The release of photos of Joseph Smith’s seer stone by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, together with commentary and
images of the original hand-written printer’s copy of the Book of Mormon,
generated considerable excitement among church members -- as well as ridicule and mockery from anti-Mormon cynics.
Published news articles suggested that the seer stone-in-the-hat
and translation method was something of an embarrassment for the Church that
had been hidden from everyday members. To
some, the existence of the seer stone is “shocking” or reminiscent of witchery,
magic, and the occult. To others, it is nonsensical make-believe to deceive gullible, blind-faith Mormons. Some have even suggested that the Church is
now trying to achieve greater transparency into its peculiar and enigmatic
history.
On further review, however, and when properly understood in
light of the documented historical record, the methods that Joseph Smith used
were entirely consistent with ancient methods described in the Bible and Book
of Mormon. By providing actual English
text, the translation process incorporated several safeguards: consistent translation to English without the
author’s re-interpretation, and exact spellings.
History also provides insight into methods used by prophets when
composing sacred scripture claimed to be the dictated word of God.
Paul’s second letter to Timothy explained that “All
scripture is given by inspiration of God.”
Divine revelation is a basic principle of the Church of Jesus
Christ. Joseph Smith received revelation
by personal visits from angels, seeing and hearing the voice of the Lord, mental
inspiration, and--for highly complex language and peculiar spelling of names
and places--through instruments prepared specifically for divine
revelation.
In our generation, we see nothing strange about turning to a
hand-held smart phone or tablet, scanning the internet, taking and transmitting
photos, and reading illuminated text from millions of sources connected by the
world-wide web. One may even translate
from one language to another using convenient online software tools. These are marvelous inventions supported by nearly
incomprehensible technologies that would have seemed impossible or magical just
a few years ago—even in our lifetime.
In ancient days, the Urim and Thummim comprised two white,
translucent stones held by wires like spectacles. This instrument attached to the sacred
breastplate, worn by the high priest over the Ephod (an elaborate linen
garment). Looking into the instrument,
the prophet inquired of God and received directly inspired answers (Exodus
28:13-30) as illuminated writing in the stones.
Another curious instrument, the Liahona compass (or “interpreters”)
was a brass ball with two spindles that pointed directions to Lehi and his family
after they left Jerusalem to guide them on their journey through an unknown
wilderness (1 Nephi 16:10-11). The Liahona also displayed periodic written
instructions from God.
The Liahona and the Urim and Thummim were among the Book of
Mormon artifacts that Joseph Smith said were included at Cumorah in the stone
box with the gold plates. Both
instruments worked only for righteous purposes and by power from God.
The brownish-stripped oval seer stone was a type of Urim and
Thummin for direct revelation from God in ways that we cannot fully comprehend
or appreciate. Joseph Smith used both
the Urim and Thummin and the seer stone to translate the Book of Mormon.
But was the recent news about the seer stone really anything
new to anyone familiar with Church history and doctrine? No, because the same seer stone is described
many places in Church historical literature.
Common knowledge
As a youth, I read about the seer
stone in Mormon Doctrine, 2nd
edition (Bruce R. McConkie, pp. 818-819; Salt Lake City: Bookcraft; 1966). I learned more facts about the translation process
in high school seminary and university institute classes. Nothing was particularly secret or
hidden. The Foundations
of the Restoration Teachers Manual, Lesson 3: The Coming Forth of the Book
of Mormon, states:
“…another instrument Joseph Smith
used while translating the Book of Mormon was a small oval stone, sometimes
referred to as a ‘seer stone,’ that he discovered several years before he
obtained the gold plates…The historical account indicates that the Prophet
sometimes used the Urim and Thummim and sometimes used the seer stone to
translate.”
What about the current status and location of the seer
stone? McConkie and others provided that
information as well (Mormon Doctrine.
2nd ed. Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft,
1966, under the section on Urim and Thummim, with a cross reference to Doctrines of Salvation, compiled by Bruce
R. McConkie, Volume 3, p. 225, Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1954-1956):
“The Prophet also had a seer stone
which was separate and distinct from the Urim and Thummim . . . this seer stone
is now in the possession of the Church.”
 |
David Whitmer, witness
to the Book of Mormon
translation process |
Translation process
B. H. Roberts wrote in his Comprehensive History of the
Church (Volume 1,
Chapter 10, The Coming
of Oliver Cowdery—“A Great And Marvelous Work”—Manner of Translating the Book
of Mormon):
“(Martin Harris) said that the Prophet
possessed a Seer Stone, by which he was enabled to translate as well as with
the Urim and Thummim, and for convenience he sometimes used the Seer
Stone. Martin said further that the Seer
Stone differed in appearance entirely from the Urim and Thummim that was
obtained with the plates, which were two clear stones set in two rims, very
much resembling spectacles, only they were larger. The Seer Stone referred to here was a
chocolate-colored, somewhat egg-shaped stone which the Prophet found while
digging a well in company with his brother Hyrum, for a Mr. Clark Chase, near
Palmyra, N.Y. It possessed the qualities
of Urim and Thummim, since by means of it—as described above—as well as by
means of the Interpreters found with the Nephite record, Joseph was able to
translate the characters engraven on the plates. Martin Harris’ description of the manner of
translating while he was an amanuensis to the Prophet is as follows:
“By aid of the Seer Stone, sentences would
appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin, and when finished he
would say ‘written,’ and if correctly written, the sentence would disappear and
another appear in its place; but if not written correctly it remained until
corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates,
precisely in the language then used.”
