| 1823 | 1827 | 1828 | 1830 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph claimed to be visited by the angel Moroni who tells him of a buried record engraved on gold plates | Joseph begins translating the gold plates | The first 116 pages of his translation are lost | Joseph publishes his translation as the Book of Mormon |
Joseph Smith claimed that three years after he received the First Vision, he had another visitation, this time by an angel named Moroni.
He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do.... He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. | |
 | — Joseph Smith
Mormonism founder
|
- Joseph said that the angel Moroni visited him once a year, for five years, until 1827, when he was given the plates to translate.
Gold Plates
-
Location
Joseph said the plates were buried in a hill near the village of Manchester, New York. Joseph Smith—History 1:51 -
Language
The Book of Mormon narrative says that it was written in Reformed Egyptian—an unknown language today. Mormon 9:32 -
Dimensions
According to Joseph, the book was 6” x 8” x 6” and each plate was thinner than ‘common tin’.
Each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters and bound together in a volume, as the leaves of a book with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. | |
| — Joseph Smith
Mormonism founder |
-
The Sealed Portion
Two sources state that 2/3 of the book was sealed, leaving 1/3 (2”) of translatable plates. - David Whitmer, President of the Missouri church and Book of Mormon witness, Chicago Times, Oct. 17, 1881
- Orson Pratt, Mormon apostle, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 347
- Weight
| Weight | Source |
|---|---|
| 30 lbs | — Joseph Smith, Sr., Joseph’s Father Historical Magazine, Vol. 8, p. 307 |
| 40 - 50 lbs | — Martin Harris, Book of Mormon witness Tiffany’s Monthly, Vol. 5, p. 166 |
| 60 lds | — William Smith, Joseph’s brother On Mormonism, p. 12 |
Running with Plates
Joseph Smith claims he was assaulted multiple times while carrying the gold plates home. Despite lifelong complications from leg surgery, he managed to outrun his attackers carrying the 30-60 pound plates. Afterwards, a group went out to find the villains but had no success.- Childhood leg surgery.
Joseph, who was about seven years old, developed a serious infection in his left leg. Dr. Nathan Smith of Dartmouth Medical School at nearby Hanover, New Hampshire, agreed to perform a new surgical procedure to try to save the boy’s leg... Joseph bravely endured as the surgeon bored into and chipped away part of his leg bone. The surgery was successful, although Joseph walked the next several years with crutches and showed signs of a slight limp the rest of his life. | |
 | — Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith, p.2
|
- Joseph’s mother recorded his assault story.
The plates were secreted about three miles from home... Joseph, on coming to them, took them from their secret place, and, wrapping them in his linen frock, placed them under his arm and started for home.
| |
 | — Lucy Mack Smith
Joseph Smith’s mother
|
- Willard Chase, Joseph’s former employer, also recalls his assault story.
[Joseph] went for his book, found it safe, took off his frock, wrapt it round it, put it under his arm and run all the way home, a distance of about two miles. He said he should think it would weigh sixty pounds, and was sure it would weigh forty. On his return home, he said he was attacked by two men in the woods, and knocked them both down and made his escape, arrived safe and secured his treasure. | |
 | — Willard Chase
Joseph Smith’s former employer
|
