Witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pounds. The first 116 pages of the original manuscript of joseph smiths translation of the book of mormon from the plates of mormon are commonly known as the 116 pages or the lost manuscript. Contemporaries of smith gave varying dimensions for the plates, as well as a wide range of estimated weights. Some witnesses described the plates as weighing from 30 to 60 pounds 14 to 27 kg, golden in color, and composed of thin metallic pages engraved with. If you dropped the golden plates, they would have made a pretty big dent in. Mormon history provides an idea, although somewhat conflicting, of the weight of the plates joseph smith collected from the hill to take back to his home. A surprising amount of consistent information can be gleaned from eyewitnesses.
The rithmatist was a great book that sucked you in and kept you hooked. He is currently serving as the worship pastor at cedar hills evangelical free church in cedar rapids, iowa. Only 80 sides for the whole book of mormon plus the lost book of lehi. The remaining plates are of a paper composite material colored gold but with no inscriptions. The purpose of this retreat is to provide free support to. The plates were not a solid block of gold, but a set of pagelike leaves, which reduces the weight by about 50%. Eight men, called the eight witnesses, saw and touched the plates. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates also called the gold plates or in some 19thcentury literature, the golden bible are the source from which joseph smith said he translated the book of mormon, a sacred text of the faith. Items do not represent the official views of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints or of book of mormon central.
These foolscapsize pages were handwritten in harmony, pennsylvania, between april and june 14, 1828. Different people estimated the weight of the plates differently. So he is right only if we were talking about nice flat cast rolled and milled plates. Opal louis nations has done an incredible job here. Joseph used a special rock called a seer stone to translate the plates. Some critics assume that the golden plates are pure. You may be interested to know that 5 scrolls were given to a museum in chicago.
Winner of the 2017 national book critics circle award national book award finalist time magazine top 10 nonfiction book of the year new york times notable book publishers weekly best books of 2017 a page turnerwe have long needed a fairminded overview of this vitally important religious sensibility, and fitzgerald has now provided it. Maxwell institute for religious scholarship as how witnesses described the gold plates, journal of book of mormon studies, vol. Everyone supports consumer protection, but the cfpb was given virtually unlimited power to dictate the types, terms and prices of financial products and services that consumers and small businesses can obtain from their bank or other credit. An analysis of the padilla gold plates book of mormon. Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon. This led to a number of attempts to steal the plates from the smiths. He was the last prophet of the book of mormon and died sometime after 420 a. Hiram page, whom married catherine whitmer in 1825. More on the golden plates sealed portion from brazil.
Joseph himself gave us the length, width, and thickness of the whole set of plates as 6. He was the same individual who delivered the plates to joseph smith. Mary musselman whitmer witnesses of the golden plates. This agreement would come back to haunt smith when these men felt that they should have a share in the book of mormon gold plates. Gold plates the church of jesus christ of latterday saints. New era, july the book of mormon online amazing book of mormon study guide website that has tons of additional commentary, images, video, and music to go along with what youre reading. Manuscript, lost 116 pages the encyclopedia of mormonism. John dehlin, natasha helfer parker, and margi weber dehlin on the mormon stories podcast facebook page. A model of the golden plates, made by steven pratt. Maxwell yet, unlike other stunning finds in history, the gold plates are nowhere to be found. A veteran worship leader, phil christensen wrote the popular song stories column for worship leader magazine for many years. An alloy of gold and copper called tumbaga, known in mesoamerica, would suit both the appearance and weight of the plates. Book of mormon central archive an analysis of the padilla gold plates.
You can read the testimonies of the witnesses at the beginning of the book of mormon. Be prepared to wait impatiently for the next book to be written. So there is a lot of air space within the volume envelope. When word spread that joseph smith had secured the for the book of mormon, it caused a stir in the local press. Its mostly a question on whether golden rings is referring to finger rin. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the. Some contemporaries of smiths suggested that the plates weighed 60 pounds while others alleged they were 30 pounds 2. However, after he completed his translation, he was instructed to return the gold plates to the angel and bury them. According to latter day saint belief, the golden plates are the source from which joseph smith. It is written, the golden plates are historys most stunning find in the field of religion. If the plates were made of eight karat gold, which is gold frequently used in presentday jewelry, and allowing a 10 percent space between the leaves, the total weight of the plates would not be above one hundred and seventeen poundsa weight easily carried by a man as strong as was joseph smith seven claims of the book of mormon.
Problems with the gold plates of the book of mormon christian. 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. Doxey, assistant in the office of the quorum of the. Ancient artifacts of mystery lds crafts, lds seminary. Brandon sandersons books tend to light a fire in your head and keep it burning until the end. People of all faiths and perspectives are welcome to engage in civil, respectful discussion about topics related to mormonism.
Joseph smiths golden plate story debunked reasons for jesus. The korean diamond sutra gold plates are about the same dimensions as well, except there are fewer gold leaves. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates fairmormon. He retrieved these tablets of gold and translated the book of mormon from them. Which american religious leader said he was led by an. A longer version of this article was originally published by the neal a. The korean plates were made by hammering gold into sheets and the sheets do not lay flat. Book of mormontranslationweight of the gold plates. One womans struggle to shed weight, and shame kara curtis is one of 70 million obese americans, and the issue dominates her life. Mr sanderson is a master in the art of making the reader need to know what happens next. Dear friends over the next several days i will be streaming a set. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record. Five of her sons would become witnesses for the gold plates, along with her sonsinlaw.
You know, when the world sings the twelve days of christmas each year, choirs vary between five gold rings or five golden rings. If the plates were made of eight karat gold, which is gold frequently used in presentday jewelry, and allowing a 10 percent space between the leaves, the total weight of the plates would not be above one hundred and seventeen poundsa weight easily carried by a man as strong as was joseph smith john a. As i understand lds teaching, an angelperhaps moronishowed joseph smith the place where plates of gold had been hidden for many centuries. Since gold weighs 1,204 pounds per cubic foot, we can agree with lds apostle john widtsoe who said, if the gold were pure, the plates would weigh two hundred pounds, which would be a heavy weight for a man to carry, even though he were of the athletic type of joseph smith. Brown connects many littleknown historical fragments with more familiar accounts to present the most complete narrative to date on the restoration and. Two top plates are made of brass and imprinted with reformed egyptian characters. According to the book of mormon itself, the golden plates were engraved by. The entire agreement is reproduced in early mormon documents, vol. What was the approximate weight of the gold plates from which the book of mormon was translated. Most latterday saints know the essential story of the coming forth of the book of mormon, but there are scores of fascinating details of the saga that are seldom told. The lost history of christianity is of interest to students of religion christian and muslim, middle eastern and church history, and christian ministry.
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