Mormonism and engraved metal plates
Encyclopedia
Engraved metal plates hold a special significance in the Latter Day Saint movement
(Mormonism) because in 1827, the founder of that religion, Joseph Smith, Jr., claimed to have obtained a set of engraved golden plates
from an angel and from them translated the Book of Mormon
, a religious text
of that religious tradition.
Latter Day Saints believe that other engraved metal plates exist, most of which are mentioned in the Book of Mormon
. In addition, Mormon apologists argue that the golden plates are part of a long tradition of writing on engraved metal plates in the Middle East.
The golden plates
are a set of bound and engraved metal plates that Latter Day Saint
denominations believe are the source of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s translation of the Book of Mormon
. Although several witnesses said they saw the plates, Smith said that he returned them to an angel. Most Latter Day Saints assume their authenticity as a matter of faith.
Joseph Smith said he discovered the plates on September 22, 1823 on Cumorah hill
, Manchester
, New York
, where he said they had been hidden in a buried box and protected for centuries by the angel Moroni, the spirit of an ancient American prophet-historian, who had been last to write on them. Smith claimed that the angel required him to obey certain commandments prior to receiving them and that his inability to obey prevented him from obtaining the plates until four years later, on September 22, 1827.
During this period, Smith also began dictating written commandments
in the voice of God, including a commandment to form a new church and to choose eleven men
who would join Smith as witnesses of the plates. These witnesses later declared, in two separate written statements attached to the 1830 published Book of Mormon, that they had seen the plates.
Although the Book of Mormon is generally accepted by adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement as a sacred text, not all Latter Day Saints view the plates as a physical artifact engraved by ancient prophets.
In 1843, Smith acquired a set of six small bell-shaped plates, known as the Kinderhook Plates
, found in Kinderhook
, Pike County, Illinois. Although Smith did not translate the plates, William Clayton, his secretary, wrote that Smith said they contained "the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt." As Richard Bushman
has written, "Joseph may not have detected the fraud, but he did not swing into a full-fledged translation as he had with the Egyptian scrolls. The trap did not quite spring shut, which foiled the conspirators original plan." After Smith's death, the Kinderhook Plates were presumed lost, and for decades The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) published facsimiles of them in its official History of the Church
. In 1980 the Kinderhook Plates were tested at Brigham Young University
and determined to have been manufactured during the nineteenth century. Today, the LDS Church acknowledges that the plates were a hoax.
or "Voree Record." Like Joseph Smith, Strang produced witnesses to testify to his plates' authenticity. Although Strang's attempt to supplant Brigham Young proved abortive, Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith
, and for a time all living witnesses to the Book of Mormon
, including the three Whitmers and Martin Harris (although perhaps excluding Oliver Cowdery
), accepted "Strang's leadership, angelic call, metal plates, and his translation of these plates as authentic." Strang equally claimed to have discovered and translated the Plates of Laban spoken of in the Book of Mormon. As with the Voree Plates, Strang produced witnesses who authenticated them. Strang's purported translation of these plates was published in 1850 as the Book of the Law of the Lord
, which together with the Voree Record, is accepted as Scripture by members of Strang's diminutive church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
.
gold book bound together with rings, written in Etruscan, was found in Bulgaria; and in 2005, an eight-page golden codex, allegedly from the Achaemenid period, was recovered from smugglers by the Iranian police. The Pyrgi Tablets
(now at the National Etruscan Museum
, Rome) are gold plates with a bilingual Phoenician-Etruscan text. In the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls
were found, archaeologists later discovered the "Copper Scroll
," two rolled sheets of copper that may describe locations where treasures of the Second Temple
of Jerusalem may have been hidden. Another Israelite example is the tiny "Silver Scrolls" dated to the 7th century BCE (First Temple period), containing just a few verses of scripture, perhaps the oldest extant passages of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, there is no known extant example of writing on metal plates longer than the eight-page Persian codex and no extant metal plates with writing from Egypt or from any ancient civilization in the Western Hemisphere.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
(Mormonism) because in 1827, the founder of that religion, Joseph Smith, Jr., claimed to have obtained a set of engraved golden plates
Golden Plates
According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith...
from an angel and from them translated the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, a religious text
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
of that religious tradition.
