Life of Joseph Smith Jr. from 1827 to 1831: Encyclopedia II - Life of Joseph Smith Jr. from 1827 to 1831 - Joseph Smith as a translator and prophet in New York and Pennsylvania

Life of Joseph Smith Jr. from 1827 to 1831 - Joseph Smith as a translator and prophet in New York and Pennsylvania

Once Smith had the purported Golden Plates, his focus turned to getting the engravings on them translated. To do so, however, he needed money, and at the time he was penniless (Smith 1853). Therefore, Smith sent his mother (Smith 1853, p. 110) to the the home of Martin Harris, a local landowner said at the time to be worth about $8,000 to $10,000 (Howe 1834, p. 260).

Harris had apparently been a close confidant of the Smith family since at least 1826 (Howe 1834, pp. 255), and he may have heard about Smith's attempts to obtain the plates from the angel even earlier from Smith, Sr. (Smith 1853, p. 109). He was also a believer in Smith's powers with his seer stone (Tiffany 1859, p. 164). When Lucy visited Harris, he had heard about Smith's claim to have found Golden Plates through the grapevine in Palmyra, and was interested in finding out more (Tiffany 1859, pp. 167–168). Thus, at Lucy Smith's request, Harris went to the Smith home, heard the story from Smith, and hefted a glass box that Smith said contained the plates (Tiffany 1859, pp. 168–169). Smith convinced Harris that he had the plates, and that the angel had told him to "quit the company of the money-diggers" (Tiffany 1859, p. 169). Convinced, Harris immediately gave Smith $50, and committed to sponsor the translation of the plates (Smith 1853, p. 113).

The money provided by Harris was enough to pay all of Smith's debts in Palmyra, and for him to travel with Emma and all of their belongings to Harmony, Pennsylvania, where they would be able to avoid the public commotion in Palmyra over the plates. (Tiffany 1859, p. 170). Thus, in early October 1827, they moved to Harmony, with the glass box purportedly holding the plates hidden during the trip in a barrel of beans (Tiffany 1859, p. 170).

Life of Joseph Smith Jr. from 1827 to 1831 - Translating the golden plates and the Book of Mormon

In Harmony, Pennsylvania, Joseph and Emma stayed temporarily in the home of Emma's father Isaac Hale, while Hale set them up in a home on an adjoining thirteen-acre property a few hundred yards from the Susquehanna River. (Porter 1971, pp. 132–34). Skeptical that Smith had found golden plates, Hale asked to see them, but was only allowed to lift the glass box in which they were purportedly kept (Howe 1834, p. 264). Because Hale refused to allow the plates in his home if he could not see them, the glass box was hidden in the woods nearby, where the plates are said to have remained during much of the translation process that followed (id.; Jesee 1976, p. 3).

Beginning in December 1827, Smith began transcribing the characters he said were engraved on the plates, and dictating what he said was a translation of some of them (Roberts 1902, p. 19). While transcribing, he reportedly sat behind a curtain and looked at the plates through the Urim and Thummim, passing the written transcriptions to Emma, who was sitting on the other side of the curtain (Howe 1834, pp. 270–271). When Smith began to translate, however, rather than merely transcribe, he dictated the text to Emma or her brother Reuben, who wrote the words Smith said (Smith 1879). Smith also reportedly dispensed with using the curtain, and did not need to look at the plates. To translate, he reportedly "put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkened his Eyes than [sic] he would take a sentance [sic] and it would apper [sic] in Brite [sic] Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it." (Jessee 1976, p. 4).

Martin Harris came to assist with the translation in February 1828 (Roberts 1902, p. 19). Around this time, Smith reportedly confided to Emma's uncle that he had doubts about whether or not he should translate the plates, because despite the commandment from God, "he was afraid of the people" (Howe 1834, 266). When Harris arrived, he reportedly had to convince Smith to continue translating, saying, "I have not come down here for nothing, and we will go on with it" (Booth 1831). Smith then sent Harris to two well-known scholars to see if they could translate or authenticate some of the transcribed characters (Jessee 1976, p. 3), but Harris was unable to get either of the scholars' help or backing (Howe 1834, pp. 270–272). After visiting his home in Palmyra, Harris then returned to Harmony in the middle of April 1828 and began acting as Smith's scribe while Smith dictated what he later would call the Book of Lehi (Smith 1830, p. 1). Harris reported that for at least part of Smith's early translation, he used his seer stone to translate, rather than the Urim and Thummim, because the stone was more convenient (Stevenson 1882, p. 86). Smith also at least sometimes made use of a curtain: Harris stated that one time during the translation, Smith raised a curtain between him and Harris, because "the presence of the Lord was so great", or dictated to Harris from upstairs or from a different room (Howe 1834, p. 14).

