Witnesses of the RestorationTimelineEssays
< Back to timeline

Book of Mormon Translation

The translation of the Book of Mormon can be considered the most pivotal question regarding the truthfulness of the restoration. Joseph Smith was the only person that was present during the whole translation process, and all he said was that it was by "the gift and power of God."

Treasure Digging

In order to understand Joseph Smith's experience of being a seer before he got the golden plates, we have to understand his involvement in treasure digging. Treasure seeking was a somewhat common activity that people in his area in New York engaged with in the 19th century. The activity consisted of using a seer or "peep" stone to see lost treasure. The treasure was often guarded by spirits that had a certain set of requirements to obtain the treasure. If the requirements were not met, then the treasure would "slip away" into the earth. It is also important to note that although this activity was common, it was also illegal, which is ultimately what motivates Joseph Smith to move on from it (until one more occurrence in 1836)

.

Joseph Smith was involved in several treasure digs before translating the Book of Mormon, as outlined below:

Timeline of Treasure Digging Events

  • ~ 1822

    Jospeh Smith finds a seer stone when digging in a well on Willard Chase's property. [2]

  • ~ 1822

    Pomeroy Tucker speaks of a treasure dig that lasted two hours in Palmyra. When the treasure was in grasp, somebody "being tempted by the devil" spoke, and the treasure slipped away. [3]

  • ~ 1822

    William Stafford is approach by Joseph Smith Sr. saying that Joseph Smith Jr. saw "two or three kegs of gold and silver" not far from Stafford's house. After forming a ring of rods around the spot, the treasure slipped away. Joseph Jr. said that the guardian spirit was not pleased with the operation. [4]

  • Oct, 18, 1825

    Joseph Smith is hired by Josiah Stowell to help him in treasure digging expeditions. [5]

  • ~ Nov 1825

    Smith, Stowell, and others are on a dig that Smith described as being guarded by an ancient band of robbers. You could only obtain it by faith and certain "talismanic influences." As they were digging, they struck the box of the treasure chest. A man put his hand on the chest, but it gradually sunk into the earth. They resolved that the "lack of faith" was the reason for their failures. (Note: the date of this is unknown, but it is likely in between when Stowell hired Joseph and his trial).[6]

  • Nov, 17, 1825

    Jospeh Smith participates in a failed treasure dig with his father and other 'money diggers'. Smith said that the enchantment was "so powerful that he could not see."[7][8]

  • Mar, 20, 1826

    Jospeh Smith is put on trial for his money digging expeditions and found guilty for being a "disorderly person and an Imposter."[9][10][11]

  • Jan, 18, 1827

    Joseph Smith marries Emma Hale. Isaac Hale, Emma's father, does not approve of the marriage because of Joseph's involvement in treasure seeking. Because of this, the couple decides to elope.[8][7]

  • ~ Aug 1827

    Joseph Smith admits to Isaac Hale, his father-in-law, that he could not see anything in the stone when treasure digging, and that it was all "d---d nonsense."

  • ~ 1834

    "They would say, also, that nearly all the hills in this part of New York, were thrown up by human hands, and in them were large caves, which Joseph, Jr., could see, by placing a stone of singular appearance in his hat, in such a manner as to exclude all light; at which time they pretended he could see all things within and under the earth, - that he could see within the above mentioned caves, large gold bars and silver plates - that he could also discover the spirits in whose charge these treasures were, clothed in ancient dress" - William Stafford[14]

  • ~ 1834

    "This power he pretended to have received through the medium of a stone of peculiar quality. The stone was placed in a hat, in such a manner as to exclude all light, except that which emanated from the stone itself. This light of the stone, he pretended, enabled him to see any thing he wished" - Joseph Capron[15]

  • Aug, 6, 1836

    During financial hardships for the church, Joseph Smith receives a revelation about a certain "treasure" that exists in Salem. This revelation says that "its wealth, pertaining to gold and silver, shall be yours." There aren't any accounts of actually obtaining any treasure.

After Joseph Smith's trial in 1826, Joseph Smith Sr. wished his son would use his skills in a more sacred way. Joseph Smith Sr. said that both "he and his son were mortified that this wonderful power which God had so miraculously given him should be used only in search of filthy lucre, or its equivalent in earthly treasures... He trusted that the Son of Righteousness would some day illumine the heart of the boy, and enable him to see His will concerning him" [6]. This led Joseph Smith Jr. to a more earnest focus on the retrieval of the golden plates.

