Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds. In an article for the mormon times scholars corner, taking the golden plates and running october 8, 2010. The record of the nephites was also the manuscript title of the book of mormon. Aug 27, 2009 they were given to an angel named mormoni. Witnesses of the golden plates and the book of mormon. Mormon history provides an idea, although somewhat conflicting, of the weight of the plates joseph smith collected from the hill to take back to his home. Book of mormon plates and records the encyclopedia of. David whitmer marveled that he should be part of this miraculous work. The book of mormon is a complex text with a complicated history. A voice for the community of lds scholars 191 fall 1978.
If the plates were made of eight karat gold, which is gold frequently used in presentday jewelry, and allowing a 10 percent space between the leaves, the total weight of the plates would not be above one hundred and seventeen poundsa weight easily carried by a man as strong as was joseph smith john a. Jul 31, 2012 in september 1823, joseph smith pried open a stone box in the side of a new york hill and beheld, for the first time, the luminous gold plates of the book of mormon. Nov 20, 2007 their were never any plates martin harris one of the witness to the book of mormon stated that he never saw the plates. One of my favorite passages is in 3 nephi chapters 1119, where the resurrected lord appears to the people and teaches his gospel. Two top plates are made of brass and imprinted with reformed egyptian characters.
Aug 17, 2007 the golden plates upon which the book of mormon was written have had quite a history, and it is rather well documented. In doing so, they will have to give attention to certain facts. Utah foot ball players carry copper form of what the plates would have look like. The phrase record of the nephites has two distinct but related usages. A surprising amount of consistent information can be gleaned from eyewitnesses. 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 might believe him. An online handbook to the lds church mormon 1830 original edition. Table 2 summarizes the precise proposed dates on the gregorian calendar for each of the seven steps of the life cycle of the golden plates. But nothing compared to brigham city, or states of grace, other mormon movies. People of all faiths and perspectives are welcome to engage in civil, respectful discussion about topics related to mormonism. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship as how witnesses described the gold plates, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. Why were the golden plates needed if they were not used for the translation of the book of mormon was only used for first lost pages. On april 23, 1843, six bellshaped brass plates, covered with undecipherable engravings were unearthed near kinderhook, illinois, 70 miles south of nauvoo. At schools across the united states today, many students will walk out of class at 10.
Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure. Joseph smith said the large plates of nephi were continually maintained until about ad 385, when the prophet mormon, seeing that the destruction of the nephite nation was imminent, abridged the large plates of nephi. Dear friends over the next several days i will be streaming a set. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be linked. 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. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates also called the gold plates or in some 19thcentury literature, the golden bible are the source from which joseph smith said he translated the book of mormon, a sacred text of the faith.
The credibility of joseph smith rests on his first revelation, the book of mormon. Journal of book of mormon studies journals brigham young. The latest chapter in the cultural history of the book of. These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold, each plate was six inches wide and eight. The book of mormon comes forth presents a sharpened picture of an important segment of lds history and how the book of mormon came to the worlds attention. He was the last prophet of the book of mormon and died sometime after 420 a. Joseph himself gave us the length, width, and thickness of the whole set of plates as 6. These plates, unknown when the book of mormon was published since they were discovered n 1933, have long been held as proof of the plausibility of ancient records engraved on gold plates. So there is a lot of air space within the volume envelope. The golden plates, from which the book of mormon was supposedly translated, were, according to the mormons, written about 600 b. We do not have the book of mormon metal plates available to us.
The remaining plates are of a paper composite material colored gold but with no inscriptions. A model of the golden plates, made by steven pratt. He claimed that an angel named moroni had directed him to a buried stone box, containing a set of gold plates, covered with strange symbols. The latest edition of the book of mormon can be considered the official version. Provided to youtube by cdbaby book of mormon storiesthe golden plates insideout a cappella sharing time.
What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the. Why were the golden plates needed if they were not used. Oct 28, 2009 david whitmer is reported of saying, we not only saw the plates of the book of mormon but also brass platesand many other plateswe were overshadowed by lightthere appeared as it were a table with many records or plates upon it, besides the book of mormon, also the sword of laban, the directors preston nibley, the witnesses. Its a common misconception by people outside the church that joseph smith was the only person who ever saw the golden plates. Smith translated the text of the book of mormon over the next several. More on the golden plates sealed portion from brazil. The primary use is to describe the collection of inscribed metal plates on which the nephites recorded their history.
