For decades the descendants of lehi, the lightskinned nephites and the darkskinned lamanites, warred against each other until both sides met for a final battle in the land. Exploring the lands of the book of mormon, by joseph allen, sa publishers, orem, utah, 1989, pp. Book of mormon witness david whitmer, who once owned the document, said it was this text that martin harris showed to charles anthon. Lund, mesoamerica and the book of mormon, is this the right place. In ancient mesoamerica, caves held deep mythological symbolism. Proposed book of mormon geographical setting wikipedia. By the 1930s, when ferguson learned about mesoamerican.
New revelations of the americas before columbus by charles c. Very little gold and silver east of the mississippi 4 no evidence of cement buildings anywhere in eastern u. Many people would be surprised to learn that gold disks or plates with carved images and writing have been found in mesoamerica. In mesoamerica and the book of mormon, he shows a drawing of one of them and gives a translation of its. Plates of gold book of mormon archaeological forum. Daniel johnson in his 2010 book of mormon archaeological forum presentation.
Daniel johnson, bmaf member and principal author of an lds guide to mesoamerica, shares the presentation that he gave at the october, 2010 bmaf conference. Thanks to edward thompson, an archeologist, the peabody. Those implausible golden plates of the book of mormon. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be linked to joseph smith jr. Book of mormon evidence a closer look with brant gardner duration. The implausible metal plates of book of mormonimplausible. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand ended up losing his faith. Since the publication of the book of mormon in 1830, mormon archaeologists have attempted. The video is the third in book of mormon centrals evidence video series, the two previous videos being one on the archaeological evidence for the place called nahom, mentioned by nephi 1 nephi 16. There is interesting evidence for writing on gold plates from mesoamerica that isnt discussed much. Thomas stuart ferguson lay in his hammock, certain that he had found.
True book of mormon geography lands, western new york model. If the gold plates were originally in mesoamerica, how did they get to new york. This is an exciting topic and one that is at the heart of the book of mormon. Cement in ancient mesoamerica and the book of mormon. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins byu. New church video explains the significance of the gold plates and why we still need them today greyson gurley for latterday saints, the gold plates are immediately associated with the translation of the book of mormon, but when someone asks, what are the gold plates. Archaeologists discover golden plates believed to be.
What happened to the golden plates after joseph smith. Claims the narrow neck of land is the isthmus of tehuantepec, and the basic area is that of mesoamerica. In the original book of mormon, however, there was no chapter break. The reported weight, dimensions, and composition of the gold plates are believable. Kinderhook plates my search for answers to my mormon doubts. Do mormons know what happened to the urim and thummim which joseph smith used to translate the book of mormon.
The gold guild may have worn off on the edges, allowing for the oxidation of the edges. I had the pleasure of being amongst many on a tour to mesoamerica with john lund. In mesoamerica and the book of mormon, he shows a drawing of one of them and gives a translation of its carvings see dr. What 2 engineers discovered after using statistical. His tireless efforts eventually brought great discoveries to light. This alloy consisted primarily of gold and copper, and sometimes included silver. Metals and gold plates in mesoamerica book of mormon.
Plates of tumbaga would fit witness descriptions of the weight and appearance of the plates. A significant portion of the book of mormon quotes from the brass plates, which purport to be another source of old testament writings mirroring those of the bible. The book of mormon itself portrays the golden plates as a historical record, engraved by two precolumbian prophethistorians from around the year ad 400. Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons 2010. The three authors of an lds guide to mesoamerica, walk us through the lands of the book of mormon. However, new data and new interpretations again place the book of mormon in a better light.
A dna study by emory university, accepted by the smithsonian, acknowledges that some native americans have ancestry in common with the peoples in modern israel and the mediterranean area. The geographical, cultural, historical information in the text of this volume fits only in mesoamerica. Gold plates with writing have also been found in mesoamerica. The first surprising detail to notice here is that the hieroglyphics engraved on them are exact copies of the charactors facsimile, even down to their sequence. The book of mormon as a mesoamerican record book of. Numerous observers have suggested that the book of mormon appears to be a work of fiction that parallels others within the 19thcentury moundbuilder genre that was pervasive at the time. Supplementing jeff lindsays book of mormon evidences page. The book of mormon states that some nephite dissenters who moved in a land northward became exceeding expert in the working of cement and built cities of both wood and of cement beginning in 46 b. Thomas stuart fergusons archaeological search for the book of mormon. Thus, vogel must come up with a counterexplanation for the book of mormon.
Metals and gold plates in mesoamerica is now online. In addition, the entire story of the book of mormon occurred within a small 500mile radius within mesoamerica. Archaeological remains of peccaries have been found in mesoamerica from the. And now i, moroni, proceed to give an account of those ancient inhabitants who were destroyed by the hand of the lord upon the face of this north country. The answer to this question is not known, but informed speculation demonstrates that this poses no difficulty.
Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons 2010 bmaf lecture. The book of mormon, on the other hand, indicates that the nephites used iron, copper, brass, steel, gold, and silver almost from the first of their history, and the jaredites knew gold, silver, and other metals more than a millennium earlier. And several of their unusual featuressuch as being bound by dshaped rings, having a sealed portion, and being written in reformed egyptianhave a surprising amount of. If the book of mormon does not truly describe a culture that had access to advanced metallurgy, and all the references therein are translation artifacts or errors, then the nineteenth century witnesses who testified to seeing and handling actual metallic objects from the book of mormon era, including the gold plates, cannot be accepted as. In precolumbian mesoamerica, an alloy called tumbaga was. How a mormon lawyer transformed archaeology in mexicoand. He also taught them that moroni had traveled from central america to palmyra, newyork dedicating future temple sites along the way.
This find is extremely important to latterday saints, since the book of mormon was inscribed with writing on golden plates. In the meantime, daniel has written a new paper on gold plates. Even if you werent able to attend, you dont have to miss it. Dimensions according to joseph, the book was 6 x 8 x 6 and each plate was thinner than common tin. I purchased this book a few days prior to leaving, had it personalized and signed by him, and read it before, during, and after my adventure in the book of mormon lands. Archaeological and historical evidence jareditesolmecs. The scientific legacy of a quest to prove the book of mormon. 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. 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.
On a page of my ldsfaq section of this website, i provide evidence that the concept of ancient people writing sacred scripture on metal plates has found increasing. The story of their discovery is supported by a large number of similar archeological finds. Are there other ancient records like the book of mormon. Moronis 5,000 mile journey lugging the gold plates. The golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold the golden plates couldnt be made of pure gold, new era, july. Even the hill cumorah, where joseph smith obtained the gold plates, is not really the same hill cumorah mentioned in the text. The following kinderhook plates mormon infographic is correct. Smith translated the text of the book of mormon over the next several years by using a seer stone, which he placed in the bottom of a hat and then placed the hat over his face to view the words. In precolumbian mesoamerica, an alloy called tumbaga was popular.
And i take mine account from the twenty and four plates which were found by the people of limhi, which is called the book of ether. Part of the strength of book of mormon apologetics depends upon carefully qualifying how the book of mormon was translated. Language the language on the plates is called reformed egyptian. Now we can add writing on gold plates from ancient mesoamerica to the intriguing finds mentioned above. Archaeological trends and the book of mormon origins. Thomas stuart fergusons archaeological search for the book of mormon larson, stan on. Here is the document that represents the book of mormon characters on the gold plates. This is the area of greatest civilizational complexity in the americas. The traditional view of the translation process is that joseph smith concentrated on the text written on the gold plates, and the power of god somehow told him what those words meant.
How much would the gold plates weigh that momonisms. The book of mormon ends by describing the demise of the nephite people at the hands of their lamanite counterparts. The name mesoamerica is a term used to identify the heartland of a number of significant precolumbian cultures. Did the mormon church once promise to show the golden plates to the world. Metals, weapons, and the book of mormon mormon answers. Lund, mesoamerica and the book of mormon is this the place. John lund is one of the few lds authors to mention these plates recently. A sort of quasibiography on perhaps the most famous thinking mormon. True book of mormon geography lands western new york model home. Today farms and a number of mormons in the united states would agree with ferguson and point south when asked where the book of mormon events took place. This similarity in recording time in mesoamerica and book of mormon times is reinforced by each groups parallel narratives of sequential civilizations. Korea, egypt, syria, iran, even mesoamerica too many to mention.
If the gold plates were originally in mesoamerica, how did they get to. Historic similarities include time, place, and content. Blinded by the gold of the pharaohs and the mighty ruins of babylon, book of mormon students. These man credited joseph smith with teaching them that the land of bountiful mention in the book of mormon was in central america. Learn exactly what the book of mormon says about the use of metals. As for israel, not only have we found the famous copper scroll of qumran, but two small silver plates from jerusalem that date to the 7 th 6 th century b. Putnam suggested that this alloy may be the material used to make the book of mormon plates. If the book of mormon is true, why do indians fail to turn white when they become mormons. Why havent any of the book of mormon proper names such as nephi, laman, zarahemla, etc. Cheesmans, the world of the book of mormon, deseret book, 1978. Indeed, he held that the book of mormon history belonged in mesoamerica. Metals and golden plates in mesoamerica, daniel johnsons. This is an absolute must have book for any lds formerly or currently believing. The plates weighed approximately sixty pounds witnesses of the book of mormon were consistent in their witness that the plates weighed 4060 pound.
Although unknown in joseph smiths time, numerous examples of writing on ancient metal plates are now known. Nephi says he made his plates of ore after finding gold, silver, and copper ore deposits. The final battles of the nephites took place in the land of cumorah. Real gold plates discovered across the world third hour. Thus to the extent that one believes the evidence points to a nonhistorical book of mormon, it also points to something other than real gold plates under the cloth. In mesoamerica and the book of mormon, he shows a drawing of one. Many lds scholars place the people of the book of mormon in mesoamerica. In many cases, the biblical quotations in the englishlanguage book of mormon, are close, or identical to the equivalent sections of the kjv. American setting for the book of mormon salt lake city, utah. If the gold plates were originally in mesoamerica, how did.
Archaeology research in precolumbian americas and the book of mormon. Five compelling archeological evidences for the book of mormon. The idea that the book of mormon was engraved onto golden plates and. Josephs preface and a testimonial written by a group of eight witnesses described the plates as having an appearance of gold. Mormon gold plates discovered the 100% proven evidence. Mormon and moroni, the book says, had abridged earlier historical records from other sets of.
1178 103 1450 840 1194 1293 1069 100 1186 1062 883 388 1422 305 1439 611 32 462 216 640 939 317 246 220 18 690 1306 1344 436 1028 12 836 796 202 200 279 45