Timeline of Book of Mormon Translation

  • Sep, 22, 1823

    Moroni appears to Joseph Smith three times in the night telling him of plates of gold with engravings on it. He goes to the place told in the vision and is unable to obtain the plates, but told to return in one year with his oldest brother (Alvin).[17][18][19][20][21][22][23]

  • Nov, 15, 1823

    Alvin dies and tells Joseph to "do everything that lays in your power to obtain the records"[24]

  • Sep, 22, 1824

    Joseph returns to the hill and again fails to obtain the plates because of thoughts to use the plates for himself.[25]

  • Sep, 29, 1824

    There were rumors that Alvin's body had been dug up and disected, so Joseph Smith Sr. posts in the newspaper that he dug up the grave to prove that the body was still there.[26]

  • ~ 1826

    Joseph, believing him to be commanded to bring to see the plates, took Samuel Lawrence, another seer, to the Hill Cumorah to view the plates through the seer stone. Lawrence asked if Joseph could see large spectacles with the plates. Joseph confirmed that he could.[23][27]

  • Sep, 22, 1826

    Joseph returns yet again to the hill after meeting Emma Smith in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Moroni counsels him to stop working with the money diggers.[28]

  • Sep, 21, 1827

    Joseph Smith Jr. asks his dad Joseph Smith Sr. to keep an eye on Samuel Lawrence because he fears that he will be also looking for the plates[29]

  • Sep, 22, 1827

    Joseph obtains the plates with Emma from the hill.[30]

  • Nov, 9, 1827

    Joseph and Emma move to Harmony, PA.[8]

  • Jan, 1, 1828

    Martin Harris comes to Palmyra and says that God told him in a vision to take some characters to New York (Charles Anthony).[31]

  • Apr, 12, 1828 to Jun, 14, 1828

    When Martin Harris returns, he and Joseph earnestly translate 116 pages of the Book of Mormon.[8]

  • ~ Jun 1828

    Martin Harris takes and loses the 116 pages of the Book of Lehi.[32]

  • ~ Jul 1828

    Joseph rebuked and loses the plates and gift to translate.[33]

  • Sep, 1, 1828

    Joseph gets the gold plates and interpreters again[34]

  • Apr, 7, 1829 to Jun, 1, 1829

    Oliver Cowdery arrives and begins acting as the primary translation scribe. The majority of the Book of Mormon is translated.[35]

It is natural to characterize the retrieval of the golden plates as an extension of another treasure dig. It has a guardian angel (Moroni). It has certain requirements necessary for retrieval. When the requirements weren't met, the plates would "slip away" from Joseph's grasp. Because of these similarities, critics of the church often conclude that Joseph Smith was trying to come up with the story of the golden plates as a way to bolster his credibility after his 1826 trial, especially given the fact that he had not had a successful treasure digging run and people were becoming skeptical. Apologists, however, conclude that the similarities to this magical worldview actually helped Joseph Smith and his family be more likely to accept the command from Moroni as from God. This falls in line with the idea that God speaks according to our understanding [36]. Here is what Richard Bushman, an LDS historian, has to say about this:

"For people in a magical frame of mind, Moroni sounded like one of the spirits who stood guard over treasure in the tales of treasure-seeking. The similarities may even have made the extraordinary story more credible in the Smith family."- Richard Bushman[37]

Regardless of the reason, Joseph Smith eventually retrieved the plates and commenced translation of them.

Translation

There are many accounts of the method of translation for the Book of Mormon. Some agree, and some disagree. While there are a number of accounts describing the stone in the hat, there are a few that describe the two spectacles (later termed the Urim and Thummim). Not one of these accounts was there for the full translation process-- only Joseph Smith himself who did not give any details to the methods.

  • Seer stone in a hat

    • "The greatest piece of superstition that has ever come within the sphere of our knowledge is one which has for sometime past, and still occupies the attention of a few superstitious and bigoted individuals of this quarter. It is generally known and spoken of as the "Golden Bible."…It was said that the leaves of the Bible were plates, of gold about eight inches long, six wide, and one eighth of an inch thick, on which were engraved characters or hieroglyphics. By placing the spectacles in a hat, and looking into it, Smith could (he said so, at least,) interpret these characters…." -Jonathan Hadley Aug, 11, 1829[38]
    • "The engraving being unintelligible to learned & unlearned. there is said to have been in the box with the plates two transparent stones in the form of spectacles thro which the translator looked on the engraving & afterwards put his face into a hat & the interpretation then flowed into his mind. which he uttered to the amanuensis who wrote it down" -Christian Goodwillie Feb, 7, 1831[39]
    • "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…" -Emma Smith Oct, 1, 1879[40]

  • Two spectacles

    • "To Smith was given the power to translate the character, which he was enabled to do by looking through two semi transparent stones, but as he was ignorant of the art of writing, Cowdry and the others wrote as Smith, the person who was first directed to dig for the plates, interpreted." -The Philadelphia Album Dec, 18, 1830[41]
    • "The two stones set in a bow of silver were about two inches in diameter, perfectly round, and about five eighths of an inch thick at the centre; but not so thick at the edges where they came into the bow. They were joined by a round bar of silver, about three eighths of an inch in diameter, and about four inches long, which, with the two stones, would make eight inches." -Joel Tiffany Aug, 1, 1859[42]