lecture 2 Flashcards
(14 cards)
Know these dates and their significance for the Book of Mormon: 1820, 1823, 1827, 1830.
1820: Joseph Smith is 14; his first vision
1823: Jospeh Smith in prayer; Moroni first visit; prepares JS for the plates
1827: JS receives the plates
1828-1830: JS translates the plates (on the side)
1830: BOM is published and church restored (April 6) (JS is 24/25)
1923: Joseph finds the plates
Jan 18, 1827: Joseph marries Emma Smith; together they went to get the plates; Emma’s parents do not approve of marriage bc he is poor
What was JS’s question at the First Vision? What was he praying for in 1823?
which church is true?; 1823; what is his relationship/standing with God like?
Know the story of Martin Harris and Charles and Anthon.
Martin Harris scribe for JS
His wife is not convinced
JS needs money to print the book, not just support
The anthon transcript is a copy of the chaacters for the plates thst they show to the most famous scholar in america, Charles Anthon
Charles originally thinks these are true characters and writes a certificate
He could not read them but thinks they are authentic
“How did you find these?”
“an angel”
Tears up the cerificate; wants nothing to do with the angel story
Martin Harris morgated farm for $3000
Payed for publication of BOM
Lost his farm
Be able to describe the appearance, dimensions and weight of the plates according to witnesses’ accounts. What is in the sealed portion?
Appearance of gold, golden plates, a mixture of gold and copper, 40-60 lbs, 60 lbs, heavier than stone/wood, very heavy; six by 8; 7 by 8; 8 by 7; a large portion sealed so securely, solid like wood; fastening that sealed them; sealed portion is a greater account of the brother of Jared
What is the Anthon transcript?
The anthon transcript is a copy of the chaacters for the plates thst they show to the most famous scholar in america, Charles Anthon
What did Anthon say about the transcript and what did Martin Harris do?
Charles originally thinks these are true characters and writes a certificate
He could not read them but thinks they are authentic
“How did you find these?”
“an angel”
Tears up the cerificate; wants nothing to do with the angel story
Martin Harris morgated farm for $3000
Payed for publication of BOM
Lost his farm
Know the story of Martin Harris and the 116 pages. What was on the 116 pages, what happened to them, and how did the Lord compensate for this loss?
Allows Martin to show it to his wife
His wife was unsure about this
He wants to convince her it is the word of God
She loses the words
Joseph Smith is in trouble and loses the power of translation
The Book of Mormon was translated from what ancient language?
reformed Egyptian
What are the two instruments JS used in the translation of the Book of Mormon, and how did Joseph Smith use each of them? What did these two objects look like and what happened to them?
urim and thumnim: Described as two clear stones set in silver bows (like spectacles).
Were prepared by God and given to the brother of Jared (Ether 3:23-24) and later passed down with the gold plates.
Joseph Smith used them early in the translation process by looking through them to interpret the characters on the plates.
seer stone: A small, dark-colored stone that Joseph Smith placed in a hat to block out light.
He would look into the stone, and the words of the translation would appear.
Used later in the translation process, especially after the loss of the 116 pages.
What are five other objects the Lord has used in history to further his causes? Where did JS find the seer stone? What term did JS use to refer to the interpreters and the seer stone?
rod of Aaron, brass serpent, holy anointing oils, ark of the covenant, dirt from the ground to mix with saliva
Who were four of the scribes of the translation of the Book of Mormon. Who did the most?
Oliver Cowdery – The primary scribe, writing the majority of the translation from April to June 1829.
Martin Harris – Helped early on, writing the 116 pages that were later lost.
Emma Smith – Acted as a scribe for a brief period when needed, especially before Oliver Cowdery arrived.
John Whitmer – Assisted later in the process, helping with some final portions; OLIVER COWDERY DID THE MOST
What percentage of the BOM was translated in 3 months of 1829
85%
Who were the three witnesses and what did they experience? What did the eight witnesses experience? June 25, 1823
David whitmer, Martin Harris, Oliver powdery; saw plates and an angel; eight witnesses saw plates
What is the original manuscript, who is the predominant scribe and how much survived until the present? Why? Who wrote the printer’s copy and how much survives? What was it used for? Who punctuated most of the Book of Mormon? Who published the Book of Mormon (printer), and how many copies were printed in 1830? How many dollars were required to publish the BoM and how much did Harris’s farm sell for? When pressed for specifics, what did Joseph Smith repeat about the translation process?
Manuscript dictated by Joseph to scribes; 28%
Oliver powdery and 2 other scribes made printers copy; nearly complete; used for first and second edition of BOM; bought for 35 million
Original Manuscript:
The Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon is the first version of the text, written down as Joseph Smith dictated the translation to his scribes.
Predominant Scribe: Oliver Cowdery was the primary scribe, writing most of the manuscript, especially in 1829.
Survival: Only about 28% of the Original Manuscript survives today. Much of it was lost due to damage over time (water, fire, and deterioration), with the surviving portions kept in various collections like the Church History Library.
Printer’s Copy:
The Printer’s Copy is the manuscript that was used to set the type for the first published edition of the Book of Mormon.
Who wrote it: The Printer’s Copy was primarily written by Oliver Cowdery, with some help from David Whitmer.
How much survives: Only about 30% of the Printer’s Copy survives today.
What it was used for: This copy was given to the printer, E.B. Grandin, in 1830 to create the first printed edition of the Book of Mormon.
Punctuation:
John H. Gilbert, the printer, punctuated the Book of Mormon in its first printed edition. Joseph Smith did not include punctuation in the translation, so Gilbert added it when preparing the text for printing.
Publisher and Print Run:
Printer: The Book of Mormon was published by E.B. Grandin in Palmyra, New York, in 1830.
How many copies: A total of 5,000 copies were printed in the first edition, which was considered a large print run for that time.
Cost to Publish and Sale of Harris’s Farm:
The cost to publish the Book of Mormon was about $3,000.
To help fund the publication, Martin Harris sold a portion of his farm for about $3,000, which covered the publishing expenses.