Without any reference books
If one considers the complex structure and content of the
Book of Mormon, together with more than 400 difficult names and places
mentioned, (such as Gadiomnah, Amnigaddah, Gidgiddonah, Curelom, Jeneum, Paanchi , and Zemnarihah), it seems
obvious that the utility of a divine tool which conveniently spelled out words
a few at a time, helps explain how Joseph Smith and his transcribers were able
to complete the translation in a few short weeks--without consulting any
reference books or external sources, including the family Bible. He could look at the plates, turn the leaves,
and look at the engraved characters, but he needed some way to know the correct
spelling of names and places in English.
According to Noel B. Reynolds in
chapter 1 of Book of Mormon Authorship
Revisited (Provo, Utah: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies,
1997):
“Joseph did not write the book;
rather, he read it as it was given to him through interpretive instruments such
as the seer stone, much like we today would read material off a computer
screen.”
“Joseph dictated without reference to any
notes, papers, or even the plates themselves; he relied wholly upon the Urim
and Thummim and the seer stone. Joseph
spelled out the strange new Book of Mormon names and other unfamiliar words, and
scribes read back to him their transcription to allow him to check for
accuracy. New sessions began without any
review of the last transcribed material.”
"The people closest to the
translation process had no doubts that it was divinely directed; in fact, they
could not imagine that Joseph was capable of writing such a book on his own.”
Consistency in the historical records
All personal accounts of the translation process provide
consistent views. Among those people
closest to Joseph Smith and the translation process were Martin Harris and
David Whitmer, both witnesses to the authenticity of the Book of Mormon, the
gold plates, and interpreters.
According to David Whitmer (James H. Hart interview, 1884; see
also Royal Skousen’s chapter 4 on Statements from Witnesses of the Translation):
“During the translation process,
the witnesses were able to observe, in open setting, Joseph Smith placing the
interpreters (either the Urim and Thummim or the seer stone) in a hat and
placing his face into the hat.”
“Sometimes Joseph could not
pronounce the words correctly, having had but little education, and if by any
means a mistake was made in the copy, the luminous writing would remain until
it was corrected.”
“Every word was distinctly visible
even down to every letter.”
According to Martin Harris (in Edward Stevenson’s 1881
account, also from Skousen’s chapter 4 in Reynolds ):
“By aid of the seer stone, sentences would
appear and were read by the Prophet and written by Martin, and when finished he
would say, “Written,” and if correctly written, that sentence would disappear
and another appear in its place; but if not written correctly it remained until
corrected, so that the translation was just as it was engraven on the plates,
precisely in the language then used.”
But translation of the Book of Mormon using the Urim and
Thummim and seer stone was not merely a perfunctory process. Translation required Joseph’s complete
concentration of mental faculties and spiritual power to enable the words to
appear on the sacred instruments provided by God.
By the gift and power of God
In his Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints (6 volumes, 1930, Chapter 10. Reprinting, Orem, Utah: Sonos Publishing Inc.,
1991), B.H. Roberts wrote:
“David Whitmer is more specific on
this subject. After describing the means
the Prophet employed to exclude the light from the Seer Stone, he says: “In the darkness, the spiritual light would
shine. A piece of something resembling
parchment would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to
Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal 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.”
“In his Address to All Believers in
Christ, David Whitmer says: ‘At times
when brother Joseph would attempt to translate he would look into the hat in
which the stone was placed, [to exclude the light], he found he was spiritually
blind and could not translate. He told
us that his mind dwelt too much on earthly things, and various causes would
make him incapable of proceeding with the translation. When in this condition he would go out and
pray, and when he became sufficiently humble before God, he could then proceed
with the translation.”
Test for authenticity
The original source for David Whitmer’s account referenced
by most historians is his “Address to all Believers in Christ, A Witness to the
Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon,” published at Richmond, Missouri, in
1887. In that history, Whitmer wrote:
“On one occasion Harris sought to
test the genuineness of the prophet’s procedure in the matter of translation,
as follows: “Martin said that after
continued translation they would become weary and would go down to the river
and exercise in throwing stones out on the river, etc. While so doing on one occasion, Martin found
a stone very much resembling the one used for translating, and on resuming
their labors of translation, Martin put in place [of the Seer Stone] the stone
that he had found. He said that the
prophet remained silent unusually and intently gazing in darkness, no trace of
the usual sentence appearing. Much
surprised, Joseph exclaimed: ‘Martin! What is the matter? All is as dark as Egypt.’ Martin’s countenance betrayed him, and the
prophet asked Martin why he had done so.
