Golden plates to book of mormon more about the plates the pages were thin sheets of metal. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of. Sometimes the plates would be on a table in the room in which smith did the translating, covered over with a cloth. Grandin, 1830, but is a different setting of type and lacks imprint statement. Brass plates mormonism, the mormon church, beliefs. That is why it is so important to look at what the title page tells us was in the original book of mormon. Criticism is aimed at joseph smiths claims because of what appear to be historical contradictions. Dec 07, 2017 first, it refers to the original writings on the plates. T his year the lds church is celebrating the 200th anniversary of joseph smiths birth on december 23, 1805. Confusion about the golden plates moronis america the. Did the mormon church once promise to show the golden plates to the world. Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is his translation of an ancient book written on gold plates that he found buried in a hill. The present english book of mormon, however, is not simply a translation of all those gold plates.
The book of mormon itself refers to a long tradition of writing historical records on plates, of which the golden plates are a culmination see list of plates latter day saint movement. A vision of the gold plates of the book of mormon by john landers 17941892 we heard the first sound of the restored gospel through my wifes brother, john cairns, who had been baptized by father blakeslee. According to joseph smiths later accounts, three years after he experienced his first vision of deity. The plates of brass contained a copy of the law five books of moses, a history of the jews, lehis genealogy, and the writings of many prophets. The plates from which joseph translated the book of mormon are called the gold plates and the golden plates interchangeably because it is unknown exactly what they were composed of. Do mormons know what happened to the urim and thummim which joseph smith used to translate 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, a sacred text of the faith. The book of mormon plates religious studies center. Based on these parameters, modern researchers have estimated plates of pure gold would weigh at least 45 kilograms 100 pounds and might be too soft for engraved characters. Among these remnants are teachings of four prophets not mentioned in the bible. And for this intent shall they gothat they may be persuaded that jesus is the christ, the son of the living god. This 2001 ensign cover shows joseph smith translating the book of mormon by poring over the plates which is how many faithful latterday saints have been instructed to imagine the process. Golden plates to book of mormon the angel moroni showed joseph smith where to find the golden plates. Four kinds of metal record plates are spoken of in the book itself. The golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold the golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold, new era, july. Dear steve, what moroni hid up in the hill cumorah and delivered to joseph smith was one volume of gold plates containing three separate records. Its a common misconception by people outside the church that joseph smith was the only person who ever saw the golden plates. In 1827 when joseph smith received the gold plates, he found that much of the record was an abridgment of many other records written by ancient kings and prophets living in the americas. But second, joseph is clarifying that this was the title page of the original book of mormon. I wrote a great deal of the book of mormon myself, as joseph smith translated or spelled the words out in english.
Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure gold, or that they are a solid block of gold. They wrote about jesus christ and about how to keep the commandments. I martin harris never saw the golden plates, only in a visionary or entranced state. The book of mormon was written by many ancient prophets who recorded their words on different sets of metal plates. Brigham young gave a somewhat similar, secondhand account on june 17, 1877. Joseph smith claimed he translated the book of mormon from a set of golden plates that were given to him by an angel named moroni. The video is the third in book of mormon centrals evidence video series, the two previous videos being one on the archaeological evidence for the place called nahom, mentioned by nephi 1 nephi 16. Four years later, joseph and his wife, emma, went in a wagon to get the plates. Gold plates by jerry thompson what was mormons purpose in writing the book of mormon. Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be linked. Joseph claimed that god and christ appeared to him when he was fourteen, in the spring of 1820, and told him. A true testimony of the book of mormon comes from reading it and, as counseled by moroni in a promise he left to us in moroni 10. An account written by the hand of mormon upon plates taken from the plates of nephi, who claimed that it had been written in otherwise unknown characters referred to as reformed egyptian engraved on golden plates.
The following is from the introduction to the 1981 ed. Some of these records were comparable to certain books now found in the old testament, but others did not find their way into the bible. Title page of the book of mormon submitted to the library of congress for registration. Pure gold plates would be too soft to hold engraving well. Gold plates the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. This account may come across as a little too convenient and. The book of mormon claims that a record was kept on brass plates prior to the invasion and captivity of babylon. An analysis of the padilla gold plates book of mormon. What happened to the golden plates after joseph smith. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian prophethistorians from around the year ad 400. Dimensions according to joseph, the book was 6 x 8 x 6 and each plate was thinner than common tin. The gold plates that the prophet joseph smith received and translated were the plates of mormon on which mormon and his son moroni 2 made their abridgment. Finally, the plates contained a more extensive account of old testament peoples and events than the bible see 1 nephi 5. The credibility of the book of mormon rests on its origin, the gold plates.
