Improving Church websites: Cumorah

In the ongoing pursuit of clarity, charity and understanding, and always in the hope of improvement, we propose some additions to the narrative on a Church website regarding Cumorah.

One reason why Latter-day Saints don't know the history of Cumorah is because of explanations such as the following on the Church History Department's section on learning about historic sites and museums.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/locations/hill-cumorah?lang=eng

The site does contain some useful information, but it completely ignores the historical sources and teachings of the prophets about Cumorah. It doesn't even provide links to those sources. Worse, it includes confusing and inconsistent material.

Original in blue, comments in red, and proposed emendations in green. (An "emendation" is an alteration intended to improve.)

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Hill Cumorah in Manchester, New York, is the place where Joseph Smith met annually with the angel Moroni from 1823 to 1827 and obtained the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon would be translated.

This is accurate but incomplete. It leaves readers without an answer to the obvious question: "Why is this hill named Cumorah?" 

It's not a difficult question to answer. 

Proposed emendation. Add the following sentence:

The hill is called "Cumorah" because that's how Moroni identified it when he first visited Joseph in September 1823.

   

Top of Cumorah

Proposed additional photo: Show the view from the top of the hill facing west, as Oliver Cowdery described it.

The events that took place at the Hill Cumorah were foundational to the establishment of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Directed by the angel Moroni, Joseph Smith found the golden plates deposited in the hill on September 22, 1823. note 1

Note 1. See https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/41 and D&C 128:20.

Joseph then met the angel there on the same date for the next three years until he was finally allowed to obtain the plates on September 22, 1827. From those plates, Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. 

This incomplete explanation omits an essential part of the narrative Joseph and Oliver gave us. 

Proposed emendation. Delete the last sentence and replace it with what Joseph actually said:

"I obtained them and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates and thus came the Book of Mormon." Note 2 

Note 2: See https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/elders-journal-july-1838/11

The site includes a variety of trails, the Angel Moroni Monument, and a visitors’ center.

No emendations needed.

Although it is commonly known as the Hill Cumorah, this name was not used sometime after the pivotal events of 1823–1827. 

This confusing sentence appears to be missing a word. We infer the historians meant to write "this name was not used until sometime after the pivotal events of 1823–1827." But if so, then the sentence is misleading.

There are no known documents from 1823-1827 regarding the plates, the hill, Moroni, the First Vision, or any other Restoration events. Everything we know about this time period was recorded retrospectively. We assume people talked about these events at the time they occurred. They just didn't write anything down until later. 

In fact, the claim that Joseph met Moroni in September 1827 is based on retrospective accounts. 

To be consistent, historians would observe that "the name "Moroni" was not used until sometime after the pivotal events of 1823-1827." Instead, relying on retrospective accounts, they state the dates of Moroni's visit as a fact. Which is fine.

But to be consistent, they should also state as a fact that it was Moroni who identified the hill as Cumorah in the first place. 

Proposed emendation. Replace this confusing sentence with the following. 

The hill is commonly known as the Hill Cumorah because that is what Moroni called it when he first visited Joseph Smith. Oliver Cowdery explained that it was a fact that this is the same hill referenced in Mormon 6:6. Note 3.

Note 3. See http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/90 

In the latter half of the nineteenth century, many residents of Wayne and Ontario Counties referred to it as “Gold Bible Hill” and “Mormon Hill.” 

Proposed emendation. Add the following sentence. 

The Church acquired the Hill Cumorah in 1928 and restored the name Cumorah, by which it is still known today.

However, many early members of the Church, including some of Joseph Smith’s closest friends and family members, referred to the hill as “Cumorah” at various times in Joseph Smith’s lifetime. 

While technically accurate, this is misleading because it implies these "early members of the Church" invented the term or adopted a false narrative. Historians should explain that Lucy Mack Smith related what Moroni told Joseph the first night, that Joseph referred to the hill as Cumorah even before he got the plates, that Oliver Cowdery explained it was Moroni who called the hill Cumorah, that Oliver declared it is a fact that the New York Cumorah is the same as the Cumorah/Ramah mentioned in the text, that David Whitmer met the messenger who had the plates and was going to Cumorah before going to Fayette, etc.

Proposed emendation. Replace the sentence with the following. 

Many early members of the Church, including some of Joseph Smith's closest friends and family members, related accounts that affirmed Moroni's identification of the hill as Cumorah. 

This is likely because Moroni, the Book of Mormon’s final author and the angel who met with Joseph Smith, wrote that he would “hide up the record in the earth” once he had finished adding a few words of his own (see Mormon 8:4, 14). 

This speculative sentence should be omitted because there are zero historical documents that state, imply, or even suggest that this is the reason why Joseph and his contemporaries referred to the hill as Cumorah. Instead, the historical references indicate that it was Moroni himself who identified the hill as Cumorah, along with the messenger to whom Joseph gave the plates before leaving Harmony (whom Joseph identified as one of the Three Nephites).

