An important additional evidence that Joseph Smit translated two separate sets of plates occurred to me recently.
Background
For those unaware, this scenario has Moroni putting the abridged plates in the stone box in Cumorah, consisting of three elements as described in the Title Page.
(i) abridged record of the Nephites
(ii) abridged record of the Jaredites
(iii) sealed by Moroni with his own writing (Book of Moroni)
In other words, there were no original plates in the stone box.
Joseph didn't get the "plates of Nephi" (the unabridged small plates) until he arrived in Fayette, as implied by D&C 9 and 10. This is why the messenger to whom Joseph gave the abridged plates before leaving Harmony went to Cumorah before bringing the plates of Nephi to Fayette.
For references to the messenger (whom Joseph identified as one of the Three Nephites, not Moroni), see https://www.mobom.org/trip-to-fayette-references
This diagram summarizes it:
For a more detailed graphic, see https://www.lettervii.com/p/the-two-sets-of-plates-schematic.html
For a more detailed explanation of the evidence that supports the two sets of plates narrative, see Whatever Happened to the Golden Plates?
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New evidence.
Recently I was having a discussion about a related topic and it occurred to me that we should all have known about the two sets of plates as far back as 1835.
Oliver Cowdery's fourth essay on Church history, originally published as "Letter No. 4" in the Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, February 1835, included the earliest detailed account of Moroni's visit.
He [Oliver separately identified the personage as Moroni] then proceeded and gave a general account of the promises made to the fathers, and also gave a history of the aborigines of this country, and said they were literal descendants of Abraham. He represented them as once being an enlightened and intelligent people, possessing a correct knowledge of the gospel, and the plan of restoration and redemption. He said this history was written and deposited not far from that place, and that it was our brother’s privilege, if obedient to the commandments of the Lord, to obtain, and translate the same by the means of the Urim and Thummim, which were deposited for that purpose with the record.
(Messenger and Advocate I.5:80 ¶2)
Oliver was the Assistant President of the Church when he published this. Joseph Smith had his scribes copy this and Oliver's other essays into his own journal as part of his life history, which we can read here:
https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/69
Joseph also had his brother Don Carlos publish these essays in the Times and Seasons. Number 4 was published in the December 15, 1840 edition.
A key point in the narrative is Moroni's explanation that "this history was written and deposited not far from that place," i.e., Joseph's family home near Palmyra, New York, about three miles from the Hill Cumorah.
Moroni's statement corroborates Mormon 6 and the Title Page, which we'll discuss below.
The key point for purposes of this post is that Moroni's statement excludes the plates of Nephi from the stone box in Cumorah.
Nephi began writing what we call the "small plates" after he arrived in the land of promise (the New World) (2 Ne 5:31). This was about 588-559 BC. The Book of Omni was written about 323-130 BC. Thus we see that the "small plates" were written centuries before Mormon abridged the plates at Cumorah around 380 AD. The small plates were written in a variety of unspecified locations as the Nephites moved from their place of landing to the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla.
Wherever the plates of Nephi were written, they were not written "not far from" Joseph's home near Palmyra, New York.
Therefore, Moroni could not have been referring to the small plates of Nephi when Moroni told Joseph that the record was "written and deposited not far from" his home.
That's exactly what the Title Page explained all along; i.e., Moroni put the abridged record in the stone box, but did not include any original plates (except the sealed portion, which Moroni explained were included).
When Joseph and Oliver were working on the abridged plates in Harmony, Oliver tried to translate. When he was unsuccessful, the Lord told him
"I would that ye should continue until you have finished this record [the abridged plates], which I have entrusted unto him. And then, behold, other records have I [the plates of Nephi], that I will give unto you power that you may assist to translate."
(Doctrine and Covenants 9:1–2)
Joseph and Oliver continued translating the abridged plates. When they finished with Moroni and the Title Page, they considered going back to the beginning to re-translate the Book of Lehi which was the 116 pages lost by Martin Harris.
In the next section of the D&C, the Lord explained that instead of retranslating what was lost, they had to translate a different record--the plates of Nephi--thereby explaining what the "other records" were that Oliver was promised he would assist to translate.
38 And now, verily I say unto you, that an account of those things that you have written, which have gone out of your hands, is engraven upon the plates of Nephi;39 Yea, and you remember it was said in those writings that a more particular account was given of these things upon the plates of Nephi.40 And now, because the account which is engraven upon the plates of Nephi is more particular concerning the things which, in my wisdom, I would bring to the knowledge of the people in this account—41 Therefore, you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi, down even till you come to the reign of king Benjamin, or until you come to that which you have translated, which you have retained;42 And behold, you shall publish it as the record of Nephi; and thus I will confound those who have altered my words.