Latter Day Saints believe that other engraved metal plates exist, most of which are mentioned in the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. In addition, Mormon apologists argue that the golden plates are part of a long tradition of writing on engraved metal plates in the Middle East.
The golden plates
Golden Plates
According to Latter Day Saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which Joseph Smith, Jr. translated the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the faith...
are a set of bound and engraved metal plates that Latter Day Saint
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
denominations believe are the source of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s translation of the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
. Although several witnesses said they saw the plates, Smith said that he returned them to an angel. Most Latter Day Saints assume their authenticity as a matter of faith.
Joseph Smith said he discovered the plates on September 22, 1823 on Cumorah hill
Cumorah
Cumorah is a drumlin in Manchester, New York, where Joseph Smith, Jr...
, Manchester
Manchester (town), New York
Manchester is a town in Ontario County, New York, USA. The population was 9,258 at the 2000 census. The town was named after one of its villages, which in turn was named after the original Manchester in Greater Manchester, England....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where he said they had been hidden in a buried box and protected for centuries by the angel Moroni, the spirit of an ancient American prophet-historian, who had been last to write on them. Smith claimed that the angel required him to obey certain commandments prior to receiving them and that his inability to obey prevented him from obtaining the plates until four years later, on September 22, 1827.
During this period, Smith also began dictating written commandments
Doctrine and Covenants
The Doctrine and Covenants is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement...
in the voice of God, including a commandment to form a new church and to choose eleven men
Book of Mormon witnesses
The Book of Mormon witnesses are a group of contemporaries of Joseph Smith, Jr. who said they saw the golden plates from which Smith said he translated the Book of Mormon...
who would join Smith as witnesses of the plates. These witnesses later declared, in two separate written statements attached to the 1830 published Book of Mormon, that they had seen the plates.
Although the Book of Mormon is generally accepted by adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement as a sacred text, not all Latter Day Saints view the plates as a physical artifact engraved by ancient prophets.
Other plates referred to in the Book of Mormon
In addition to the Golden Plates, the Book of Mormon refers to several other sets of books written on metal plates:- The brass plates originally in the custody of LabanLaban (Book of Mormon)Laban was the name of a person in the first part of The Book of Mormon, a scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement. Although he only makes a brief appearance in the narrative, his brass plates would play an important role amongst the Nephites, who are the book's main protagonists.-Laban:In the...
, containing the writings of Old Testament prophets before the Babylonian Exile, as well as the otherwise unknown prophets ZenosZenosAccording to the Book of Mormon, Zenos was an old world prophet whose pre-Christian era writings were recorded upon the plates of brass. Zenos is quoted or paraphrased a number of times by writers in the Book of Mormon, including Nephi, Jacob, Alma, son of Alma, Nephi, son of Helaman, Samuel the...
, Zenoch, Neum, and possibly others. - The large plates of NephiPlates of NephiAccording to the Book of Mormon, the plates of Nephi, consisting of the large plates of Nephi and the small plates of Nephi, are a portion of the collection of inscribed metal plates which make up the record of the Nephites...
, the source of the text abridged by MormonMormon (prophet)Mormon is believed by followers of Mormonism to have been the narrator of much of the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which describes him as a prophet-historian and a member of a tribe of indigenous Americans known as the Nephites...
and engraved on the Golden Plates. - The small plates of NephiPlates of NephiAccording to the Book of Mormon, the plates of Nephi, consisting of the large plates of Nephi and the small plates of Nephi, are a portion of the collection of inscribed metal plates which make up the record of the Nephites...