Proposed emendation. Delete the sentence. 

Since this passage follows Moroni’s account of the great final battle between the Nephites and Lamanites, which occurred at a hill called Cumorah, many assumed that Moroni buried the plates in the same hill (see Mormon 8:2–4) and it was there that Joseph later received the record. 

This speculative sentence should be omitted because there are zero historical documents that state, imply, or even suggest that this is the reason why Joseph and his contemporaries referred to the hill as Cumorah. To the contrary, President Cowdery stated it was a fact, not an assumption.

Proposed emendation. Delete the sentence. 

One of Joseph Smith’s later letters likewise refers to the “glad tiding from Cumorah” and the visit of “Moroni, an angel from heaven” (Doctrine and Covenants 128:20). 

By changing the word order and omitting part of the reference, the historians have changed the meaning of Joseph's letter. The entire sentence demonstrates that Joseph learned the name Cumorah from Moroni before he received the plates. Moroni told him about "the book to be revealed." (emphasis added)

Proposed emendation. Replace the edited quotation with the full quotation. 

Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. (Doctrine and Covenants 128:20)

While the Church “does not take a position on the specific geographic locations of Book of Mormon events in the ancient Americas,” records kept by Joseph Smith and his contemporaries make it clear that this hill is the place where Joseph Smith met with Moroni and where Joseph received the plates containing the Book of Mormon (see Gospel Topics: Book of Mormon Geography).

The entry on Book of Mormon Geography does not mention Cumorah. As such, it retains the teachings of the prophets from the beginning because they always emphasized two things: (i) Cumorah is in New York and (ii) we don't know the location of the other events in the New World.

Proposed emendation. Replace the sentence with this. 

While the Church “does not take a position on the specific geographic locations of Book of Mormon events in the ancient Americas,” the prophets have consistently taught two things: (i) Cumorah is in New York and (ii) we don't know the location of the other events in the New World. Additionally, retrospective records kept by Joseph Smith and his contemporaries make it clear that this hill is the place where Joseph Smith met with Moroni and where Joseph received the plates containing the Book of Mormon (see Gospel Topics: Book of Mormon Geography).

Update on Dartmouth - 1813-14

At my request, Dartmouth sent me the attendance records for Moor's Charity School for the year 1813-14. Hyrum Smith is not listed.

This leaves us with the only actual record of Hyrum's attendance being in the first quarter of 1814. 

Separately, Luck Mack Smith recalled that they enrolled Hyrum and that he came home sick, but she didn't give precise dates for either event. She dictated from memory 30 years after the fact, and she mentioned it just in passing, so it is not surprising that she would not state what month and year Hyrum attended.

The records from 1813-14 that Dartmouth sent me speak for themselves. We can all see that Hyrum is not listed. Some of Hyrum's classmates from 1814 are listed in the 1813 class, such as Alan Plumley from Hanover and James Johnson from Norwich, but most are different.

The 1813-14 list includes a Horace Smith from Hanover and a Noah Smith, who withdrew. I suppose someone could claim that "Horace" was actually "Hiram" or "Hyrum" if they want to believe that.

Below are the 1813-14 enrollment records for Moor's Charity School. Click on an image to enlarge it.

(Note: I added the 1814-1815 enrollment records after the 1813-14 records.)

1814-1915 enrollment records for Moor's Charity School.

This one shows Hiram (Hyrum) Smith enrolled for the first quarter (fall) only, with no further mention of him for the second through fourth quarters.

Dartmouth and the FAITH model

A well-known paper titled "Dartmouth Arminianism And Its Impact on Hyrum Smith And the Smith Family" was published in 2006 by the John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, written by Richard K. Behrens. It is located online here: https://www.jstor.org/stable/43200240. Hereafter I'll refer to it as the "Behrens paper." 

LDS apologists and critics approach this topic differently. Critics tend to portray Hyrum as having assimilated the theological concepts circulating at Dartmouth, which he then imparted to his younger brother Joseph, who then expressed them in the Book of Mormon, D&C, various sermons, etc.

Apologists tend to minimize Hyrum's experience in Hanover, observing that he wasn't attending Dartmouth but instead Moor's Indian Charity school, and even then he attended only briefly. They tend to resist the idea that Joseph's revelations were influenced by (or the product of) what he learned from Hyrum, largely because most modern apologists don't think Joseph actually translated anything but instead was an ignorant farm boy to whom every word was revealed (such as through the stone-in-the-hat or SITH).

In my view, the Lord prepared Joseph from a young age to become a translator and prophet, which included giving Joseph the handicap (leg surgery) that turned him into a religious seeker and a thoughtful reader of Christian material. As Joseph put it, he had "an intimate acquaintance with those of different denominations," such that anything Hyrum shared from the school he attended was simply part of Joseph's preparation.