Two top plates are made of brass and imprinted with reformed egyptian characters. They were reportedly returned to the angel moroni or to a secret cave hidden inside of hill cumorah. Check out book of mormon centrals new video, detailing the historical evidence for the existence of the book of mormon golden plates. Mormon writes book of mormon stories on the golden plates many prophets wrote on the golden plates. The plates he held referred to several other sets of plates and records, an understanding of which is necessary to understand the book of mormon. A righteous man named ammaron hid the golden plates so they would be safe. The book of mormon is a sacred record of peoples in ancient america, and was engraved upon sheets of metal. The angel moroni showed joseph smith where to find the golden plates. Text matches the title page of the first edition of the book of mormon, palmyra. However, plates mentioned in the book of mormon, such as labans plates of brass, ethers 24 gold plates, and the record that moroni eventually buried were all made by cultures that lived in or originally came from the middle east. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates fairmormon. Mar 01, 2011 if this was so important, what happened to the brass plates. May 25, 2015 the credibility of joseph smith rests on his first revelation, the book of mormon.
The plates were written in a language called reformed egyptian. On september 21, 1823, the angel moroni appeared to joseph smith and instructed him about a record engraved on thin goldlike sheets. Matheny the padilla gold plates are well known in lds church archaeologicalanthropological circles, where they have been the subject of publications, papers, discussion, and firsthand examination. It was first published in march 1830 by joseph smith as the book of mormon. These records were later abridged to create the plates of mormon, or the gold plates that joseph smith translated. Once joseph hid them under the bricks of the fireplace. 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. Dec 31, 20 if the book of mormon plates were made of tumbaga, they were probably between 8 and 12 carat gold and thus would have weighed between 53 and 86 pounds. Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds. After the translation was complete, joseph said he returned the plates to the angel making them unavailable today for examination. The book of mormon comes forth presents a sharpened picture of an important segment of lds history. On that trunk lay a book of mormon and gold plates, labans sword, aarons breastplate. Thus to the extent that one believes the evidence points to a nonhistorical book of mormon, it also points to something other than real gold plates under the cloth. On 22 september 1823, after receiving repeated instruction from the angel moroni, joseph smith went to a large hill convenient to his fathers home.
In byu magazine spring 2008 this book was called a fascinating, very readable volume fraught with many wellknown, littleknown, and generally unknown details about the coming forth of the book of mormon. Mormon did not abridge the small plates of nephi but he did include them in the records he gave to his son moroni words of mormon 1. Joseph smith claimed he translated the book of mormon from anciently engraved gold plates, which he took from a stone box in the side of a hill near his home in manchester, new york. With rumors swirling about the plates, joseph sought to set the record straight by publishing official statements in the first.
Did moroni take it with him with the gold plates or did he bury them with the rest of the plates mormon acquired. The remaining plates are of a paper composite material colored gold but with no inscriptions. Mormon, a prophet and military leader who lived at the end of the nephite era c. Gold plates by jerry thompson what was mormons purpose in. In 1827 when joseph smith received the gold plates, he found that much of the record was an abridgment of many other records written by ancient kings and. Evidence has been found revealing that important messages were engraved into metal objects at the time just prior to the captivity of babylon. But many people forgot jesus christ and didnt follow him anymore. Language the language on the plates is called reformed egyptian. Step into nineteenthcentury new england and experience the story of one of the most influential men in religious history. Some often joke derisively, oh if only joseph had thought to actually show someone else those plates instead of keeping them to himself, maybe we mig. The term golden bible is also used with a negative connotation.
Witnesses of the golden plates and the book of mormon. Many ancient documents such as king benjamins speech or the plates of brass were quoted or abridged by the ancient authors who compiled the books found on. Oliver cowdery went with the prophet joseph when he deposited these plates. The gold plates and the translation of the book of mormon. The story of the gold plates is an absolutely essential part of the mormon narrative, for in the eyes of many latterday saints, the coming forth of this record, and its subsequent translation into the book of mormon, legitimizes their belief that smith was indeed a prophet sent by god to restore the true christian faith lost long ago due to a great apostasy. But what of the stone box that contained these sacred items.
If a date is not found in or tied directly to a specific verse, then the information has been deduced from general historical information. However, the golden plates are just one of many known and reputed metal plates with significance in the latter day saint movement. The plates of mormon, which, except for the sealed portion, were subsequently translated by joseph smith, are known today as the gold plates. Joseph smith claimed that he translated the book of mormon from a set of golden plates, that were given to him by an angel. Thus, vogel must come up with a counterexplanation for the book of mormon.