, the source of the firstFirst Book of NephiThe First Book of Nephi is the first book of the Book of Mormon. Its full title is The First Book of Nephi: His Reign and Ministry. The book is usually referred to as First Nephi and abbreviated as "1 Ne.". It is a first-person narrative, beginning around 600 BC, of a prophet named Nephi...
and secondSecond Book of NephiThe Second Book of Nephi is the second book of the Book of Mormon. The book is usually referred to as Second Nephi, and is abbreviated "2 Ne." According to the book, it was written by the ancient prophet Nephi, who lived around 600 BC....
books of Nephi, and the books of JacobBook of JacobThe Book of Jacob is the third book of the Book of Mormon. Its full title is The Book of Jacob: The Brother of Nephi. According to the text, it was written by the ancient prophet Jacob, brother of the prophet Nephi, believed to have lived during the 6th century BC.While this book contains some...
, EnosBook of EnosThe Book of Enos is the fourth book of the Book of Mormon. According to the text it was written by Enos, a Nephite prophet.The short book consists of a single chapter and relates Enos's conversion after praying all day and all night, and his subsequent dialogue with the Lord. It also discusses the...
, JaromBook of JaromThe Book of Jarom is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. According to the text it was written by Jarom, a descendant of the prophet Nephi.The book consists of a single chapter...
and OmniBook of OmniThe Book of Omni is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The book contains only one chapter although it covers more than two centuries of Nephite history ....
, which replaced the lost 116 pages. - A set of twenty-four plates found by the people of LimhiLimhiIn The Book of Mormon, Limhi was the third and final king of the second Nephite habitation of the land of Lehi-Nephi. He succeeded his father, Noah. Led by Ammon, he escaped from the Lamanites with his people to Zarahemla.-See also:* King Noah...
containing the record of the JarediteJarediteThe Jaredites are a people written of in the Book of Mormon, principally in the Book of Ether. In the Book of Ether, the Jaredites are described as the descendants of Jared and his brother, at the time of the Tower of Babel. According to the Book of Mormon, the people fled across the Ocean via...
s, translated by King MosiahMosiahThere are two individuals named Mosiah in The Book of Mormon. They were grandfather and grandson, respectively, and both served as king of the Nephites at Zarahemla.*Mosiah I*Mosiah IIMosiah may also refer to:*Book of Mosiah...
, and abridged by Moroni as the Book of EtherBook of EtherThe Book of Ether is one of the books that make up the Book of Mormon. The Book of Ether tells of an ancient people , descendants of Jared and his companions who were led by God to the Americas shortly after the confusion of tongues and the destruction of the Tower of Babel...
.
Kinderhook plates
Kinderhook Plates
The Kinderhook plates were a set of 6 small, bell-shaped pieces of brass with strange engravings which were claimed to have been discovered in 1843 in an Indian mound near Kinderhook, Illinois....
, found in Kinderhook
Kinderhook, Illinois
Kinderhook is a village in Pike County, Illinois, United States. The population was 249 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kinderhook is located at ....
, Pike County, Illinois. Although Smith did not translate the plates, William Clayton, his secretary, wrote that Smith said they contained "the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt." As Richard Bushman
Richard Bushman
Richard Lyman Bushman is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University. He is currently the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University...
has written, "Joseph may not have detected the fraud, but he did not swing into a full-fledged translation as he had with the Egyptian scrolls. The trap did not quite spring shut, which foiled the conspirators original plan." After Smith's death, the Kinderhook Plates were presumed lost, and for decades The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) published facsimiles of them in its official History of the Church
History of the Church
History of the Church is a semi-official history of the early Latter Day Saint movement during the lifetime of founder Joseph...
. In 1980 the Kinderhook Plates were tested at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
and determined to have been manufactured during the nineteenth century. Today, the LDS Church acknowledges that the plates were a hoax.
Vooree Plates and the Book of the Law of the Lord
James J. Strang, one of many rival claimants to succeed Smith in the 1844 Succession Crisis, said that he had discovered and translated a set of plates known as the Voree PlatesVoree Plates
The Voree Plates, sometimes called The Record of Rajah Manchou of Vorito, or the Voree Record, were a set of three tiny metal plates allegedly discovered by James J. Strang in 1845 in Voree, near Burlington, Wisconsin...
or "Voree Record." Like Joseph Smith, Strang produced witnesses to testify to his plates' authenticity. Although Strang's attempt to supplant Brigham Young proved abortive, Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith
Lucy Mack Smith
Lucy Mack Smith was the mother of Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. She is most noted for writing an award-winning memoir: Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations. She was an important leader of the movement during...
