JOSEPH SMITH AND THE TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON
1. Received plates September 22,1827at age 21. 2. Began translation seven months later
on12 April 1828 with Martin Harris as scribe. 116 pages. 3. July 28 1828: first recorded
pages began with various scribes and much interruption. 10 months after receiving them.
4 On April 5, 1829, 1 1/2 years after receiving them, Oliver Cowdery arrived and
began translation on April 7,1829.
5. Incidents during translation period:
a. Reception of the Aaronic Priesthood and baptism.
b. Ordination to Melchizedek Priesthood.
c. Reception of several revelations
d. Baptized Samuel and Hyrum
e. Did chores and received help from others who wanted to help with the work.
f. Moved to the Peter Whitmer home.
g. Completed translation June 1829. 11 months from time started with Oliver as scribe.
7 to 9 pages per day. Approx. 60 days actual translation working time.
h. The plates viewed by three and eight witnesses shortly after translation completed.
Finished translation by age 23.
6. Education: "Mrs. Smith, in her history, fails to mention the important item of the
early education of her son Joseph, Jr. I have not been able to find a direct statement
that he ever attended school. We do know, however, that here at Palmyra he did
obtain the rudiment of an education. He learned to read and to write a good legible
hand, although he did not pay much attention to spelling as is evidenced by some of
his early letters, which are on file in the Church Historian's Office. There is no
evidence whatever, in those early years, that Joseph Smith Jr. would at a future
date, challenge the world with his learning and intelligence. (Preston Nibley
"Joseph Smith the Prophet" p 19)
HOW JOSEPH SMITH TRANSLATED THE BOOK OF MORMON
By Royal Skousen
The Prophet Joseph Smith said very little about the actual process of translating the Book
of Mormon. However, a thorough study of the original text of the Book of Mormon
(including a detailed examination of both the original and printer's manuscripts) and a
careful review of statements made by those who witnessed Joseph Smith translating
combine to provide valuable information about the translation process. Even details such
a spelling correction and textual insertions provide definite clues about how Joseph
translated. This evidence does not support theories that Joseph Smith composed the
text himself or that he took the text from some other source. Instead, it indicates
that the Lord exercised what I refer to as "tight control" over the word-by-word
translation of the Book of Mormon.
In particular, the evidence suggests that Joseph Smith saw specific words written
out in English and read them off to the scribe, and that the accuracy of the resulting
text depended on the carefulness of Joseph and his scribe. Indeed, this evidence is
most compatible with the account that Joseph himself gave that he translated the
Book of Mormon "by the gift and power of God".