Contemporaries of smith gave varying dimensions for the plates, as well as a wide range of estimated weights. The golden plates in reexploring the book of mormon, deseret book company and farms, 1992, page 276. Instead, i was taught and believed in the miracle of translation where the prophet joseph smith received sacred golden plates and the urim and thummim. At 531 pages, the book of mormon is a large volume of scripture. If the plates were made of gold, they would have weighed 200 pounds. According to joseph smith, the book of mormon was engraved on a stack of metal plates, six inches wide, six inches thick, eight inches long, and had the appearance of gold. Still too heavy to run three miles with, fending off attackers. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian prophethistorians from around the year ad 400. The plates weighed approximately 4060 pounds, and about half of the plates. The plates were said to be 6 to 7 inches wide, about 8 inches long and 4 to 6 inches thick. According to mormon history, an angel guided smith to buried gold plates near his home in upstate new york in 1823. The plates upon which the book of mormon was engraved were made of gold and have been. Ive heard some lds apologists argue that the plates had to of not been pure gold, however, this argument overlooks mosiah 8.
Detailed witness descriptions give us a good idea of what the gold plates which joseph smith used. The book of mormon is a religious text of the latter day saint movement. Joseph smith running with the gold plates mormonthink. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates. The modern discovery, translation, and editions of the. We also talk about the testimony of the three witnesses, three men who were allowed to see an angel and the physical gold. Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is his translation of an ancient book written on gold plates that he found buried in a hill. Is it possible for all that to fit onto a small set of gold plates. See articles of faith, by talmage, page 262, 34th ed. So, naturally, people have been studying, testing, challenging, and scrutinizing the book of mormon for almost 200 years now, trying to figure out where this book came from. Language the language on the plates is called reformed egyptian. Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon.
The prophet joseph smith described the gold plates. Based on these parameters, modern researchers have estimated plates of pure gold would weigh at least 45 kilograms 100 pounds and might be too soft for engraved characters. I wrote a great deal of the book of mormon myself, as joseph smith translated or spelled the words out in english. What was the weight of the golden plates from which joseph. Critics fail to note that at no time does the book of mormon itself say that the plates on which mormon abridged his record were made of gold. On that trunk lay a book of mormon and gold plates, labans sword, aarons breastplate. Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure. Mormons believe a con artist is a prophet who found golden. Mormon, the man and the message religious studies center. Mormon metallurgist reed putnam estimates that if the plates were made of pure gold, they would have probably weighed around 100 pounds. Dimensions according to joseph, the book was 6 x 8 x 6 and each plate was thinner than common tin. The young mans name was joseph smith and the unsealed third became known as the book of mormonanother testament of jesus christ. What was the weight of the golden plates from which joseph smith translated the book of mormon. The sealed portion the final testament of jesus christ.
The eight witnesses of the book of mormon lds blogs. Doxey, assistant in the office of the quorum of the twelve. The story of the gold plates is an absolutely essential part of the mormon narrative, for in the eyes of many latterday saints, the coming forth of this record, and its subsequent translation into the book of mormon, legitimizes their belief that smith was indeed a prophet sent by god to restore the true christian faith lost long ago due to a. Naturalistic theory of the gold plates building on ann. Thats a good question and the weight can easily be calculated. According to joseph smith, the book of mormon was engraved on a stack of plates six inches wide, six inches thick, and eight inches long that had the appearance of gold. A longer version of this article was originally published by the neal a. In studying the history of joseph smith and the the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, referred to as the mormons, we emphasize joseph smiths own testimony of the book of mormon, that book of additional scripture that is another testament of jesus christ. According to smith, the angel was the guardian of the golden plates, buried in the hill cumorah near smiths home in western new york. I never saw the golden plates, only in a visionary or entranced state. It was the upper plates of the plates of mormon which were translated both into the book of lehi 116 pages and also the book of mormon. Wouldnt actual gold plates be too heavy to carry around.