Martin said, to stop the mouths of fools, who had told him that the
prophet had learned those sentences and was merely repeating them.”
Answers to questions revealed
Joseph Smith received early revelations using the Urim and
Thummim. Speaking of those early days
the Prophet usually says (see History of the Church, vol. 1, pp. 33, 36, 45,
49, and 63):
“I inquired of the Lord through the Urim and
Thummim, and obtained the following . . . .”
According to Richard Holzapfel and Jeffery Cottle (Holzapfel,
Richard Neitzel, and T. Jeffery Cottle. In A Window to the Past, Chapter on The
Nature of Revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants, Salt Lake City, Utah:
Bookcraft, 1993):
“Several revelations were received
through the use of divine instruments.
Usually, the instrument was the seer stone or the Urim and Thummim. This method applies to (Doctrine and
Covenants) sections 3, 6-7, 10-11, and 14-17.”
Under the section on Book of Mormon Translation from The Encyclopedia of Mormonism (Daniel H.
Ludlow., ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1992), available online
at the website for the BYU Harold B. Lee Library, we find:
“Most reports state that throughout
the project Joseph used the “Nephite interpreters” or, for convenience, he would
use a seer stone (see CHC 1:128-130).
Both instruments were sometimes called by others the Urim and Thummim. In 1830, Oliver Cowdery is reported to have
testified in court that these tools enabled Joseph “to read in English, the
reformed Egyptian characters, which were engraved on the plates” (Benton,
Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate 2 [Apr. 9, 1831]:15). In an 1891 interview, William Smith indicated
that when his brother Joseph used the “interpreters” . . . his hands were left free to hold the
plates.”
A personal witness
A report in the Kansas City Journal of its interview
with David Whitmer, June 5, 1881 (also reprinted in “Mormonism,” in the Millenial Star 43:421-423 and 437-439,
July 4, 1881), written by a non-Mormon editor, reported the following
conversation from an interview with eyewitness David Whitmer:
[page 437] “When did you see the plates?”
“It was in the latter part of June,
1829. Joseph [Smith, Jr.], Oliver
Cowdery and myself were together, and the angel showed them to us. We not only saw the plates of the Book of
Mormon, but he also showed us the brass plates of the Book of Ether and many
others. They were shown to us in this
way.
Joseph and Oliver and I were
sitting on a log when we were overshadowed by a light more glorious than that
of the sun. In the midst of this light,
but a few feet from us, appeared a table upon which were many golden plates,
also the sword of Laban and the directors (Liahona). I saw them as plain as I see you now and
distinctly heard the voice of the Lord declaring that the records of the plates
of the Book of Mormon were translated by the gift and power of God.”
“Who else saw the plates at this
time?”
“No one. Martin Harris, the other witness, saw them
the same day, and the eight witnesses, Christian Whitmer, Hiram Page, Jacob
Whitmer, Joseph Smith, Sen., Peter Whitmer, Hyrum Smith, Jno. [John] Whitmer
and Samuel H. Smith, saw them next day.”
“Did you see the angel?”
“Yes, he stood before us. Our testimony as recorded in the Book of
Mormon is absolutely true, just as it is written there.”
(See also: Preston
Nibley, Testimonies of Book of Mormon
Witnesses, The Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon: Life, Character and
Testimony, Backman and Perkins, David Whitmer, His Life, Character and
Testimony, David Whitmer: Life Sketch.
Source: Preston Nibley, comp.,
The Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1958, pp
61-64).
To the members of the Church, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote in 1993 ("A Treasured Testament,"
Ensign, July 1993, p.61):
“Joseph Smith would put the seer
stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his
face to exclude the light; and in the 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 principal 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.”
And so it is. The
story of the seer stone has been well known and documented since the 1820s—not enshrouded
in mystery or veiled in mysticism. Matters
that are spiritual in nature require a spiritual perspective, or as the Apostle
Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
“But the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can
he know them, because they are
spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor.
2:14)
No shaken-faith syndrome in our household!
--------------------------
Other excellent references:
Royal Skousen, “Translating the Book of Mormon: Evidence
from the Original Manuscript,” in Book of
Mormon Authorship Revisited: The Evidence for Ancient Origins, ed. Noel B.
Reynolds,Provo, Utah: FARMS, 1997, pp. 61-93.
Richard L. Bushman, Joseph
Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism, Urbana, Illinois: University of
Illinois Press, 1984, pp. 79-114.
Reynolds, Philip C., ed. Book of
Mormon Commentary Series, ed. by George Reynolds, Janne Sjodahl, and
Phillip C. Reynolds, Deseret Book: Salt Lake City, Utah.
We might more accurately interpret Galatians 3:27-28 as meaning that in the eyes of God, true believers are equally acceptable, and have become unified in their faith in Jesus Christ.
