The Golden Plates
These Mysterious Pages Became the Book of Mormon
Central the the Mormon faith is the Book of Mormon. Although the beliefs in the validity of the history of the book vary widely in different Restorationist denominations, all of them hold it to be a sacred scripture and a companion to the Bible. The source of the Book of Mormon has been debated, but the official version remains that the Book of Mormon was translated from a set of Golden Plates found near the Smith home in Palmyra, New York.
These golden plates are not available for inspection, although 11 witnesses claim to have seen them. Their testimonies about the reality of these plates appear at the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon. The introduction page to the Book of Mormon itself details about the other used to compile the Golden Plates that would be uncovered by Josph Smith.
The Finding of the Golden Plates
Joseph Smith's first version, according to the Pearl of Great Price, would tell the young man that he needed to restore the church of Jesus Christ upon the face of the Earth, but between 1822-1827, Smith would be visited by an angel named Moroni, who was the last of a group of Ancient American inhabitants called the Nephites. Buried in a hill not far from the Smith home were a collection Golden Plates that contained the records of two ancient American peoples, the Nephites and the Jaredites.
Moroni told Joseph Smith where the plates could be uncovered, and Smith went to the nearby hill and attempted to dig them up. Moroni would appear to Smith for four years and tell him that the time was not right. On the final attempt, he would be accompanied by his new wife, Emma Hale Smith. The first Mormon prophet had told Emma that the angel would not allow him to have the plates unless the right person was with him.
The Retrieval of the Golden Plates
On September 3, 1827, Joseph Smith went to Hill Cumorah with his new bride. The angel appeared again and allowed him to retrieve the plates, which had been buried in a stone box. In the box, according to Mormon folklore, was the Sword of Laban and the Urim and Thummim, which would be used in the translation process. The Urim and Thummim would disappear at one point, but a FAIR article speculates that Moroni replaced the translation device with a new seer stone.
The language written on the plates was known as Reformed Egyptian, and special devices had to be used to produce the English text of what would become known as the Book of Mormon. The fantastic claims were backed by the testimony of the eleven witnesses.
Where Are the Golden Plates Today?
If the Golden Plates were available for examination today, they could prove or disprove the claims Joseph Smith made about them and give scholars an insight into the language of Reformed Egyptian. Unfortunately, when the translation was finished, the plates were taken back to heaven by Moroni.
This, the official version of events, causes many critics to question whether or not the Golden Plates ever existed. Complicating the issue is the concept that many of the witnesses saw them with their spiritual eyes, rather than physical eyes, which ties into a common metaphysical belief of the 19th century. The reality of the events of the Book of Mormon has been hotly debated, but the story of the Golden Plates themselves remains central to history of the Restorationist movement.
Sources:
Emma Hale Smith: Mormon Enigma. Linden King Newell. Valeen Tippetts Avery. University of Illinois Press. pp. 14-16.
Joseph Smith Receiving the Golden Plates
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