In other words, I understand the competing narratives but IMO both are not well founded. I encourage everyone to apply the FAITH model of analysis to clarify the different interpretations, in the spirit of charity (assuming everyone acts with good intentions) and in the pursuit of understanding instead of argument and debate designed to convince of, or coerce compliance with, a particular point of view.

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The Behrens paper is a good example of why the academic world should move toward adopting the FAITH model of analysis. This model clearly distinguishes between Facts on one hand, and Assumptions, Inferences, Theories and Hypotheses on the other.

The topic of Hyrum's attendance at Dartmouth involves only a few objective, clear facts. Everyone can see and agree upon these facts. 

The Behrens paper creates a narrative that extends far beyond the known facts through a series of assumptions and inferences, apparently driven by the author's overriding hypothesis.

One of the final paragraphs in the paper summarizes the author's conclusions:

Hyrum’s exposure to Dartmouth’s theology, cosmology, ancient language studies, architecture, Ethan Smith’s son Lyndon, and Solomon Spaulding’s nephew James Spaulding from Sharon, Vermont, who was attending the Medical School, all provided discussion material for tutoring Joseph during his long recovery from leg surgery that kept Joseph at home on crutches until the Smith family reached Palmyra.

To assess the plausibility of these conclusions, we should begin with the known facts.

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Known Facts

The known historical documents provide us with this information about Hiram's (Hyrum's) attendance at Moor's school. Everyone, regardless of their assumptions, inferences, theories, and hypotheses, agrees with these facts. 

Whether the contents of these documents are accurate, reliable, credible, etc., is a separate matter that invokes assumptions, inferences, etc.

1. "Hiram Smith" is listed on the tuition rolls of Moor's school for the first quarter of 1814, studying "Arithmetic," with his home town in Hanover, and he paid no tuition because he attended as a "Charity Scholar."

2. The other Charity Scholars at Moor's school studied these subjects:

1 student -  "Virg. & Gr. Test," (presumably Virgil and Greek New Testament)

2 students - "Virgil" 

1 student - "Mathematics" 

1 student - "Navigation & Eng. Gr."

3 students - "Reading" 

The ages of the students are not shown so it is impossible to say how old the "Reading" students were or even what they were reading.

The paying students studied these subjects: 

5 students - "Cic. de Or. & Gr. Test." (presumably Cicero de Oratore in Latin and the Greek New Testament)

1 student - "Cic. & Arith." 

6 students - Virgil

1 student - "Gr. Test. & Cic" 

2 students - "Lat. Primer 1/2 gr"  

2 students - "Lat. Primer"  

Tuition record from Moor's I.C. (Indian Charity) School from Aug 1814 to Aug 1815,
First quarter from Aug 28th to Nov. 19th 1814.
(click to enlarge)

 

3. No other extant tuition or attendance documents from Moor's school include Hiram/Hyrum as a student or refer to him in any way.

For the full records for 1814-1915, see 

https://mormonr.org/files/0g2tC8/scan-htH5td-0g2tC8.pdf?r=htH5td&t=eyJhbGciOiJkaXIiLCJlbmMiOiJBMjU2R0NNIn0..wkmOvDnsR8Pm7jDQ.JcPX5PZClptaGXyi_mwXwkNtOge-xHVGNoF7BCP9qcnIQwGibJQntyfq7zItzqP816nvT4MCHaXSBZ7HMSv-IUlXeWnF0oJri153kw4BU93KbmDfg2ZMC2hO6eaFl4VLMWPD5rXlHJ-vpWgbCe4tdSMY66cqrVzzuZISrjeDl2iHBhe-S6okaLLNsgwYvtBn1qjXX4uCYQdnHJvZeS2fW9Q-U6VyteQYBEp2sTv2uj_hlzWgo_m7snlQYq93JC7l97oCMZJQwzDd5qbPRHcAJxNqpIyBqdEcdKSidJvIv8XKucusW64WnrE7FzSU0FjOKeGKogBb0x6fiJknAkCDDHjfsV9EpKXFF3TtiC_aPw4DONp43Xzu_RAORO5f6cmgLOSTwUlvGmiVLLHmf8Cya7mNsvA.Drq7BNvaRU31x4hOCh_BJQ

and for 1816

https://mormonr.org/files/ZFhmCh/scan-9LK9tc-ZFhmCh.pdf?r=9LK9tc&t=eyJhbGciOiJkaXIiLCJlbmMiOiJBMjU2R0NNIn0..JxHR4QbsASNWPay5.Y9M686v3dzZ5p8HezsLoyf8nNSP85_NKChL8TSwWZJ9fI80d_JG3fR4oKV-MvK0W4ayIqeiBfbSdWdu1J7aOBOg9rnjvENp81ag2Xl5WiqvkSwKA6gEjeBq5xjVGpEUFFsuJ0CUY6lEC8E2RlMXH6IH-rXudAy7CZV2dhd3LP06F_INyHdc_RANA4PB3e6U5HfQw6Nzi0c5eF6Umr0FI4UE71ELW7n81dJKxIINuhJTiUG6NyyCLKkBG0bFL-5beun9eREh4HkReVD0-6D6aZe-IN4KxItNYG8kIoTzvoRF0Ln5C1XyTdltp16BT0fTXivsqhrx9WtgAGMJ83oRaopb5-6ShjpkSDx5sj5DQ5g4lTlkbXjggm-Qc9a5J6Xm4UtpOK2J-Ef7mRAR9oltvteZ6JLI.ykbRowponGlSLBBWxWifcw