, and for a time all living witnesses to the Book of Mormon
Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
, including the three Whitmers and Martin Harris (although perhaps excluding Oliver Cowdery
Oliver Cowdery
Oliver H. P. Cowdery was, with Joseph Smith, Jr., an important participant in the formative period of the Latter Day Saint movement between 1829 and 1836, becoming one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon's golden plates, one of the first Latter Day Saint apostles, and the Second Elder of...
), accepted "Strang's leadership, angelic call, metal plates, and his translation of these plates as authentic." Strang equally claimed to have discovered and translated the Plates of Laban spoken of in the Book of Mormon. As with the Voree Plates, Strang produced witnesses who authenticated them. Strang's purported translation of these plates was published in 1850 as the Book of the Law of the Lord
Book of the Law of the Lord
The Book of the Law of the Lord is a book accepted as scripture by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . It is alleged to be a translation by the Strangite prophet James Strang of the Plates of Laban, originally acquired by Nephi, a leading character in the early portion of The Book of...
, which together with the Voree Record, is accepted as Scripture by members of Strang's diminutive church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is a denomination of the Latter Day Saint movement with around three hundred members as of 1998...
.
Metal plates in Mormon apologetic studies
Mormon apologists argue that the golden plates are part of a long tradition of writing on engraved metal plates in the ancient Mediterranean. Some ancient European and Mesopotamian cultures did keep short records on metal plates, but extant examples are rare, have comparatively brief texts, and are extremely thin. A six-page, 24-caratCarat (purity)
The karat or carat is a unit of purity for gold alloys.- Measure :Karat purity is measured as 24 times the purity by mass:where...
gold book bound together with rings, written in Etruscan, was found in Bulgaria; and in 2005, an eight-page golden codex, allegedly from the Achaemenid period, was recovered from smugglers by the Iranian police. The Pyrgi Tablets
Pyrgi Tablets
The Pyrgi Tablets, found in a 1964 excavation of a sanctuary of ancient Pyrgi on the Tyrrhenian coast of Italy , are three golden leaves that record a dedication made around 500 BC by Thefarie Velianas, king of Caere, to the Phoenician goddess ʻAshtaret. Pyrgi was the port of the southern Etruscan...
(now at the National Etruscan Museum
National Etruscan Museum
The National Etruscan Museum is a museum of the Etruscan civilization housed in the Villa Giulia in Rome, Italy.-History:The villa was built by the popes and remained their property until 1870 when, in the wake of the Risorgimento and the demise of the Papal States, it became the property of the...
, Rome) are gold plates with a bilingual Phoenician-Etruscan text. In the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls
Dead Sea scrolls
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name...
were found, archaeologists later discovered the "Copper Scroll
Copper Scroll
The Copper Scroll is one of the Dead Sea Scrolls found in Cave 3 near Khirbet Qumran, but differs significantly from the others. Whereas the other scrolls are written on parchment or papyrus, this scroll is written on metal: copper mixed with about 1 percent tin...
," two rolled sheets of copper that may describe locations where treasures of the Second Temple
Second Temple
The Jewish Second Temple was an important shrine which stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem between 516 BCE and 70 CE. It replaced the First Temple which was destroyed in 586 BCE, when the Jewish nation was exiled to Babylon...
of Jerusalem may have been hidden. Another Israelite example is the tiny "Silver Scrolls" dated to the 7th century BCE (First Temple period), containing just a few verses of scripture, perhaps the oldest extant passages of the Old Testament. Nevertheless, there is no known extant example of writing on metal plates longer than the eight-page Persian codex and no extant metal plates with writing from Egypt or from any ancient civilization in the Western Hemisphere.