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. 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. Printed in canada first edition, isbn 9780981146720. How could joseph carry the golden plates around so easily, and how could the witness have hefted the plates without a recorded difficulty when the plates had to weigh at least 230 pounds. Mormon metallurgist reed putnam estimates that if the plates were made of pure gold, they would have probably weighed around 100 pounds. Aug 11, 2009 supplementing jeff lindsays book of mormon evidences page. Every latterday saint mormon is aware of joseph smiths claim that he discovered golden plates from which the book of mormon was translated.
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. Mormon writes book of mormon stories on the golden plates many prophets wrote on the golden plates. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be linked. The golden plates is an illustrated adaptation of the fifth best selling book of all time, the book of mormon. Unless otherwise indicated, bible quotations are taken from the king james version. She grew up in harmony, pennsylvania, along the banks of the. Joseph smith gave martin harris a friend interested in financing the translation a paper of characters allegedly copied from the gold plates, so that harris could get an independent opinion of them. He retrieved these tablets of gold and translated the book of. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates fairmormon.
They wrote about jesus christ and about how to keep the commandments. Putnam has argued persuasively that the book of mormon plates that were in joseph smiths hands were of tumbaga. There are many differing accounts that have been given about the history of the characters that joseph smith supposedly copied from the gold plates he claimed a messenger from the skies informed. Sorenson, agreed that putnams explanation helps solve the weight problem.
But instead of just retranslating the pages from the plates, he received a message from the lord telling him not to bother. Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure gold, or that they are a solid block of gold. I think there is much better evidence against the book of mormon. A fake of something no one has ever seen before is inherently suspect.
The plates were written in a language called reformed. But, what never seems to go away for book of mormon critics are those pesky witnesses. Contemporaries of smith gave varying dimensions for the plates, as well as a wide range of estimated weights. When the book of mormon was published in 1830, the. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the book of mormon was translated. Palmer first writes about the origins of the book of mormon and the golden plates. Also where did he find it he said an angel gave it to him, but doesnt that sound crazy. What language were the golden plates actually written in and how did joseph smith junior possibly translate a language that he didnt even know. Provided to youtube by cdbaby book of mormon storiesthe golden plates insideout a cappella sharing time. In his book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, he wrote.
Unlike most articles that seem to manifest so quickly, i intent to discuss evidence in support of this book s claims. Nov 03, 2016 i dont know where you get your size estimates but they are way off the witness descriptions that state the gps were between 56 inches wide, 8 inches long and 56 inches thick. Ancient metal plates book of mormon archaeological forum. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship as how witnesses described the gold plates, journal.
Doxey, assistant in the office of the quorum of the. 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. Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon christian. The angel moroni showed joseph smith where to find the golden plates. Once joseph hid them under the bricks of the fireplace. Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure. A righteous man named ammaron hid the golden plates so they would be safe. The angel morona gave joseph smith the golden tablets while he was going for a walk in the woods.
The sword of laban and the tree of life the golden plates, volume one michael d. If mormon s book of mormon plates were made of tumbaga, their weight would have been much less than had they been made of pure gold. Feast of trumpets and joseph smith, golden plates, moroni, rosh hashana the book of mormon has been a hot topic for a long time. Four years later, joseph and his wife, emma, went in a wagon to get the plates. Mormon and moroni, the book says, had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of metal plates. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian prophethistorians from around the year ad 400. Confusion about the golden plates moronis america the. 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. During this visit moroni told joseph that the plates and the urim and thummim were buried nearby, and showed him their location. Another testament of jesus christ, which has sold over 120 million copies. There are many differing accounts that have been given about the history of.
Mar 02, 2018 but, what never seems to go away for book of mormon critics are those pesky witnesses. 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. Thats because the plates of nephi were not in the original book of mormon. This graphic novelcomic book adaptation was first created in 2005 by award winning artist michael allred. Unlike most articles that seem to manifest so quickly, i intent to discuss. Two top plates are made of brass and imprinted with reformed egyptian characters. The book of mormon itself refers to a long tradition of writing historical. So he is right only if we were talking about nice flat cast rolled and milled plates. Smith claimed to be able to translate these engravings, and the result of his translation was the book of mormon.
Joseph smiths golden plate story debunked reasons for jesus. Jun 23, 2015 provided to youtube by cdbaby book of mormon storiesthe golden plates insideout a cappella sharing time. 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. Pure gold plates would be too soft to hold engraving well. Joseph smith claimed he translated the book of mormon from a set of golden plates that were given to him by an angel named. On a page of my ldsfaq section of this website, i provide evidence that the concept of ancient people writing sacred scripture on metal plates has found increasing support since the days of joseph smith. Some contemporaries of smiths suggested that the plates weighed 60 pounds while others alleged they were 30 pounds 2. An alloy of gold and copper called tumbaga, known in mesoamerica, would suit both the appearance and weight of the plates. Every latterday saint mormon is aware of joseph smiths claim that he discovered.
Recall that mormon tradition claims that smith discovered some golden plates which contained engravings of an ancient reformed egyptian language. Golden plates life cycle testifies of book of mormon. The sword of laban and the tree of life the golden plates. The video is the third in book of mormon centrals evidence video.
The plates, which had a depth of about six inches, were bound together by three dshaped rings, similar to a threering binder today. I propose as a thought that the box that the golden plates were in was moved from its original location to new york by a miracle performed by moroni, perhaps even a movingthemount. Check out book of mormon centrals new video, detailing the historical evidence for the existence of the book of mormon golden plates. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates. You try spraying, scrubbing, and still were left with so many persons whose testimonies of the. A longer version of this article was originally published by the neal a.
Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon. Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds. The 2003 south park depiction of the book of mormons translation process turns out to be more accurate than sanitized lds images of joseph smith poring over the golden plates. The book of mormon is a sacred text of the latter day saint movement, which, according to adherents, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the american continent from approximately 2200 bc to ad 421. The golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold the golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold, new era, july. Josephs preface and a testimonial written by a group of eight witnesses described the plates as having an appearance of gold. How to make the golden plates with kids eve out of the garden. Translating the golden plates lds video encyclopedia. We first learn about them from the visit of the angel moroni to. The language on the plates is called reformed egyptian. The caractors from the gold plates mormonite musings. Assuming that every inch of available space was used and both sides were engraved, 150,000 characters would still have to fit on to a dozen or so plates.
As i understand lds teaching, an angelperhaps moronishowed joseph smith the place where plates of gold had been hidden for many centuries. 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. Joseph smith running with the gold plates mormonthink. 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. How did the book of mormon golden plates get to new york. The gold plates would have weighed approx 200 lbs given the. On 22 september 1823, after receiving repeated instruction from the angel moroni, joseph smith went to a large hill convenient to his fathers home. But many people forgot jesus christ and didnt follow him anymore. Putnam made that point in mathematical detail and concluded. The book of mormon is a complex text with a complicated history. Obviously, with so much work lost, smith was distraught. The golden plates upon which the book of mormon was written have had quite a history, and it is rather well documented. Gold contact paper i got mine at a craft store, but amazon has some too.
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. What happened to the golden plates from which joseph smith. There are, as far as i know, no data from which to calculate, with accuracy, the number of plates contained in the original volume of. Dec 07, 2017 thats because the plates of nephi were not in the original book of mormon. Book of mormon stories mormon writes on the golden plates. In his book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, he wrote, r. 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. Critics of the church often use the weight of the plates as evidence that the book of mormon story is not true.
We build enduring faith in jesus christ by making the book of mormon accessible, comprehensible. Book of mormon stories mormon writes on the golden. We first learn about them from the visit of the angel moroni to joseph smith on september 21, 1823. The plates were written in a language called reformed egyptian. With the help of scribes he began translating the plates. Emma smith witnesses of the golden plates and book of mormon. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the. 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.
This is a good project for celebration of the feast of trumpets, when joseph got the gold plates from moroni. The day joseph got the plates and urimm and thummim september 22, 1827 ver mais. Even as a tbm i had a hard time believing that the. Table 2 summarizes the precise proposed dates on the gregorian. Putnam made that point in mathematical detail and concluded that the total weight of the plates in joseph smiths charge would have been near the 60pound figure reported by several witnesses. Why are we told about the different metal record plates comprising the book of mormon. Recall that mormon tradition claims that smith discovered some golden plates which contained engravings. The korean plates were made by hammering gold into sheets and the sheets do not lay flat. The remaining plates are of a paper composite material colored gold but with no inscriptions.
So he is right only if we were talking about nice flat cast. May 18, 2009 what language were the golden plates actually written in and how did joseph smith junior possibly translate a language that he didnt even know. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship as how witnesses described the gold plates, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. The church of jesus christ of latterday saints the mormons. Disturbing early versions of the golden plates accounts. Criticism is aimed at joseph smiths claims because of what appear to be historical contradictions. This graphic novelcomic book adaptation was first illustrated in 2005 by award winning artist michael allred. 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. Smith told him in 1827 that the plates weighed between 40. 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. Part i of 19th century photo of joseph smiths caractors found if you missed the introduction to this article, click on the link. Supplementing jeff lindsays book of mormon evidences page. Golden plates to book of mormon more about the plates the pages were thin sheets of metal. I dont know where you get your size estimates but they are way off the witness descriptions that state the gps were between 56 inches wide, 8 inches long and 56 inches thick.
If mormons book of mormon plates were made of tumbaga, their weight would have been much less than had they been made of pure gold. Mar 09, 2010 i propose as a thought that the box that the golden plates were in was moved from its original location to new york by a miracle performed by moroni, perhaps even a movingthemount which would make the hill cumorah that moroni hid the plates in, the same hill cumorah in new york, relocated. Forgeries are usually copies of known types of items to avoid controversy. How could joseph carry the golden plates around so easily, and how could the witness have hefted the plates. The plates are said to have been 7 x 8 x 6 high, and gold weighs 1204. An introduction to the study of the book of mormon weight. Even as a tbm i had a hard time believing that the whole book of mormon could fit on the plates that were described. And some of the book of mormon sounds as though the preachers were falling from god and casting his name.
The remaining plates are of a paper composite material colored gold. You try spraying, scrubbing, and still were left with so many persons whose testimonies of the physicality of the golden plates, angels, and other artifactsnever wavered. There are, as far as i know, no data from which to calculate, with accuracy, the number of plates contained in the original volume of the book of mormon, or their weight. The implausible metal plates of book of mormonimplausible in. The term golden bible is also used with a negative connotation.
Those implausible golden plates of the book of mormon. Joseph smith gave martin harris a friend interested in. Emma smith bidamon a witness of the book of mormon. Packer, in his article cumorahs cave, printed in the journal of book of mormon studies v. Though lead is lighter than gold, these lead plates weight 118 pounds, or one. So there is a lot of air space within the volume envelope. Emma hale smith bidamon was born on july 10, 1804, to isaac and elizabeth hale. The 2003 south park depiction of the book of mormon s translation process turns out to be more accurate than sanitized lds images of joseph smith poring over the golden plates. However, the golden plates are just one of many known and reputed metal plates with significance in the latter day saint movement.
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