4. In 1844-5, after Hyrum had been murdered, Lucy Mack Smith, Hyrum's mother, recalled that sometime after 1811 when the family moved to Lebanon "as my children had been deprived of school we made every arrangement to suply that deficency our second son <​Hyrum​> we <​established in​> the accademy in Hanover" [1844-45 history]  and "we established our second son (Hyrum) in an academy at Hanover" [1845 history].  

5. Lucy added, "<in 1813> the typhus fever came into Lebanon and raged there horribly among the rest who were seized with this complaint was my oldest daughter Sophronia who was sick 4 weeks next Hyrum came from Hanover <sick> with the same disease" [1844-5] and "The typhus fever came into Lebanon, and raged tremendously; and among the number seized with this complaint; was first Sophronia, and then Hyrum, who was taken while at School and came home sick" [1845]  

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/33  

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1845/63 

6. Lucy added, "After one whole year of affliction we were able once more to look upon our children and each other in health...My Husband now determined to change his residence accordingly we moved to Norrige in <​vermont​>." [1844-5 history]  "Shortly after sickness left us, we moved to Norwich, in the state of Vermont." [1845 history] 

7.  The precise date (or even month) of the typhus outbreak in West Lebanon, NH, is unknown, but it most likely began in November or December 1812 because of the epidemiological tendency of typhus to surge in colder months when people are in close quarters, supporting a late fall onset in the winter of 1812–1813.

Assumptions and Inferences

These facts support a variety of assumptions and inferences.

1. Based on Lucy Mack Smith's vague recollections in 1844-5, Hyrum started attending Moor's school ("the academy in Hanover") sometime in after the family moved to Lebanon in 1811, which could mean in the year 1811 or sometime in 1812 (after the family had established themselves), until early 1813 due to the typhus outbreak. This gives a range of possibility from anywhere between two years to a few months. The Dartmouth records don't show his name because they were lost, because he started school late after the tuition was recorded, or for some other reason.

2. In the fall of 1814, after everyone in the family had recovered, Hyrum was able to return to school to study "Arithmetic" for one quarter as indicated on the Moor's school records. Maybe he also attended during other quarters in 1813 or 1814, but his name does not appear on the records of the final 3 quarters for 1814 even though his classmates' names do appear. 

3. The extant record from the fall of 1814 shows Hyrum studying "Arithmetic." Compared with the subjects his classmates were studying, "Arithmetic" is fairly basic, if not remedial. This reality lends credence to the lower range of his school attendance, more likely only a few months in 1812 than two or more full years. Alternatively, the fact that by 1814 Hyrum was still studying "Arithmetic" could mean he was a poor student.

4. Whether Hyrum's attendance at Moor's school was limited or he was a poor student, in either case it is not plausible that he was attending sophisticated theology lectures, engaging in philosophical debates and discussions, studying architecture, and otherwise participating in the advanced intellectual activities at Dartmouth college.

5. On the other hand, maybe Lucy downplayed Hyrum's attendance and in reality Hyrum spent several years at Moor's academy, which exposed him to the advanced intellectual activities at Dartmouth college. Maybe Hyrum was an exceptional student who understood and remembered what he heard at hundreds of lectures and during innumerable conversations and debates. Maybe the records were lost or nonexistent for some reason other than that Hyrum simply wasn't there.

The purpose of this analysis is to differentiate between facts upon which everyone can agree, and assumptions and inferences upon which people probably disagree, depending on their subjective weighing of the evidence, their confirmation bias, their worldview, their own experience, etc.

By separating facts and clearly spelling out assumptions, inferences and theories, everyone can make informed decisions about the ultimate hypotheses about Hyrum's experience in Hanover.

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With this background, we can assess the author's objectives for his article. The Introduction summarizes these objectives (I added the numbering for clarity)

In this paper I shall demonstrate

(i) the close relationship between the early Dartmouth College community and curriculum (see exhibits 2 and 3); 

(ii) the members of the extended family of the prophet Joseph Smith, who were an integral part of that community from 1771 to 1817 (see exhibit 1 and exhibit 4); 

(iii) and subsequent Mormon doctrine and community, which emerged under the direction of Joseph Smith (see exhibit 5). 

