The Greatest Story Never Told
The Discovery and Translation of the Plates
Patrick S. McKay Sr.
I believe it is difficult and at times impossible to perfectly reconstruct the historical record. The testimonies of the principal witnesses are occasionally contradictory, often times written many years after the event, and at times sketchy. However, with the proliferation of revisionist history and the easy access to authentic early Mormon documents, it becomes obvious that the traditional understanding does not answer many questions relative to the historical record. This paper is intended to convey the story of the emergence of the Book of Mormon, not as a revisionist who would seek to find reasons to dismiss the discovery and translation of the plates as irrational, nor as an apologist who fails to examine any evidence that does not fit his pre-conceived idea of the truth, limiting his study to only "official history". Regarding another subject Apostle Paul Hanson made some comments in a letter to Israel A. Smith which echoes my feelings:
"I am writing now, I hope to make clear how things look to me; not in the spirit of controversy...It is the long range view that gives me great concern rather than the immediate present. But a policy should be followed, now, that will meet future as well as present need.[1]
The primary witness to these events is Joseph Smith himself. But Joseph's descriptions are brief and general at best. At an 1831 conference in Ohio, Hyrum Smith requested that Joseph furnish a firsthand account of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Joseph's view as recorded in the minutes of that conference state: "It was not intended to tell the world all the particulars of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon; it was not expedient for him to relate these things."[2]
Joseph's reluctance is probably warranted due to the negative and oftentimes bitter attacks on himself and the work as well as the inordinate interest some Saint's had shown in seer stones.[3] When Joseph wrote a letter to John Wentworth detailing the progress of the latter day work, he described the angel visit and translation of the Book of Mormon as "through the medium of the Urim and Thummim...by the gift and power of God."[4] There are several brief accounts where he refers to the "Urim and Thummim" and "Spectacles" and the "power of God" in relation to the translation, but in none of these statements does he provide detailed information.[5]
To understand what the Prophet meant in his repeated statements that the plates were translated through the Urim and Thummin by the gift and power of God we need to consider the other eye witness accounts that were more explicit and detailed in their descriptions of the discovery of the plates and the method which Joseph used in the translation process. There appear to have been seven scribes throughout the process; Martin Harris, Emma Smith, her brother Reuben Hale, Samuel Smith, Oliver Cowdery and brothers John and David Whitmer.[6] Martin Harris served as the first of these seven and his testimony is very specific regarding the translation. He was interviewed by Edward Stevenson in 1870, who published this testimony in the Millennial Star:
"Martin Harris related an incident that occurred during the time that he wrote that portion of the translation of the Book of Mormon which he was favored to write direct from the mouth of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He said that the Prophet possessed a seer stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as from the Urim and Thummin, and for convenience he then used the seer stone."[7]
Emma was the next to serve as Joseph's scribe. Her efforts as a scribe were probably very brief, interrupted by household responsibilities, and the pregnancy of her first child. Unfortunately, on the fragments of the remaining original manuscript her handwriting does not appear.[8] She was interviewed in 1879 by her son, Joseph Smith III. This testimony was subsequently published in the Saints' Herald:
"In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us...The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen table- cloth which I had given him to fold them in."[9]
While living in Nauvoo, Emma Smith received a letter from a sister Emma Pilgrim, the wife of a pastor of an RLDS branch in Independence, Missouri, inquiring about the translation of the Book of Mormon. In her response dated 27 March, 1870 Emma Smith wrote:
"Now the first that my husband translated, was translated by the use of the
Urim and Thummim, and that was the part that Martin Harris lost, after that
he used a small stone, not exactly black, but was rather a dark color."[10]
After Martin Harris lost the 116 pages of manuscript, Joseph and Martin were both chastened and Joseph lost the plates and his gift to translate for a season. Joseph recorded in his 1832 history:
"And it came to pass after much humility and affliction of soul, I obtained them again when [the] Lord appeared unto a young man by the name of Oliver Cowdery and shewed unto him the plates in a vision, also the truth of the work, and what the Lord was about to do through me his unworthy servant. Therefore, he was desirous to come and write for me and translate"[11]
Oliver Cowdrey's arrival enabled the translation process to accelerate. Oliver wrote in 1834:
"These were days never to be forgotten-to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven ...Day after day I continued uninterrupted to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, 'Interpreters,' the history or record, called 'The Book of Mormon'."[12]
Following Oliver's expulsion from the church, it is reported that he published a pamphlet rehearsing his grounds for leaving the church. Its authenticity has never been proven. No original copy exists; however, the testimony of the translation process seems to be in harmony with previous accounts. It reads as follows:
"Still, although favored of God as a chosen witness to bear testimony to the divine authority of the Book of Mormon, and honored of the Lord in being permitted, without money and without price, to serve as scribe during the translation of the Book of Mormon, I have sometimes had seasons of skepticism, in which I did seriously wonder whether the Prophet and I were men in our sober senses, when he would be translating from plates, through the Urim and Thummim, and the plates not be in sight at all."