(Doctrine and Covenants 10:38–42)
Joseph and Oliver did not have the plates of Nephi in Harmony. Joseph didn't receive those plates until the messenger brought them to Fayette. Recall that the messenger had taken the abridged plates back to the repository in Cumorah, where, apparently, he picked up the plates of Nephi and took them to Fayette.
By explaining to Joseph that the Nephite record was "written and deposited not far from" his home, Moroni told Joseph--and all of us--that what he wrote on the Title Page was correct.
The stone box contained only the abridged plates, not the plates of Nephi that Joseph translated in Fayette.
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This scenario raises a few questions.
1. "written and deposited." Some people reject the idea that Mormon abridged the record at Cumorah/Ramah in New York. They think he abridged the record elsewhere (Peru, Baja, Central America, Eritrea, etc.) and then Moroni brought the plates to New York.
These people either reject Oliver's account entirely, or they say that when Moroni told Joseph "this record was written and deposited not far from Joseph's home," he did not mean the record was written not far from Joseph's home, but was merely deposited there. IOW, they say Moroni was explaining two separate things: (i) the record was written and (ii) deposited not far from Joseph's home.
Grammarians can debate the syntax of Moroni's statement, but it would be redundant for Moroni to say the "record was written" because it it was a record, it was by definition written. Thus the only reasonable interpretation of Moroni's statement is that he told Joseph the record was "written and deposited not far from" Joseph's home.
2. Written at Cumorah. Some people question whether Mormon actually abridged the entire record at Cumorah in New York.
We can all read that this is exactly what he did.
First, Mormon retrieved all the records from the hill Shim.
And now I, Mormon, seeing that the Lamanites were about to overthrow the land, therefore I did go to the hill Shim, and did take up all the records which Ammaron had hid up unto the Lord.(Mormon 4:23)
Next, he hid up all these records in Cumorah after he abridged them.
And it came to pass that when we had gathered in all our people in one to the land of Cumorah,behold I, Mormon, began to be old;and knowing it to be the last struggle of my people,and having been commanded of the Lord that I should not suffer the records which had been handed down by our fathers, which were sacred, to fall into the hands of the Lamanites,(for the Lamanites would destroy them)therefore I made this record out of the plates of Nephi,and hid up in the hill Cumorah all the records which had been entrusted to me by the hand of the Lord,save it were these few plates which I gave unto my son Moroni.(Mormon 6:6)
A related question is how Mormon could have abridged the entire record while he was at Cumorah. This is a longer discussion about how much time he had during the gathering to Cumorah, how much of the abridgment Mormon wrote (editorial) vs. how much is extracts from the original plates, whether Mormon copied all of the original material himself or had a scribe(s) who copied the non-editorial material onto Mormon's plates, whether Mormon inserted original plates along with his editorial commentary, whether Mormon survived the final battle long enough to work on the abridgment while in the repository, etc.
3. Two departments. Some people interpret Mormon 6:6 to mean that wherever Mormon's Cumorah was, it was not the same hill where Moroni deposited the plates. It's not an unreasonable assumption, because in the text, Moroni never said he deposited the abridged plates in the same hill where his father hid up the repository of Nephite records. IOW, Moroni never wrote, "I now deposit these plates in the stone box that I constructed on the hill Cumorah near the repository of Nephite records."
But he did tell Joseph that. Modern prophets have explained exactly that.
We've just seen that Moroni told Joseph the record was "written and deposited" not far from Joseph's home. We've just seen that Mormon "made this record out of the plates of Nephi," which means he had to be abridging the record by using the original sources in the repository. In Words of Mormon, Mormon explicitly states he was working in the repository.
And now, I speak somewhat concerning that which I have written; for after I had made an abridgment from the plates of Nephi, down to the reign of this king Benjamin, of whom Amaleki spake, I searched among the records which had been delivered into my hands, and I found these plates, which contained this small account of the prophets, from Jacob down to the reign of this king Benjamin, and also many of the words of Nephi.(Words of Mormon 1:3)
When Moroni first visited Joseph, he also told him the record was in the "Hill of Cumorah." Oliver Cowdery explained that the hill in New York where Joseph obtained the plates was the very hill Cumorah/Ramah described in the text, the scene of the final battles, and the location of the repository--which he and Joseph visited multiple times.
Orson Pratt explained there were "two departments" in the Hill Cumorah.