I shall proceed to develop a plausible intellectual development view of Joseph Smith from the perspective of his brother Hyrum Smith.

If you read the paper, keep in mind these objectives because they explain why the author did what he did in the paper.

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In the pursuit of clarity, charity, and understanding, I did a detailed review, which you can see here. The review is preliminary, pending new information and comments, before I finalize it and post it on this blog and on academia.org.

https://interpreterpeerreviews.blogspot.com/2025/06/behrens-paper-on-dartmouth.html

In the spirit of charity I assume Behrens researched and wrote in good faith. In 2006 there were probably not as many online sources. Maybe detailed citations were not expected back then, although I used to require them from students and from myself...

The paper is replete with the author's conclusions about how deeply Dartmouth affected Hyrum for the rest of his life, including science, architecture, and theology.

But unfortunately the paper is also replete with factual errors, compound assumptions and inferences, poor to nonexistent citations, and logical fallacies. 

Conclusion: Unless and until additional evidence comes forth, the connection between Joseph Smith and Dartmouth is tenuous at best. The only connection is through his brother Hyrum, who attended Moor's school as a "Charity Scholar" for perhaps as little as one quarter in 1812 and one quarter in 1814 to learn "Arithmetic" while his classmates studied Virgil and Mathematics. 

Hyrum apparently taught Joseph about the arithmetic he had learned at Moor's school. Joseph mentioned in his 1832 history that “I was mearly instructtid in reading and writing and the ground <rules> of Arithmatic which const[it]uted my whole literary acquirements.” 

Beyond that, the connections with Dartmouth appear illusory at best.

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Dartmouth College in the early 1800s.

https://dartreview.com/history-of-dartmouth-college-vol-1-a-review/

(click to enlarge)

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dartmouth_College_campus_-_The_Green,_early_1800s.jpg

The Joseph Smith locket

On the Mormon Book Reviews channel, Curtis Weber gave a detailed explanation of his analysis of the Joseph Smith locket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyKyDOtbEU&t=6279s

(click to enlarge)

As both an artist and a 3D computer animator, I found the presentation fascinating and convincing.

Kudos to both Curtis and Steve Pynakker for an outstanding presentation. 

Additional images from the presentation (click to enlarge):

:

Reviewing Rough Stone Rolling

One of the most popular "Pages" on this blog is the commentary on Richard Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling, but many readers don't know about the Pages.

We have all learned more about Church history in the years since Rough Stone Rolling was published, and while it would be great to have a new edition, that seems impractical at this point. Instead, we can offer suggestions for improvement, such as those at this link:

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/p/rough-stone-rolling-analysis-part-1.html

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Below is an excerpt from the review. The original is in blue, my comments are in red, and my revision, or emendation, is in purple.

5. p. 71. Neither Joseph nor Oliver explained how translation worked, but Joseph did not pretend to look at the "reformed Egyptian” words, the language on the plates, according to the book's own description. 

"Joseph did not pretend" assumes Joseph would have been pretending had he claimed to look at the engravings on the plates. But Joseph himself said he not only looked at the plates, but he copied the characters, studied the characters, and translated the characters. As we'll see below, Joseph's mother explained that Joseph applied the U&T to his eyes and looked on the plates, but RSJ omitted that, too.

Ironically, the Lord warned Joseph that his enemies would say "that you have pretended to translate." In our day, it is certain LDS scholars who claim Joseph merely pretended to translate.

Furthermore, in D&C 10:41, the Lord told Joseph "you shall translate the engravings which are on the plates of Nephi." In verse 45, the Lord said "it is wisdom in me that you should translate this first part of the engravings of Nephi." Neither instruction makes sense if Joseph was not actually translating the engravings.

Proposed emendation: Joseph reported, “immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the Urim and Thummim I translated some of them.” (Joseph Smith—History 1:62) Furthermore, the Lord instructed Joseph to "translate the engravings" on specific plates. (D&C 10:41, 45) However, neither Joseph nor Oliver explained in detail how the translation worked.

Royal Skousen's excerpt technique

In my review of Royal Skousen's Part Seven, I noted that Skousen spent several pages to promote the narrative that it was Moroni who showed the plates to Mary Whitmer (pages 43-47).

Near the conclusion of that discussion, Skousen wrote this:

We should also add here the earliest record of the angel appearing to Mary Whitmer. This is found in Edward Stevenson’s interview of David Whitmer on 22-23 December 1877 and is recorded as follows in Stevenson’s diary [Cook 13, Vogel 5:31]:

& the next Morning Davids Mother Saw the Person at the Shed and he took the Plates from A Box & Showed them to her She Said that they were fastened with Rings thus: D he turned the leaves over this was a Sattisfaction to her.

Skousen quotes both Cook's David Whitmer Interviews and Vogel's Early Mormon Documents. Both of those references are out of print and difficult to find (although I have both of them). 

