Introductory Pages of the Book of Mormon
Resources and Commentary (original manual material in blue)
2024 will see Latter-day Saints throughout the world focusing on the Book of Mormon. We will see testimonies grow, devotion to Christ deepen, and love for others expand around the world. We will see movement toward no more contention through clarity, charity, and understanding.
In this blog, we offer some additional resources not mentioned in the lesson manual, all in the pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding.
To keep the posts as short as possible, we will provide links for those interested in additional information and analysis.
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The lesson begins with an image of Mormon abridging the Nephite records.
Note that when he first met Joseph Smith, Moroni explained that "the history was written and deposited not far from that place," referring to Joseph's home near Palmyra, New York. This means Mormon and Moroni lived in western New York.
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| "written and deposited not far from that place" See https://www.lettervii.com/2024/01/the-coming-forth-of-book-of-mormon.html |
Moroni's statement corroborates what Joseph and Oliver said about the setting of the Book of Mormon. Mormon abridged the Nephite records he had brought to Cumorah from the hill Shim. (See Mormon 4:23 and 6:6)
Oliver explained that he and Joseph had visited that repository in the hill Cumorah--the same hill where Moroni constructed the stone box for the abridged plates. As Orson Pratt explained, there were "two departments" in the hill, one containing the repository of Nephite records, and the second containing the abridgment. (For references, see https://www.mobom.org/cumorah-overview)
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Title Page
Title page of the Book of Mormon
Studying the Book of Mormon can strengthen my faith in Jesus Christ.
The title page of the Book of Mormon provides more than just a title. Among other things, it lists several purposes of this sacred record. Look for these purposes in the title page. Questions like these can help you as you ponder: Why do we have the Book of Mormon? How is the Book of Mormon different from other books?
Joseph Smith explained that the Title Page was on the "last leaf" of the plates. The Title Page describes the contents, which consisted of three elements:
1. "Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites..." (Mosiah through Mormon 7)
2. "An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared" (Ether)
3. "Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile" (Mormon 8-9 and Moroni)
Notice that the Title Page does not mention any original records. The plates Moroni placed in the stone box were all written by Mormon and Moroni.
Joseph Smith translated all of the abridged plates (including the lost 116 pages) in Harmony, Pennsylvania.
What about the plates of Nephi that Joseph translated in Fayette, New York, now known as 1 Nephi through Words of Mormon? Why weren't these included in the Title Page?
The answer is simple.
When Oliver tried to translate, the Lord explained why he could not do so.
1 Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you did not translate according to that which you desired of me, and did commence again to write for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., even so I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record, which I have entrusted unto him.2 And then, behold, other records have I, that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate. (Doctrine and Covenants 9:1–2)
"This record" consisted of the abridged plates from the stone box that Joseph translated in Harmony.
What were the "other records" the Lord referred to?
The answer is in the next section of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Recall that Joseph gave Martin Harris the 116 pages that Martin lost. When they finished translating the abridged plates, Joseph and Oliver thought they should go back and retranslate the Book of Lehi from the abridgment. Instead, the Lord told them they'd have to translate the plates of Nephi.
30 Behold, I say unto you, that you shall not translate again those words which have gone forth out of your hands;...38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.40 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—41 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;42 And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.(Doctrine and Covenants 10:30, 38–42)
But they didn't have the plates of Nephi in Harmony. That's one reason why they traveled to Fayette.
Joseph's mother Lucy explained that
as he one morning applied them [the urim and thummim] to his eyes to look upon the record [notice he wasn't reading off a stone in a hat] instead of the words of the book being given him he was commanded to write a letter to one David Whitmer this man Joseph had never seen but he was instructed to say him that he must come with his team immediately in order to convey Joseph and Oliver back to his house which was 135 miles that they might remain with him there until the translation should be completed
Before leaving Harmony, Joseph gave the abridged plates to a messenger he later explained was one of the Three Nephites. David Whitmer drove his wagon to Harmony to pick up Joseph and Oliver. On the way back to Fayette, they passed the messenger who had the plates. He declined a ride, explaining that he was "going to Cumorah." David distinctly remembered the event because he didn't know what Cumorah meant. After they arrived in Fayette, the messenger gave the plates of Nephi to Joseph to translate.
For a diagram explaining this, see http://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html
For a discussion of the imaginary narrative that it was Moroni instead of one of the Three Nephites who showed the plates to David's mother Mary Whitmer, see
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The lesson includes three video links, including this one which depicts Mayan temples pursuant to the Mesoamerican/two Cumorahs theory that repudiates what the prophets have taught about Cumorah.
Another video to consider is Scriptures Legacy, which depicts a North American setting consistent with the New York Cumorah. (IMO, Scriptures Legacy is the best video produced so far to demonstrate the value of the Book of Mormon.)
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Finally, the lesson refers to these sources:
Saints, vol. 1, The Standard of Truth, 21–30; Gospel Topics Essays, “Book of Mormon Translation,” Gospel Library.
Saints is an important, useful reference for Latter-day Saints and their friends around the world, in many languages. For the most part, it is accurate and informative.
Sadly, the editors of Saints altered the actual historical record to accommodate and promote SITH and M2C.
Fortunately, it's easy to compare the Saints narrative to the original documents to see how the editors manipulated the history. For one analysis, see https://saintsreview.blogspot.com/2019/08/peep-stone-vs-urim-and-thummim-in-saints.html
The situation with the Gospel Topics Essay is similar. The anonymous authors wrote the essay to accommodate their theories about SITH without even quoting what Joseph and Oliver said about translating with the Urim and Thummim that came with the plates.
With the new guidelines for answering Gospel questions, that essay is obsolete. Perhaps (and hopefully) it will be revised soon. For an analysis see:
and
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