One proponents of M2C (the Mesoamerican/two Cumorahs theory) asked me why Moroni would have constructed a stone box in the same hill where the repository was. The answer is simple: it took Joseph Smith four years of preparation to overcome the temptation of selling the plates and artifacts in the stone box. He needed another year and a half of preparation (translating the abridged plates, being baptized, receiving the Priesthood and many revelations, etc.) before he could learn about the repository, which he apparently learned about on the trip to Fayette (which is why he blanched when the messenger to whom he had given the abridged plates explained he was going to Cumorah).
4. Why Cumorah in New York? Some people wonder why Mormon chose the hill in New York to make the final stand for the Nephites.
The answer seems obvious. Mormon knew that the Jaredites had spent four years preparing for their final battle.
Wherefore, they were for the space of four years gathering together the people, that they might get all who were upon the face of the land, and that they might receive all the strength which it was possible that they could receive.(Ether 15:14)
While the number of Jaredites who gathered is unknown (I think it was fewer than 10,000, others estimate far more, even into the millions), what would they be doing for four years as they gathered?
It seems likely they would construct defensive walls, prepare weapons, etc. But it also seems likely they would construct a fortress of some kind, perhaps a bunker.
Mormon would have known this from the Jaredite record--but the Lamanites would not have known this.
Mormon and his armies had lost a series of battles as they retreated from the Lamanites. He knew that the war was leading up to "the last struggle" of his people. It didn't matter much where they fought to the death; the situation was hopeless.
But Mormon knew he had to find a place to conceal the Nephite records. He needed a repository, but he wouldn't have time or means to create one while in hasty retreat and continuous battle.
So he thought of the Jaredite fortress and wrote to the king of the Lamanites requesting a gathering at Cumorah. The king, unaware of the Jaredite history, granted the request.
1 And now I finish my record concerning the destruction of my people, the Nephites. And it came to pass that we did march forth before the Lamanites.2 And I, Mormon, wrote an epistle unto the king of the Lamanites, and desired of him that he would grant unto us that we might gather together our people unto the land of Cumorah, by a hill which was called Cumorah, and there we could give them battle.3 And it came to pass that the king of the Lamanites did grant unto me the thing which I desired.4 And it came to pass that we did march forth to the land of Cumorah, and we did pitch our tents around about the hill Cumorah; and it was in a land of many waters, rivers, and fountains; and here we had hope to gain advantage over the Lamanites.5 And when three hundred and eighty and four years had passed away, we had gathered in all the remainder of our people unto the land of Cumorah.(Mormon 6:1–5)
IOW, Mormon chose Cumorah--the Jaredite Ramah--specifically for its underground bunker where he could safely hide up the Nephite records and abridge them as he had been commanded.
5. Implications of the New York Cumorah/Ramah. Most (or at least the most-funded) modern LDS scholars have come to reject the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah/Ramah. They teach instead that
(i) the prophets were merely speculating and we know they were wrong because the New York Cumorah does not fit the scholars' own interpretation of the text (meaning their "requirements" for Cumorah exclude New York as a viable candidate).(ii) there must be "two Cumorahs," meaning the traditional one in New York is a false tradition while the "real Cumorah" is somewhere in southern Mexico, Peru, Baja, or anywhere else except New York;
Yet we can all read the original sources in Church history that declare and reiterate the claim that the Hill Cumorah in New York is also the hill Cumorah/Ramah in the text of the Book of Mormon. We have Apostles and members of the First Presidency teaching this in General Conference.
This leaves us with two alternatives.
1. We can choose to embrace the teachings of the scholars and reject the teachings of the prophets.
We can embrace scholarly interpretations of the text and extrinsic evidence that exclude New York from the list of possible locations of the hill Cumorah/Ramah.
2. We can choose to embrace the teachings of the prophets and reject the teachings of the scholars.
We can embrace both prophetic and scholarly interpretations of the text and extrinsic evidence that corroborate the teachings of the prophets that New York is the setting of the hill Cumorah/Ramah.
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SUMMARY
Obviously, if there were two sets of plates, and the plates of Nephi that Joseph translated in Fayette came directly from the repository of plates in Cumorah, then this is one more piece of evidence that corroborates the teachings of the prophets (and Moroni) about the hill Cumorah/Ramah in New York.
Therefore, we expect M2C scholars to reject the two sets of plates scenario. Maybe they will propose that while the "real" Cumorah is in southern Mexico, the repository of Nephite plates was transported to New York in an undocumented account.
People can believe whatever they want.
We just encourage people to make informed decisions using all the available information.
I found this additional insight from Oliver's Letter IV very useful as an additional evidence to support the two sets of plates scenario, but others may not.
If you have additional thoughts or questions, email me at lostzarahemla@gmail.com.
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