I previously commented on how Skousen selectively quoted from these two sources to omit what David said about the messenger (the Person at the Shed) being "one of the Nephites." 

https://www.ldshistoricalnarratives.com/2024/12/creating-narrative-with-selective.html

(click to enlarge)

In that post, I included an image from Vogel's book to show how Skousen omitted David's statement that Joseph identified the man as one of the Nephites.

The part circled here in orange is Skousen's quotation. The top part circled in red is a continuation from the previous page, where David reported that Joseph "said it was one of the Nephites & that he had the Plates."

We can speculate why Skousen omitted that part of Stevenson's journal. Maybe he omitted it because it contradicted his personal belief that it was Moroni who showed the plates to Mary Whitmer, or because he didn't actually read the original and simply copied and pasted someone else's excerpt, or because he decided that Moroni was "one of the Nephites" anyway.

But it doesn't matter because regardless of the reason, omitting a relevant part of an original document to promote one's personal views is inexcusable.

Note: Vogel's footnote refers to one of several other versions of the interview that Stevenson produced. Stevenson also reported in another account that Joseph told David "their visitor was one of the three Nephites to whom the Savior gave the promise of life on earth until He should come in power" and that this was the Nephite whom mother Whitmer saw.  

All these references are available here:

https://www.mobom.org/trip-to-fayette-references

_____

To verify the Cook and Vogel references, we can read directly from Stevenson's journal.

https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets/82199881-7613-43e6-a79e-b72609d95b23/0/22?lang=eng

page 17
click to enlarge

Again, we can see how Skousen omitted the part of the journal that contradicts his Moroni theory.

Page 18, annotated
Click to enlarge

JSP, CHD are awesome

Just a brief note about how awesome the Joseph Smith Papers (https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/) and the Church History Department are. 

Readers here know how much I rely upon the expertise of Church historians, their staff, and everyone involved with accumulating, indexing, organizing, and presenting historical documents. They are careful and professional. 

Every time I do a presentation, fireside, etc. about Church history, I encourage audience members to become familiar with the Joseph Smith Papers.

There are other invaluable collections of historical material that I often rely upon as well, such as the Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale (http://edwards.yale.edu/), archive.org, the Founding Fathers resources (https://founders.archives.gov/), etc. 

But the Joseph Smith Papers is probably the best organized and most accessible, with outstanding images of original documents accompanied by transcripts and notes.

The Church History Library Catalog is also outstanding, and it is improving all the time. 

https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/

The staff is helpful, responsive, and prompt. 

_____

I sometimes make recommendations for improvement. Many of these suggestions seem obvious, and it surprises me that it takes so long for changes to be made, but there is always institutional inertia to overcome. Plus, everyone is busy and apparently there is no one assigned at the Joseph Smith Papers or the Church History Department to make corrections/improvements, such as an ombudsman. 

But eventually the right thing happens....

Dirkmaat and Jonathan Edwards

The recent focus on Jonathan Edwards adds a lot to our understanding of the Restoration, but scholars need to be careful to avoid perpetuating false stereotypes. 

BYU Professor Gerrit Dirkmaat, an awesome scholar and a great guy, gave a fireside that was uploaded to YouTube. During the fireside he related a misleading account of what Jonathan Edwards taught. Maybe it was effective for his rhetorical purposes, but viewers are better served by learning accurate history.

This is important because of the influence Jonathan Edwards and others had on young Joseph Smith, which we're documenting here: https://www.mobom.org/jonathan-edwards. That site includes annotated chapters and sections from the Restoration scriptures that indicate Joseph's familiarity with ("intimate acquaintance with") the work of Jonathan Edwards. Brother Dirkmaat's presentation leads to another type of annotation. We can read Edwards' works and see how his nonbiblical terminology appears in the Restoration scriptures. An example of this is included at the end of this post.

Brother Dirkmaat makes an important and legitimate point about the influence Jonathan Edwards had on Joseph Smith, but it is neither necessary nor appropriate to misrepresent Edwards' work to make this point.

_____

This is the section of the fireside where Brother Dirkmaat begins to discuss Edwards. (We'll refer to Brother Dirkmaat as simply Dirkmaat through the rest of this post.)

https://youtu.be/TVSKjHqCFqY?t=253

(click to enlarge)

This slide shows an excerpt from Edwards' famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  

Below is the YouTube transcript with my comments. Original in blue, my comments in red, interlinear quotations in green.

Dirkmaat introduces Edwards here:

this is Jonathan Edwards who gave the great sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” 

Notice how he explains God's relationship to mankind.

As anyone who reads the sermon can see, Edwards is not explaining "God's relationship to mankind" but instead is describing the fate of those who are not born again. Dirkmaat completely misleads his viewers by omitting Edwards’ introduction to this part of the sermon (see below). 

It is possible that Dirkmaat simply relied on the quoted excerpt which he found somewhere, such as in the writings of Terryl Givens and Steven Harper, who teach a caricature of Edwards similar to what Dirkmaat does in this fireside.

But as a professional historian, Dirkmaat surely read Edwards' sermon before quoting an out-of-context excerpt. Thus we are left concluding that he deliberately omitted the introduction for rhetorical purposes.

[Here Dirkmaat quotes from the slide] 

God abhors you and he's dreadfully provoked his wrath towards you burns like fire he looks at you as worthy of nothing else but be cast Into the Fire. He is of purer eyes than to Bear you in his sight you are 10,000 times as abominable in his sight as the most hateful and venomous serpent…

Definitely this is harsh rhetoric by Edwards. But is that God's "relationship to mankind" as Dirkmaat claims? 

Let's read Edwards' introduction that Dirkmaat omitted, which appears two paragraphs before the except Dirkmaat quoted:

Thus are all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life...you are thus in the hands of an angry God; it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. [Emphasis added]

Far from explaining "God's relationship to mankind," Edwards was explaining the fate of those who are not born again, using terminology that appears in the Book of Mormon, including nonbiblical terminology. See the annotation at the end of this post.

Now that's not exactly the message that you hear, you know, in church on Sunday, about how much God loves you. 

If we don’t hear this in Sunday School, it’s because we no longer quote certain passages from the Book of Mormon, as we can see in the annotation at the end of this post.

In fact the message that Jonathan Edwards is sharing is that God hates you and he hates you because you're a sinner. You're vile in his sight because of that, because you're a sinner and you know once you get through this life, you know, lucky you, you're going to end up most likely going to hell and as Edwards explains how, you know, he gives you an idea of what this hell is like.

Obviously, this is an outrageous misrepresentation of what Edwards taught in this very sermon. Edwards was specifically addressing those who were "never born again," who "never passed under a great change of heart," etc. 

Just as the Book of Mormon teaches, using the identical language.

Compare how Dirkmaat portrays Edwards to the actual language Edwards uses in this very sermon, such as this passage. [Note: the terms in red below are nonbiblical Book of Mormon terms.]

And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has flung the door of mercy wide open, and stands in the door calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to him, and pressing into the kingdom of God; many are daily coming from the east, west, north and south; many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are in now an happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him that has loved them and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. 

How awful is it to be left behind at such a day! To see so many others feasting, while you are pining and perishing! To see so many rejoicing and singing for joy of heart, while you have cause to mourn for sorrow of heart, and howl for vexation of spirit! How can you rest one moment in such a condition? Are not your souls as precious as the souls of the people at Suffield, where they are flocking from day to day to Christ? 

[Dirkmaat next quotes this slide, again without explaining Edwards' additional introduction]

(click to enlarge)

It would be Dreadful to suffer the fierceness of the Wrath of the almighty God for one moment but you must suffer it for eternity. 

Ironically, this is another example of the influence of Jonathan Edwards on Joseph Smith. The term "fierceness" appears in the scriptures in this frequency: OT (9) NT (1) BM (1) DC (2)

But the phrase "fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God" appears only twice in the scriptures--both in the Doctrine and Covenants.

107 When he shall deliver up the kingdom, and present it unto the Father, spotless, saying: I have overcome and have trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. (Doctrine and Covenants 76:107)

106 And again, another angel shall sound his trump, which is the seventh angel, saying: It is finished; it is finished! The Lamb of God hath overcome and trodden the wine-press alone, even the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:106)

There will be no end to this Exquisite horrible misery. 

"Exquisite" is a nonbiblical term that appears in this frequency: BM (2) DC (1) PGP (1).

"Horrible" appears in this frequency: OT (6) BM (2)

"Misery" appears disproportionately in the Book of Mormon in this frequency: OT (6) NT (1) BM (25) DC (3) PGP (3).

When you look forward you shall see a long forever, a boundless duration before you which will swallow up your thoughts and amaze your soul. And you you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all. You will know certainly that you must wear out long ages, millions of millions of ages in wrestling with this Almighty, merciless vengeance. And then when you have done so, when so many ages have actually been spent by you in this manner, you will know that that is all but a DOT to what remains. So that your punishment will indeed be infinite.

It's important to reiterate that Edwards was specifically addressing those who have not been born again, such as in this passage.

How dreadful is the state of those that are daily and hourly in danger of this great wrath, and infinite misery! But this is the dismal case of every soul in this congregation, that has not been born again, however moral and strict, sober and religious they may otherwise be. ... If we knew that there was one person, and but one, in the whole congregation that was to be the subject of this misery, what an awful thing would it be to think of! If we knew who it was, what an awful sight would it be to see such a person! How might all the rest of the congregation lift up a lamentable and bitter cry over him! 

... 

Consider this, you that are here present, that yet remain in an unregenerate state.... Now God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now with some encouragement of obtaining mercy; But when once the day of mercy is past, your most lamentable and dolorous cries and shrieks will be in vain."

