues ready to help if needed, indicated that he considered
an output of one careful, final page a day to be productive. And he is
retranslating from earlier Japanese to modern Japanese! More than 50 able
English scholars labored for seven years, using previous translations, to
produce the King James Version of the Bible, averaging about one precious page
per day. The Prophet Joseph Smith would sometimes produce 10 pages per day!
(see the bulletin Insights: An Ancient Window [Provo, Utah: Foundation for
Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (F.A.R.M.S.), Feb. 1986], 1).
“A
second marvel of the Book of Mormon translation process is that from what we
know, rarely would Joseph go back, review, or revise what had already been
done. There was a steady flow in the translation. . . ."
“Emma
Smith said of the inspired process: ‘After meals, or after interruptions, [Joseph]
would at once begin where he had left off, without either seeing the manuscript
or having any portion of it read to him’ (“Last Testimony of Sister Emma,”
Saints’ Herald, 1 Oct. 1879, 290). One who has dictated and been interrupted
must usually resume by inquiring ‘Now, where were we?’ Not so with the Prophet!
“If
one were manufacturing a text, he would constantly need to cross-check himself,
to edit, and to revise for consistency. Had the Prophet dictated and revised
extensively, there would be more evidence of it. But there was no need to
revise divinely supplied text. Whatever the details of the translation process,
we are discussing a process that was truly astonishing!” (“By the Gift and
Power of God,” Ensign, Jan. 1997, 39–40)."
From Gospel Principles (2009), pg 46. and
Gospel Principles (1997), pg 53:
"Joseph
Smith translated the Book of Mormon into English through the gift and power of
God. He said that it is “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” (introduction to the Book of Mormon)"
From Our Heritage:
[pg.
5]
“He
said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of
the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they
sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained
in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants” (JS—H 1:33–34).
Moroni
had been the last prophet to write on this ancient record, and as directed by
the Lord, he had buried it in the Hill Cumorah. He had also buried the Urim and
Thummim, which was used by prophets anciently and which Joseph was to use to
translate the record.”
[pg.
7-9]
The
Work of Translation
"On
22 September 1827, after four years of preparation, Moroni gave the Prophet
Joseph the gold plates and told him to begin the work of translation. Emma
Hale, whom Joseph had married earlier that year, accompanied him on that
occasion and was waiting at the foot of the Hill Cumorah when her husband
returned with the plates. She became an important help to the Prophet and acted
as one of the Book of Mormon scribes for a brief period.
Because
of the repeated and strenuous efforts of a local mob to steal the gold plates,
Joseph and Emma were forced to leave their home in Manchester, New York. They
took refuge at the home of Emma’s father, Isaac Hale, in Harmony, Pennsylvania,
about 120 miles southeast of Manchester. There Joseph began translating the
plates. He was soon joined by his friend, Martin Harris, a well-to- do farmer,
who became his scribe.
Martin
asked Joseph if he could take 116 pages of translated material home to show his
family members to prove to them the validity of the work they were doing.
Joseph asked the Lord for permission, but the Lord’s answer was no. Martin
pleaded for Joseph to ask again, which Joseph reluctantly did two more times
and finally received permission. Martin made a covenant to show the manuscript
only to certain people, but he broke his promise, and the pages of manuscript
were stolen. This loss caused Joseph inconsolable grief, for he thought that
all his efforts to serve the Lord had been lost. He cried, “What shall I do? I
have sinned—it is I who tempted the wrath of God. I should have been satisfied
with the first answer which I received from the Lord.”
Joseph
sincerely repented, and after a brief period when the plates and the Urim and
Thummim were taken away, the Lord forgave him and he began translating once
again. The Lord instructed him not to retranslate the lost material, which contained
a secular history. Instead, Joseph was to translate other plates prepared by
the prophet Nephi that covered the same period of time but contained greater
prophecies of Christ and other sacred writings. The Lord had foreseen the loss
of the 116 pages and inspired Nephi to prepare this second history. (See 1
Nephi 9; D&C 10:38–45; see also D&C 3 and 10, which were received
during this period.)
At
this time, Joseph was blessed with the help of Oliver Cowdery, a young
schoolteacher who was directed by the Lord to the Prophet’s home. Oliver
commenced to write on 7 April 1829. Of that momentous time he said, “These were
days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the
inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom!” (JS—H
1:71, footnote)…"
"In
the midst of their work, Joseph and Oliver found that their dedication to the
translation of the record had left them without food or money; they lacked even
the necessary writing materials. Learning of their plight, Joseph Knight Sr., a
former employer and friend of the Prophet, determined to give them assistance…"
"Because
of increasing persecution, Joseph and Oliver left Harmony and completed the
work of translation at the Peter Whitmer farm in Fayette, New York, during June
1829. The completion of this work in the midst of such trying circumstances is
truly a modern-day miracle. With little formal education, Joseph Smith dictated
the translation in just a little over two months of actual working time and
made very few corrections. The book stands today essentially as he translated
it and has been the source of testimony for millions of people throughout the
world. Joseph Smith was a powerful instrument in the hands of the Lord in
bringing forth the words of ancient prophets for the blessing of Saints in the
latter days."
From Church History In The Fulness Of
Times Student Manual, Second Edition (2003):
[pg.
50]
"By
this time Joseph Smith had gained considerable experience with various means of
revelation. He had communed with God and his Son and with angelic messengers.
He had seen visions, felt the promptings of the Spirit, and grown in skill in
using the Urim and Thummim. We should not conclude that revelation came easy to
him, for another lesson he learned during this time was the price in faith,
diligence, persistence, worthiness, and obedience he had to pay to receive
communication from God."
[pg.52-53]
"At
the end of 1828, Moroni returned the plates and the Urim and Thummim and
promised a new scribe to assist in the translation…"
"During
the winter of 1828–29, Joseph Smith periodically worked on the translation with
the help of Emma and her brother, but earning a living left little time for
translating. Emma’s brother, Jesse Hale, was suspicious of Joseph’s claims
about the plates and showed little sympathy. Hence, in March of 1829, Joseph
said, “I had not where to go and I cried unto the Lord that he would provide
for me to accomplish the work whereunto he had commanded me.” The Lord told him
to stop for the present and wait “until I command thee, and I will provide
means whereby thou mayest accomplish the thing which I have commanded thee”
(D&C 5:34). Confidently the Prophet awaited the arrival of a new scribe,
and on 5 April, Oliver Cowdery came…"
"Joseph
and Oliver labored “with little cessation” on the translation throughout April.
With Oliver’s help, Joseph proceeded faster than ever before. During the next
three months Joseph and Oliver completed the amazing task of translating
approximately five hundred printed pages. This was a glorious period in their
lives. Oliver wrote: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the
sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven. . . . Day after day I
continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated, with the
Urim and Thummim . . . the history, or record, called ‘The Book of Mormon.’”