By the middle of June 1828, Smith had dictated about 116 manuscript pages of text (Roberts 1902, p. 20), beginning with a story about a man named Lehi in Jerusalem, and ending with a story about King Benjamin, one of his descendants, in the Americas (Smith et al. 1835, sec. 36, v. 41)). Harris, however, was having marital problems with his wife Lucy, who was upset about not being able to see the plates (Smith 1853, p. 116). Hoping to appease her, Harris convinced a reluctant Smith to allow him to take the 116 manuscript pages with him on a visit to his home back in Palmyra (Smith 1853, p. 117). Because the manuscript was the only copy, however, Smith made Harris sign a written oath that he would show the pages only to five specified people in his family (Roberts 1902, p. 20; Smith 1853, pp. 117–118).

While Harris was returning to Palmyra, Emma gave birth to the young couple's first child (Smith 1853, p. 118), but the boy was deformed and stillborn (Howe 1834, p. 269), leaving Emma deathly ill for about two weeks (Smith 1853, p. 118). Not hearing word from Harris for three weeks, Smith traveled in July 1828 to Palmyra and learned that Harris had lost the manuscript pages, and had been avoiding him (Smith 1853, pp. 118–121). Despite his oath, Harris had been exhibiting the manuscript to numerous visitors, and somehow it had disappeared from the drawer where he kept it (Smith 1853, p. 122–123).

Smith was despondent over losing his child and the manuscript. He had had great hopes for his first-born child, reportedly expecting that the child would see the plates (Howe 1834, p. 264), and that he would assist in the translation (Howe 1834, p. 267). When he heard the manuscript was lost, he exclaimed, "Oh, my God!…All is lost! all is lost! What shall I do? I have sinned—it is I who tempted the wrath of God." (Smith 1853, p. 121). After returning to Harmony without Harris, Smith dictated to Emma his first written revelation, which rebuked him for losing the manuscript pages, but pinned most of the blame upon Harris (Phelps 1833, sec. 2:5). However, the revelation assured Smith that all was not lost, because if Smith repented of what he had done, God would "only cause thee to be afflicted for a season, and thou art still chosen, and wilt again be called to the work" (Phelps 1833, 2:7).

As part of the penalty for losing the manuscript, Smith claimed the angel took away the Urim and Thummim (Smith 1853, p. 125), returning it once again on September 22, 1828, the autumn equinox and the anniversary of the day he first received the plates (Smith 1853, p. 126). Smith claimed the angel also temporarily took back the plates during that time (Smith 1832, p. 5; Phelps 1833, 9:1, p. 22). Soon after Smith claimed these artifacts were restored (Roberts 1902, p. 23), he dictated another written revelation, explaining that whoever had stolen the 116 manuscript pages was planning to wait until Smith re-translated that section of the Golden Plates, and then alter it, to show Smith could not translate the same words twice (Phelps 1833, 9:2, p. 22). Therefore, according to the revelation, God's plan was for Smith to "go on unto the finishing of the remainder of the work as you [Smith] had begun" (Phelps 1833, 9:1, p. 22), and instead of going back and re-translating the original 116 manuscript pages, Smith was to substitute a translation from another set of plates, called the "plates of Nephi", which covered roughly the same material (Phelps 1833, 9:10–11, p. 25).

By February 1829, when Smith's parents visited Harmony, Smith had begun translating sporadically with Emma as scribe (Smith 1853, p. 126). During the visit, Smith dictated a revelation for his father, an optimistic description of the translated book as a "marvelous work…about to come forth among the children of men" (Phelps 1833, ch. III, p. 9).

According to Emma, Smith no longer used the Urim and Thummim in translation after the loss of the 116 manuscript pages; rather, he began using exclusively his dark seer stone (Bidamon 1876). He translated by sitting "with his face buried in his hat with the seer stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us" (Smith 1879). While looking at the stone, he "rest[ed] his elbows upon his knees" (Blair 1879), and drew the hat "closely around his face to exclude the light", so that the "spiritual light" would shine (Whitmer 1887, p. 12).