"But I believed in the Seer and in the Seer Stone, and what the First Elder announced as revelation from God, I accepted as such, and committed to paper with a glad mind and happy heart and swift pen; for I believed him to be the soul of honor and truth, a young man who would die before he would lie."[13]
Shortly following Oliver's arrival in Harmony, Pennsylvania, the decision was made to move to the Peter Whitmer Sr. home where the majority of the translation took place. David Whitmer who was the most interviewed of the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon, shared his characterization of the translation process:
"I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and in darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principle scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man."[14]
David reiterated this account numerous times over a period of several years, always explaining the translation process in a similar and concordant fashion:
"Joseph did not see the plates in translation, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat excluding all light, and before him would appear what seemed to be parchment on which would appear the characters on a line at the top, and immediately below would appear the translation in English."[15]
In 1881 David gave a detailed description of the seer stone. This account is similar to his other testimonies; however, this is the only account which mentions two stones. This may be a result of the interviewer multiplying the number of stones. Here David describes the stone[s] as chocolate in color, similar to Emma's description of the seer stone.[16] Martin's description of the interpreters claimed that "the stones were white, like polished marble, with a few grey streaks."[17] The following is David's account:
"I, as well as all my father's family, Smith's wife, Oliver Cowdery, and Martin Harris were present during the translation. The translation was by Smith, and the manner as follows: He had two small stones of chocolate color, nearly egg shaped and perfectly smooth, but not transparent, called interpreters, which were given him with the plates. He did not use the plates in the translation, but would hold the interpreters to his eyes and cover his face with a hat, excluding all light."[18]
Two years previous to this, Elder T.W. Smith visited with David Whitmer and placed this interview in the Saint's Herald. Here is the substance of the interview related by T.W. Smith:"He (David) also described the size and general appearance of the plates, and he further said that he saw Joseph translate, by aid of the Urim and Thummim, time and again"[19]J. L. Traughber who was a personal friend of David and a member of the Reorganized Church, read this article in the Saints' Herald and wrote a response which was subsequently published in the November issue of that same year refuting the T.W. Smith interview:
"With the sanction of David Whitmer, and by his authority, I now state that he does not say that Joseph Smith ever translated in his presence by aid of Urim and Thummim; but by means of one dark colored stone, called a 'Seer Stone,' which was placed in the crown of a hat, into which Joseph put his face, so as to exclude the external light. Then, a spiritual light would shine forth, and parchment would appear before Joseph, upon which was a line of characters from the plates, and under it, the translation in English; at least, so Joseph said."[20]
As David Whitmer related, the translating took place in his home. His sister Elizabeth, who in 1832 married Oliver Cowdery, testified in 1870 that she was familiar with the process. She often sat by and saw and heard them translate and write for hours together. She said that Joseph never had a curtain drawn between him and his scribe while translating. She further indicated that he would place his director in his hat, then place his face in his hat to exclude the light.[21]
Joseph Knight, a trusted friend of Joseph Smith, recorded his recollections of the translation process:
"Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkened his Eyes then he would take a sentence and it would appear in Bright Roman Letters then he would tell the writer and he would write it
then that would go away the next Sentence would Come and so on."[22]
Isaac Hale, Emma's father, offers an insightful account even though he was hostile to the work. His affirmation takes place in Harmony, prior to the removal to the Whitmer homestead. Remember, it was here that Martin Harris indicated that Joseph used the "Urim and Thummim" as well as the "Seer Stone" for convenience. Here is the Isaac Hale account:
"The manner in which he [Joseph Smith] pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for money-diggers, with a stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods."[23]
Joseph Knight supports the idea expressed by Emma's father that the plates may have been in the woods. He indicated that after repairing to Harmony, the: "People Began to tease him to see the Book and to offer him money and property and they Crouded so harde that he had to hide it in the mountains." [24](Sic)
Emma Smith had a Brother-in-law named Michael Morse, who was married to Emma's sister, Trail Hale. In 1879 he was interviewed by W.W. Blair of the Reorganization. His account is remarkably consistent with that which we have already heard:
"When Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon, [Morse] had occasion more than once to go into his immediate presence, and saw him engaged at his work of translation. The mode of procedure consists in Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his elbows upon his knees, and then dictating word after word, while the scribes-Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other wrote it down."[25]
In a letter to Joseph Smith III, William McLellan, who, although estranged from the church, was a believer in and supporter of the Book of Mormon, stated that Joseph Smith, Jr., translated the "entire Book of Mormon by means of a small stone. I have certificates to that effect from E.A. Cowdery, Martin Harris, and Emma Bidamon."[26]
These accounts of the several witnesses to the translation, although differing somewhat from one another show some amazing similarities. The bulk of the testimony supports the idea of a single seer stone from the time of the lost 116 pages of manuscript. According to most accounts, the seer stone was used during all stages of the translation of the plates, both before and after the loss of the first 116 pages of manuscript. Martin's mention of using the Urim and Thummin and the Seer Stone interchangeably refers only to that portion of the translation in which he took part.
The second point at which the witnesses were consistent was their affirmation that the plates were not used in the translating process. Even if they were present Joseph would not have seen them with his face buried in the hat. Nor would others who witnessed the process have been permitted to see the plates, including the three witnesses. Martin, Oliver and David only saw the plates uncovered after they had been returned to the angel.
This image of Joseph with his head buried in a hat and the plates not in sight has not generally been held since the very earliest days of the church. The critics when reminding us of this historical picture then raise the question, why was such care taken to preserve the plates for thousands of years if they were not to be used directly in the translation process?[27] I would suggest there were at least two significant reasons for the plates. First, they were necessary to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 29. Martin Harris arrived in Harmony in February, 1828, two months after Joseph and Emma. In Joseph's 1832 history he relates that because of Martin's righteousness "the Lord appeared unto him in a vision and shewed unto him his marv[e]ilous work, which he was about to do and [im]mediately came to Susquehanna and Said the Lord had shown him that he must go to New York City with some of the characters..."[28] Joseph Knight stated that Joseph and Emma "drew off the Char[a]icters exactly like the ancient and sent Martin to see if he could g[e]it them Translated."[29] Lucy Smith related the same in her history, that Joseph was commanded to take off a facsimile of the characters composing the alphabet which were called reformed e[E]gyptian, Alphabetically, and send them to all the learned men that he could find and ask them for the translation of the same.[30] Lucy indicated that once Joseph had a translation of all the primary characters, he could then proceed by himself--thus the need to copy a great number of characters.[31] When Joseph commenced his history, he referred to Isaiah 29:11-12, and when he came to the Anthon incident he wrote:
"Martin Harris took his journey to the Eastern Cit[t]ys and to the Learned
Saying read this I pray thee and the learned Said I cannot but if he would bring the plates they would read it but the Lord had forbid it and he returned to me and gave them to me to translate and I said I cannot for I am not learned but the Lord had prepared Spectacles for to read the Book therefore I commenced translating the characters and thus the prophecy of Isaia[h] was fulfilled which is written in the 29 Chapter concerning the book..."[32]