Compare Alma: "now is the time and the day of your salvation... this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God... For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked." (Alma 34:31, 32, 35)

Note: "prepare to meet God," "procrastinate," "subjected to," "spirit of the devil," and "final state" are all nonbiblical Book of Mormon terms used by Edwards several times. E.g., "the judgment of God, by which the final state of wicked men is determined..." (Alma 34:35)

Like the Book of Mormon, Edwards often quotes Isaiah as authority. Here is an example from this sermon:

How awful are those words, Isaiah 63:3, which are the words of the great God. "I will tread them in mine anger, and will trample them in my fury, and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment." 'Tis perhaps impossible to conceive of words that carry in them greater manifestations of these three things, viz. contempt, and hatred, and fierceness of indignation. 

Thus it will be with you that are in an unconverted state, if you continue in it; 

[Next, Dirkmaat makes his rhetorical point, which is a good one that explains how Joseph was affected by Jonathan Edwards in a positive way (as were most of Edwards' listeners and readers).]

Wow. I mean that's certainly is a message uh about God. You can see the reason why a young Joseph hearing sermons like that might, as he writes in the 1832 account he gives of the first Vision, at about the age of 12 years old my mind became seriously impressed with regard to the all important concerns for the welfare of My Immortal Soul which led me to the searching the scriptures. 

I mean this, this idea is something that matters to him because he's hearing about the fact that hell is terrible and you're probably going there

In this 1832 account, Joseph Smith referred to "my intimate acquaintance with those of differant denominations." 

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-summer-1832/2

The evidence of Joseph's "intimate acquaintance" exists throughout the Restoration scriptures, which is also evidence that Joseph actually translated the plates (contrary to SITH). 

To reiterate: The recent focus on Jonathan Edwards adds a lot to our understanding of the Restoration, but scholars need to be careful to avoid perpetuating false stereotypes. 

_____

Annotation of Edwards' introduction quoted above, showing blending of biblical passages. Red words are nonbiblical Book of Mormon terms used by Edwards.

Thus are all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life...you are thus in the hands of an angry God; it is nothing but his mere pleasure that keeps you from being this moment swallowed up in everlasting destruction. [Emphasis added]

Biblical and Book of Mormon terminology

mighty power: OT (4) NT (2) BM (4) DC (1) JE (150)

Spirit of God: OT (14) NT (12) BM (20) DC (3) PGP (4) JE (100s)

born again: NT (3) BM (4) PGP (1) JE (140)

E.g., "if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. (Alma 7:14)

raised from: OT (1) NT (9) BM (4) JE (100)

being dead: NT (4) BM (1) JE (60)

altogether: OT (25) NT (4) BM (1) DC (5) PGP (1) JE (700)

in the hands: OT (2) [hands of Aaron and his sons] BM (10) [hands of God, the Lord] DC (5) [hands of the church, the bishop, Christ, the Saints, of the people] JE (200) [hands of God, the Lord, Christ]

angry: OT (37) NT (7) BM (69) DC (6) PGP (4) JE (600)

E.g., "For it is not written that Zenos alone spake of these things, but Zenock also spake of these things— For behold, he said: Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son. (Alma 33:15–16)

I, the Lord, was angry with you yesterday, but today mine anger is turned away. (Doctrine and Covenants 61:20)

nothing but: OT (7) NT (13) BM (3) DC (3) JE (100s)

pleasure: OT (43) NT (18) BM (17) DC (5) JE (100s)

E.g., O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure? (Jacob 4:9)

Fear not thine enemies, for they are in mine hands and I will do my pleasure with them.

(Doctrine and Covenants 136:30)

from being: OT (14) NT (1) BM (3) JE (100s)

swallowed up: OT (11) NT (4) BM (15) (200)

Note: "swallowed up in" NT (1) BM (12)

everlasting destruction: NT (1) BM (9) JE (40)

And behold I say unto you all that this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity. (Alma 12:6)

Nonbiblical Book of Mormon terminology

change of heart: BM (2) JE (25)

I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart (Alma 5:26)

which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them— (Helaman 15:7)

upon your souls: BM (1) DC (2) JE (3)

Why have ye transfigured the holy word of God, that ye might bring damnation upon your souls? (Mormon 8:33)

These words are given unto you, and they are pure before me; wherefore, beware how you hold them, for they are to be answered upon your souls in the day of judgment. (Doctrine and Covenants 41:12)

Be not ashamed, neither confounded; but be admonished in all your high-mindedness and pride, for it bringeth a snare upon your souls. (Doctrine and Covenants 90:17)

new creatures: BM (1) JE (30)

And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 27:26)

Note: "new creature" appears in 2 Cor. 5:17 and Gal. 6:15.

a state of: BM (24) JE (100s)

Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; (Alma 40:14)

this moment: PGP (1) JE (45)

just at this moment of great alarm (Joseph Smith—History 1:16)