In March 1829, Martin Harris had returned to Harmony and wanted to see the plates. Smith reportedly told Harris that Smith "would go into the woods where the Book of Plates was, and that after he came back, Harris should follow his tracks in the snow, and find the Book, and examine it for himself"; after following these directions, however, Harris could not find the plates (Howe 1834, p. 264–265). The next day (Howe 1834, p. 265), Smith dictated a revelation (Phelps 1833, ch. IV, pp. 10–13), indicating that Harris could be one of three witnesses who had the privilege of seeing the plates, but only if he would "go out and bow down before me [God], and humble himself in mighty prayer and faith" (Phelps 1833, 4:4, 4:8, pp. 11–12). The revelation also told Smith to stop translating for a while (id 4:10, p. 13).

On April 7, 1829, Smith again began translating, this time with Oliver Cowdery as the scribe (Cowdery 1834, p. 14). Cowdery, a school teacher born in Vermont, had boarded with the Joseph Smith, Sr. family, and had traveled to Harmony when he heard that Smith was translating an ancient document, and he wanted to help (Smith 1853, pp. 128–29). A revelation by Smith promptly confirmed that Cowdery had a "gift", that he would himself translate hidden ancient records, (Phelps 1833, 5:5, p. 15), and that Cowdery had "another gift, which is the gift of working with the rod…of nature,…and therefore whatsoever you shall ask me to tell you by that means, that will I grant unto you, that you shall know" (Phelps 1833 7:3, p. 19).

Apparently, Cowdery attempted to translate some characters that were copied by Smith from the plates, through the same process Smith used. Cowdery was successful at first, but then found the process difficult and gave up. He requested that Smith inquire of God as to why he could not have this ability, and was told by revelation that to translate he would have needed to continue to pray throughout the process, which he failed to do, affecting his abilities:

It is uncertain which part of Cowdery's translation attempt, if any, survives in the Book of Mormon today.

Smith translated the remainder of the Book of Mormon and Cowdery acted as the scribe for the remainder of the translation which commenced midway through the plates at Mosiah and went through Moroni, then the "small plates of Nephi" and then the title page. Smith said that he was commanded by God not to re-translate the lost 116 pages.

When translation was complete, Smith said he returned the plates to Moroni. Cowdery and Smith transcribed the entire manuscript to ensure they had two copies, one to retain and a second to be used as a printer's copy. The book was typeset, set and printed at the E.B. Grandin Printing Shop in Palmyra. Because of general interest, Anti-Mormon threats, and other anticipation of the forthcoming book, Smith required that Cowdery and either his brother Hyrum or himself be present at all typesettings.

After the translation was complete and prior to publication, three men and then eight others were allowed to view the plates. The eight witnesses were shown the plates by Smith. Mary Whitmer, with whom Joseph and Emma boarded during the translation's final phase, said Moroni appeared to her and showed her the plates behind her home.

In addition to seeing the plates, others reported touching or moving them. Emma described how she "felt of the plates" in the process of cleaning as they lay on her table "wrapped in a small linen tablecloth." She described how she traced "their outline and shape" with her hands: "They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book." Others, including Joseph Smith's mother and brother William reported touching and moving the plates as they lay under a heavy cloth or in a bag. (Smith 1879)

The Book of Mormon was first published on March 26, 1830.

Life of Joseph Smith Jr. from 1827 to 1831 - Smith organizes the first Latter Day Saint churches

According to Cowdery and Smith, on May 15, 1829, John the Baptist appeared and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood. They baptized each other immediately thereafter, exercising their new authority. Peter, James, and John also came to them during either May or June 1829 and ordained them to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Latter-Day Saints believe that the authority found in these priesthoods was necessary for a complete restoration of Jesus Christ's Ancient Church.

On April 6, 1830, Smith and five others formally established "The Church of Christ". (The church was later called "Church of Latter Day Saints" (1834), "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" (1838) then "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints".) Smith and others quickly began proselytizing and baptizing new members.

Smith asserted that he received many revelations throughout this period. These were compiled as The Book of Commandments at that time and were organized into the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Joseph Smith as a translator and prophet in New York and Pennsylvania", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki