And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived, for the Son of Man shall come, and he shall send his angels before him with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the remainder of his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Joseph Smith’s Matthew Chapter 1:20&29&33&37
JOSEPH SMITH’S HISTORY: esias
Long-winded with lots of fill-in phrases i.e. v2 ‘various events in relation to this Church’. From v5 Joseph claims a great religious excitement in Manchester: ‘priest contending against priest, and convert against convert’. Or v9 the hyperbole runs: ‘the cry and tumult was so great and incessant’. In v15 while attempting to pray, Joseph claims a ‘Thick darkness gathered round me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction’ [cf. Muhammad]. Joseph claims to see God and his Son, contradicting the Book of Moses claim that in v5, ‘and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh upon the earth’. Joseph is advised to ‘join none of them, for they were all wrong ... all their creeds were an abomination in my sight’ (v19). In v20 an oppressed Joseph claims ‘opposition and persecution that arose against me, almost in my infancy’. In v22 Joseph claims that the telling of his vision excited great persecution – poor, obscure boy! All the sects were apparently united in opposition to Joseph – if so, surely some historic mention would remain from 1820. In v24 Joseph likens himself to Paul – an indicator that Paul is to the forefront of his mind ripe for ripe – see Mary Ann Benson’s objections before Apostles Oaks and Maxwell. Joseph applies the heavy stuff with a Masonic trowel: ‘all the time suffering severe persecution’ (v27). From v30 Nephi appears – yet this was later changed to Moroni. No mention of his brothers sharing the small crowded bedroom. The text ambles with a syrupy contrived simplicity. Joseph’s name ‘should be had for good and evil among the nations’. Sorry. What, then, was the good? Moroni unleashes scripture by the bucketload. Instead, Moroni might have given us a more useful, say, E = MC² squared. Thrice Moroni does a neat disappearing trick. Right on cluck – the cock crows! Cock-a-doodle-bullies! Twice in attempting an honest day’s labour Joseph’s ‘strength entirely failed me’ (v48). When Joseph wakes from an heroic unconsciousness (v49) the same Moroni is there to stalk over him. Joseph’s father (v50) is as certain as Hamlet that the vision is ‘of God’. The similarity here to the ghost’s mission for Hamlet is startling. Joseph, like Hamlet, is afflicted with appalling persecution. Now Joesph has a mission and the mission is from God – but the appearance is hardly benevolent and revolutionary, and he Joseph can be in no way certain that the ghost is good and not ‘a goblin damned’.
The spirit that I have seen
May be the devil.
And the devil hath power
T’assume a pleasing shape ... William Shakespeare II ii 573-575, soliloquy
Why not take Joseph down the pub? The geography of the hill is identified as: ‘Convenient (another long syrupy word!) to the village of Manchester, Ontario county’. Go get! Abracadabra! Open Sesame! In v52 a lever is at hand! ... ‘and with a little exertion raised it [the stone slab] up’. Heroic stuff. Joseph and Moroni make yearly dates.
In v55 the heroism continues: ‘... we were under the necessity of labouring with our hands’; welcome to planet Earth.
In v56 Joseph labours for Josiah Stoal, and allegedly ‘prevailed with the old gentleman to cease digging’. He then boards with Isaac Hale who gives a differing version of the boarding experience. We are reminded ad nauseam that ‘persecution still followed’ (v57). When Joseph gets the plates, ‘The persecution became more bitter and severe than before’.
In the mist of these overwhelming persecutions, becoming ever more severe, Martin Harris, a co-conspirator, enters the scene at v61. Professor Anton (v64) and Dr Mitchell (v65) allegedly certify that Joseph’s interpretations of the characters (Egyptian, Chaldaic, Assyriac and Arabic) were correctly. Quite the experts!
In v66 Oliver Cowdery, amanuensis and co-conspirator, enters the scene 5th April 1829 and Joseph is careful to maintain that: ‘until which time I had never seen him’. Why would Joe the Joker feel then the need to make mention?
John ordains first Joseph and then Oliver Cowdery (from v68) on 15th May 1829. Both, when out of the water, begin to prophecy but this free outpouring of prophecy is not recorded.
In Oliver Cowdery’s notes he claims to have sat to receive Joseph’s translation by the Urim and Thummim; but if he lies about this (it was the seer stone), he cannot be trusted with the rest of his account. He claims to have sat ‘uninterrupted’. esias
JOSEPH SMITH’S ARTICLES of FAITH:
1) We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2) We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.
3) We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4) We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5) We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6) We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7) We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8) We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9) We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10) We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11) We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12) We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13) We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul — We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.
THE KINDERHOOK PLATES: Times & Seasons - William Clayton - History of the Church vol 5 - Charlotte Haven - George M Lawrence - Mark Petersen - S W Kimball -
It appeared that a young man by the name of Wiley, a resident in Kinderhook, dreamed three nights in succession, that in a certain mound in the vicinity, there was treasures concealed – Impressed with the strange occurrence of dreaming the same dream three nights in succession, he came to the conclusion, to satisfy his mind by digging into the mound ... Finding it quite laborious, he invited others to assist him. Finally, a company of ten or twelve repaired to the mound, and assisted in digging out the shaft commenced by Wiley. After penetrating the mound about 11 feet, they came to a bed of limestone, that had apparently been subjected to the action of fire, they removed the stone, which were small and easy to handle, to the depth of two feet more, when they found six brass plates, secured and fastened together by two iron wires, but which were so decayed, that they readily crumbled to dust upon being handled. The plates were so completely covered with rust as almost to obliterate the characters inscribed upon them; but after undergoing a chemical process, the inscriptions were brought out plain and distinct ...
The plates above alluded to, were exhibited in this city last week, and are now, we understand, in Nauvoo, subject to the inspection of the Mormon Prophet. The public curiosity is greatly excited and if Smith can decipher the hieroglyphics on the plates, he will do more towards throwing light on the early history of this continent, than any man now living. Times and Seasons vol 4 pp186-187, report Quincy Wig
I have seen six brass plates which were found in Adams County by some persons who were digging in a mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth which was nine foot high. The plates were on the breast of the skeleton ... They are covered with ancient characters of language containing from 30 to 40 on each side of the plates. President J[oseph] has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found and he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth. William Clayton, diary entry 1st May 1843
I insert facsimiles of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr Robert Wiley and others, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton and were covered on both sides with ancient characters.
I have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the Ruler of heaven and earth. History of the Church vol 5 p372
We hear very frequently from our Quincy friends through Mr Joshua Moore ... His last call on us was last Saturday and he brought with him half a dozen thin pieces of brass, apparently very old, in the form of a bell about five or six inches long. They had on them scratches that looked like symbolic characters. They were recently found, he said, in a mound a few miles below Quincy. When he showed them to Joseph, the latter said that the figures or writing on them was similar to that in which the Book of Mormon was written, and if Mr Moore could leave them, he thought that by the help of revelation he would be able to translate them. So a sequel to that holy book may soon be expected. Charlotte Haven, letter written 2nd May 1843, see A Girl's Letters From Nauvoo, Overland Monthl p630, December 1890