This week's lesson focuses on the accounts leading up to the production of the Book of Mormon.
You should stay away from commentaries and focus on the basics. Start with what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery said. There's an excellent summary of original sources here:
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/the-gold-plates-and-the-translation-of-the-book-of-mormon
The lesson manual links to the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation, but that essay focuses on what others said instead of what Joseph and Oliver taught. There are so many problems with that essay that you can get distracted sorting through it, looking up references, etc. It's basically an abridgment of the work of scholars.
Stick with what Joseph and Oliver said and you'll have a solid understanding.
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The Title Page is an extremely important document that many people overlook. It was the first thing Joseph had printed because he needed it to file the copyright. We don't know for sure where it was printed, but I think it was printed in Binghamton.
You can see the original here.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/title-page-of-book-of-mormon-circa-early-june-1829/1
Joseph Smith said
I would mention here also in order to correct a misunderstanding, which has gone abroad concerning the title page of the Book of Mormon, that it is not a composition of mine or of any other man’s who has lived or does live in this generation, but that it is a literal translation taken from the last leaf of the plates, on the left hand side of the collection of plates, the language running same as the <all> Hebrew <wr[i]ting> language <in general>
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-june-october-1839-draft-1/9
So far as I know, the Title Page is the only thing Joseph said was a literal translation. When we read it carefully, we see what the original plates contained:
- Abridgment of the record of the Nephites
- Abridgment of the record of the Jaredites
- Sealed by Moroni
The Title Page says nothing about any small plates of Nephi or any other original writings, apart from what Moroni added when he sealed the record.
(To see why that's important, visit the schematic on the two sets of plates here:
http://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html)
_____
A few years ago, I was at BYU Education Week in a session on Church history. The instructor mentioned this passage by Joseph regarding the Title Page. He actually said, "We don't know how Joseph knew it was on the last leaf of the plates because he didn't even use the plates to translate."
That's how crazy this whole stone-in-a-hat narrative has become.
_____
Definitely, read the Testimony of the witnesses and of Joseph Smith.
Think of what it means to testify about the Book of Mormon. How are you a witness to its divine authenticity?
You should stay away from commentaries and focus on the basics. Start with what Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery said. There's an excellent summary of original sources here:
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/site/the-gold-plates-and-the-translation-of-the-book-of-mormon
The lesson manual links to the Gospel Topics Essay on Book of Mormon Translation, but that essay focuses on what others said instead of what Joseph and Oliver taught. There are so many problems with that essay that you can get distracted sorting through it, looking up references, etc. It's basically an abridgment of the work of scholars.
Stick with what Joseph and Oliver said and you'll have a solid understanding.
_____
You can see the original here.
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/title-page-of-book-of-mormon-circa-early-june-1829/1
Joseph Smith said
I would mention here also in order to correct a misunderstanding, which has gone abroad concerning the title page of the Book of Mormon, that it is not a composition of mine or of any other man’s who has lived or does live in this generation, but that it is a literal translation taken from the last leaf of the plates, on the left hand side of the collection of plates, the language running same as the <all> Hebrew <wr[i]ting> language <in general>
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-june-october-1839-draft-1/9
So far as I know, the Title Page is the only thing Joseph said was a literal translation. When we read it carefully, we see what the original plates contained:
- Abridgment of the record of the Nephites
- Abridgment of the record of the Jaredites
- Sealed by Moroni
The Title Page says nothing about any small plates of Nephi or any other original writings, apart from what Moroni added when he sealed the record.
(To see why that's important, visit the schematic on the two sets of plates here:
http://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html)
_____
A few years ago, I was at BYU Education Week in a session on Church history. The instructor mentioned this passage by Joseph regarding the Title Page. He actually said, "We don't know how Joseph knew it was on the last leaf of the plates because he didn't even use the plates to translate."
That's how crazy this whole stone-in-a-hat narrative has become.
_____
Definitely, read the Testimony of the witnesses and of Joseph Smith.
Think of what it means to testify about the Book of Mormon. How are you a witness to its divine authenticity?
Excellent summary, Jonathan. I noticed two problems in the January 2020 ENSIGN. Page 34 pictorial has the Book of Moroni being, "The writings of Moroni including the Title page." Chapters Moroni 7-9 are Mormon's writings. Page 39 second paragraph states, "...the plates remained safely in Joseph's hads until the translation was completed and the plates were delivered back to Moroni." This is not true. see https://itsabouttimebook.com/new-book-of-mormon-miracles/
ReplyDeleteSo glad to find this! But it was impossible for me to read Joseph's words displayed in royal blue. Can you please change that?
ReplyDelete