The plates weighed approximately sixty pounds witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pound. If its a fraud, the rest of our truth claims come tumbling down. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates fairmormon. By the following calculations, the book of mormon text fits on a 2. Ive also heard people say that he must have been empowered by god. Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure gold, or that they are a solid block of gold. How much would the gold plates weigh that momonisms. Mormon challenges were the actual gold plates too heavy. The book of mormon merely says they were made of ore 1 nephi 19. How could joseph carry the golden plates around so easily, and how could the witness have hefted the plates.
Smith allegedly collected the plates, which were inscribed in reformed egyptian by ancient americans with hebraic dna, and translated them into the churchs signature text, the book of mormon, which he published in 1830. If god can create the world, he can condense the book of mormon into golden plates. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the. Mormons believe a con artist is a prophet who found golden plates in ny posted on jan 9, 2012 82 comments mormon beliefs were started by joseph smith, a convicted con artist, from palmyra, new york, who allegedly found golden plates, which he translated to become the book of mormon. In his book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, he wrote, r. But, harris provided this information in an interview with anthony metcalf. Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds some critics assume that the golden plates are pure gold, or that they are a solid block of gold. This article traces its modern history from josephs accounts of discovering the gold plates from which the book of mormon is said to have been translated to the most recent editions of josephs translation. Outsiders might be skeptical of a holy book written on gold plates unearthed in an upstate new york field by a migrant farmer almost 200 years ago, but the book of mormon is here to stay. Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds. Have you ever thought of how much the golden plates that joseph smith translated the book of mormon from weighed. A true testimony of the book of mormon comes from reading it and, as counseled by moroni in a promise he left to us in moroni 10. The keystone of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints is the book of mormon. Could the entire book of mormon text fit on gold plates.
The book of mormon mentions plates of brass or of gold that were used to preserve a wide variety of materials, from genealogies to history and prophecy. Facts on the book of mormon witnesses part 1 mormons. The latter being sacred interpreters that had been prepared and preserved by the lord to bring forth the book of mormon in his due time. The manner in which joseph received the plates has been a matter of controversy since he first made the unprecedented claim that he was visited by god himself in what is known as the first vision.
If they were a block of those dimensions made out of pure gold which is unlikely and n. Mormon and moroni, the book says, had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of metal plates. Critics of the church often use the weight of the plates as evidence that the book of mormon story is not true. The weight of the golden plates miscellaneous mormon. In his book, an ancient american setting for the book of mormon, he wrote. Sorenson, agreed that putnams explanation helps solve the weight problem. By such statements the critics have hoped to break the mormon pitcher at the threshold, as the greek. There is no question that metal was sometimes used as writing material in the ancient world, including the near east. The golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold the golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold, new era, july.
If this is the case then such a story really carries no more persuasive weight than the testimony of the three witnesses who claimed to have seen the plates smith received from moroni. Joseph smith recorded that moroni told him that the nephite record was written upon gold plates, but this does not exclude the possibility that they were actually a. Different people estimated the weight at 30 to 60 lbs. We know that, and critics of our faith know that as well. Problems with the gold plates in the book of mormon. Though lead is lighter than gold, these lead plates weight 118 pounds, or one. If you dropped the golden plates, they would have made a pretty big dent in. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship as how witnesses described the gold plates, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. Supposedly all three men saw the angel and gold plates the same day. Mesoamericans did use a coppergold alloy the spaniards called.
The term is used throughout the book of mormon to describe the religious, political, and cultural traditions of the group of settlers. The young prophet translated the unsealed portion of those plates and published that translation to the world for the first time in march 1830 as the book of mormon. I was reading about the golden plates and it is hysterical, my sides are hurting. We do not have the book of mormon metal plates available to us. Others have asserted that if the prophet joseph had a sufficient number of gold plates to contain the entire text of the book of mormon, they would have been too heavy to handle as a book. The eight witnesses described them as having the appearance of gold. Latter day saints believe the plates were the source material for the book of mormon. Nobody knows how much the plates should have, or did weigh. Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon christian.
1463 10 877 801 1236 915 581 324 474 954 1155 820 924 1237 460 470 1539 829 928 170 91 1119 1221 151 789 1194 1467 691 402 1414 272 789 1243 121 661 316 854 1350