David whitmer is reported of saying, we not only saw the plates of the book of mormon but also brass platesand many other plateswe were overshadowed by lightthere appeared as it were a table with many records or plates upon it, besides the book of mormon, also the sword of laban, the directors preston nibley, the witnesses. Thus, a composite metal could be made to have the appearance of solid gold. Moronimoroni delivering the book of mormon to joseph smith, lithograph, 1886. 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. According to the book of mormon, mormon, one of the last of the nephites, abridged the record, writing on plates of gold. These pages include what is now 1 nephi, chapter 2, verse 2 through 1 nephi, chapter, verse 35. This abridgement, with additions by mormon s son, moroni, was part of the set of gold plates moroni delivered to joseph smith. The korean diamond sutra gold plates are about the same dimensions as well, except there are fewer gold leaves. What happened to the golden plates from which joseph smith. Oliver served as scribe most of the time, although. 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 the small and large plates of nephi. 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. Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure gold, or that they are a solid block of gold. Their were never any plates martin harris one of the witness to the book of mormon stated that he never saw the plates.
We first learn about them from the visit of the angel moroni to joseph smith on september 21, 1823. How to know the book of mormon is true by rose, tom g isbn. Rising generation by common consent, a mormon blog. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates fairmormon. A latterday saint was present when the plates were discovered, so news traveled quickly back to the mormon community in nauvoo about the discovery of a new set of metal plates. Jun 23, 2015 provided to youtube by cdbaby book of mormon storiesthe golden plates insideout a cappella sharing time. The golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold painting by kenneth riley m. Which american religious leader said he was led by an angel. Some of the plates are specifically mentioned in the book of mormon, including the brass plates of laban, the history of the jaredites, and the large and small plates of nephi. The prophet joseph smith described the gold plates as follows. Why were the golden plates needed if they were not used for. Mesoamericans did use a coppergold alloy the spaniards called.
Nelson classic giant print centercolumn reference bible 9780840708588 by thomas nelson and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. How witnesses described the gold plates byu scholarsarchive. Its mostly a question on whether golden rings is referring to finger rin. Strang pulled out of his pocket and showed to stephen post. Can mormon scholars devise a new theory to accommodate the evidence from the book of mormon manuscript.
The record on the gold plates included teachings of prophets who lived in the ancient americas. The book of mormon is a record of the ancient people of the americas that had the gospel of jesus christ just as the ancient israelites that accepted jehovah in the old testament and jesus in the new testament. John dehlin, natasha helfer parker, and margi weber dehlin on the mormon stories podcast facebook page. Thats because the plates of nephi were not in the original book of mormon. You may be interested to know that 5 scrolls were given to a museum in chicago. Some witnesses described the plates as weighing from 30 to 60 pounds 14 to 27 kg, golden in color, and composed of thin metallic pages engraved with.
An analysis of the padilla gold plates book of mormon. The script was said to be egyptian characters like those on the gold plates of the book of mormon. Which american religious leader said he was led by an. Joseph smith who said he was led by an angel to find the book of mormon engraved on golden plates, since he is viewed by most as being the lead founder of the mormon faith. Facsimile copy of the original manuscript of the book of. Golden plates life cycle testifies of book of mormon. Initially, the film appeas to be as much, or more about joseph and emmas relationship than it is about the golden plates. He was the same individual who delivered the plates to joseph smith.
Not only were the gold plates not needed, they never even existed. Personal size giant print, reference bible with concordance by, march 1982, thomas nelson inc edition, hardcover in english giant prnt edition. Some contemporaries of smiths suggested that the plates weighed 60 pounds while others alleged they were 30 pounds 2. Jul 15, 2011 on april 23, 1843, six bellshaped brass plates, covered with undecipherable engravings were unearthed near kinderhook, illinois, 70 miles south of nauvoo. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The plates weighed approximately 4060 pounds, and about half of the plates. When translating the book of mormon into another language. Golden plates upon which ancient american authors ether, mormon, lehi and nephi had recorded additions to biblical history the urim and thummim. Why are we told about the different metal record plates comprising the book of mormon. These were two stones in silver bows which appear in numbers 27. It is only the second half of the film that centers on josephs dealing with the plates of gold. Mormon and moroni, the book says, had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of metal plates. Book of mormon central archive an analysis of the padilla gold plates.
An analysis of the padilla gold plates book of mormon central. Today is the one month anniversary of the massacre at marjory stoneman douglas high school in parkland florida. Yet oneeighteenth of the book of mormon is identical, word for word, to the 1611 king james version of the bible. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from. The korean plates were made by hammering gold into sheets and the sheets do not lay flat. The abridgments, quotations, and original writings of those book of mormon historians are displayed on. During this visit moroni told joseph that the plates and the urim and thummim were buried nearby, and showed him their location.
These plates have come to be known as the kinderhook plates. Strang pulled out of his pocket and showed to stephen post the small, sacred brass plates of rajah manchou. The purpose of this retreat is to provide free support to mormons navigating a. For details, see how witnesses described the gold plates, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. Ancient artifacts of mystery lds crafts, lds seminary. Ancient artifacts of mystery lds crafts, lds seminary, lds. Joseph used a special rock called a seer stone to translate the plates. Moroni eventually delivered these plates to joseph, who translated and published. Doxey, assistant in the office of the quorum of the twelve.
Confusion about the golden plates the book of mormon in. Doxey, assistant in the office of the quorum of the. The golden plates upon which the book of mormon was written have had quite a history, and it is rather well documented. The plates were not a solid block of gold, but a set of pagelike leaves, which reduces the weight by about 50%. This record was later abridged by mormon and inscribed onto gold plates from which joseph smith translated the book of mormon after an angel revealed to him the location. It was the angel who had taken the plates from joseph for safekeeping. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the book of mormon was translated. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian. Four years later smith purportedly received plates of gold. Maxwell yet, unlike other stunning finds in history, the gold plates are nowhere to be found.
Joseph smith did not obtain possession of the plates until september 1827, and he then moved to harmony, pennsylvania. The very next day, joseph and oliver continued the translation. May 25, 2015 the credibility of joseph smith rests on his first revelation, the book of mormon. So he is right only if we were talking about nice flat cast rolled and milled plates. This linked the bell shaped plates to the book of mormon and the book of abraham both dictated by joseph smith. The credibility of the book of mormon rests on its origin, the gold plates.
Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon. According to the book of mormon, the plates of nephi, consisting of the large plates of nephi and the small plates of nephi, are a portion of the collection of inscribed metal plates which make up the record of the nephites. The gold plates that the prophet joseph smith received and. New era, july the book of mormon online amazing book of mormon study guide website that has tons of additional commentary, images, video, and music to go along with what youre reading. The fact that they were buried in stone boxes may also be compelling and significant.
That is, the spirit of the book of mormon could now go forth throughout the world, rapidly like a deer, being the spirit of the golden plates. You can read the testimonies of the witnesses at the beginning of the book of mormon. Eight men, called the eight witnesses, saw and touched the plates. Journal of book of mormon studies journals brigham. Facsimile copy of the original manuscript of the book of mormon. A latterday saint was present when the plates were discovered, so news traveled quickly back to the mormon community in nauvoo about the discovery of a new set.
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. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates. The various plates and records referred to in the book of mormon and used in. The two or three people who are selected as translators team up with others in doing the work. In september 1823, joseph smith pried open a stone box in the side of a new york hill and beheld, for the first time, the luminous gold plates of the book of mormon. It is written, the golden plates are historys most stunning find in the field of religion. Ancient metal plates book of mormon archaeological forum. Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds some critics assume that the golden plates are pure gold, or that they are a solid block of gold. You know, when the world sings the twelve days of christmas each year, choirs vary between five gold rings or five golden rings. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central. Joseph smiths golden plate story debunked reasons for jesus. Dec 07, 2017 thats because the plates of nephi were not in the original book of mormon. It was claimed that the contents newly found kinderhook plates told something about the race of the person with whom they were found.
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